Delicate fingers guide the graphite tip with graceful precision as every meticulous detail is added to the smooth page. The tight grip on the rough and bumpy dents of the vibrant yellow pencil trigger ghostly blotches to appear on peach skin. Plump pink lips curl away to release luminous hoary teeth. Dazzling aqua irises gloss over in concentration to command the pencil's tip to dance to her rhythm on the papyrus.
"Apwil! Wanna see my new dwawing?" the five-year-old girl exclaims to the brunette girl across the sea of test tubes and machinery. April forces her eyes from the interesting creature inside the minuscule glass habitat.
"Of course, Krysi," the nine-year-old responds with a tender smile that animates her muted blue eyes. The elder child strides over to her friend. A small hand grasps the paper full of various colors, but the special color bursting from the paper is emerald green. It litters itself all over the body of the subject, providing shape and life to the art piece.
The young blonde bounces in place behind her viewer, awaiting the compliments she knows will come in buckets. The laboratory the girls occupy is dimly lit; however, one of the three spotlights glisten down onto the elaborate, yet childish, drawing.
Krystal gnaws on her bottom lip as her nerves bundle up in a tangled mess. After seconds of silence, the five-year-old grips April's shirt and swallows an anxious lump before wondering, "Is it good?"
The darker-haired child shifts her gaze to the aqua eyes behind her and wears a joyous smile. "Good? It's awesome, Krystal! We gotta go show Christopher and my dad," April proclaims before clutching her friend's wrist in her hands and tugging her to the opposite side of the sterile lab. The blonde child releases a wonderous laugh full of endless joy.
The corners of Krystal's lips curl up to her pupil's, forming a nostalgic smile. Her eyelids flutter as she escapes her dazed state to observe her new masterpiece. An elegant princess stares back at her through the paper stained with lead. The young girl hums to the music that plays softly in her ear as she lifts her arm to sign her name.
"O'Neil! We're live in 30 minutes! Come on!"
Krystal's body jumps six inches off the passenger seat of the Channel 6 News van, causing the charcoal leather seats to squeak from the sudden jerk.
"Why is Vern shouting," she whispers to herself before peering out of the window. From there, she sees Vern standing in front of the van with his hands on his hips, waiting impatiently. Across from him stands April, who was clearly busy chasing a construction worker who clearly wants to be left alone from the persistent newswoman. The blonde chuckles at her sister, that's April for you, always sniffing for a story. To be fair, I'm like that too...sometimes.
April reluctantly turns away from the aggravated man to walk over to Vern. Krystal decides to involve herself in the conversation. Her fair skin grasps and pulls at the handle, opening the passenger door. Once Krystal climbs out of the vehicle, she slams the door shut and walks over to her sister and Vern.
"Come on, you're killing me," Vern complains as April jogs over to us.
April whines in exasperation, "I'm working!" Krystal raises an eyebrow in amusement and teases, "Is that a paying job, though?"
April rolls her eyes before replying, "No, it's not."
"Yeah, 'cause we have an actual paying job," Vern states, "look, you aren't gonna get anywhere with this Foot Clan story. You don't think every crime reporter in the city is workin' on it?"
Krystal shrugs her shoulders with a slight nod, "It's true. In Mocha Café every news channel is filled with foot clan stories, and they're all the same."
"I know that but there is a new angle on this, and I'm this close to getting it," April claims through heavy pants, "I just need a couple more..." She turns around to find the construction worker gone. Krystal sighs at her friend's defeated face and walks over to pat her on the shoulder in comfort.
"Don't worry, April, you'll get your big break with this story soon. Right now, we gotta get you over to your actual paying job," The blonde reassures. April offers a thankful smile to her before glancing at Vern, who says, "Let's just stick to what we're good at."
April and Krystal walk around the van to the passenger side as he continues, "Let's stick to what we're good at! We're good at it." The brunette only lets out an irritated huff before letting her adopted sister into the vehicle first. Once everyone is buckled, Vern drives away from the docks and towards their reporting site.
"Oh, Krystal, you left your notebook up here," April states while she hands the book back to the blonde.
Krystal smiles in relief, "Thanks, April. Hey Vern, can you drop me off at Mocha? I gotta head to my shift." The driver only lets out a nod as the occupants of the white van head into the city.
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"One caramel macchiato with extra foam for Kevin!" Krystal yells throughout the cozy street café. The customer called walks over to pick up area, where he grabs his coffee and drops a two-dollar tip into the barista's hand.
Krystal offers a grateful smile, "Thank you, enjoy your day." Once the bell on the door signals the customer's dismissal, a fatigued sigh escapes the barista's lips.
"Already? Usually, you don't sigh until at least 5:30," a deep, groveled voice chuckles behind Krystal.
"Yeah, well, lately I've been more tired," she admits to Mr. Bertal, the owner of Mocha café.
Mr. Bertal's chuckle turns into a boisterous laugh, "Is it because of those stories you keep writing? I tell ya, those stories cause your head to get filled up with crazy fantasies."
"With all due respect, Mr. Bertal, but I think it should be the other way around," Krystal tells through a proud smirk.
The owner of the café scoffs, "Yeah? Well whichever order ya put it in, it don't stop the trouble that'll come with that curiosity of yers. One day, that curiosity will kill the cat."
The blonde barista rolls her vibrant yet piercing aqua eyes at Mr. Bertal's warning. "You know I'm not gonna listen, right?"
A knowing grin appears on the owner's gruff face, "Of course I do, just don't beg me to bail ya outta jail. I need the money for my collection of Downton Abbey DVDs."
A laugh bubbles out of Krystal's throat at her boss' joke. The bell on the door rings out, announcing the wave of never-ending customers.
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A/N:
Thanks for reading the first chapter! I'm sorry if it's a bit boring, but I promise future chapters will get better. Also, the picture above is Krystal Hemming. I made her eyes that bright of a blue to match her features, so sorry if the blue looks fake (it's because it is lol). I also contrasted the original photo of the girl to make it look better.
Anyway, make sure to vote and comment on this story! I promise to update on this story soon!
-OceanEmily13
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A Million Dreams (TMNT 2014)
Fanfiction(Raphael x OC) "A million dreams is all it's gonna take, a million dreams for the world we're gonna make." -The Greatest Showman Krystal Hemmings believes in the impossible. She's believed ever since she was five-years-old, ever since she helped tak...
