"Do I have to wear shoes?" A strawberry blonde female shouted across the house.
"Yes, Mercy; you need to wear shoes to school!" Another strawberry blonde female shouted from the other side of the house.
"But shoes are a pain in the ass! I hate wearing them." The girl named Mercy whined.
"Well too bad; the school has rules and the rules say that you must wear shoes."
Mercy groaned. She reached across the floor for a pair of flats and slipped them onto her feet. She got off of the ground and stretched, standing on the tip of her feet.
"Doesn't school start in an hour? Go, go, go!" Her mother said, walking out into the main room that Mercy stood in.
"I'm going, I'm going, I'm going. Just let me have something to eat; I'd rather not starve."
"I wasn't telling you to starve, Mercy."
"I know." She laughed and walked past her mother into the kitchen. "I'm just going to get an apple or something."
"Sounds good; have a good day at school." Her mother smiled and waved to Mercy as she grabbed an apple from the fridge. "High school isn't so bad."
"Whatever you say." Mercy shrugged as she grabbed her backpack off the floor by the door. "Bye, mom."
"Bye, Mercy."
Mercy turned the door knob and walked outside of their house. She shut the door with her foot and began to run out onto the street. Her footsteps slowed as she reached the road. She walked for a while in silence, taking a bite from her apple every so often.
"Merc? Merc, is that you?" Mercy heard her nickname be called from behind her, so she spun around to be face to face with a girl with chocolate brown eyes and raven hair.
"Aisling? Aisling!" Mercy said with a smile, running towards her friend.
"No wonder I didn't recognize you! Your ears and your tail-they're out!"
"Oh, I kinda forgot to hide them; and either way I got so little sleep last night that I'd just pass out in class and expose them anyways." Mercy said with a shrug.
"You're such a dork, Merc."
"I know."
"But, I'm actually really proud of you." She punched the strawberry blonde in the shoulder softly. "You're showing them for once in your life; and with pride too!'
"I wouldn't necessarily call it pride, Aisling."
"Then what would you call it?"
"Laziness. Tiredness maybe." Mercy answered.
"Come on! You have to be getting more confident. You have to be getting better."
"In your dreams."
"I dream a lot, you know."
"Sometimes I forget that."
"You're a bad friend." Aisling pouted and turned away from Mercy as she took another bite of her apple.
"I know."
"So, are you ready for your first day of high school? Because I'm not sure if I am anymore."
"I am definitely not ready." Mercy said as the two reached the town square. She turned to go right, towards the school, but Aisling stopped her. "Huh?" She turned again to face Aisling
"I gotta go to Mom's shop. I'll see you at school!" Aisling said, walking off and giving the strawberry blonde a small wave.
"Why can't I come along?"
"I never thought about that. I'm sure Mom won't mind; but we'll have to do more walking."
"I'll live." Mercy said blandly, taking one last bite of her apple.
"You better."
Mercy and Aisling went down the street, through the town square to Farren's Flowers: Aisling's mother's flower shop. "So, why are we going to the shop?" Mercy asked after seconds of silence.
"Mom wants me to drop off some flowers for some lady on the other side of the island. I think her name is Bliss; anyways Mom wants me to pick up the flowers and drop them off for her."
"Sounds like normal business stuff."
"Because that's what it is. When we get to the shop, I'm going to head off to the back and get the flowers; you can just, I don't know, talk to Mom, I guess." The girl with dark hair shrugged.
"I don't think I have a choice." She sighed.
"You definitely don't have a choice. And, you can't go back to the school because you said you'd come with me to drop off the flowers."
"I said I'd come to the shop with you, I didn't say I was going to drop off flowers with you."
"It was an implication!"
"I never implied anything."
"Anyways, it's too late to change your mind! We're here now!" Aisling said with a small grin. She walked up to the door of the small building and opened it. "Welcome to Farren's Flowers, the only flower shop on the Isle of Ikimono!"
"You know you don't have to say that."
Aisling groaned. "Mom makes me; I hate doing that every single time someone comes to the shop."
"I can't blame you for hating that." Mercy walked through the door of the flower shop and Aisling followed close after.
ns 15.158.61.51da2
