Flash

With a bounce in her step, Anneliese Cruz walked leisurely out of her bedroom. Draped in warm clothing, she smiled at the window that revealed a white layer of snow over the normally grey city on the outskirts of St. Louis. They were used to rain, but the snow was a beautiful occasion and Anne couldn't resist the temptation of taking a stroll in the newly arrived winter wonderland awaiting her.

Her apartment was as small and as empty as usual. It was decked in Christmas decorations that accented her light green wallpaper. She has enlisted the help of her long time friend, Destinee to decorate the small apartment. Unsurprisingly, after the lengthy trip to purchase a small Christmas tree, it only took an hour to get all the decor up. The decor made the area a more festive abode. There were green and red knick knacks in many of the nooks and crannies her large bookcase had provided.

At first, Anneliese was too lazy and refused Destinee's constant requests to adorn the small area. Destinee practically lived in the apartment too and in Destinee's eyes, the abode was a humble second home that she almost always hated to leave. Destinee had begged to decorate Anne to decorate the house and Anne had finally warmed up to the idea. Through teamwork and a bit of sweat, the home was soon a display that could rival the house of Santa Claus himself. Almost.

With their funding, it wasn't as dreamlike as they thought but in their eyes, it was certainly a beauty.

Anneliese took a second to marvel the newly added furnishings then continued on to making her breakfast. She opened her fridge and surveyed the contents. There was a not much but a couple of eggs. She sighed knowing this would mean a trip to the grocery very soon. She knew this would put a damper on her funding for the month from her parents. Her parents were pretty wealthy and weren't afraid to show it. They showered their only child with gifts of all sorts before Anneliese had finally chosen to live on her own. Her announcement had stunned her parents who were absolutely stricken with a deep misery for her departure. They had objected furiously but eventually they had given in but they still paid her a monthly allowance.

Deep in thought, she cracked an egg and started cooking her eggs and threw in some bacon she had discovered in a compartment deep in her fridge's shelves. She silently thanked God and herself for her poor organization skills that caused her to never find what she needed.

Anneliese never saw the point of the allowance. They had already paid for her tuition and her down payment on her apartment. Until moments like these where she realized with her medical studies, she probably would've been dead to the world if she had to take up a job too. She promised herself to use some of the allowance to buy her parents a great gift.

She frowned as she realized that buying their gifts with their own money was pathetic. She couldn't do that. It wasn't right. She furrowed her brows in deep thought as she thought of what her parents would like. What exactly do you give people who can buy anything they really want?

This definitely was going to be a toughie.

She finished up with the eggs and pulled a plate out from a shelf. She smiled at her design she had created from the food. A cute smiley face. It was childish of her for her age but she still loved playing with and designing her food. She always did, especially when she was lost in thought. Whenever she was lost in thought, her hands were always moving, and if there was nothing between them, she'd wring them out with each other. It was a habit she'd gotten from her mother who was a surgeon and loved to perform surgeries. Her mother had hated when her hands were idle and often was fiddling with something.

She was lost in thought as she pushed around the eggs and bacon to make different faces. She thought of everything going on this week. Specifically today, nothing really was happening. She had a seminar later after lunch. She groaned; nothing like her professor to get her to fall asleep.