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S I X T E E N

edited

I wake up to a normal morning. It's like one of those cliché movie beginnings where the person would have their alarms ringing, wake up, stretch, then look at the time on their phone. This morning was as cliché as it can get. I woke up, stretched, looked at the time and sleep again. With an added fierce knocking on the door by my sister.

"I'm coming, I'm coming!" I yell and walk to the door, rubbing my eye. Athena stands in front of the door, wearing her worn out grey hoodie and pyjama pants and hotel slippers. Classic.

"How may I help you?" I ask her and lift my eyebrow.

"I was on the phone with mum," she explains, "she's asking for you." Athena hands me her phone.

Oh? That's new. I take the device from her perfectly manicured hand.

"Anything else?"

"Give the phone back once you're done," she says. I nod. Athena gives me a final look before walking back to her room. I close the door and lift my hand up to my ear.

"Mum?"

"Ah, Sera!" comes mum's cheerful voice through the line. I smile at the thought of my smiling mum on the other side of the world.

"How is everything?" she asks.

I grin, "everything is great!" Lie. Not so much.

"I'm glad you didn't miss the plane this time," mum says with a hint of relief.

"Believe me mum, me too..."

"For a couple of days ago," mum starts, "how was the interview?"

I shrug, "eh."

"They gave me a bunch of things though," I tell her, "I got this cool shirt that says 'I Love Stockholm', I think? I also got this thank-you card that Martinus translated for me."

I bite my lip.

"Oh... right..." I imagine mum nodding, "speaking of, how are the boys?"

Huh? "I'm sorry, what?"

"How are the boys?"

"There's only one boy with us, mum," I say, "Cole."

Mum laughs, "silly, Sera. I was talking about your friends!"

Oh.

"I-I'm sure they're fine," I wave her off, "I haven't talked to them since yesterday afternoon..."

"I've looked them up, these boys," mum tells me, "they seem pretty nice."

"Yeah, they were..." I say, trailing into silence. I wonder what the boys are doing now...

"Sera? Are you alright?" mum asks, worried.

"I'm fine."

"Are you sure?"

"Perfectly, mum."

I hear her sigh. Then mum gets into a fit of coughing and sneezing, more than normal. That's strange...

"The question is, mum," I say carefully, "are you okay?"

Mum clears her throat, "I'm fine. Just you know, fever and all..."

I am unsure of her answer, but I believe it anyway.

"I'd expect Athena wants her phone back by now," mum says.

"Yeah, I'd expect that too."

"Have a great time in Finland, alright?" Mum says.

"Absolutely," I grin, "love you mum."