Starry Days & Sunlit Nights: Volume 2 - Haze of Shadows

Chapter 1.2 - One-Woman Student Council

In Marie Florence High School, a girl with long, flowing, silky strawberry blonde hair and amber Asian eyes walked down the corridor leading to the Student Council office. She passed by several students and faculty members who greeted her, and waved back at them cheerfully.

The other student following behind her didn't get the same welcoming treatment, however. The half-Asian's best friend since childhood was a white-skinned girl with rich red hair tied into low hanging pigtails and emerald green eyes behind thick round glasses. To the annoyance of many of the other girls and the delight of many a male, her ample bust bounced up and down as she bounded along.

She really wished they weren't so cumbersome though. They always hurt her back.

The girl with pinkish hair knocked on the door of the Student Council office, hoping she wasn't interrupting anything.

"Come in, please," a breathy and somewhat expressionless voice replied from the other side. The two childhood friends let themselves in.

"Hey Junie, how're you holding up?" the girl with rosy hair greeted her with a gentle smile.

Juniper Mendoza, President of the Student Council and daughter of U.S. Senator Mendoza, peeked up from behind the mountain of papers on the conference table. Her raven hair was long and straight. Her skin was dusky and her body well-proportioned. Her irises were gold, not unlike those of a wolf, and often lacked life or sparkle.

For all the work that had yet to be done, it was a little sad that she was the only person here.

"I'm doing a little better since last week, Yumi," she answered. "It took a while, but I finally managed to catch up with all the work I had left behind."

"That's all you've been doing ever since you got back, on top of your studies. Haven't you thought of having a break by now?"

"Even if I wanted to, I can't. There's too much left undone, and everyone expects me to accomplish everything I'm expected to."

"Well that's dumb," Kylie blurted out incredibly bluntly, surprising Juniper, but not Yumi. "No one in their right mind would think you could do so much without breaking down at some point-especially when it looks like you're not having any fun at all."

Juniper gave a look to Yumi, who shrugged awkwardly. Either she had that much trust that her friend knew what she was talking about, or she just didn't like to oppose her opinion. Probably the former, given how comfortable they seemed to be around each other. It wasn't like she didn't make sense either. However...

"Life isn't so simple, Miss MacHallen," Juniper said sadly. "I'm the daughter of the only truly influential Native American politician. I've been groomed my whole life to reach for the same great heights as my father."

Kylie blinked, as though what she had heard made no sense. "But you're not your dad, right?" She put her hands on her hips and puffed up her chest proudly. "My parents are rock stars in the field of meteorology, but you don't see me looking up at the sky a whole lot. No, my nose is usually on the ground, looking for wonders from the ancient world. There's a lot of neat artifacts in this city, buried in the dirt, especially under the not-so-urbanized zones. Lots of old bronze and carved up stones. Omigosh! Is that a sun pendant? It's in perfect condition too!"

The redhead raced to one side of the room, squishing her face against the glass casing of an amulet sitting on a pedestal. The trinket was carved from white limestone with symmetrical proportions and was tied to a thin brass chain.

"She's... nice," Juniper remarked to Yumi. "However, I'm not certain if she has a one-track mind or if it's all over the place."

"That's Kylie for you. She's amazing in her own way."