A dry branch hits the window thanks to the heavy wind present outside. The birds do not sing, but the sound of their wings flapping can be heard anyway.
A freezing wind comes in through the window, causing the curtain to sway a lot.
The dark room, with low lighting and plenty of clothes thrown all over every possible corner, is the setting of a cold and lonely morning.
On the bed beside the window, a young girl stretches.
"wow, I slept too much again… I'll be late again…" says the girl rubbing her eyes
The house is empty, with no company at all. Only Judha's footsteps are what echo throughout the entire house.
"ah, great… my breakfast is over" says Judha looking for something to eat in the kitchen.
Compared to the bedroom, the rest of the house is clean and organized. Aside from the fact that some plates and pans are in the sink waiting to be washed.
With no breakfast options, Judha bites the last chocolate cookie that was left in a jar.
Still sleepy, she goes to the bathroom to turn on the water to prepare her bath.
"Good morning Mr. Duck! could you turn around so I can change? you pervert" says Judha to a duck-shaped shampoo bottle at the edge of her bathtub.
She takes off her clothes while holding the cookie with her mouth.
She sits on the toilet lid and waits for the bathtub to fill completely while looking at the floor, as if she were reflecting.
"What do I do?… What do I have to do from now on…" is what goes through her mind. "All my classmates are being called for the elite test, why haven't I been chosen yet?…"
"…It's true that I don't feel like doing anything anymore, but even so, I want to have a greater purpose to wake up for…" Judha reflects while turning off the water.
She enters the bathtub and soon closes her eyes in the hot water.
"I feel like I'm wasting my time awake…" she says almost whispering
Her backpack has a torn strap, held only by a thin rope tied at the end. As she leaves her house, she locks the door, checks if it is locked, and heads toward school.
She could simply fly, but she likes to walk the entire way.
Judha lives in a mountainous region, at the edge of the mountains of Tamaran. Her house is a wooden cabin, left by her parents since her birth.
Although she could live near a village that is close to the center of Tamaran, she refuses to move.
The poor girl, coming from an extinct class of tamaran, has lived alone for years.
"Good morning Judha!" a smiling and energetic woman greets her.
"G-good morning teacher Heiwa!"
Heiwa is the teacher of the tamaran school, the same one from Blackfire and Clark's class. She has taken care of Judha since she was a child after the tamaran battle, she makes food and sends it to Judha, and from time to time she cleans her house, which has been increasingly difficult due to her obligations and duties as a warrior, since she is an instructor and elite warrior of the Tamaran Special Troop. She managed to transfer Judha to the same class as her friends after days of pressuring the principal.
"What's with that energy? let's cheer up child! we need joy!!" says Heiwa
"I'm still waking up, I'm dead from laziness…" Judha replies with 0 enthusiasm
At school, Judha walks through the long corridor still trying to shake off the weight of sleep. The metallic floor reflects the white light from the ceiling, and the murmur of voices echoes everywhere. Laughter, hurried footsteps, lockers slamming. Everything seems too normal.
"Judha!" a voice shouts from the back.
She turns her face and sees Clark waving exaggeratedly. Blackfire comes right behind, arms crossed and a calm stride.
"Hi guys, good morning…" Judha says, trying to hide her laziness.
"You look terrible" Blackfire adds "Did you sleep badly?"
"I slept too much… which is worse."
The three walk together down the corridor. Clark talks nonstop, telling something about a training session that went wrong the day before, exaggerating every detail. Blackfire teases, corrects, and Judha just listens, laughing softly.
In the courtyard, they sit near the low wall. The wind of Tamaran blows strong, swaying hair and uniforms.
"Hey" Clark points "do you always wear that earring?"
Judha instinctively brings her hand to her right ear, touching the small metallic triangle.
"Yes… I like to wear it, it's a family heirloom" she replies
"Your family seems to have a great history. I'd like to meet your parents someday" says Blackfire
"Ah… Eh… maybe someday…" says Judha without reaction
The bell rings. They stand up in a hurry.
"Ah how wonderful, now it's defense class…" says Blackfire completely unmotivated "I hate when classes are only theoretical"
"Content is important Komand'r, you can do well in combat if you put into practice what is taught to you" Clark replies trying to motivate her
"I know, but I prefer outdoor classes, where we can fight and train for real…" Blackfire completes
The three head to the classroom while talking about the classes.
It is Judha's first day in the classroom after the transfer. She is "new" even though she is already known by some classmates.
Judha was never popular, and constantly suffered prejudice and bullying because of her origins. Just like Blackfire, her powers were not 100% developed due to the lack of constant training.
During class, whispers begin. Stares. Muffled giggles. Judha tries to ignore it, keeps her eyes on the board, but feels the weight grow.
"Hey…" a voice behind her "what's that on your ear? cult symbol?"
Laughter.
"Must think she's special because of that"
"Looks like something broken"
Judha presses her fingers against the desk. She doesn't respond. Pretends not to hear.
"Take that off. You're not even a woman yet to wear earrings" someone whispers "it's so embarrassing"
The triangle feels heavier than ever. She feels her face heat up, her eyes burn. Clark and Blackfire are not listening. They don't see it. Nobody sees it.
When class ends, Judha leaves quickly, head down, backpack hanging crookedly on her shoulder. She avoids the courtyard, avoids voices, avoids everything.
The way back home feels longer.
The wind is colder. The mountains are too silent. Every step hurts, even without any physical reason at all. When she finally reaches the cabin, she unlocks the door and enters.
"…I'm home…" she says softly, to no one.
The house answers with silence.
She drops her backpack on the floor, takes off her shoes and goes straight to the bathroom. Turns on the shower without thinking. The water falls hot, almost burning, running through her hair, her face, mixing with tears she no longer tries to hold back.
She rests her forehead against the cold wall.
"Why…? Why?... Why Why Why Why Why??..."
"Why am I worrying about stupid things?"
The images of the day run through her head.
She closes her eyes tightly. She begins to sob while holding back her tears as much as possible, her crying is very quiet, even though there is no one to hear, she refuses to let herself go.
"Damn earring"
The shower ends.
Judha puts on loose clothes, walks to the bedroom and throws herself onto the bed without turning on the light. Her stomach growls. She thinks about eating something… but she doesn't get up.
Hungry, cold, and with too many thoughts, Judha finally falls asleep.