A Ray of Sunlight

What's in Her Heart

Sunset woke up at four in the morning to her alarm.
     "Shut up!" She said groggily, slapping the snooze button.
     After two more rounds of this she made herself get out of bed so she could shower before the flight. As the hot water ran down her face and hair she tried to calm her nerves. Reminding herself that it was just her mother, and that the visit would be fine. After toweling off and blow drying her hair she picked out a cute outfit and warm jacket for the ride to the airport.
     She sat on the couch and waited for her uncle to knock on the door, glad that she had finished packing before going to Twilight's. Just as she was about to doze off again two quick raps on her door snapped her back to consciousness.
     "Coming." She said with a hoarse voice.
     She grabbed the scarf Twilight had given her on one of their outings before meeting her uncle in the hall.
     "You ready to go?" He asked.
     "As I can be at," she checked her phone. "Ugh five o'clock in the morning."
     Silver Dollar chuckled. "Don't worry, once we get outside you'll wake up. It's colder than Satan's tits at there."
     Her uncle's nonsensical phrases never failed to make her laugh. The journey to the airport was a blur to Sunset. She vaguely recalled making benign small talk with the Uber driver and checking her one piece of luggage. She was lazily playing a game on her phone when the unmistakable aroma of freshly brewed coffee convinced her she needed a pick-me-up.
     She followed the scent to a coffee shop a little ways away. She ordered a mocha latte with whipped cream and extra chocolate. Sunset enjoyed the warmth and energy coffee provided, but had yet to acquire a taste for its naturally bitter taste. So she had to add enough sweet flavor or sugar to the point that it was more dessert than coffee.
     She sipped her beverage and nibbled on the hot breakfast sandwich she ordered at the last minute. She decided to take a photo with the caption 'breakfast of champions' underneath it to send to Twilight. After it was sent it dawned on her how early it was and she hoped it wouldn't wake her.
     She was surprised when her phone buzzed a minute later. Twilight had also sent her a picture message of her laying on her side with the comforter wrapped around her head. Her smiling face was the only partially visible.
     "Jealous! That sounds really good right now. I won't get breakfast for a few hours."
     "Haha well aren't you the cutest little cocoon ;) I didn't wake you did I?" Sunset typed.
     "Cocoons are for moths, I'm a chrysalis. I will emerge a beautiful butterfly!"
     A second message arrived moments later.
     "I'm sorry I haven't slept at all, I may be a bit loopy."
     "Why haven't you slept?" Sunset asked.
     "If I tell you, you can't laugh at me."
     "Cross my heart, hope to fly, stick a cupcake in my eye. Now you know I'm serious about this."
     "Alright... I still get really excited for Christmas. To the point that I can't sleep at all on Christmas Eve. If I had my way we'd be opening presents already."
     Sunset smiled goofily at how cute Twilight was.
     "You're too cute for your own good sometimes, you know that? What time are you all getting up?"
     "Not until 7."
     Sunset heard the call for her flight to board over the PA system.
     "I'm sorry babe. Stay strong! They just called my flight so I gotta go. Tell everyone hi for me."
     "Will do! Be safe and let me know when you land okay?"
     "I will. Try to get some sleep."
     "No promises."
     Sunset chuckled before pocketing her phone and gathering her things. Even though the terminal and plane were warm she never removed the Scarf she received from Twilight. She always got pre-flight jitters and the faint aroma of Twilight's perfume helped to calm her nerves. She took her seat by the window and awaited takeoff.
     After the safety demonstration Sunset plugged in her headphones and loaded up one of her many podcasts. She let her head loll towards the window as the wheels left the ground. As the plane climbed higher, the lights from the ground became almost a mirror of the night sky. Sunset's eyes grew heavy as the plane continued toward its destination and she let sleep overcome her.