Serenity to Souls

Unition

"Danielle?"

...

...

"Are you ready, are you ready?" Lilian called, vibrant as ever. Glancing at her, I called.

 "Yeah, just give me a little more time!" I tied my hair into a bun. Getting up from the dressing stand, carefully orienting my floor-sweeping dress, I approached her. I inspected her garments in awe. She even had time to don a teeming lot of roses upon her crown.

"You look so cute!" I squealed, grinning. She had really done her outfit well.

Just then, two other girls barged into our dressing room. "Are you two done? You've been in there for an eternity!"

Lilian and I turned to look at them. "Yeah, we're coming!"

Scarlett rested one hand on her hip, while Sophie giggled at the sight of Lilian and I desperately hurrying in a messy frenzy, organizing our hair and make-up kits.

Ultimately, we were ready. Hands in hands, my friends and I exited the dressing room to the warmth of the hotel's reception. As we pushed the doors open, our souls jolted to life.

High-school graduation.

...

...

"Oh my gosh! It really is you!"

Realizing that I blanked out, I snapped my attention to the two girls in front of me. Smiles were tugging on their lips, their eyes widened with a vivid excitement. An erratic force of pressure built up in my chest.

"Danielle, you've not forgotten us, have you?" Scarlett pouted. I sighed.

"You're Scarlett, and she's Sophie." I named. Scarlett grinned in satisfaction. In an instant, I spaced out again.

Was it really that easy for me to smile back then?

"Now that we're all here, I suppose we must get to a place to eat." Lilian suggested, jovial. Shouldering my bag, I mumbled in agreement.

We began to saunter across the airport, occasionally passing a restaurant or two. Nothing, however, had appealed to our tastes.

"I'm so hungry, but I'm also not hungry at the same time." Sophie commented. All of us silently agreed with this quoted oxymoron.

"Let's just buy some desserts then." Lilian resorted. With that, we strolled over to a convenience store and split up to gather our personal preferences. Just then, my watch began beeping irritatingly. 

"What's that sound?" Scarlett questioned, perking up. With a chuckle of unease, I replied, stating it was my alarm. Scoffing at my stupidity in setting an alarm, I glanced at my watch's face.

I stopped.

I breathed in sharply.

I spoke.

"Everyone," I started, apprehensive, "our plane's in two-"

"Yeah, I know, it's in two hours." Sophie claimed. Disbelieved, I shot a concerned glance at her.

"I meant to say two minutes." I corrected, furrowing my eyebrows in concealed worry.

My friends pierced their eyes back at me.

"What did you just say?"

...

We ran. Without purchasing anything from the store, we took to our heels. The gates were scheduled to be closed in another two minutes, and they were on the other side of the airport. It felt hopeless, but I compressed my pessimism for the sake of my companions. Adrenaline flooded my system, gushing through every vein present in my body.