Never Fear Shadows (IC)

[April]

Never fear shadows. They simply mean there's a light shining somewhere nearby. -- Ruth E. Renkel

Claremont Academy

Friday, 21 January 2011

The alarm sounded, 6:00 displayed in a subdued blue on the clock face, and with a stifled yawn Eve limbered out of bed. Padding over to her desk she tapped the spacebar on her laptop bringing the machine out of standby, light flaring from the LED display causing green eyes to narrow as they adjusted to the sudden brightness. Calling up today's weather, the athletic teen considered for a brief moment of using the indoor track but quickly dismissed that notion with a small shake of her head.

Glancing at the photo on her desk, Eve lightly traced a finger along the simple platinum frame, a ghost of a smile on her lips. Minutes later she was out the door, dressed in comfortable winter running gear.

[April]

It was cold, the wind threatening to make it almost bitterly so, and the crisp air brought a touch of color to Eve's cheeks and caused her breath to mist. She worked through her stretches, noting that she was the only one outside at this hour, though she could see some of the door rooms had lights on. That suited her just fine, she reflected. Her old outgoing nature was struggling to reassert itself after being so long suppressed but as of now her preference for solitude still dominated.

Eve knew that her teachers were concerned with how she deliberately set herself apart from the other students. And she knew they had a right to be concerned, but nearly three years later she still felt isolated from the rest of humanity.

Eve started her run.

She didn't have a set distance in mind, just an allotment of time. The young Frenchwoman's route took her through the main entrance and keeping the wall enclosing Claremont to her left, Eve loped along the outside perimeter. She pushed all thought of the teachers and their concerns from her mind and simply focused on her run.

[April]

Feeling invigorated after her half hour run, Eve made straight for the kitchenette and put on a small pot of coffee. It was a blend Trevor recommended and the one he had offered to her after the reality bending events centered around the Lucas family. Though nearly a year had passed since then, the events still twisted Eve up inside; but out of that came one of the few friendships she truly valued. Trevor Hunter had been one of the first people to greet her when she arrived at Claremont and at the time she thought the tranquility of his mind was merely interesting but irrelevant. She never imagined she would need its calming influence; but the events of that day pushed her right up to the brink of wanting to hurt someone for its own sake.

She sometimes regretted keeping her distance from Trevor despite regarding him with a fondness that nearly matched that which she had for her brother. But since he started dating Erin, Eve didn't want Trevor to have to make the choice between spending time with his girlfriend or a friend, so she took the decision out of his hands.

Eve gave herself a rueful shake of the head as she padded into the bathroom while the coffee percolated, the wonderful aroma already filling the dorm. She left herself enough time for a shower and a simple breakfast before she had to be at class, it made no sense wasting it lost in thought.

[April]

To Eve, the day was just like any other day. It wasn't that she didn't like school; she did, but that up until recently school was always that thing she did between visits to the gym and without the adrenaline and endorphin rush, the day just feels like it moves much too slow.

Finally, thankfully, the school day came to a close. She opted to head to the gym instead of her dorm; she had all weekend to do her assignments and she wanted to get in another workout before heading to the movies.