charlotte

it was an average day on andros, with the sun and the heavenly blue sky and the warmth, perfect if you asked 99% of students. cecilia, however, didn't see any pros of it, being the cold weather type of a person. her solemn face haven't changed a bit through all of the classes, nor when she finally came out of the building and stopped for a moment, only to adjust to the brightness. after a minute or two, she left the entrance area and went for a walk around institute's park, seeking peace and silence. others mostly ignored her presence, their looks sliding past her slim figure and fiery red hair as if they were invisible, non-existent. she liked it. attention was never something she'd look for, anyway – shadow was where she felt the most comfortable and safe. it was a bit of a problem at a younger age, because she found it difficult to talk in front of her class or perform on school events but eventually, she got rid of the nervousness. now it was only a matter of socializing, which was not exactly something she'd enjoy. the sound of her shoes on a paved path that led through the park suddenly stopped, because she caught sight of an abandoned bench – what she was looking for, basically. she took up her seat without faltering, placing her plain black bag on the ground and pulling out a thick book about medieval psychiatric treatment. it seemed utterly boring but really, it wasn't. she thought it was fascinating, but she was, after all, cecilia norling, who thought books and study were more interesting than people. usually it didn't bother anyone but apparently not that day, because she sensed the presence of a fellow human being soon after she opened the book. her eyebrows raised a bit, but other than that, she showed zero interest for whoever it was standing nearby.

charlotte

she really wanted to read but her focus was slipping over and over again, mainly because of charlotte (there was no way she could miss her voice). what could be a perfectly fine day was threatening to turn out as a bad one. joy. she considered the option of ignoring a french lolita and simply read on – very tempting indeed – but she knew charlotte well enough to know it wouldn't do any difference. she would insist with her sarcastic monologue for a good time, especially if she was bored – which was, in cecilia's opinion, true. it was so typical for her kind of people to first glance at the book title and then frown upon the plainness of its subject. the reaction she recieved almost on a daily basis, though not always so straightforwarded – it didn't hurt her anymore. or more likely, it never even did, for she wasn't the type to give a fuck about what other people thought. all she's felt for humans in general was an almost superior contempt and pity, because the emotional shallowness of 85% of people was unbelievable. »no, we aren't. we're in 20th century, full of dumb, ignorant pricks. and i have no intention whatsoever to become one of them,« she said plainly, her gaze still locked on the page 347, although the letters were prancing around, impossible to read. »but i'm afraid it's too late for you.« nothing more than a whisper, but loud enough for charlotte to hear it. the smell of cigarette smoke crawled into her nose and tickled her insides, waking up the need to light one too. »who says it bothers me? i despise people,« she smiled coldly, finally looking up to see the short-haired girl with distinct asian features. her lips formed an ironic smile, showing just how much she didn't understand cecilia – and frankly, she probably didn't even want to. her calm, dreary world was so far away from charlotte's vivid and diverse one there was only a very tiny possibility they could ever get any closer. »do you seriously think i care about the... 'trends' or whatever it is that dictates what's in and what's out?« her eyebrows raised again and her eyes were full of scoff.