Pinfeathers

Chapter 1 - Home

"Are you sure you're ready?"

"Yes!"

"I don't know... are you absolutely sure that you're rea--"

Sima didn't get a chance to finish the question for the third time as Zoe, glow in full swing, ducked under her arm and shot through the partially opened front door of their new house. With a squeak of protest, Raph was next. Athira followed him in, eager to be away from the stares of the other tenants on this floor of the complex, no doubt wondering why an Elite was escorting the new family into their home in full uniform.

Athira had only seen a few pictures of this apartment, but already, she knew it was perfect.

The layout was going to take a bit of getting used to, but it was a minor detail. After almost a year of saving every scrap of Colour that wouldn't push her Black into unstable territory, Athira was ready to see the results of her efforts. It was already visible in Zoe and Raph's excitement, heard in Miela's laugh as she entered the house for the first time.

Even after Athira had saved enough for the down-payment and asked for Sima's help in finding a house, it'd taken another four months to get everything in order. Miela had jobs to apply for, loose ends to tie up, arrangements to make--the list had seemed endless. Athira hadn't minded at first, it'd given her more time to save additional Colour, but anxiety had chewed away at that patience. Every so often, she'd seen Felicity's trained idiots watching her, their car parked outside the school--small signs that they weren't ready to give up.

But none of that mattered now. They were here, and the new chapter of their lives was going to begin, right beside Sirah's heart, and Athira was more than ready.

Energy flooded her limbs, and she broke off into a sprint down the hallway, crashing into the wall to stop herself outside the room Zoe had occupied.

"This is my room!" declared Zoe. "I made it in here first!"

Athira saw the annoyance in Raph's face before it altered into a shrug. "That's fine. I just wanted to make sure that my room was superior to yours anyway. It is."

Zoe narrowed her eyes. "Nope. No way. I saw it for a millisecond as I ran to this one and this one is definitely better."

Athira just shook her head. "You two haven't even seen the other half of the house yet, and you're already picking rooms."

"So," said Raph. "What you're saying is that there are better roo--Hey! Zoe, get back here!"

"I still call dibs on that room unless I find a better one!" Zoe called as she swung herself around the doorframe and disappeared with her footsteps.

Raph looked to Athira. "Is there actually a better room?"

Athira grinned. "Yea, but Zoe just ran straight past it."

She saw Raph move, but she was faster, and she didn't need to use the door. She was leaning against the doorway as he caught up with her, a colourful curse she never would have heard from him two years ago expressing his annoyance.

"Raphael!" came Miela's voice. "I heard that!"

Raph managed a withering look before glancing inside Athira's chosen room. "It looks more like a workroom than a bedroom."

"Because it is," said Athira, allowing him inside. "This was only a three bedroom place, but I saw this one and figured, why not? Getting to that platform up there won't be a problem for me, and it'll fit a bed easily."

Raph eyed the remaining floorspace critically. "And what are you going to do with the rest of it?"

Athira knew the answer to that despite having never considered it. "Books. Lots and lots of books. And a really comfortable chair."