"Tracing a Dream" - Act I

Chapter 1 ~ First Day Of School

Monday, 9th of April 2012

06:00 Local Time

Shizuka-centered Third-Person Perspective

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Another beautiful spring morning has begun. The bright and beaming sun rose above the eastern horizon, slowly shining upon the houses and buildings and offices of the whole of Japan.

The sounds of birds chirping started to enliven the morning atmosphere, as residents of different ages started their day on that beautiful morning. Smooth gusts of warm spring air complemented the atmosphere, swirling around the gaps between them and other man-made structures across the city, carrying fresh oxygen to liven the mood.

Cherry trees were blooming along the streets, spreading their prominent pink petals along the roads, while others were being carried by the swirling morning gusts around the neighbourhood.

And in one neighbourhood, Shizuka Minamoto was still fast asleep on her bed, lying down on top of her blanket still wearing her travelling attire from the previous night.

From the way she slept, one can tell that this girl went to sleep right away after arriving back home, so tired after a long journey home that she was asleep before she even made it to her bed, leaving her luggage sitting near the door untouched.

But where did she come from; you might ask? She had just returned from the city of Osaka, after spending a month and a half of her holidays with her grandmother. She had a great time with her grandma, but she still missed being with her friends back home.

The sun slowly broke through into the room, shining through the semi opaque window curtain. The pink-ish colour was slowly becoming more visible as the room was getting brighter and brighter.

Right beside the off-white pink studying table right beside a big glass door leading to the balcony, another unpacked travelling handbag was sitting between the table and bookshelf.

Suddenly, the serene atmosphere of the room was broken away by the familiar Briiinnggg!! Of her alarm clock.

This caught Shizuka off guard, as she flailed her hands around trying to reach her ringing alarm clock perched right on top of the counter, almost looking like one of those tall wavy inflatables that can be found at car dealership. After finally hitting the 'snooze' button, she opened her eyes slowly, turning her body around to face the other side of her bed.

After a while, she then proceeded to sit down on the edge of the bed. She took a long glance around her room before letting out a deep morning yawn.

"I fell asleep last night..." She sighed, before sniffing her sleeve. The unpleasant smell of her clothes (well, at least by her standards) sent her nose into a frenzy right away. "Ugh, I think I should take a bath soon..."

Then she took a glance towards her wardrobe, where her new sailor uniform was hanging on the wardrobe's door handle. It seems that her mother had hung the uniform soon after she was fast asleep in her bed.

"Oh yeah, today's the first day of school..." She thought.

But then, she heard someone knocking on the door, "Shizuka, please wake up!" her mother called from outside her room.

Shizuka replied. "Yeah mom, I've already woken up!" She replied.

Her mum then entered her room to check on her daughter. "Good morning, Mom..." Shizuka greeted her mom, stretching her arms in the process.