Chapter 14 - Day 1

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(A/N) So this is it, the story has finally come to an end. Thank you to everyone for reading this far, you've all meant the world to me and I appreciate all of you. Thank you all once again.

She blinked her eyes open groggily at the sound of her relentless alarm clock. Reaching out with a groan (Y/N) slapped her hand over the snooze button, rolling over with her quilt clutched in her hand, creating a cacoon of warmth around her. But it wasn't enough, the warmth wasn't what she needed anymore, a coolness overcoming her around all limbs but her chest. With a groan she realised she would either overheat or freeze unless she got up and started her day. Flipping back to her alarm clock, she opened her eyes wearily, trying her best to blink the sleep away from the edges of her eyes. Her (e/c) eyes stared at the red numbers that announced to her tiny world that it was only 6:30am. Just her luck. Charles always had a knack for giving her the lessons that started at 8am, meaning she was stuck on breakfast duty as well.

(Y/N) sat up in bed, pushing stray hairs from her face as she stretched her back out. The morning seemed to be nice, she noted. The sun was shining enough that each tree outside her window was bathed in a slight morning glow, yet not so bright that it was able to wake her up pre-emptively from her slumber. With a huff, she let her body sag, wriggling her toes under the warm covers. As if she could feel the ticking of it, she brought her arm in her line of sight, watching the green numbers count down on her (s/c) skin. Under 4 hours, that was all that was left. Less than four hours and she would be with her other half. All she could think about however, was impressing her soulmate. Sure, she could accept herself all she liked, finally be comfortable with herself, but her underlying insecurity almost demanded that she be loved for herself. Even grasping the idea of not being enough for her soulmate terrified her, so much so that she quickly distracted herself with getting dressed. Pulling on her favourite outfit, (Y/N) continued with her normal morning routine, trying her best to ignore the lump in her throat as soon as it formed.

Once she had finally made it to the dining room after traversing the classic hallways, she picked up a bowl for herself. Waiting in line behind all the other kids lining up for the cereal and toaster, she couldn't help but wonder how long they each had on their own watches. Years? Days? Or almost a lifetime like her?

"Miss Howlett, the line's moved forward," One of the young boys spoke up, his eyes wide and innocent as (Y/N) looked at them. Shaking her head lightly, (Y/N) plastered one of her signature warm grins on her face, nodding at his words before stepping forward to get her breakfast.

When she finally sat at the teachers table, alone, she felt herself slacken in the chair, a heavy breath releasing from her throat she knew she was holding. As she watched students come in and out of the dining room, she couldn't help but wonder where the excited woman from last night went, left with this scared little girl who was overwhelmingly self-conscious.

"Morning (Y/N)," Hank greeted, sitting next to (Y/N) with a slight thud. Snapping the girl out of her thoughts, Hank studied her face carefully, before drawing his own conclusion.

"You're still worried about meeting your soulmate," Hank stated, glancing at her over his glasses and blue fur. (Y/N) turned to face him, her eyes wide with a slight fear as she nodded her head. Hank always seemed to know; he was constantly that teacher that (Y/N) felt knew students more than they knew themselves. And in this moment, he certainly lived up to that reputation.

"I'm just not sure I'll be enough," (Y/N) stressed, running a hand through her (h/c) hair to try and calm herself. Noticing this nervous tick, Hank softly grabbed her hand, noting how she stroked his fur with her thumb.

"I'd be worrying more about whether you have enough to eat (Y/N)," Hank chuckled, gesturing softly to her abysmal breakfast. (Y/N) had to do a double take, unaware that she hadn't actually grabbed that much food for herself.

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