Todo

Rin Kakeo

06:50 am. First day of school

An alarm is going off.

An alarm?

Why would there be an alarm?

Kai-Sensi always wakes me...

I sit up, rubbing my eyes with my fists. I look around sleepily. My eyes land on my UA uniform which is neatly ironed and hanging on my closet door.

"Ohh! It's the first day of school!" I throw back my covers, before stumbling to my bathroom and splashing water on my face to help me wake up. I take the fastest shower ever- only five minutes- dry off, brush my teeth and hair, and get dressed in five more. I fret over what to do with my hair and almost text Aiko for help when I notice a photo from her, sent after we talked.

It's of us, two years ago. We have matching hairstyles; double French braids, with ponytails at the bottoms. I immediately know what to do with my hair today.

After braiding my hair, I grab my explorer bag- a large, sturdy, waterproof leather, and canvas backpack pre-packed with everything I need- and run downstairs.

My mother isn't awake yet, and I don't look for my father- frankly, I don't care where he is.

There's hot tea in the kettle, tho, and I suspect he has something to do with it.

I allow myself a flicker of hope; maybe this is my dad's way of saying, 'good luck on your first day'. Maybe he actually does like me and wants me to do well. Maybe the reason he's always pushing me is that he's trying to help me be better.

After using my power to turn the tea into a snow cone, I stick my head out the front door. Warm wind greats me, ruffling my ponytails and I smile, anticipating a great day.

I slip on my favorite pair of shoes- beat-up sneakers, the right one one blue and the left one white to match my hair- grab my house key, and skip out of the house humming happily as I munch on my breakfast.

I have to take the train to UA; it's about an hour away, but I can barely sit still the whole ride.

I passed the entry exam with flying colors. The worst is over. Now the fun begins!

I'm so excited that ice crystals start to form on my seat, and I brush them away quickly. My father is always furious when stuff like that happens; he says it's a sign of weakness.

But now that some of my power got out, I'm itching to use more. I make a tiny marionette, complete with ice crystal strings. I dance the doll on my knee, giggling at the feeling of tiny ice feet on my bare skin.

I feel someone's eyes on me, and I glance around, cupping my hands gently around my marionette as if to protect it.

My eyes land on a boy who's wearing the UA uniform. He has two-toned hair just like me, but instead of half-white-half-blue like mine, his hair is half-white-half-red. I guess he's half hot, half cold- not unlike my half ice half water.

His heterochromia eyes are full of fascination as they stare at my marionette. I recognize him from the entrance exam; he's the youngest son of the number two hero, Endeavor.

When he realizes I've caught him staring, he doesn't look away like most people would. He examines my face as if trying to figure out if he knows me from somewhere. I stare back.

Maybe he'll be in my class. Should I try to make friends with him? How would I even do that?

I give him a shy smile, and his mouth twitches at the corners, which I take as a good sign.