✅ The Last New Start [NaNoWriMo2021]

Act III: 78. Early Morning

This chapter is for babysofia1234, with thanks again for supporting me. Enjoy!

As the sun crept over the horizon, Tess stirred slightly. She didn't want to move yet. The room was warm, and the mattress was softer than any she'd ever felt before. She felt like she was nestling inside a giant marshmallow, or a pile of pillows, and she didn't want to interrupt the bliss.

She knew it wouldn't last forever. Sooner or later her dad would shout from the kitchen, or Stanley would give a sharp rap on the door and shout something completely ridiculous, delaying her breakfast until she could stop laughing. Staying here wouldn't last forever either. She was only staying in this luxury apartment for a week, and she knew that every minute had to count.

It had been good so far. When her parents announced they were moving on again, she had begged for a chance to stay in one place. Just like Stan had, ditching the world tour when he went to university four years ago. But three months in Gabby's house seemed like a lifetime now, and it felt strange even to see her family. She hadn't known how well she would adapt to San Lorenzo, but everything had gone so smoothly that the only surprises had been marvelling at the architecture, the sculptures, the pastel-painted houses, and the trees that seemed to turn every plaza into a tropical garden. There had been no stress, no difficulty talking to the locals even though she barely understood conversational Spanish and hadn't spoken either Arabic or Greek in more than five years.

When she arrived, she'd had 3 diapers in her bag. Just in case, just for the nights. She had worried a little about disposing of them without her family knowing, but it turned out to be no difficulty at all. She had found a place where she could buy more, but then decided against it. She didn't need them now; it seemed that settling the hidden tension between her and Gabby a week before had removed whatever hidden stress had been causing her problem. No more worries, no more problem. She had worn them for the first two nights, until she knew for sure that her bedwetting days were gone for good. Now she had nothing more stressful in her life than walking around a surprisingly-warm park, browsing the boutiques of an unfamiliar city, and an annual excuse to catch up with her big brother.

"Ahoooooy happy campers, up and at 'em! Come on come on come on, me lads, those presents won't tickle themselves!" Stanley's voice echoed through the apartment, presumably right on schedule. Tess giggled as she drifted out of a sleepy daze of dreams and memories, and then pushed back on the uniquely soft mattress in an attempt to sit up straight. She was finally awake, glancing around a room that had been hastily decorated with ornaments suitable for a teen girl's room – based on a dozen different definitions of what a teen girl might like, or how old she was – in a last minute effort to make it feel less like an impersonal hotel room before she arrived. And then Tess finally realised what had been nagging at the edge of her subconscious since the first tickle of wakefulness intruded on her dreams. Three things, in fact.

Firstly, it was already light outside. She had managed to sleep in this morning, after quite a late night. The habit of early rising had proven quite a hard one to break.

Secondly, she saw the old-fashioned desk calendar propped up opposite, and realised that today was Christmas Day. She didn't know what the plans would be, whether her parents would stick to their family traditions or adopt some elements from the local culture, but she was excited to see. And finally–

"Hell no!" Tess shrieked in despair, unable to believe what she was feeling. Despite all the comfort, and the relaxation she was getting from this vacation, she had wet the bed again. And this morning that was a real problem, because she had run out of diapers the night before last. She'd been so sure, after more than a week without any suggestion of an accident, that she no longer needed that kind of help. She couldn't stand thinking that she had been so wrong. And more, she couldn't stand that her parents would find out. She would have to hide it somehow, find an opportunity to do her laundry before tonight. If the family were going out, she was sure she could manufacture an excuse to be the last one–