—{Calira's Room}—

  —{12:19PM}—

  Calira, who just woke up. Under the mountain of soft blankets. There were layers over another layer of soft thin blankets. Her window was wide open.

  Calira shifts under the blanket and sees the opened window. She blinked at it. And closed back her eyes. She again shifts her body to which the pillow on her thigh lost itself under the mountain of the blanket while the one in arms stayed at its place.

  She lets out a noise, “Aughhhh.” A quiet noise… She opened her eyes and pushed off the blankets, she was wearing a grey T-shirt. She held her forehead. She looks around the room.

  “Fuck, my head's spinning. And it hurts…”

  She looked at her bedside table. “Hm, I asked mom for some snacks. Did she forget?”

  Glance at the clock: 12:19 PM

  “For how long have I been asleep for?” rubs her forehead and slouches back on bed for a moment too long. She sighs.

  She got out of bed, slipping into her slippers. She was wearing a black shorts and short white socks. Reaching only till her ankles. Dragging her feet across the floor she reached the door, held the knob for a bit too long as she grabbed her head, it was spinning again.

  “Fuck, I need to drink some water.” Saying that she opened the door and stepped out. Turning to her left and passing through other rooms and descending down the stairs and. Her jaw clenched as she took careful steps, her hand placed to the wall beside her.

  When she got to the floor, she gently gripped her hair and looked up at the stairs. Ruffled her own hair and walked towards the kitchen. Even before seeing her mother, “Mom, did you make the snacks I'd asked for?” She asked without losing the grip.

  Mrs. Rustwood: Seated on the dining table with a notebook and pen in her hand and a glass of water on the table, the glass was still and full, beading with condensation. “You mean the fried potatoes and tea?” Didn't look up to Calira.

  Calira: Letting go of her hair she leans onto the door frame, with her shoulder. And crossed her arms “Yea, did you make it?”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Eyes not meeting her daughter, “I did, but you were asleep so I took it back.”

  Calira: “But I would've woken up and ate it?”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Folds the notebook and places it on the table beside the glass of water with the pen. She looks up at Calira, leans back, her own arms crossed and raises an eye brow. “Oh yea? Well, I did leave it there and later checked on it only to find it cold and you… sleeping soundly.”

  Calira: Leans more to the doorframe, tilts her head to rest on the frame. Legs crossed. “You could've woken me up.” Rolls her eyes.

  Mrs. Rustwood: Shook her head, “But you looked comfortable asleep. And, since you were probably tired from the hunt, I didn't want to disturb you.”

  Calira: Stood still and walked close to her mother, standing beside her chair, looking down at her. “But, you could've woken me up—”

  Mrs. Rustwood: “I already said why I didn't.” Her voice cuts through. She pats on the chair next to her. “Come on, sit here and I'll make you a new one.” Saying that she got up from her own seat. “Or here, as you wish.” She closed her notebook.

  Her mother then reached out to a bowl, covered with a plate, it had raw fish in it. She turns to Calira, “Now, would you like fried fish?”

  Calira: “Yea sure.” She took the chair next to the one her mother was on. Her mother started walking towards the stove. Calira turned back to her, “Mom, did you. Eat the ones you'd prepared before?”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Placed an iron pan on the stove, holding the iron handle with a cloth. “Yes I did. Both tea and potatoes. And why do you like to eat it like that?” Glanced at Calira and saw her rolling her eyes.

  Eyes back on the task. She takes a match stick and ignites it then pushes a piston like mechanism and gas starts to leak from the tiny holes of the stove.

  She ignites the flame and puts the pan on top. She puts oil on it and waits for it to heat up. “This is even worse.” eyes on the pan.

  Calira: Now holding a mirror in her hand checking her hair on it and playing with her hair. “What is?” Her eyes were fixated on herself checking out her own hair.

  Mrs. Rustwood: “The fish and tea.” Mrs. Rustwood turns to look at Calira.

  Calira: Lowers the mirror and looks at her mother, “When did I say fish and tea? Only fish…”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Raised her eyebrow, hands on hips, “Really?” The oil starts to heat up as thin smoke starts getting visible, “Acceptable. Seems like my daughter isn't much of a freak.”

  “Hey!” By Calira. To which Mrs. Rustwood giggled. She carefully lowers the first fish on the pan. Another. “Sweetie.”

  Calira: Stares at her mom for a while without answering. She had her back turned to Calira. Hearing the ‘sweetie’ from her mother Calira's eyes twitched. After a pause her mother again called, “Sweetie.”

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  “Yea?” Calira finally answered. She stood up and approached her mother.

  Mrs. Rustwood: From the corner of her eyes she'd seen Calira approaching, without getting her eyes from the pan, “You want two right?” Being close to each other the height difference was very noticeable.

  “Yea."

  “Spicy?”

  “Yea.”

  After the confirmation her mother began to add sprinkles of spices. Occasionally stirring it. “So, sweetie.” Calira's eyes twitched even and she took a step back.

  “How was the hunt?” Her mother's voice sounded soft and comforting. Though Calira's body tensed up. Mrs. Rustwood then met eyes with her daughter.

  Calira: Averts her eyes and looks up at the ceiling “It was fine I guess.” Shoves her hands in her pocket and turned to walk away, but a hand grabbed her shoulder. It looked small but it wasn't.

  Mrs. Rustwood: Clears her voice, “Where are you going? I asked you something, didn't I?” for once glanced at the fish, eyes off of Calira and stirred it once and eyes back on Calira, who had turned her back to her mother. Turns down the heat.

  Her mother snapped her finger, looking at her. Her voice raised, and Calira turned around, their eyes met. Seeing her daughter's face the mother softly smiles, “How was the hunt?”

  Calira: Averts eyes again. “It was fine.” She said in a low voice. Got pinched, “Ouch!”

  “Answer me properly.”

  “Um, fine. It was tiring and I got dirty.”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Got on her toes and grabbed daughter’s shoulders to better reach her daughter. Though, there was still a lot of distance “And?”

  Calira: “And… I remember no more.”

  Mrs. Rustwood: “Hump. Fine.” lets go of her shoulder and turn her attention back to the fish.

  Calira: Walked away from her mother and took a seat where she was before. From there she just watched her mother then Calira's eyes went to the notebook her mother had been using moments ago. Calira leaned back, arms and legs crossed and looked around the room.

  The notebook her mother had been using moments ago caught Calira's attention. Calira took the book, her thumb rubbing against the surface. It had a smooth blue texture with the name on the label, Sabine Rustwood. And things such as subject, address were empty.

  Calira was about to flip the cover and near to see the contents of the notebook but she paused and closed it. She held up the notebook, “Mom, what's this?”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Does not turn her gaze to the notebook or Calira and was entirely focused on the fish… which she wasn't even stirring. “You mean the notebook?”

  “Yea.”

  “That's mine. In which I write notes.”

  Calira: Placed the notebook back on the table making a low thud sound. She leaned forward, elbow on knee and her cheek resting on her palm. Watching her mother.

  The notebook again attracted her eyes to it. “Can I see it?”

  “Sure, go ahead.” Her mother replied without missing a beat. At the same time her mother had plated the fish and brought it to Calira. With a fork beside the fish.

  Calira opened the first page.

  Notebook Page:

  Bank Credit Union - Roof Repair

  Principal: 22,400 C

  Monthly: 400 C

  Bank Credit Union - Calira's Medicines

  Principal: 8,200 C

  Monthly: 160 C

  —Bar Finances (Last Month)—

  Gross: 1,400 C

  Stock & Costs: (-650 C)

  Business Tax: (-70 C)

  Net: 680 C

  Household/Food: (-220 C)

  Loan Payment: (-400 C)

  Remaining: 60 C

  —Notes—

  C. completed GL-447. Net bounty 5,100C. Her share (if she takes it) could be ~1,700C. That's four months of loan payments. Must ask.

  It was written in neat handwriting. With underlines, darker shade and ink of red and black in the headings. Calira turned another page and found out that, rest of the notebook was empty. The first page was still smooth and clean. And page number at the top.

  There was also a doodle of a kind flower at the bottom and the top of the page. One drawn and shade with black the other with red. Though, seeing the contents, her grip tightened on the edge of the notebook.

  Calira's eyes wander over the details of the page while her mother came to place her hand on Calira's shoulder and lean in to see the contents herself. Her eyes search Calira's face for a moment then back on the notebook.

  Calira: Looks up at her mother, “Mom.”

  “Hm?”

  “What is this… Numbers about? Loans?”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Leans closer to her daughter and taps her index finger on the heading which pulls Calira's attention on it, “That's the loan.”

  Her finger slides a bit lower, “That's the income”. More lower. “How much we have to pay.”

  Leans back. “That is… and the last one is not important.”

  Calira: Brows rise and she turns to look up at her mother. “But the last one says about me.”

  Mrs. Rustwood: Nods, averts her eyes, “That's why it doesn't matter.”

  Saying that she takes back the notebook, not by force, just a gentle pull and it slipped off from Calira's grip. She also took the pen and put it in her pocket. Snaps her finger.

  “Your fish is about to get cold. Eat it fast.”

  Saying that she turned around, and started taking steps away.

  Calira: Eyes followed her mother's movement, hand clenched and she shifts in her seat, “You want me to take the money?”

  Mrs. Rustwood: “Could be helpful.” She answered instantly and without turning to face her. And with a turn she disappeared from Calira's vision.

  Calira: Now alone in there, looked at the plate and her body stiffened, jaw and finger clenched. Looks up at the ceiling and sighs.

  With her attention back on the fried fishes, she grabbed the fork and shoved it in its fried skin. It pierced through easily. Then tries to lift up the piece of fish only for it to lift the whole fish. Drop it back on the plate.

  “I need a knife.”

  She got up from the chair and walked to the kitchen counter. Grabbed a boning knife, “This should work.”

  She turns to walk back to her chair but she hears a voice from somewhere in the house, “Don't drink cold water if you're thirsty.”

  “Tch.” Sits on her chair… Facepalm, “Tch, sure but, where's warm water.”

  Look at the plate, “Why can't she say things properly.” mutters to herself.

  She clutched her head, “Fuck, it hurts again.”