Liquid Silver

Eleven

When Jem woke up she didn't even remember what day it was. She knew it was a Friday, but the smell of pancakes through the house made her question her sense of time.

Then she remembered the date, and couldn't believe everything that had been going had been so intense that she'd forgotten.

The 12th of October. She was sixteen today.

Rolling out of bed she picked up the photo frame on her locker. She, Stiles and her mother on the beach when she was a little girl, before their mother was sick. She looked at her mom's brown curls, blowing messily in the wind, stiff from salt water and her skin rosy and sun kissed. She looked beautiful, and so carefree as the three of them spun in a circle holding hands at the water edge. Jem still remembered parts of the day. Screaming when the cold water ran over their feet, running around like lunatics.

She wondered if her mom ever got to remember those kinds of days before she passed. She knew there were good and bad days, and she hoped that on the good ones she was able to think of these memories. Jem traced the photo frame with her thumb. "Sixteen mom" She breathed. "Who would have thought?"

She got dressed quickly that morning, trying not to be too distracted by the constant buzz on her phone as happy birthday messages streamed in from Maisie and the others from school, texts from random aunts and uncles she'd never met. Even Lydia managed to send her a video, still hooked up to a drip, with Jordan Parrish beaming beside her in the hospital bed, both singing happy birthday. Strictly professional of course.

When she made it downstairs the kitchen was filled with balloons and her heart burst at the small crowd gathered in the kitchen. Stiles and her dad of course were there, smiling wide behind a colossal stack of pancakes. Scott was there too, grinning with a party hat strapped sideways on his head. They must have gotten up at all hours of the morning to set this up, and she couldn't believe her eyes.

"You guys" She gasped, unable to stop a laugh escaping as they shouted a very off tune and messy Happy Birthday. She might have forgotten what day it was supposed to be but the others certainly hadn't. Jem had decided that moment that until she had visible proof of these masked men then she was going to go with an in between two options. Malia wasn't a liar and killer, but had simply been confused. There were no masked men.

She knew it was naive but she was sick of being constantly paranoid about what was sneaking up behind her, and today she was determined to enjoy the day, carefree. You only turn sixteen once after all. 

"You didn't have to-" She was lost for words as they all kept smiling, her dad tucking her under his arm to kiss the top of her head.

"Of course we did Junior" He told her. "Have to at least try keep up with you growing up" 

Jem laughed, returning his hug tightly before sitting down to make a dent in the pancakes. There was far too much chocolate syrup but she couldn't have cared less if she tried, drizzling it in heaps over her plate. 

"Are you missing something?" Her dad asked, mouth open in surprised as she practically shovelled back pancakes. Then she noticed the flashy new gear bag sitting on the kitchen counter, an obnoxious green bow plastered on the top.

"Is that for me?" she joked, smiling before she stood up and danced over to pick up the bag. It was sleek black with the white nike tick and her initials embroidered onto one of the side pockets. She gave them a twirl with the bag slung over her shoulder. "I love it, thank you guys"

"Open it up" Stiles instructed. Jem raised her eyebrows, the bag didn't seem heavy enough to have anything inside. Anyways they didn't do big expensive presents in this house. Jem was already more than happy with the bag. She unzipped it anyways, over come by curiosity to see what was inside. Her heart did a little flip when she saw the three tickets, slipped neatly in the inside of a birthday card.