You Can STAY |H.HJ|

1

"Aura, are you ready? Hurry peanut or we miss our flight!" Felix spoke in a loud voice from downstairs while Aura was in her room, checking for the last time if she wasn't missing something important.
Charger? Check
Laptop? Check
Toiletries? Check

She glanced around her room for the last time, the tears blurring her vision. She'll miss being here, in her cocoon, her comfort zone. She was not at all ready for the big change.

She sighed and walked down the stairs, wiping her tears and facing her brother Felix and their dad. Her dad stepped forward, and cupped her face to plant a kiss on her forehead, smiling through his tears.

"Take care of yourself and eat well hm?" Her dad said, caressing her hair.

"Dad..." Aura said in a low voice and hugged her father tight, not wanting to let go. Felix joined the hug too, tears rolling down his cheeks. He rubbed Aura's back to calm her down. He knew his sister was trying everything to keep her tears in.

They pulled away and Felix held his sister's hand to move towards the door, the taxi already outside, waiting for them.

"Be safe young man and protect your little sister too okay?"
Felix smiled and nodded, loading the last of the bags in the taxi.

They waved goodbye to their dad after settling in the car, heading to meet their mom now.

Felix and Aura got out of the taxi with white lilies in their hands, their mom's favourite flowers.

They sat on their knees in front of her grave and set the flowers on it. Instantly, a light breeze blew making them smile softly. This always happened when they came to meet her.

"Hi mom" they pronounced in unison and the breeze blew again.

"We've been well mom. I know we came to bother you again when we just came yesterday. Our flight is in about two hours now. We wanted to see you before leaving..." Felix said, subtly running his fingers over their mother's name engraved on the stone.

Aura finally broke down. She had tears running down her cheeks. She wiped them away and sniffled. "We're going to miss you mom. Had you been here, we would have never gone. We would have stayed with you and dad here. I miss you mom, am not ready for a change this big." She sobbed.

Aura suffers from severe social anxiety. Changes, and specially this big where she is leaving the country she grew up in to settle somewhere else and with no one by her side other than her brother, dreads her. She was really scared.

Felix pulled her in a hug and patted her head gently. She hugged him back.

"We promise we'll come to meet you soon. We love you mom" the breeze blew again, this time, lasting a little longer. They got up swiftly and went inside the taxi again, to now finally head to the airport.

They had to cover a long journey. From Australia, the country they were brought up in to South Korea, the country they were born in.

~~

This was four days ago. Aura and Felix were now in their apartment kitchen, cooking dinner for themselves. Nothing fancy, just egg ramen.

"Are you ready to start school from tomorrow?" Felix asked Aura, trying to prepare her for a new beginning.

"Yeah.. I don't know" Aura looked down and sighed, fidgeting with her fingers non stop.

"Hey, you'll be okay. Just relax. I'll be there with you. Just try to not get nervous" Felix untangled his little sister's hands and hugged her tightly, trying to reassure her that she'll be fine. Aura nodded and pulled away.