Alitia: Welcome to Millenia

XXIX: Alitia Again

Luce got back to her dorm room at the end of the evening on the final day of the break. She knocked on the door before walking inside.

S.M. and Sophia were the only ones there at the time. Luce couldn't see Sylvia, but the light to her room was on, giving Luce all the information she needed. Luce set her bag down on the couch and sat down next to Sophia. "So? How were your breaks?" she asked.

"Not much happened. The two of us and Sylvia just decided to hang out around here. We didn't have any reason to go back home, so we just lounged around here in between trips to Millennium City," S.M. responded. "What about you? You look kind of sad, if you don't mind my saying so."

"Well, I guess I am. I just had to say goodbye to the mercenaries, and it sort of reminded me how much I miss them. But I did learn a lot of good stuff while I was out. In fact, I now have a name for my mother and more information on my past. It's going to be much easier to find her now that we have that at our disposal," Luce replied. "I can tell you guys all about it when the others arrive. I don't want to go on and start the story if I'll just have to keep telling it over and over again."

"You have a name? That's great!" Sophia exclaimed. "You don't have to go into detail yet, but do you have anything else?"

"I have a picture," Luce grinned. "A picture and a name... It's a fine start, if you ask me. I'm determined to find her. She's the one I got my light magic from. I need to see her one more time, even if it's just to show her how far I've come. She didn't leave because she hated me or my father. It was something else. I'm sure she'd be glad to see me again after all these years."

"That's great news," S.M. said. "The others should be back soon. Tanith is out at dinner with Headmistress Satim and Headmaster Maestro. She'll be here before you know it. As for the other three... It beats me. I've got no clue."

"There's one thing we need to do this week before we go back to our regular routine," Sophia told the others next.

"What is it?" Luce asked.

"We need to do something to celebrate S.M.'s birthday! She turned eighteen over the break. We didn't get the chance to have a nice time together to celebrate before the break, so we'll just have to do it when the others come back," Sophia explained.

"You really don't need to do that," S.M. frowned.

"I insist. Turning eighteen is a big deal. It means you're officially considered an adult. I don't want it to pass you by without doing anything special. That just doesn't feel right to me," Sophia pressed. "Even if you don't want to, I insist. I'll even pay for your food if we decide to go out somewhere."

S.M. felt heat rushing to her face. "I... I appreciate that, Sophia. I know we had a little dinner of our own with Sylvia and Tanith, but I was hoping we'd get the chance to bring the others in on the action at some point too."

"Well, all is well now. I'm sure the others will want to come along with us. Even Carys can't really complain when there's something in it for her, such as food or a good time otherwise. You get to have a fun celebration with your friends, and we don't have to listen to her constant complaining. If you ask me, that's the biggest win there could possibly be," Luce joked with a small chuckle.

"Amen to that. Not even the power of Starlight could get that girl to quiet down when she gets on a rant," S.M. agreed with a laugh of her own.

"Oh, yeah, I meant to ask. Have you had any troubles with attacks by the Possession Master over the break?" Luce questioned.

"No, not at all. It's like he disappeared off the face of the planet. Granted, I'm okay with that. The less we have to deal with him, the better," S.M. responded.