🌙 THE SILVER LUNA

"Elena!" She heard her name before she saw who was calling. She stopped halfway across the campus courtyard and turned. Mia was running toward her, one hand clutching the strap of her bag while the other waved frantically in the air. "Wait!" Elena smiled. "I've been waiting for you for almost ten minutes." Mia finally caught up with her, breathing heavily. "Ten minutes?" she repeated. "You left the lecture hall five minutes ago." Elena glanced at her watch. "Seven." "Whatever." Sophia appeared behind Mia at a much calmer pace, looking completely unbothered. "You should stop trying to keep up with her," Sophia said. Mia glared at her. "I'm not trying to keep up with her. I'm trying to make sure she doesn't disappear before we get to lunch." Elena laughed. "I'm right here." "That's not the point." Mia adjusted her bag and looked at Elena suspiciously. "Why were you walking so fast anyway?" "I wasn't." "You were." "I was walking normally." Sophia raised an eyebrow. "Elena, you were halfway across the courtyard before I even left the building." Elena shrugged. "Maybe you two walk too slowly." Mia stared at her. "See? This is exactly what I'm talking about." "What?" "You." Elena laughed again. Mia pointed at her accusingly. "One day, I'm going to prove that you're not normal." "I'm very normal." "No." "Yes." "No." Sophia sighed. "Can we please eat before you two start another argument?" They began walking toward the cafeteria. Elena slipped her hands into the pockets of her jeans, listening to the familiar noise of campus around them. Students talked loudly as they passed. Someone was laughing near the library. A lecturer called after two students who were walking in the wrong direction. A bus horn sounded near the main gate. It was an ordinary day. Elena liked ordinary days. There was something comforting about knowing exactly what to expect. Classes. Assignments. Lunch with her friends. Going home. Maybe watching something before bed. Nothing dramatic. Nothing unexpected. Nothing that could turn her life upside down. "Elena." She looked at Mia. "What?" Mia was staring at her. "Did you hear what I just said?" "Yes." "What did I say?" Elena smiled. "You said you don't want to work on the project this afternoon." Mia's mouth dropped open. "I said that almost two minutes ago!" Sophia laughed. "She heard you." "I know she heard me. That's the problem." Elena frowned playfully. "Why is my hearing suddenly a problem?" Mia shook her head. "Because nobody should be able to hear someone talking from that far away." Elena looked behind them. "Where were you talking?" "Near the lecture hall." "And?" "And you were already at the other end of the courtyard." Elena shrugged. "I have good hearing." "Too good." Sophia nodded thoughtfully. "She's right." Mia pointed at Sophia. "Thank you!" Sophia smiled. "Although I think her eyes are worse." Elena groaned. "Oh, please." Mia immediately brightened. "Exactly!" She turned to Sophia. "Tell her." Sophia folded her arms. "You know that notice on the board outside the library?" "Which one?" "The blue one." Elena looked toward the library. "You mean the one about the seminar being moved to Friday?" Mia stopped walking. "How did you see that from here?" Elena looked at her. "It isn't that far." Mia turned to look at the notice. It was nowhere near them. She looked back at Elena. "That is what I'm talking about." Sophia laughed. "Eagle eyes." Elena rolled her eyes. "Please stop calling me that." "Never." Mia grinned. "From today, you're officially Eagle Eyes." "I hate you." "No, you don't." Elena couldn't help smiling. She really didn't. Mia and Sophia had been part of her life long enough that their teasing felt like background noise. The kind she would miss if it suddenly disappeared. They continued toward the cafeteria. Halfway there, Elena slowed. Something smelled good. She looked around. "Do you smell that?" Mia stared at her. "Smell what?" "Something sweet." Sophia sniffed the air. "I don't smell anything." Elena turned her head slightly. There. Chocolate. Freshly baked. She followed the scent toward a small café across the road. "The café," she said. Mia looked at the café. "How did you know?" Elena smiled. "I can smell the cookies." Mia groaned. "Of course you can." Sophia laughed. "Eagle eyes and a dog's nose." Elena shook her head. "You're both ridiculous." But she was smiling. They entered the café a few minutes later. Elena ordered a chocolate cookie. Mia ordered a sandwich. Sophia went for a fruit drink. They found a table near the window, and for a while, everything was exactly as it should be. Three friends. A normal afternoon. A normal life. Elena broke her cookie in half. "By the way," Sophia said, "did you finish the research proposal?" Elena nodded. "Almost." "Almost?" "I'm still changing the introduction." Mia groaned. "You're always changing something." "Because you submit things too early." "I submit things on time." "You submit things before they're due." "That's called being responsible." "No. That's called being impatient." Sophia laughed. Their conversation continued, drifting from schoolwork to lecturers, from lecturers to weekend plans. Elena listened, occasionally joining in. She felt happy. Not because anything extraordinary was happening. Because nothing extraordinary was happening. She had always liked knowing where she stood. She knew her friends. She knew her classes. She knew her plans. She knew her mother would probably call before she got home and ask the same questions she asked almost every day. Did you eat? Are you coming home late? Have you finished your assignments? It was predictable. Safe. Elena liked safe. She didn't know that some things in her life had never been as simple as she believed. For now, Elena only knew one thing. She had another lecture in twenty minutes. And she was going to be late. "Come on," she said, standing. Mia looked at her watch. "We still have fifteen minutes." Elena grabbed her bag. "We'll make it." Mia stared at her. "Walking?" Elena smiled. "Of course." Sophia narrowed her eyes. "Elena..." Elena was already heading toward the door. Mia sighed. "She's going to run." Sophia picked up her bag. "Definitely." Outside, Elena broke into a light jog. Within seconds, the distance between them widened. Mia shouted after her. "ELENA!" Elena turned while still running. "What?" "STOP RUNNING LIKE THAT!" Elena laughed. "Then catch me!" She turned forward and ran faster. Neither of her friends noticed how effortlessly she moved. Neither noticed how quickly she covered the distance. And Elena certainly didn't notice. To her, running had always been easy.