Shadows of Tomorrow

Part One - Before It All

There are just a few days left before the new semester starts. It's a beautiful, warm day, and when you don't have many obligations, the world feels a bit more positive. Our parents are at work, so my brother and I are enjoying our free time while we can. We're playing darts, gaming on the PlayStation, and, of course, trying to finish our favorite series before the semester and the exam period kicks in, since there won't be much time then.

My name is Abigail. Abigail Dawson, just like my mom. So everybody call me Aby. I'm a big introvert. I don't like parties, I'm not very sociable, and large crowds scare me. My brother Georgie, on the other hand, is different. He's not the complete opposite of me, but he doesn't mind being around people. Sometimes he goes to parties, bowls with friends, or attends festivals. He occasionally takes me along because he thinks I need a social life. I can have fun with him and his friends, although I get tired quickly. It's really nice of him to care. I do have friends, but I'm just not the adventurous type-I prefer peace and quiet. However, when my brother manages to convince me to go somewhere, I usually end up glad that I did.
Btw my brother's name is George, just like my dad. Well, our parents really named us creatively... just after themselves.

Today we don't have anything big planned. My brother is going to hang out with friends in two days to play board games. In less than a week, it's our mom's birthday. Even though it's a milestone birthday, she doesn't like celebrations and is an introvert like me (I guess I inherited my introversion from her). So we'll celebrate just the four of us-five, if we count Berta (our cat).

I am enjoying the day. The sun is shining nicely and bringing a wave of positive energy. Although we're currently at home watching a series, we're planning to go outside soon-not to socialize, but to play darts or table tennis in the garden.

"Can you not stare at your phone for a moment?" my brother asks, slightly annoyed that he thinks I'm not paying attention to the series.
"I am paying attention; I'm just checking something, but I know exactly what's happening, so let me live in peace," I reply.
"Well, I just don't want to rewind it, so don't complain later that you missed something because you weren't paying attention."
"Please, I know exactly what's going on."
"Alright, if you say so. What's your 'suitor' texting you?" he asks with a smile.
"It's not my suitor; it's my boyfriend... I think."
"You'd know if you two decided to meet. You've been texting for three months, and you still haven't met."
"You know he's a bit shy, just like me; it takes time."
"Or he's a sixty-year-old creep..." my brother replies, amused.
I don't respond to that; I just shoot him a deadly glare, which clearly amuses him again, and we go back to watching the series.
But I have to admit, my brother got me thinking. You see, I'm not exactly the athletic type. I'm under 5 feet tall, and I gained quite a bit of weight because of my illness. But despite that, I still love sports. I enjoy playing ice hockey, table tennis, and darts (though, I'll admit, darts isn't the most action-packed sport).
That's why I can't help but wonder why a nice, easygoing guy like Martin would want to chat with me.

Today is March 13th, or more precisely, March 13th, 2025. In a few days, my mom will have her birthday, and I still don't have anything for her. I'd like to give her something nice since she's turning a milestone age, and for everything she does for me, she deserves an amazing gift. But, as always, she says she doesn't want anything. That's just her. Mom never wants anything; she's so modest.
I try to engage my brother.
"Mum's birthday is coming up soon. What should we get her? Or maybe make her something?"
"I don't know," he replies.
"Come on, at least try to think of something," I urge him.
"She said she doesn't want anything, so that's one less thing to worry about."
"Come on, we have to make her happy," I insist, hoping he'll at least consider a gift idea.
"Mum would be happy if we didn't spend any money," he says.
"So, should we make something?" I suggest.
"We're not five years old, making her a coupon book," he retorts.
I give up. Clearly, I didn't pick the right person for this conversation.
"Can we get back to the series now?" he asks.
I just nod. There's no point in arguing. I don't think I'm getting any brilliant gift ideas out of him.

I keep thinking about a gift for Mom. It's true, she's very modest and frugal. If I buy her something, she probably won't be thrilled. More than being frugal, she's extremely caring. She's a wonderful mother, but she's always worrying about my brother and me, even though we're both adults now.
A party is out of the question too. My mom is introverted like me. She loves peace and quiet.

Perhaps it's best to leave the gift planning to Dad. He always knows how to make Mom happy, and he actually enjoys shopping for presents, which I think is pretty rare for men.
My mom and dad really complement each other. They're quite different, though. Dad is much calmer, while Mom tends to be more stressed. Dad loves cheering loudly for sports, but my mom dislikes contact sports and especially doesn't like the loud cheering or yelling at opponents (or referees). But somehow, they make it work together, so it's all good.

I'm looking forward to our parents coming home from work. My dad works on the railway, and while I could tell you what he does, I'd have to make some of it up because I don't fully understand it. Anyway, he makes sure the trains run as they should, though I'm not sure how successful he is at that. My mom is a judge, which is probably why my brother and I both decided to study law. I still don't know exactly what I want to do after I graduate, but I'm getting closer to finishing my studies. My brother is just in his first year, so he still has plenty of time.
We live together in a village. So we have to commute to university, and our parents commute to work. But I wouldn't change it. We have a beautiful life here. I love the peacefulness of village life.
The village is also better for keeping animals. So we have a cat. Her name is Berta, but we call her Bertonella, and sometimes Little Devil, Mouse, Dot... well, we have a lot of names for her. I love her so much. We found her. My brother and mom both have strong cat allergies, so we never had a cat at home before. I always wanted one, and it feels like fate brought Berta into our lives.

When our parents finally came home, we had dinner together. We chatted a bit, but my dad isn't really into talking. Then we decided to watch the news together. There wasn't anything special until the anchors received an extraordinary bulletin: two passenger planes collided over Switzerland. According to the report, it's said to be one of the largest, if not the largest, aviation disasters in history. I can't comprehend how this could happen with all the modern technology. The mood at home suddenly dropped. We fly twice a year, and we always feel a bit nervous about it. Even though we know flying is the safest mode of transportation, it's still something that scares us.

A little while after the news, my brother and I went to bed. We've had the same room since we were little. It's big and spacious, and while it could probably be divided into two, we've gotten used to it. If one of us wants some privacy, there's always the guest room.

"It's terrible what happened, right?" I said to my brother, my voice a bit shaky.
"Yeah, but accidents happen, and they probably will continue to happen. I don't know if we'll ever be 100% safe," he replied.
"I know, but this feels different. I just have a bad feeling."
"It's an accident where a lot of people died; I'd be worried if you had a good feeling about it," Georgie said, trying to lighten the mood.
"But come on, I'm serious."
"What do you want me to say? You can't take everything so seriously. Bad things happen too."
"I know you're right, but I just can't stop thinking about it."
"Aby, look. It's horrible what happened, but worrying about it won't change anything. People die every day from cancer, hunger... it just happens. This is scary, but it's an exception. Try not to think about it. We'll enjoy the rest of the holidays together. I'll take you to our game day in two days, what do you say?"
"I don't know; you know I'm not great at strategic board games," I said, feeling a bit more at ease.
"I know, at least I won't end up last," he smiled.
"You always know how to cheer me up, right, Bro?"
"Of course, that's what I'm here for... to calm my little sister."
"Little sister? Remind you that you're two years younger, brother."
"Yeah, but I'm 20 centimeters taller," he winked at me.
"That's true. Well, goodnight. I love you, Bro."
"Yeah, I tolerate you sometimes too. Goodnight," he replied.
And we went to sleep.

During the night, I found myself thinking more about my relationship with my brother.
My brother and I have a beautiful relationship, and I'm really grateful for it. My mom has a tense relationship with her two sisters, while my dad, though he teases his two sisters more, has a relaxed and easygoing bond with them. Both of my parents have two sisters. I only have one brother, but that's more than enough. Sometimes he drives me absolutely crazy, especially when he teams up with Dad to provoke me, but in a way, I love it-it's just part of our relationship. As we've grown older, we understand each other more and more. He's become my protector, which is a bit of a role reversal, since when we were younger, I, as the older sister, used to protect him.