Lucille's eyes were closing. A yawn escaped from her, and it wouldn't take much to notice that she was falling asleep. This was her biggest problem with astronomy. It required work which was done far too late for her to keep up with. Did astronomers never sleep? Or did they spend their days catching up on their naps, only to torment everyone else who stayed up and attended class like they were supposed to, forcing them to stay awake much later than their body required? But, then again, she figured she must not like the subject very much. For all her complaining, she never had a problem staying up with Rosaline in the dorms, excitably talking about her day.
With these thoughts circulating her mind, she was beginning to doze off. Her eyelids were beginning to droop, and her shoulders slumped, her body rocking back and forth precariously as she fought to stay seated. Elena must have noticed, or she must have realized the time. Either way, Lucille felt a gentle nudge from her. It took a second for her to snap back to her senses, and she missed the first word Elena said. But it mustn't have been important, because the girl gently mentioned curfew, and Lucille realized that, finally, it was time to go back.
"Thank you," she said, much softer than was typical for her. Clearly, the effects of sleep were setting in. She gathered up the sheets of parchment that were spread all over the floor, finally hugging them to her chest and reaching for her book with her other hand. She would sort them in the morning; right now, she just wanted to go back to her room and collapse into her bed, Daisy May curled up beside her.
"Let's go," she said finally, accepting Elena's help as she stood up and stretched her complaining limbs. She really shouldn't have been this still this long. Elena's words stuck with her. Was she proud of herself? Lucille decided that yes, she was, although she hadn't covered everything she would've liked to. But Rome wasn't built in a day, and she was certain that now she could tackle the more difficult subjects.
"I really couldn't have done this without you, you know," she said with a bit of a shy pause. It was true; Elena's help had been oh so valuable while she had been working. She wondered if having a regular tutor might help her keep her grades up. The moonlight that shone in wasn't doing anything to help her stay awake.
Lucille loved the moon. It calmed her more than anything, and she adored watching it. She could look at astronomy like watching the moon, but it was far more complicated than that. Either way, it might help her trick herself to study more, or better. With that, Lucille began to walk towards the door. Whatever her decision was, it would have to wait. For now, sleep was her priority. She stumbled a little as she walked, and she let out a giggle. That certainly woke her up. At the wrong time, for sure, because now she was heading back to the dorm, ready to catch up on her sleep.
