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Description
September 2, 2258 AD/CE
Earth
San Francisco, California, United States of America
Starfleet Academy
8:30 AM

Anya woke to the buzzing of her clock's alarm. Groaning, Anya sat up, picked up her clock, and set the alarm on snooze. She fell back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling of her dormitory.

Two years had passed since Anya had joined Starfleet Academy. In those two years, the number of accomplishments that Anya had made increased in number. She passed all of her classes with flying colors. She sent shockwaves of astonishment through the commanders with her intelligence. And she received constant praise from her family, both at home and over her PADD.

In spite of her achievements, however, Anya still had problems. All of the good grades, potential recommendations, and familial encouragement could not replace Anya's lack of friends. Just as it had happened in her past, Anya was frequently being snubbed by most of, if not all of, the girls at Starfleet Academy. Nearly every day after classes, Anya was subject to being shoved against walls, having her things stolen, and being forced to do the homework of her female peers so that they could party with their boyfriends. And every time these things happened, Anya turned to her roommate, a female Vulcan named Saavik.

Although Saavik showed no emotion, she had much in common with Anya in other ways, especially where academics were concerned. If one of them was in trouble, the other would be there to back her up. They were always comparing and contrasting each other's notes, projects, and test answers. And even though they debated on certain issues, they still respected each other's viewpoints.

This year, however, Saavik had been placed in another room. Anya's new roommate, Joanna Gigena, was friendly enough, but was otherwise a complete polar opposite of Anya. Joanna was smart, but she was more preoccupied with her looks than she was with studying. It certainly worked, for Joanna was well-known for her beauty and how it turned the heads of practically every male cadet she walked past. Joanna had platinum blonde hair that was always done to perfection (sometimes in a bun, sometimes in a ponytail, etc.), sparkling blue eyes that were accented with heavy makeup, and porcelain white skin that was the envy of many Academy students. In short, Joanna was everything that Anya's mother had wanted her to become when she was sixteen: attractive and intelligent to a level that was not a threat to others.

But instead of being that way, Anya was more studious. As a result of her high intelligence quotient level, Anya was more of a wallflower than a social butterfly. She was pretty, but not in a way that brought out her confidence. Her bangs hung in strands near her eyes, making them obscure to those who looked at her. When Anya lowered her head, her eyes were made even more obscure. Her hair was always done the same way--worn loosely, with no hairbands, bobby pins, or any other accessories in it. Anya's blue eyes, while pretty, did not have the same sparkle as Joanna's did. Unlike a lot of the girls at the Academy, Anya wore no makeup. No one other than the commanders, Saavik, and Joanna had paid much attention to her, so there was no need for Anya to draw more attention to herself by wearing makeup.

The alarm of her clock buzzed again. Anya shut the alarm off and got out of bed to dress. After putting on the standard red uniform and black boots worn by cadets at the Academy, Anya brushed her hair and put on a pair of silver hoop earrings. These earrings were Anya's favorites because they reminded her of her family, especially her father. The earrings had been given to Anya two years ago on the night before she left Russia to begin her first year at Starfleet. The silver of the earrings had come from a planet inhabited by Changelings, who fashioned the metal and gave it the ability to change its shape, style, and size according to the intentions and locations of the wearer. This made the earrings very handy, as Anya did not have much time to concern herself with accessorizing.

As Anya put on the earrings, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and recalled her father's words.

'Jou have talent, Anya. Zhe ozzer students ken't see zhat like jour mozzer and I ken. Just keep mowing forvard, do vhat jou're good at, and do not lose hope. One day, jour time vill come.'

For the past two years, Anya had followed her father's advice--but to no avail. She had had Saavik to ease her mind, but Saavik was reassigned and Anya had no one outside of her family to turn to.

Little did Anya know that this year, the last sentence of her father's encouraging words would be fulfilled.

Description
September 2, 2258 AD/CE
Earth
San Francisco, California, United States of America
Starfleet Academy
8:30 AM

Anya woke to the buzzing of her clock's alarm. Groaning, Anya sat up, picked up her clock, and set the alarm on snooze. She fell back on her bed and stared up at the ceiling of her dormitory.

Two years had passed since Anya had joined Starfleet Academy. In those two years, the number of accomplishments that Anya had made increased in number. She passed all of her classes with flying colors. She sent shockwaves of astonishment through the commanders with her intelligence. And she received constant praise from her family, both at home and over her PADD.

In spite of her achievements, however, Anya still had problems. All of the good grades, potential recommendations, and familial encouragement could not replace Anya's lack of friends. Just as it had happened in her past, Anya was frequently being snubbed by most of, if not all of, the girls at Starfleet Academy. Nearly every day after classes, Anya was subject to being shoved against walls, having her things stolen, and being forced to do the homework of her female peers so that they could party with their boyfriends. And every time these things happened, Anya turned to her roommate, a female Vulcan named Saavik.

Although Saavik showed no emotion, she had much in common with Anya in other ways, especially where academics were concerned. If one of them was in trouble, the other would be there to back her up. They were always comparing and contrasting each other's notes, projects, and test answers. And even though they debated on certain issues, they still respected each other's viewpoints.

This year, however, Saavik had been placed in another room. Anya's new roommate, Joanna Gigena, was friendly enough, but was otherwise a complete polar opposite of Anya. Joanna was smart, but she was more preoccupied with her looks than she was with studying. It certainly worked, for Joanna was well-known for her beauty and how it turned the heads of practically every male cadet she walked past. Joanna had platinum blonde hair that was always done to perfection (sometimes in a bun, sometimes in a ponytail, etc.), sparkling blue eyes that were accented with heavy makeup, and porcelain white skin that was the envy of many Academy students. In short, Joanna was everything that Anya's mother had wanted her to become when she was sixteen: attractive and intelligent to a level that was not a threat to others.

But instead of being that way, Anya was more studious. As a result of her high intelligence quotient level, Anya was more of a wallflower than a social butterfly. She was pretty, but not in a way that brought out her confidence. Her bangs hung in strands near her eyes, making them obscure to those who looked at her. When Anya lowered her head, her eyes were made even more obscure. Her hair was always done the same way--worn loosely, with no hairbands, bobby pins, or any other accessories in it. Anya's blue eyes, while pretty, did not have the same sparkle as Joanna's did. Unlike a lot of the girls at the Academy, Anya wore no makeup. No one other than the commanders, Saavik, and Joanna had paid much attention to her, so there was no need for Anya to draw more attention to herself by wearing makeup.

The alarm of her clock buzzed again. Anya shut the alarm off and got out of bed to dress. After putting on the standard red uniform and black boots worn by cadets at the Academy, Anya brushed her hair and put on a pair of silver hoop earrings. These earrings were Anya's favorites because they reminded her of her family, especially her father. The earrings had been given to Anya two years ago on the night before she left Russia to begin her first year at Starfleet. The silver of the earrings had come from a planet inhabited by Changelings, who fashioned the metal and gave it the ability to change its shape, style, and size according to the intentions and locations of the wearer. This made the earrings very handy, as Anya did not have much time to concern herself with accessorizing.

As Anya put on the earrings, she looked at her reflection in the mirror and recalled her father's words.

'Jou have talent, Anya. Zhe ozzer students ken't see zhat like jour mozzer and I ken. Just keep mowing forvard, do vhat jou're good at, and do not lose hope. One day, jour time vill come.'

For the past two years, Anya had followed her father's advice--but to no avail. She had had Saavik to ease her mind, but Saavik was reassigned and Anya had no one outside of her family to turn to.

Little did Anya know that this year, the last sentence of her father's encouraging words would be fulfilled.