She gasped once she finished her calendar. A beaming smile crept onto her face. “No way…”

“What?” Her brother asked. He approached and looked over her shoulder to see what she was on about, just to look at her more confused then before. “I’m busy this week, Damon!” She exclaimed, her eyes sparkling as they looked up at him.

He snickered, but corrected himself with a cough. “I’m sorry, what?” The young woman ignored him and looked back down to her calendar, illuminated by the large glass door that sat to her left. It lightented the small dining room with the morning sun and allowed her to see the beauty before her. Her eyes filled with tears. “I’m busy.” A certain pressure laid in her voice, like she fought not to cry. “For the first time in years…” she whispered.

Her brother narrowed his eyes at her. “Maddie you’re not making any-“ She cut him off with a jump out of her seat. “I have to get ready! I have so much to do! So much! Finally!!” The way her voice raised to a squeal, the way she smiled so hard her brother could see every tooth, and the way she shook her hands with angst made no sense to Damon. He titled his head with confuison.

She raced out of the dining room and ran up the stairs so fast Damon worried she might break something. Once he heard a door shut, he leaned over the round dining table, scanning through the calendar. It was true, she had a busy week, at least three things to do each day until Saturday, but why was she excited about that? Damon pondered for what seemed like hours, but he couldn’t figure out why she cared so much about being busy, when she just spent the last two years hiding in her room.