butterflies | ✓

brontide.

"Lysel! Lysel! Wake up! Today's the day!"

I opened my eyes slowly. Sunlight filtered in through my windows, passing through my white curtains with ease. Dust lazily floated about, made golden.

Standing next to my bed, dressed nicely with perfectly done makeup and perfectly curled hair were three of my closest friends. They were all of different descents and all absolutely stunning.

Arom Chaiprasit was tall and willowy, with deep bronze skin and lovely dark hair. She stood by my bed with a pillow clutched between two hands and her dark eyes narrowed at me. "You better wake up." She said, although she didn't come across as very frightening.

Beside her, Aaliyah Walker rolled her eyes and ran a hand through her black curls. Decorating one slender, dark finger was a silver ring. "Relax, Arom. We have hours until the report."

That didn't stop Arom from whacking me with the pillow in her hands. She gave Aaliyah a wolfish grin. "And? She has to wake up."

"Hermana, I don't see what the problem is." María Gomez said in reply, absentmindedly inspecting her manicure. She had a habit of switching between Spanish, Portuguese, and English unconsciously, but that could have been because whenever she argued with her mother she would shout in Spanish, and when it came to her father, she would be yelling in Portuguese.

"We have to get her ready! Even if it is just the report, I want one of my bestest friends to look gorgeous. And she looks kind of like a monster right now." Arom shrugged.

I didn't doubt it, either. My hair probably looked like a rat's nest or something.

I let out a loud moan and flopped back against my pillows. "But I don't want to get up. I probably wasn't even picked! Do you know how small the chances of any of us getting picked are?"

"Nobody cares," They chimed in unison.

"Get your ass up and get in the shower, you stink." Aaliyah wrinkled her nose. "And don't forget to dress nicely. You know how our lovely families love getting dressed up."

I waved her off and roll out of bed. "Oh, shut up. Just pick something out for me."