"M" is for Mankind

IV

"Do you think this dress looks good on me?", Sarah asked as she twirled in front of the mirror, unsure as to whether she liked what she saw. I glanced up from my phone, a chuckle escaping my throat as I watched her dance around like a five year old. "I think it looks lovely on you, sis", I told her sincerely. 

A soft knock on the door drew our attention away from Sarah's dress as we glanced up to our mother smiling at us. "Are you girls ready?", she asked. We both nodded in unison. I quickly got up from my bed, brushing off invisible dust from my black jeans. "So what time does the actually ceremony begin?", I asked as I walked towards my mother who was sorting out the pink bow in my sister's hair. "At 7:30, but Molly asked us to arrive at least fifteen minutes earlier", she explained. Molly was my mother's best friend's sister who she had known since highschool. "Hurry, your father is waiting for us in the car", by the time these words were said, Sarah and I were already making our way towards the front door. "Are you sure I look pretty?", Sarah asked as we got in the car. I shot her a quick glance, her cheeks a rose tint due to the autumnal evening breeze. "You're the prettiest little sister I could have ever wished for", I smiled. Sarah pouted slightly as though she didn't fully believe what I said, but my words were as honest as could be.
After about thirty minutes of driving, I felt my eyes grow heavy as I began to doze off. I felt a soft thump on my shoulder as my little sister had already fallen asleep, causing me to chuckle slightly before I felt my eyes become heavier than before. A soft yawn escaped my lips as I slowly drifted off.

"Mara, it's time to wake up", my mother gently shook me as she whispered these words to me in a soft voice.
"Mara, wake up. We're gonna be late" .

"Mara", the voice of my mum became more and more muffled as it morphed into the voice of someone else. I slowly opened my eyes, confusion overwhelming me as I gently rubbed some of my sleep away.

"Mum?", I asked. A soft chuckle followed as I felt someone gently stroke my hair. "It's almost time for us to leave", she said. I recognised the voice, a soft smile forming on my lips as I gently ran my fingers through my long messy hair. "Good morning, Tiffany", I said once my eyes had adjusted to the morning light. "Mornin' sleepyhead", she returned. I couldn't help but smile at the sight of her. She looked so beautiful in the small streak of sunlight poking through the blinds, her blonde hair up in the same bun she wore it in yesterday, a plain white t-shirt hugging her upper body and grey sweatpants similar to the ones I was wearing. She reminded me so much of my mum. Even though my mother was somewhat a pain from time-to-time, I still loved her to bits and the sudden events that caused us to become so distant helped me realize this. I missed her so much and the mere thought that I might not see her again caused a strong pain in my chest. 

"Get ready, sweetie. We don't have much time", Tiffany said, causing me to jolt up from the bed and fetch my rucksack. I took a quick glance at what I was wearing and shrugged my shoulders, sorting out the black t-shirt and brushing off the black sweatpants. I didn't bother to change so I slid Tiffany's white sneakers on and swung the strap of the rucksack over my shoulder, pulling my trapped hair out from underneath the strap before heading into the kitchen where everyone was gathered. "Morning everyone", I greeted, to which I was immediately reciprocated.

"Morning", the boys mumbled in unison. Tiffany walked around the table, handing us each an a orange. This was perhaps the last time we would have fresh fruit in a long time, so I savoured every piece. I quickly caught a glimpse of Tiffany's smile aimed in my direction as she took a seat beside Kurt, who was showing all the possible destinations on a map he had found lying around Tiffany's apartment. We had already agreed that it would be best to leave the city, perhaps find a village or somewhere safe to set up camp. It was important that we planned before hand where to head, so not to find ourselves in difficulties when it came to food and water. The latter being most important. Kurt mentioned how there was a river not too far from where we were currently resided, although he did emphasize that it would likely take us a week or so on foot. Of course, there was also the fact that we needed to stop somewhere to search for some gear to carry along with us.