Carmen Robins closed her notebook at the toll of yet another final bell. She inhaled and released, going over everything that had been covered that day as quickly as she could, before she rose from her seat. It grated against the floor in amongst the dozen others, many of whom chatted excitedly amongst themselves and many others who, like Carmen, calmly made their way from the classroom. The hallways always seemed different after a lesson, freeing in a way. Despite being trapped in the same institute and crowded by over a hundred students.
Carmen took a deep breath as she stepped outside. The air was calm, only a light, almost indistinguishable, breeze blew in from the north and brought with it the icy bite of winter. Grey-white clouds hovered overhead, blanketing the Earth below from the sun's warm glow. A single oak tree stood sentry over the pathway exiting the school grounds, its branches barren of life to resemble the crooked fingers of a fairy tale witch. The pavement below was cracked and the grass clearly untended to.
Such a shame, Carmen thought with a sigh as she studied Saint Puella's wasted campus. The school had once been a beacon of sorts, a public school with a dedication to helping girls learn, achieve and become anything they wanted to be. But poor decision after poor decision led to its rapid decline. If Carmen had to estimate its lifespan, the institute had perhaps one more year before being shut down.
With one final savouring inhale of the crisp air, Carmen resumed her path out of the campus grounds. She passed a group of girls huddled together, all wearing thick, expensive coats to hamper the creeping cold's efforts. They ignored her and she did the same, but couldn't quell the jealous disgust she felt towards them. Chilling slices of cold nipped at her skin through her lone jacket, one made for summer, and through her itchy sweater. Beggars simply can't be choosers.
And nowhere was that truer than for Carmen.
"Where do you need me?" She inquired upon stepping into the staff room of her part-time job at a local coffee shop, Soothe the Soul. Its owner was a bona fide coffee lover, drinking and brewing the beverage for decades, and firmly believed that it soothed even the most tumultuous feelings. Carmen would refute this were it not for the evidence that stared her in the face every day.
"Oh, Carmen, glad you're here. Could you handle the till? Monica got sick again so I'm sort of doing everything here," Stacy smiled and shrugged, handing a customer his change and rushing to brew his cup. Not once, in her two years working there, had Carmen seen her expression turn sour. Even when unruly patrons made a mess or demanded compensation for their own faults. Stacy would always handle the situation with a calm, jovial smile on her well-rounded face.
"No problem," Carmen nodded and put on her apron, relieving her boss of her unreasonable duty. A twinge of annoyance clouded Carmen's features when she thought of Monica, her co-worker in name only, as she rarely showed up or did the work required of her. But Stacy was simply too kind to let her go, even with Carmen's logical explanations as to why Monica was a liability; she sleeps on the job, doesn't handle customers well, likes to sample the product in blatant view of patrons. The list could go on and on.
The job wasn't even difficult compared to most. Talk with paying customers to build a repertoire, earn tips, sell coffee, and make sure everything ran smoothly. Perhaps it was simply Carmen's nature to excel, but she found her job peaceful in a way. It seemed to be one of the few escapes from the pressures of school and an energy laden little sister.
The hours ticked by with a regular stream of customers. Soothe the Soul had more than earned its spot on the street, amongst the convenience stores, cafes and bistros and all other sorts of establishments, over the years. A small store with just a few tables, free wi-fi, delicate cups of caffeinated drinks and a charismatic owner was all it took to earn a loyal fanbase among locals. Carmen included herself in that distinction, though she mostly came for the free internet.
"I'll see you tomorrow!" Carmen called back as she left for the day, waving to the kindly owner still sweeping along the floors.
"Keep working hard," Stacy replied with her usually disarming smile and a nod of her head.
"Always am," Carmen said with an exaggerated groan, earning a small laugh as she stepped out onto the streets. The sun had long since set and the winter night sent rampant chills down Carmen's spine, as gusts of frigid air bombarded her. Carmen zipped up her jacket as best she could to hide from the chill and hurried back home. What she wouldn't give for a car sometimes.
Despite the chill, or possibly to spite it, Carmen enjoyed the walk home. The streets of New York at night are heralded as hazardous, and no such claims were entirely without merit, however they also held some intriguing spectacles. Especially just a couple of weeks before Christmas came.
She could see festive lights through curtains on several floors in several buildings. The distinctive styles and decorations to celebrate either Christmas or other religions were always fascinating, if only to reaffirm how divided the human race really was. Some people could see eye to eye on many subjects, but never would a day come that all of humanity would be united.
Carmen sighed and hastened her pace. She had a bad habit of over analysing humanity, herself included.
"I'm home!" Carmen announced and shut the door to her family's tiny, one-bedroom apartment. It was a depressing place, with creaking floorboards, cracked walls - poorly concealed by peeling wallpaper - and a penchant for letting the arguments of their neighbours in all directions through the walls. Yet, even in such a dingy residence, there was a bright star of joy that eroded the misery. Said star came bounding toward Carmen.
"Carmen, Carmen! Come see what I drew!" Melody cried in glee, wrapping her older sister in a hug fit for bears. Carmen made a show of grunting and struggling to extract herself from her sibling's grip.
"Okay, okay," Carmen gasped, "Just let up on the hug, Supergirl." Melody giggled and loosed her embrace.
"Come on!" Melody beamed and took hold of Carmen's hand before she could fully kick off her shoes, "See?!" Melody grinned excitedly when she and Carmen were in their room, holding up a crudely drawn image of what looked to be a horse with a woman on top, reading a book.
"Wow!" Carmen took the picture, "Is that me?" She asked, pointing to the rider.
"No, that's me when I'm older. You're, hmm," Melody scavenged around for another drawing, flicking papers onto the floor haphazardly, "Here!" She handed a new picture to Carmen, this time with just a person, but also with a lot more care put into the work.
The older sibling was briefly at a loss for words. It was actually good, not just by the lowered standards of a child, but genuinely decent. Carmen didn't have a particular eye for artistic talent, however she knew Melody had a future.
"That's amazing," Carmen fully echoed her sister's jubilant smile, "Can I keep it?" Melody nodded excitedly, always eager to please after a compliment of such high regard, "Thanks, Supergirl."
