𝙄𝙩'𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙀.𝙉.𝘿 ◤𝐍𝐚𝐥𝐮 𝐟𝐚𝐧 𝐟𝐢𝐜𝐭𝐢𝐨𝐧◢

𝟎𝟏.

Lucy sat up in her bed, her chocolate brown eyes opening up slightly, eyebrows furrowing at the light from the outdoors as it beamed through. Her left hand came up to her hair brushing back her bedhead as she exhaled, tiredly. With a light thud, her hand came back down into contact with the soft blanket of her bed as she looked around just for a moment before her eyes shut once more, releasing a yawn, but the smell of morning breath tingled her nostrils causing her to immediately shut her mouth. With a swoosh, the blonde was up onto her feet, tossing the blankets right off of her body, letting it fold over itself as she stretched her arms up over her head, slightly standing onto her toes before walking straight to her bathroom. Click went the lights as she came into the view of her mirror. A soft exclaim came from herself as she looked at the mess of a bedhead she had going on. Her shoulders hunched over for a moment as a sigh soon followed, attempting to wake herself from the dream she had. 

"But what even was that?" She questioned in her own mind as the water rushed out of the faucet as the left handle was turned inwards, releasing the pressure it held. The faces were such a blur as she furrowed her brows together trying to recall who the people in the dream were. It felt like they were so distorted the more she forced herself to remember about it. "What was it about...? Who was I holding?"  The blonde blinked as she caught herself zoned out, looking at the palms of her hands. She brought them straight up to her face, rubbing the sleep out of her eyes once more, even though she knew she was fully awake at this point. A light squeak came from the faucet as she turned its handle to off as she leaned over, bringing her face down towards the water. The water dispelled for a moment as her hands scooped up some water onto her face, gently running her fingertips in circles around her eyes as she opened them to look at the mirror once more.  

The thought was completely dismissed as she grabbed her toothbrush, continuing her morning routine. With feather-like footsteps, she returned to her bedroom wiping her face off from any water that may have been missed. Her hands gently pressed against her soft cheeks as she looked at herself in the mirror for a brief moment, taking in the readable expression on her face. It was one that was ready for whatever life had to throw at her today, but still yearning for knowledge of what she experienced in her subconscious state of mind. Her eyes widened slightly as she saw something else in that mirror. It was a person, standing in the sun rays of her room as the beamed down on this single spot. He was such a blur with his big, yet strong stature with that sun-kissed tanned skin. The only odd thing was aside from him being sort of naked was that his face was nowhere to be seen. It was if she was looking at a mirage through this mirror, but it was definitely what, or more so who, she held within her arms. What really gave her the answer that this was definitely him was that familiar was the salmon color that was prominent atop of his head. 

Lucy spun around quickly to look at where he was standing and to no surprise, he was no longer there. "Salamander..." was all that came from her soft lips in the lightest voice, but her eyebrows furrowed at what she just said. Where did that name even come from? Her eyes glanced back towards the mirror as her lips came tightly together. This felt so weird to her, but how could she describe that? "Do I need to see a doctor because I really think I'm going nuts here." She admitted under a soft exhale, finally grabbing her clothes, stripping herself out of her night clothes. The blonde haired woman slipped right into her skirt as the final piece to her attire, checking herself in the mirror briefly. 

Her hands grasped the fabric in the back, tugging it down slightly as she tilted her head. "I am also starting to think I'm getting a bit too much in the back too." Lucy deadpanned with a deeper exhale to follow in a sulking manner. It was definitely a blessing and a curse in one go for her and it was obviously showing. Her head shook from left to right as she grabbed her keys off of her dresser, walking towards the front door that exists out of her apartment. Her hand grasped the cool doorknob as she turned her hand once more to recall if she might be leaving anything, but a small smile came across her face, clearly having everything she needed with her already. 

The door squeaked open briefly allowing Lucy to take in the radiant heat that followed in the air from the bright sun with not a cloud in the sky. It was the perfect day in her opinion, but that also reminded her that she may have to crack a window instead of leaving her AC on like that. Last thing she needed was a high bill to pay, she learned that the hard way last time. With the thought being push back to the far side of her mind, she was off to seize the day. Her head was held was held high as each stride she took was more upbeat than the last. Lucy came to a stop for a moment seeing something that really caught her eyes, this time it was clear as day. Her eyes batted a few times before rubbing them once more, looking right at it. It was so distinct, sticking out like a sore thumb. She shook her head as she turned her head from left to right before staring once more.

In the mist of the crowd of people, there was a very familiar shade of pink. Just a few feet away from her, a rather tall person actually. It was just like how she saw it for a third time now, this person had to be something important to her. He just had to be, but her feet felt like they were stuck in place even though he's right over there. She was clearly thinking so much into this about how crazy this might all sound to a random stranger, but there's no mistaking that was the guy she had some sort of connection to. There's only one like him, but why was that? Too many questions, not enough answers, definitely not enough time. She mentally cursed to herself as she finally picked up those feet of hers that was being weighted down by nervousness and anxiety. Pushing  through the thick crowd, occasionally saying "Excuse me" and "Pardon me" as she got closer and closer until he was right there with his back turned to her, facing the cart in front of him. 

Her left hand shakily raised up, ready to tap him, but it was caught off guard by his own hand, grasping her wrist. It was like he could already feel her there before she even could make the contact. Slowly, her eyes finally landed on the face that was missing from what she saw in her dream. 

Word count 1338