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Eloise rushed around her new, small flat, tossing items into her bag and attempting to throw together an outfit that looked presentable.
She'd gotten leave from classes for the past month for what the dean called "mental health leave of absence" and what Jocasta called "psychological issues" and today was her first day back.
She'd enjoyed her break, wandering around London and seeing all the shops and attractions-- and Sandie in every shop window.
Her dreams at night had become significantly more pleasant and she spent the break in a state of bliss, practically floating.
But all the freedom came with a price, and she'd overslept not being used to waking so early.
She was just yanking on a pair of shoes when she heard a voice coming from the wardrobe mirror.
"Why such a hurry?" Sandie teased, wearing a fish-eating grin as she watched the brunette scramble around for her things.
"I'm late. For college," Ellie explained quickly, shoving a few papers into her bag.
"Oh, what's it like?" Sandie asked, resting her head against the mirror casually (how dare she look that good at 9 in the morning).
Ellie paused. "You didn't go to college?" she asked curiously.
As much as she wanted to hide it, not wanting to be too eager, she was so interested in Sandie's life. She'd seen almost all of it through her dreams and yet, she felt like she didn't know her at all. She was always hungry for little tidbits of information, since she hadn't seen any of the girl's life before London.
Sandie shook her head, blonde curls bouncing around her neck as she did so. "No, I've never been."
"My brother did, though. Exeter. I was quite young when he left home," she added.
She sighed wistfully. "I do wish I'd gone, too. I've always wondered what it's like!"
Ellie blinked. An idea sparked in her head.
"I can take you, if you'd like," she offered, glancing at the various items scattered around the room.
"You would?" Sandie's gaze softened and she looked as though she could melt right there. "Oh, Ellie..."
Ellie blushed and turned around so Sandie wouldn't see, searching through her makeup bag.
She pulled out a little compact mirror and showed it to her.
"See, you'll go in here and be able to see everything and talk to me. It's just like a cell phone," she said.
"What?" Sandie asked, looking confused.
"I'll explain later!"
Ellie took a seat in front of her workspace, hurrying in just as she was about to be late.
She pulled out the compact mirror and discreetly set it on top of a pile of stacked fabrics.
This way, Sandie could see and hear everything that was going on.
"You're late, Carrie," Jocasta drawled from the desk behind her.
Eloise's face went red. She certainly didn't want Sandie hearing that.
She chanced a look at the mirror -- thankfully, Sandie hadn't made an appearance yet.
Ellie ignored Jocasta's little snide remarks throughout class, focusing instead on the pale blue tulle dress she was making.
"Ooh, that's lovely," came Sandie's voice suddenly.
Eloise startled and almost knocked over the mannequin, causing Jocasta and her mates to snicker.
Eloise smiled at the blonde to indicate she'd heard her, then pressed a finger to her lips to tell her they couldn't talk right now.
Sandie nodded, pressing a finger to her red lips to imitate the motion.
Only a few minutes into Sandie's arrival had Ellie regretting bringing her.
She tried to focus on her work, but couldn't. Sandie's presence in the room was distracting.
It's not that Sandie was loud or talked a lot. Quite the opposite, actually.
She was sitting cross-legged in the small space of the compact mirror, silently marvelling at everything.
Her entire face was expressive, small tilts of the head and little gasps.
Sandie looked starry-eyed in the same way Ellie thinks she herself must have looked when she had her first dream.
Even the mundane was fascinating to Sandie, or maybe Sandie was what made the mundane fascinating.
She seemed to feel everything with her whole heart, passion simply radiated off her.
Sandie pushed one of her blonde curls behind her ear, leaning forward in the mirror so close she was touching it.
She seemed enamoured by something and Ellie turned to see what it was.
It was John's design, all deep greens and purples.
Ellie can't help thinking that the dark green would look splendid with Sandie's colouring. The girl really could pull off anything, though.
Sandie propped up both her elbows and lay down, her head resting on her fists.
She looked lovely, just sitting there and observing.
Ellie wondered if she was imagining herself in college, creating new things and having the life she missed out on.
Ellie thought for the first time that Sandie saw her world the same way she did the '60s when she had her first dream, all rose-tinted and lovely.
A world full of hope and possibility and beauty in the smallest things.
Ellie thought maybe if she looked hard enough, she could see it too.