— I wonder who that was? How strange… — Leila questions herself in a firm, low voice while driving her green Jeep along a dirt road near the border outskirts.
She tries to look at her phone to see if she recognizes the number she has just answered. At that moment, the car abruptly hits a pothole, making her hand shake and the device slip away, falling onto the road.
She brakes.
After stopping, she lets out a deep sigh. Through the rearview mirror, she looks for the phone and spots a blue dot in the middle of the packed dirt. She opens the door and goes to it.
When she picks it up from the ground, she blows the dust off it. She removes the back cover and checks whether the N2 core is intact. Then she puts the device into her pants pocket.
She is wearing brown jeans, a vest of the same color, and a black tank top underneath. A light-brown hat protects her from the sun, which is at its peak.
Without delay, she returns to the car and continues her journey.
After more than two hours on the road, she arrives home and parks in front. She grabs her beige fabric shoulder bag and heads toward the gate, then to the door.
— I'm hoooome!
Already taking off her combat boots and leaving them by the door, she goes to the living room through a short hallway.
— Hi, honey! — Without breaking her stride, she heads toward the kitchen.
— Hi mom! How was it? Did you find anything? — Sarah asks while lying on the couch, reading a book.
— Unfortunately no, just stones and roots.
— What a shame, don't get discouraged, you'll find something soon!
— Hopefully. If not, the Guild will revoke the restriction on the site, and then that's it…
— Why don't you join the Hunters' Guild? They pay much better. — Sarah suggests.
— You know what I think of those filthy people. We archaeologists, at least, have scruples and give much more value to findings. Not everything comes down to money. — Leila finishes her speech with a sigh.
— Just don't have a heart attack if you do find something! — Sarah doesn't miss the chance to tease her mother while giving a slight smile without losing focus on her reading.
— You're a funny one! And how was school today?
— Everything was normal, I'm still undefeated, but the boys don't want to let me play ball anymore.
— Don't you think it would be nice to let them win once in a while? — Leila rummages through the kitchen looking for something in the fridge.
— No way! They should work to beat me! Oh… there's food on the stove inside the pot.
Sarah turns a page while remaining lying down, legs crossed, supporting the book.
— Are you serious, Sarah? Potatoes? Again? — Leila looks in disbelief at the pot full of boiled potatoes with a bit of rice underneath and some pieces of meat in the corner. — Seriously! You must dream about potatoes, there's no way.
— Dad didn't complain…
— He doesn't care about anything. A bottomless pit. It almost looks like you take after him.
Leila approaches the couch with the pot in one hand and a fork in the other.
— Heeey… — Sarah murmurs as Leila throws herself onto the couch.
— Make some room there.
Sarah sits cross-legged while placing the pillow on her legs to support the book. Then she gives her mother a light, intentional nudge.
— Hey! Settle down, creature!
— Soon you'll be calling me a fossil too. — Sarah comments in a low tone with a slight smile.
— Hm… great idea. You would definitely be the fossil of a Cus-Cus. As troublesome as one! — Leila lets out a hearty laugh while searching for a channel on the television with the remote control.
— That wouldn't be so bad. I could run around freely without worrying about homework.
— I wouldn't want to be your teacher. — Leila continues searching with the remote. — Now be quiet, I want to watch the news about my team!
— Our team! — Sarah closes the book and sits at the corner of the couch.
A few minutes later, Sarah is already leaning her head against her mother's shoulders, who is still finishing the little bit of food left in the pot.
"The royalty thinks it can do anyth… A new shipment of human slaves captured in the desert is arriving to work at the commercial port with… New cases of unsolved kidnappings are piling up… The wall that divides us will one day fall… Ice cream for me, for you, and for everyone… A new treatment with N2 that will restore your youth in the blink of an e… They are superior, what can you do? The world belongs to the fo… The Atlás tournament ended with another noble winning the right to an elite guard, they…"
Channel after channel, and Leila even starts to snort.
"He is in great form and is confirmed for today's match!!"
— Oh! Today we're going to win! He's going to score a great goal like always! — Leila already celebrates as if victory were certain.
— Easy there, mom, that team is annoying, they always make things hard for us. — Sarah warns while her eyes and thoughts are still lost among the many voices she heard on TV.
— They're playing badly, they'll get relegated this year — Leila sentences the rival.
— Well… if they play like they did last round, it's a guaranteed win! — Sarah joins in the excitement.
— Do we have popcorn stored? — Leila is already planning the night.
— We do, there's still half a bag left. Just don't forget to put butter this time.
— You're so cheeky, you know that! — Leila gets up from the couch after the segment about her team ends. She heads to the kitchen to wash the pot and drink some water.
The day passes, night arrives, the match begins. The two cheer for every play while eating popcorn and complaining about the refereeing.
Sarah's father is not at home.
The game ends with a narrow victory.
Mother and daughter, happy, go to their rooms and to their beds.
Sarah because she will be able to mock the boys who cheer for the rivals, and Leila excited for another day of excavation.
The lights go out, and silence fills the house, occupying the emptiness left by them.