1 In a Yellow-Lit Room (2/2)

”You know, if you could have this dream at least a day before the first snow fall of every year, we could make money selling that information to the weather station.”

Ash smiled. She shifted her body so that she lay facing the wall, away from Celia. She wasn't quite ready to get up yet. Most of the other students in their dorm building probably weren't even awake then. Celia, however, had other plans for her.

”Come on, get up, we have to get to the showers before they run out of hot water!” Celia said, patting Ash's feet.

Ash slowly got up and felt the familiar pain in her back as she sat up. She groaned and put her hand on the sore muscles at the base of her spine.

”Back pain again?” Celia asked as she spryly rose from the bed. Celia was athletic with a lean body and never seemed to have any pain. Ash couldn't help but feel jealous of her beautiful friend.

Celia had green eyes and chin-length blonde hair that framed her heart-shaped face. Her eyes always seemed to sparkle with mischief.

”You're really taking your time with puberty, huh? Look on the bright side, Ashy, if you're still having growing pains, then at least that means you might get taller. Or grow bigger breasts!” Celia guffawed.

Ash laughed and threw a pillow at her friend. Celia caught it easily and pretended to throw it back. Ash quickly put her hands up to shield her face.

”Hey, did your hair grow again?” Celia asked, picking a long strand of hair off of Ash's pillow.

Ash ran her hands over her head and felt through her thick black hair. ”I guess? I don't know.”

Celia pressed the long black strand against her own blond hair. The strand ended right around the top of her ribs. ”Look at that, I'm practically Rapunzel! We should sell your hair, you're basically a hair factory!”

”You know, for a rich person, you're kind of obsessed with money, Cece.”

”Well, yeah. My family is newly rich so I kind of am. I'm not old rich like the people here at school.”

”Yeah, well, I'm not any kind of rich at all, so I have no idea what that feels like,” Ash retorted.

Celia smiled, kindly. ”Not yet, you're not. But if we can find out the secret of your fast-growing beautiful long dark hair, we can sell it to balding old people and you'll have money forever! Your hair is practically supernatural!”

Ash thought about the word ”supernatural” as she bundled her long black hair into a bun at the top of her head. Her dream of the yellow-lit room had a supernatural feeling to it.

Other than being an orphan, her life was normal; the recurring dream had been the only strange thing that ever held any meaning for her.