THE SIREN'S SONG 𓇼 F. ODAIR

15 ~ the birthday girl

A little over a month later, Carolina was completely moved into the mansion in Victor's Village. Her parents had decided to keep the house she had grown up in, refusing to give up the childhood memories their house contained, and decided to move between the houses whenever they wanted to. While those memories remained heartwarming to her parents, they made Carolina feel sick.

So, she lived by herself most of the time.

Carolina preferred it that way.

That morning, Carolina's entire family stayed in Victor's Village. Her parents were in a bedroom down the hall to her in a room slightly smaller than her own. Carolina had offered her parents the master bedroom, but they had refused, saying that she deserved it more than them.

To say that Carolina's new bedroom was larger than her old one would be an understatement. The walk-in closet alone was bigger than the room she grew up in, and it had a four-post bed frame, a personal television, a sitting area, and other amenities that Carolina would have never even dreamed of having before winning her games.

Normally, Carolina awoke to the sun streaming in through her windows or the birds loudly singing. However, this morning was different.

Charlie had other plans.

"Wake up! Wake up! Wake up!" Charlie screamed, jumping on his sister's bed and waking her up immediately. "Happy birthday! Happy birthday! Happy birthday!"

Carolina groaned as she reached out to pull Charlie's legs out from under him. The small boy squealed as his back bounced onto the bed and landed next to her. Before he could recover, she started to tickle him, which made him squeal even more.

"Thank you, buddy."

"Mom's making breakfast downstairs!" Charlie said. "And she won't let us eat without you, so come on! I'm hungry!"

Charlie ran out of the room before Carolina could reply, causing the girl to laugh.

The boy has priorities, she thought as she put on a pair of slippers and followed him.

When she arrived downstairs, Pearl was sitting at the kitchen island, chatting with Carolina's mother, who did not look amused. Charlie was sitting at the table, staring at the food his mother had already prepared.

When her mother caught sight of her, she sighed in relief, causing Pearl to look in the direction she was looking in. Her face lit up at the sight of her best friend.

"Took you long enough! You sure do love to sleep, huh!"

Carolina looked out the window and rubbed her eyes.

"The sun isn't even up yet. What are you doing here this early?"

"I'm sorry? I can't celebrate with my best friend from dusk till dawn?"

"Pearl," Carolina's mother cut in, "It's Carol's birthday. She is allowed to do whatever she wants."

"Don't act like you weren't thinking the same thing, Thalassa," Pearl sighed. "You're already halfway done with breakfast."

Carolina's mother scrunched her face at the call of her first name.

"Don't call me that."

"Sorry, Mrs. Thalassa."

Before her mother could say anything else, her father walked into the house with a large cake in his arms.

"Happy birthday, princess," he said, kissing his daughter's head as he walked past her.

"Oh, right!" Pearl gasped. "Happy birthday, by the way."

"Happy birthday, sweetie," Her mother reached across the table and combed her fingers through her hair. "I can't believe my baby girl is officially an adult. Now, do you want waffles or pancakes?"