𝒯𝑜 𝒩𝑒𝓌 𝐵𝑒𝑔𝒾𝓃𝓃𝒾𝓃𝑔𝓈

September 1st, 1993

𝒞𝒽𝒶𝓅𝓉𝑒𝓇 𝐹𝑜𝓊𝓇

Iris had a routine... a set of motions in the morning that always went just the same and always took just the right amount of time to get her up and ready for the day as quickly as possible.

So, of course, the routine always began the same way, by waking up. Obviously... except with Iris, it wasn't just a simple case of opening her eyes and sighing at the clock.

No... with Iris, she woke up always at the same time. But never peacefully... instead, always with a panic. That same panic from her first night in that room. The same intake of breath, the same jolt, the same hurried glance around the room. Always she woke in the same search for the dangers of her dreams.

Nightmares... every day like clockwork, they woke the girl from her deep sleep, always starting her routine... perhaps not out of entirely her own will. Rather her routine started because staying in bed was not an option for a panicked mind.

So keeping in mind the girl's routine, the fact of her life that stated she woke in a panic every morning before the sun could touch the sky... September 1st was an odd day. Because that day, there was no nightmare, and it was a break from the pattern.

That day she woke peacefully, stirred awake by the shine of the sun. Nothing but a mumble left her as she covered her eyes with a heavy arm, clinging to the peaceful start to her day.

And she embraced it for as long as she could justify. Allowing herself to rest. The heat from the sun soaked into her dark skin. The light from the sun bounced off her hair, revealing that no matter how dark it was, the color was still brown. She was calm... just laying in that moment, breathing in and out with not a worry in the world. The longer she lay, the more she could elongate that rare start to her day.

Just a breath in and a breath out... every second... maybe not blissful, but definitely calm.

However, as everything does, it eventually had to end.

Moving her arm back to her side with a deep sigh, Iris finally opened her eyes. The cobalt blue ring almost seemed to waver in and out through the dark green.

She only allowed herself one more moment in the bed. Stretching out her arms and legs before getting a move on with her day. Her routine set in motion as she moved towards her wardrobe, asking the same question as always, "What's the time?"

"Nearly nine, Miss." The answer came from the same cheerful tone of the mirror as it always did.

And still, Iris hummed in acknowledgment that the mirror most definitely did not need. But without so much of a thought on her mind, Iris continued on with her machine-like morning preparation. Grabbing her outfit for the day before heading off to the bathroom... the only other break from normal came in the form of a quick wave of the hand.

Time almost reversed, like an inverse of the explosion of her first day in the Inn.

The window softly moved shut, killing the screams of London and cutting off the flow of fresh air. The cheap, thin curtains drew shut, attempting to hide the window and managing to block some of the light, a strange colored glow falling over the room.

The suitcase lifted from beside the wardrobe, thumping itself back onto the ground by the door.

The jewelry box, the books, and the shoes all left their neat homes and tucked away back into the suitcase. Socks flew out of drawers, reorganizing themselves into pairs on their journey. Tops and bottoms neatly folded themselves back into the suitcase. Everything and anything that exploded out on Day 1 orderly returned to where they had escaped.