Where and How

~ ZARA ~

"Mom?" I breathed again, sounding like a child. I hadn't seen her in years. She looked… more refined here than she had at home. Richer. More dignified—because she was wearing a dress, I realized. I wasn't sure I'd ever seen her in a dress before.

Her hair had the odd gray strand sprinkled through it now and she'd lost some weight, but her eyes were still pinched the way they always had been.

With a gesture towards me to be quiet, she looked back out into the hall, then carefully closed the door, muttering something under her breath, then she turned to face me and clasped her hands at her waist.

"Zara," she said breathlessly. "This is a surprise."

I gaped at her. "A surprise?!" I spluttered. "We're in a different fucking world, Mom. And you're saying it's a surprise?"

Mom's lips pressed thin. "I know this is a bit of a shock. But please keep your voice down. I'd like the chance to speak with you before—"