Dedicated

Chapter 1

LUNA

"Let me guess," my sister Nova watches in amusement as I stumble out of my room in a frantic mess, "you're late."

My reply is a flurry of curse words as I hop around trying to shove my half-a-size, too small Converses onto my feet before I straighten up, feeling light headed from all the fast movement. "Do you have to point it out?" I blow a curl out of my face, unimpressed by the fact my sister finds it humorous that I'm already losing my shit 5 minutes after waking up.

Nova, still smiling, strides toward me in her impeccably crisp, white button-up and black skirt outfit, heels clacking against the tiled floor. "Here," she pauses in front of me and shoves the piece of toast she had been munching on into my mouth. "At least eat something before you go."

I mumble out a thanks as I chew my impromptu breakfast.

"Want me to drop you off?" She then asks.

I open my mouth to respond but a reply isn't needed. The blaring sounds of the city 8 storeys below answer for me; the resounding honks of various cars and buses indicating the Monday morning traffic. A peek out of my sister's floor to ceiling windows would undoubtedly show the long lineup of vehicles.

I shake my head no anyways.

Nova nods understandingly and pulls open the door to the apartment we both share.

Swallowing the last bite of my toast and wiping away any remaining crumbs, I get on my tiptoes and give my sister a peck on the cheek before slipping out the crack of the door she prised open. "I'll see you later Nove."

"Bring me a red velvet donut!" She calls out behind me before slamming the door shut. I wait until I hear the telltale signs of the door being locked before I turn the corner and head towards the elevators. Although my sister's apartment is located in one of the better neighbourhoods of the city and her apartment complex has excellent top range security, you can never be too careful.

Once the elevator whizzes down to the first floor and the steel doors open, I'm practically running out of the lobby, fluttering my fingers at Stephen, the doorman of the apartment complex but not slowing down to properly greet him.

I then speed walk to the subway station, tugging my headphones on top of my head as I manoeuvre my way through the throngs of people already crowding the street. The morning sun is bright, the sky a cloudless blue. It's a beautiful summer morning but I barely have time to appreciate the good weather before I'm rushing down the steps into the dingy subway station.

I almost miss my train but after picking up my pace, I manage to slide into the carriage before the doors slam shut. I wrinkle my nose as I try to find even an ounce of breathing space in the packed car. My back is practically plastered to the woman behind me and a child is pressed up against my front, deciding to hold onto my sleeve for support instead of a handrail.

I'm still getting accustomed to the hustle and bustle of the city. Having moved out from a small town in Ohio, where everyone and their mother knew everything about everyone, adjusting to life in New York city has been widely different. But different was good. I needed different.

As much as it was comforting living in Lakewood, I needed a change in scenery after being tied to my hometown for 22 years. Although I only moved out here 6 months ago, I have been planning this move since the end of high school. It was one of the biggest items I needed to tick off from my list.

I had created 'The List', when I was 18 and fresh out of highschool. My summer after graduating had been tedious and uneventful and the lack of excitement had left a lot of free reflection time available. And during those many reflection periods, I came to several realisations about myself and my life.