Lea comes to us in mom’s room. Lucy is on the left side of the bed as she was trying to help mom make it comfortable and probably breathe easily. Mommy is like running out of breath which is worse than usual. “Mommy…” I hop on the right side of the bed.Mom only moves her teary eyes. She looks at me, her lips parting like she wants to speak up but is unable to because of the shortness of breath. “Mom it's okay, I’m here. You don’t have to say anything, mommy.” “Angel, is Aunt Athena normally like this when she wakes up?” Lea asks, her voice trembling in fear. “No Lea, this is the worst one but mom will be

On my first day without mom, I visited our old apartment in the hope of reminiscing about those times with mom in our nest. I fix the things mom left as well as my room for me to stay in. Everything is in chaos. There are spider webs on the ceiling, and dust on the sofa and on the floor. The apartment smells like an old building that hasn't been used for years. I can’t believe how much dirt it accumulated during the short time we’ve been staying in Singapore and at my mom's funeral. I start cleaning the small living room, the kitchen, and the dining area. It took me almost an hour to finish even in just a small area. Next is my room before cleaning my mom’s room. My room is just as messy as the living area. I have to put some of the papers in the trash to make space for my school materials. 

“Mad?” Maddox pulls me close to him and wraps his arms around me. My hands voluntarily wrap around Maddox’s body. He is warm, unlike the Christmas weather. My heart is pounding in my chest like the beat of a drum as we keep our bodies close to each other even more. We are both speechless until I hear Maddox cry. I feel so bad for causing so much pain to him. I hate and blame myself for every hurt Maddox is bearing. I gently pat Maddox’s back. “I’m sorry. I’m really sorry, Mad.” “It’s okay.” Maddox loosens his arms around me. I glance up at Maddox, trying to make eye contact with him. I can't