Epics of Noche 5, Reflection

EON CH 02

CHERRIES ROOM.

1777, APRIL 04th, MONDAY 7:00am. 

Noche stood and stared up at Cross HQ. She was motionless on the helicopter pad at the base of the mountain before the one hundred stories of stairs leading to the building. Vida approached and placed her hand on Noche's shoulder.

"I noticed you have some new scars," Vida said.

"Yeah? What of it?"

"I just wanted to say, I know the pain of being burned. Better than anybody else."

Noche stared at the blind girl.

"How did you even know?"

"My drive radar is better than eyes in some regards," she grinned. "Its almost like I can feel everything in my bubble, and I'm quite familiar with the texture of burned flesh."

"Right. That's comforting."

"All I'm trying to say is, I'm sorry you had to go through that."

Noche continued to stare.

"Thank you," the blonde finally said.

Vida nodded, and starter to walk away.

"Kick your ass later," the blind girl said.

Noche raised her middle finger as Vida walked away chuckling. Tak approached Noche, but Shaylin placed her hand on his shoulder.

"Give her some time," she said.

"B-But—"

"Shaylin's right," Mary interrupted. "Noche just got back. She needs to settle in."

Tak lowered his head and looked down. Alice approached and patted him on the back.

"I have... New books," the violet-haired girl said. "We can read them together."

Tak gave her a brief smile before throwing a quick glance Noche's way.

"Ok."

As they spoke, the blonde then turned to the stairs carved out of the mountain wall. The memory of walking up those stairs with Cherries flashed in her mind. How she did it, despite her muscle atrophy, to join the H.O.P.E. classes. The sheer exhaustion she felt when they both made it to the top; how she collapsed to the dirt.

The blonde smirked before jumping up over a thousand feet. She landed with an earth-shaking impact at the top of the mountain stairs. A chuckle escaped her lips as she reflected on what she had just done. At how effortless and quick it was compared to that memory. It was such a stark contrast she couldn't help but chuckle.

She approached the two giant Viking doors and stared at them. There was a time when she struggled to open them. Afterall, they had a combined weight of half a ton. She raised her hand and opened them as easily as a screen door. They had become so light it was frightening.

Noche walked about and reminisced about a time long past. How she had spent her days studying for the Cross entrance exam. That time she pummeled that one guy who blackmailed her. She couldn't even remember his name now. Her mind returned to when she and her friends tried to get to a security camera outside and she chuckled.

The days spent in the library, in the classroom, in the gazebo listening to music outside. She walked outside and stared at the ledge that resided high above the track field. A memory of Cherries scaring her so bad that she nearly fell popped into mind. She approached and peered over the ledge. What was once a deadly fall was now an inconsequential inconvenience.