Submerged

III. Love that perseveres.

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Paris, France. December 2034.

   The festive atmosphere was felt in every hallway of the university. The professors were happier and the students more relaxed. Soon, the short Christmas break would begin; some had plans to see their families, others a trip to the mountains to ski with friends. The less fortunate ones would dedicate themselves to working during the break.

   Nadine, of course, would visit her family. She worked cleaning houses on weekends, refrained from buying unimportant things, and went out sparingly, trying to spend as little money as possible so she could travel whenever the opportunity arose. Antonia, on the other hand, didn't have that problem. Her family had enough money to indulge in a few whims each week and still save, so she often encouraged her friend to have fun and relax. Nadine pushed herself too hard. She wanted to help her family with their debts, but she burned herself out, demanding too much from her mind, which affected her performance in all aspects of her life. That's where Antonia came in: the more distractions she had, the better she could focus. Although, truth be told, sometimes she struggled to prioritize. She was characterized by her impulsivity and sudden mood swings. She got irritated easily, which irritated her more than anything else.

   The perfect complement to Nadine.

   She could spend entire nights focused on building designs. Her fascination since childhood was those buildings that held the beauty of ancient architecture, but their functionality revolved around intelligent design, which complemented their surroundings, enriching and blending with nature, rather than destroying or overshadowing it like most modern architecture. It all began with an old movie her parents always made her watch, where an entire civilization lived inside a huge oaks called "Hometree". They made use of everything nature offered, giving much more in return. Thus, little Nadine would spend hours telling her family, who listened attentively even though it was too much information to remember, all the things she would build when she grew up.

   Nadine was in complete silence, drawing on her desk on the back of a photograph of her family. In the photograph, her beloved ones could be seen under the usual oak tree; she had taken it on her last day living there. Sitting on the wooden table was Irving, with his chubby cheeks and dark hair, gesturing theatrically with his hands. Joalí was seated on the bench in front of him, looking at him tenderly with her big eyes and her golden hair (inherited from her grandmother). Maureen was laughing out loud with her eyes closed, while Destan stood behind her, looking at her lovingly, and small wrinkles formed around his eyes, a product of age. Finally, there was Triana, the only one looking at the camera, with a small smile. She looked beautiful, with her long chocolate-colored hair and her slanted eyes. Due to their strong resemblance, Triana and Nadine seemed like different faces of the same coin.

   That day she didn't have class because her teacher was on a business trip. She didn't like changes in her routine much, so without needing to set an alarm, she woke up at the usual time, to have the same breakfast as always sitting in the sun like every morning. The hours she would usually spend in class, she spent doing her favorite thing: fantasy building designs. These were the ones she did just to relax, not for commercial purposes, as they were quite fanciful. Entire mansions mixed with seas and palm trees, cities in the trees connected by vine bridges, or hollow trunks with cozy studios.

   Her moment of concentration was interrupted when Antonia entered through the door, with her numerous layers of coats, having arrived from her last class of the day. She directed a faint smile at her friend, walking toward the edge of her bed where a sunbeam fell, and sat down there. Her hair rested on her shoulders, and in her usually gray eyes, a hint of green could be seen due to the weather.