Yuri is the light!

"BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP..."

I swung my hand from under my bedsheets and gave my alarm clock a wack so that it would stop making that irritating noise.

Today was the last day before the school festival, I had put my alarm clock to wake me up earlier this morning, but it felt like it had gone off right after I had gone to sleep. I had to get up early because I still needed to prepare an overnight bag to stay over at Elsa's tonight, and it also needed to contain everything I needed for the festival since I would not be back home before then. I felt elated. Everyone had worked so hard for this and now I had to do my part.

This is the explanation I would give if anyone would ask why I was up so early. But in reality, I still felt guilty for playing hooky yesterday morning, and I wanted to start early to make up for it.

The house was still dead quiet.

After my morning shower, I started preparing everything I needed. Thinking about it, who would have thought that my first sleepover at a friend's house would be at Elsa's?

Ever since I was a kid, Elsa had always been out to get me. For some inexplicable reason, I had been that person to beat for her, without me knowing I was competing or what she was even competing for. I guess I would never find out now that we had become friends.

When I was finally finished, I made my way to the kitchen, only to find mom standing in her pajamas and night robes, preparing breakfast while humming a tune. I had hoped to get some quality cooking time in this morning but that hope had gone down the drain and there probably would not be any cooking for Claire tonight or tomorrow either. I sighed.

“Good morning honey. If you can make the coffee, breakfast will be done in a minute.”

While I was preparing the coffee, I started realizing why mom was in a good mood, making me blush a little.

“Good morning Claire!” Aunt Bernie had entered the room, confirming again what was on my mind. She stepped up and gave me a good morning kiss on my cheek.

“G-good morning auntie!”

Of course, it was very clear that she was in a good mood too. My mind kept making images, that I did not want to imagine to explain that mood. I felt embarrassed and was glad when the doorbell rang so that I could escape to let Anna in.

By the time mom was serving breakfast, Sam and Frank had gotten up too, and we were all sharing breakfast together.

Anna, aunt Bernie and I were discussing the school festival when Sam suddenly interrupted and said “You are going to be on stage with an idol-formation. I just love Idols! Can I come?”

“I don't see why not.” Aunt Bernie replied.

“We are closing the brasserie to go watch what Claire has been working so hard on. So you can go with Frank and Emma if you want.” Mom said. Sam and Frank started blushing heavily.

“It could be your first date!” Mom teased.

“Mom, we aren't dating!” Frank replied. “Why do you always do this.”

“So you wouldn't take me?” Sam then asked shyly, with a look in her eyes like she was hurt.

I could see the critical hit land on Frank's face. Sam was good, really good. She was a force to be reckoned with if she wanted. “T-That's not what I was saying.”

The rest of us were watching the scene unfold with smug smiles on our faces.

“T-then you'll take me?” Sam asked with upturned eyes. In a fighting game, I was sure this would have been the finishing move.

“I-if you'll have me,” Frank answered. The two were sitting there embarrassed unable to utter another word.

“I am glad that that is settled. You two enjoy your date.” Mom set with a proud smirk on her face. “And Frank,” aunt Bernie added, “She is the daughter of a good friend of ours, so you better won't make her cry or I will be very angry with you.”

“I won't,” Frank said. Making them look even more embarrassed because their date was being treated so seriously. I guess mom's plan worked out perfectly. I could hardly believe they were constantly fighting before.

At one point I found myself staring at mom and aunt Bernie. It felt so nostalgic to see those two together at the breakfast table, it made me feel a little sad when I realized that mom would be moving out as soon as that new job came through for aunt Bernie. I would have to treasure these family moments. I was just realizing now how much I took those days, that just became counted so suddenly, for granted.

I pressed my head against Anna's shoulder, begging her for a hug to dispel my melancholic mood. She looked at me, and without asking any questions obliged immediately. I was happy that I had Anna. Maybe one day we would start our own family. That idea had just popped up in my head and the realization put a faint blush on my face too.

After breakfast, I got ready to leave for school but when Anna got up too, aunt Bernie said “Can you girls wait for me? I want to discuss something in my office before doing anything else. We have a lot to talk about.”

She sounded pretty serious, which made me curious, but she did not want to discuss it here at home. “Let's keep job talk away from the family table.” She said.

So when we finally arrived at school, Anna and I found ourselves in front of aunt Bernie in her office.

“As I told you last night, I am going to take another job. Which leaves us the matter of my succession here at the CYA.”

I hadn't thought that far ahead. This meant we would be getting a new boss.

“Since Claire is still too young and in training, I was thinking of you Anna. I want to put your name forward for that job. I know you are still young, but the way you handled your mother when you defended Claire, is the kind of person I want to be in this seat. Someone who dares to stand up to Kath Lyst. Dealing with Kath Lyst is a large part of this job ever since we started cooperating with the Lyst group. If you don't take it, I am sure your mother will just put one of her puppets here.”

Anna did not look as worried as I thought she would. She had a pensive look on her face. She had grown enormously since that episode at the TV station where only the mention of her mother could make her freeze.

“Won't they say I got the job through my mother's influence?” She then asked.

“Exactly!” Aunt Bernie answered. “They will say that. I think in your case, they will say that no matter what job you get. But we know the truth. You will be a real counterweight to your mother and she won't be able to get you fired with dirty tricks since it would reflect poorly on the family name. I want someone in this position that will protect girls like Claire or Fien, no matter what the cost.”

Anna looked at me and got a devilish smile on her face, “So I will get to order Claire around.”

Anna in control... The red flags in my head were raising quickly. Anna poked my side teasingly to get me back out of it and said. “I see what you mean. I'll take the job. I will be the one to deal with mom. It's a dream job, although I will miss partnering up with Claire all the time.”

Aunt Bernie looked relieved to hear that answer, but I wasn't. I mean I love Anna to death, but if you put her in control things grow out of hand quickly. Weren't the last three weeks proof enough of that?

“If everything goes as planned, I will still be your boss, all be it on the international level. So it's not like you can't ask me for guidance if it is ever needed.”

It seemed that aunt Bernie wanted to end the discussion when suddenly the door of the office flew open in a whirlwind.

Ms. Odes entered the room, an enthusiastic Mia walked in behind her.

“W-We did it. The end of pollution, world hunger we solved it all.”

She grabbed me and gave me three fat kisses on my cheeks. “Thank you, Claire, if it wasn't for you the world would never see such a revolution.” I wondered what I did now to deserve this overly affectionate, but not needed gesture...

Aunt Bernie was clearly pissed at Ms. Odes usual antics and said “What is going on, what did you discover. Be clear about things!”

Mia quickly put down a laptop and a beamer, and a presentation started projecting on the wall.

“I know how she gets, so I made a little presentation.” She said. Hadn't she suddenly become the honor student?

A table with numbers was projected on the wall. “See. It's amazing isn't it?”

“I have no idea what we are looking at, Cath!” aunt Bernie was starting to lose her patience.

“Yuridium based energy!” Mia said. “That!” Cath nodded. “Due to the rise in yuri couples at this school, the concentration of yuridium in the air has risen. We found a way to harvest them, and turn them into electricity. This school alone would provide enough energy to power the city of Brussels. Claire's prophetic words on the tv show became true. Yuri is the light! As long as there is yuri there will be energy, and now yuri will really become the light in a literal sense!”

“That means the Lyst group will control this technology,” Anna said. “We need to discuss this with mom. This will change the face of the earth. Yuridium will become without a doubt the biggest asset of the Lyst group.”

Aunt Bernie was thinking and said “I will also invite Polly, this has international political repercussions too. This is urgent. Anna, Claire, we need the two of you in that meeting too. All yuridium patent holders should be there.”

Half an hour later, Polly, Vera, and Kath were sitting with us around the same table. The atmosphere was pressing...