On a cloudless day, the wind lifted a few strands of light-brown hair framing clear blue eyes. With a hand and a wondrous expression, Lisa reached out and caught a pink petal floating around in the wind. Without pause, she put the soft petal on her lips. It tasted sweet.
“Lisa! Hey~!”
The petal began to float again after Lisa opened her lips while turning her head. A small smile graced her face while she looked over at the duo waving at her from within a passageway. The most energetic, Marie, jumped up and down trying to get her attention. Her long blond hair danced in rhythm with her little skit.
Walking over, Lisa reached the passageway connecting the two main lecture buildings quickly.
“There, there Lil' bunny.” Lisa stroked the bouncy girl's head to calm her enthusiasm. Being quite short, she really easy to pet. Lisa lost herself in the satisfied expression of Marie and continued to rub her small head without much thought. At least till a cough, a minute later, brought her back.
“We're going to class, you want to come with us?” Eric said, his hopeful black eyes were almost hidden behind his semi-long black hair. He was one the taller side and currently carrying two bags, with one of them being brightly colored in rosa and decorated with various accessories. Evidently, it didn't belong to him. Lisa chuckled at the sight, as Marie had likely forced him to carry that, as she would often do.
“Sure,” said Lisa while stopping her spoiling of Marie, “I was only waiting for the break to end anyway.”
The trio turned and started walking through the passageway into the school building. Marie promptly occupied one of Lisa's arms and began to talk with her usual vitality.
“Lisa~, Tomorrow we want to make a small picnic in the second break. You come with us right?” Marie's blue eyes shone as she shook Lisa's arm.
“Can't.” However, Lisa shook her head as she curbed Marie's pleading and said, “I already promised Sarah and Diana to have a meal with them. Next time, oke?”
Although unwilling, Marie conceded and started to chitchat. While walking through the corridor a gentle breeze passed the chatting trio. On the sun-filled day, it was met with an appreciative sigh from the students.
The three of them walked up the stairs and met a few students running past them with laughter. A male teacher quickly followed. He, however, wasn't as pleased as evident by his shouting for them to stop.
Lisa and Marie giggled at the sight while Eric shook his head and mumbled, “What did they do yet again…”
On the second floor, groups of students livened up the scene. A few talking with a teacher, some others having fun with their phones and of course a couple or two enjoying each other's company.
Stopping before a classroom, Marie let go of Lisa's arm and went before her with a pleading expression.
“On Saturday we're going to go shopping, you'll come with us right?”
“Sure,” Lisa chuckled and said, “If nothing comes in between, why not.”
“Yaay~” Marie happily skipped into her class while humming after saying her goodbyes.
“I'll come with you to your class. Have something to talk with Finn.” As Lisa was about to turn and walk towards her own class, Eric stopped her. He had at some point rushed into his and Marie's class to put the bags away.
“Sure,” was the terse reply from Lisa.
A step ahead of Eric, Lisa strolled towards her classroom. Her own classroom was almost on the other side of the building and on the third floor. Although it was inconvenient to use a detour like this, she always liked to walk through the school halls so she didn't mind. The lively atmosphere of it never failed to make it enjoyable to observe. Just like now, as a group of boys were carrying balloons filled with water around. She didn't know what they were up to, but her imagination had fun with the pranks they could pull.
“Ehm... Eh, Lisa...” While Lisa was focused on the boys that passed them, Eric tried to speak up and brought her attention back. Glancing at him, Lisa hummed in acknowledgement. She could guess what he wanted to talk about, but still just smiled her usual reserved smile and strolled on.
The two of them already climbed the stairs to the third floor when Eric mustered up his wits and asked as he always did every year.
“Are you going to the Festa in the summer break, Lisa?”
“Don't think so,” without stopping in her steps, Lisa answered a few moments late, “I don't plan on going this year either, at least.”
Eric only sighed in defeat. It would be fruitless to try to convince her to go, so he didn't say anything else. However, he couldn't help but let some of his frustration out.
“You really make it hard…” Lisa only hummed with amusement in response.
The classroom, filled with about half of the students, was lit by a lively atmosphere. As soon as Lisa entered, the big eyes of an almost crying girl captured her attention. The girl was staring at her intensely with pleading eyes, and after letting out a light laugh Lisa nodded to her. The girl smiled big and quickly took Lisa's bag, as they sat next to each other, and fished a notebook out. As usual, she began to copy today's maths homework.
Used to it, Lisa sat down on her seat beside the girl. She let her vision roam while resting her cheek on the palm of her hand. As one of her favorite past times, Lisa loved to observe others. On a nice and clear like today, feeling the refreshing wind while watching the lively faces of her fellow students, Lisa felt satisfied. It wasn't perfect and certainly not as exciting as she would have liked but at least it was not the worst option.
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Minutes passed and in her relaxation, Lisa felt the heaviness of her eyelids. Not fighting it, she soon felt the world before her going black.
---
Rays of Sunlight filtered through the clear glass and shone onto a bed. On it, a girl was turning slowly around, refusing to wake up. However, the morning wasn't so kind and soon she sat up as she was unable to fall asleep again.
After brushing a few strands of hair aside, Lisa rubbed her tired eyes. Once done, she took a cursory glance throughout the room and tilted her head in confusion.
The unfamiliar room had an old closet covering the wall to her right. A large desk with dusty books atop it stood to her left. A few meters opposite to her was a closed wooden door. Moving around a bit, Lisa felt the fluffy bed underneath her. Covered in a soft-blue bedsheet and with quite a few pillows, it was exceedingly comfortable. She almost wanted to lay down and go back to sleeping but resisted that urge for now.
Overall, Lisa could only say this old room, with dust flying through the air, was certainly not hers.
As Lisa moved to stand up, a few strands of blonde hair came into her vision. Taking a handful of hair into her hand, she rose an eyebrow. The last time she checked, she was pretty sure she had light-brown hair. Now, with the foreign room and hair, Lisa was officially confused as to what is going on. Especially, since she remembered being in her classroom before she closed her eyes and fell asleep.
All of a sudden, her nose twitched and her attention was drawn elsewhere as the scent of freshly baked food entered the room. Amidst the scent of food, she also could smell something else. Something she couldn't quite put the finger on what it was, but began to crave it nonetheless.
“ugh…” Lisa groaned and bend over while clutching her stomach. As if her body only now just realized it, a deep feeling of hunger spread through her body. She craved for whatever created that scent. Barely having gotten awake and suddenly attacked by hunger, Lisa didn't think long.
Standing up, she made her way to the door on shaky steps. Shelves filled to the brim with books were the first thing she saw after she opened the door. Then tables standing with their long side to her were the next. After that, her eyes zeroed in on a plate filled with buns resting on one of the tables. Driven by hunger, Lisa walked wobbly to the table.
The fuzzy warm feeling of a freshly baked bun spread on her palm as she took one off the plate. Driven by hunger Lisa took a light bite without thought. The taste of bread and raspberry-jam filled her mouth as she did. Closing her eyes in delight, Lisa swallowed. Soon a feeling of unnatural fullness spread through her body, while weird energy began to flow through her body and gather at her chest. Lisa tilted her head in confusion but didn't question it, as it seemed to be safe and she was desperately hungry.
Anyway, as long as her hunger is sated, she is fine with it. While taking another bite and feeling the fullness spread again, revitalizing her, Lisa took a look around.
A long, wide corridor filled with bookshelves and desks in the middle was before her. Comfy leather chairs and unlit lamp sat by the wooden tables. With the occasional stray book laying beside them. The floor was made out of a dusky brown carpet.
On the long wall to her right, she could see the room she came out of. A bit further down the wall, she could also see a few other doors with bookshelves in between them.
Two hallways leading to the unknown were spread out on the left wall. Spiraling staircases were right next to the hallways. They gave access to the open second floor. The roof made mostly of glass panels let in enough sunlight to see despite the lack of lit lamps, and through the rays of light, she also could clearly see dust floating around. As with the room she woke up in, everything in here was covered in a fine layer of dust, displaying the abandonment of the building.
Strangely, however, the table where she found the food was spotlessly clean.
Not bothered too much by it, Lisa turned around while taking another bun to eat in hand. A wide wall consisting mostly of glass was now some paces before her. Through the glass, she could see a terrace and a red and white city.
As far as she could see, white walls and red roofs filled the scenery. Buildings reminding her of the old Victorian style were sprawled across the horizon. Yet, the city was by no means even, as it went higher and higher to her right side, like a gigantic staircase. Every step of it was filled to the brim with the red and white buildings. An exception to this, however, were small rivers flowing through the city, as they split it into several pieces, like a badly cut cake. They created scenic waterfalls by flowing down the city-layers and its walls. They amassed into a glistering lake at the ground layer to her left.
As the biggest layer, it also held something else eye-catching; an enormous, white palace standing at the edge of the city with an ocean behind it. Lisa could only guess the size of it as it seemed to dwarf everything around.
Finishing the bun in her hand, Lisa's eyes twinkled with an idea. After she carried the plate in hand, Lisa walked to the wall and opened the door in the middle of it. Now, standing on the white terrace, she took a deep breath of fresh air with a sigh. A quick glance later, she sat down on a white metallic chair near a table. Of course, she began to take small bites of the buns again.
While eating, Lisa enjoyed the sight of the sprawled out red-white city. Although she preferred sitting in a café near a busy walkway and observing all the people living their own stories, a beautiful sight like this is not one she would decline. With her trademark small smile, she lost herself in relaxation and munched on the buns. The warm air on her skin along with tasty food made for a wonderful passing of time.
When the sun, that was much redder in complexion and had one additional small sun following, rose to its highest, and her plate was almost empty, the door behind her made a noise. Pulled out of her daydreaming, Lisa glanced at the woman stepping onto the terrace. Her smile couldn't help but sink.
Lustrous blond hair pulled to a bun and glowing blue eyes devoid of any imperfections. A black ball gown covered almost her entire body, apart from translucent black lace around her neck area and hands. Tall in stature and with graceful steps she walked up to Lisa's table while her dress flowed in motion. An amused expression on her face, as she sat down with an obvious smirk.
Lisa, however, could only stare at her with the look of a parent looking at their problem child in helplessness. This, as it always did, only served to fuel the woman's pleasure.
“So it really was your doing, Era,” Lisa broke the silence and said with a sigh.
“That would not be entirely correct,” with a chuckle and a melodious voice, Era said while propping her chin up with a hand. “This time I only lend a tiny bit of assistance. For it would have ended in failure without. Although, even I wasn't certain of the success knowing the particulars of your world and the uncertainty of souls.”
A distrusting gaze was all she got from Lisa in response. Lisa didn't believe that Era was only a ‘tiny bit’ involved in this as it would be quite hard for anyone but Era to mess with her world. She didn't linger on it, however, as it would be useless to argue with that mean-spirited girl.
“Fine. If you say so.” Lisa said. Eating these buns was much more enjoyable than bothering with Era's antics.
“haha,” Era let out a laugh as she saw Lisa ignore her to eat. Used to such treatment from her, Era let Lisa eat in peace and sat in silence with a smirk.