Camera || m.g ✓

N I N E

edited

I type mum's phone number into the dial pad in my phone.

"Tell mum I said hi!" Athena calls from behind me.

I roll my eyes and bring the phone up to my ear.

"Serafina! How nice of you to call!" Mum cries from the other line.

"Hey mum," I say, sitting down on the arm rest of the loveseat in the hotel room.

"You haven't told me anything since, what?" she stops to think, "Thursday?"

"I think so," I say, "I'm sorry."

"No, no it's okay," she assures me, "you're really busy, I get it."

"No, but I should always make time to call you," I insist.

"You're on the phone with me, now, aren't you?" she laughs.

"Yes," I laugh too.

Mum is a pretty cool mum. Although she is in her forties, she still looks twenty. When we go see new people, they would always think that mum and Athena were sisters. She has one of those grey ombre-dyed hair the length of the crook of her neck that she would always wear in a half bun. I can imagine her flicking her hair right now. Lately, she's been unwell, that's why couldn't accompany me here. Nonetheless, I'm going to make her proud.

"So, how did the show go earlier yesterday?" she asks. Yesterday?

"It was this morning mum," I tell her.

"Really? I thought it was on Sunday, not Monday."

"Oh sorry, time zones," I say, a sheepish smile drawn on my face.

Someone knocks on my door, so I hurry up and look through the peep hole.

"Hold on a sec mum, someone's at the door," I tell mum.

"Sure," she says.

I open the door and Marcus strolls in, while his twin brother runs.

"Hi, Sera!" they sing.

"I'm on the phone, go find Athena or Cole or something," I hiss. They nod and collapse on the bed.

"It went great!" I go back to speaking with mum on the phone.

"I watched your video, and you missed the plane?" mum asks in disbelief.

"About that..." I laugh nervously, "yes, I did."

Mum groans, "next time, I'm getting Athena to accompany you wherever you go."

"No! I'll manage just fine!"

I hear a faint crash from mum's side.

"Cooper, you brute! Get away from the bird!" mum yells in the background. Oh Cooper...

"Sorry, Sera, I got to go, the dog's chasing the parrot again," she sighs dramatically.

"Okay," I laugh, "by the way, Athena says hi."

"Hi to you too, Atha," she says, "I love you guys."

"Bye mum, I love you too," I hang up.

I throw my phone to my bed and then turn the telly on.

"Why am I even bothering, I can't understand a damn thing," I sigh and reach for the remote to switch it off. But a pair of hands gets to it before me.

"Football!" the twins squeaks, "we need to watch football!"

We fight for the remote, but one of us - I don't know who - 'accidentally' switches it to a sports channel and throws it across the room.