Silver Lining

Prologue: Part 1

Click. A bright flash of light lit the dark room for a moment. She frowned. Click. Light appeared for another brief moment. She forced her eyes to open.

It was morning. The sun tried desperately to shine through their bedroom window, but the curtains denied its entry. Where was the light coming from?

"Smile!"

Before she even had time to oblige, a final flash went off.

Velox's eyes fluttered open. She was met with Prompto, who sat on the ground at the side of the bed with his legs crossed.

"C'mon Prom, it's too early for this." Velox slurred groggily.

"It's never too early for a photo op!" He said perkily, bringing the camera to his face.

The blonde put her hand in front of the lens. "Wait. Lemme see what you've got so far."

Prompto handed the camera to his sister.

Velox shifted to rest on her elbow. She took the camera and held it so that they could both see the screen. She hit a button with an arrow on it and scrolled through the pictures her brother had taken. In the first photo of the morning, she was slumbering peacefully. In the second photo, her eyebrows were scrunched together, giving her an annoyed expression. In the last photo, the blonde looked dazed and confused.

"See! Real keepers!" Her twin beamed. "Candids are the best."

Velox chuckled. "Next time, can-don't. The lighting's not even good."

"I didn't wanna wake you!" He argued.

"Don't sacrifice good lighting for my sake."

"Alright, alright. A lighting fix is a can-do." Prompto stood up and scurried comically to the window.

She smiled and shook her head. Velox ran her fingers through her Velox ran her fingers through her short hair, which resembled a bird's nest in the early morning.

"Let there be light!" He shouted, drawing the curtains.

She hurriedly raised the camera and pointed it at the blond. Click.

"See?" Velox said, turning the camera so that her brother could see the photo. "Good lighting works wonders."

Prompto's arms were dramatically raised above his head, as if he had just won a gold medal in a competition. Sunlight poured through the window and swallowed him whole. His body appeared to be glowing.

"Woah! I look like a god!" He said, staring at the photo in total awe and admiration.

Velox gazed at her brother and grinned. This is exactly how everyone sees you, sunshine.

•••

"Just calm down, bro. We'll be fine." Velox said, trying to soothe her nervous twin.

"B- But what if I mess up? What if I say something stupid and embarrass myself?" Prompto's mind was racing a mile a minute with every terrible scenario imaginable.

She placed a hand on her brother's shoulder and gave a reassuring look. "I'll be right by your side."

His worried expression melted away and morphed into one of confidence. "Yeah."