Popped (Mercy)

The last day of school took ages to arrive, resulting in Mimosa growing more and more impatient to leave Hogwarts as the hours ticked by. Not only was the child over the moon at the opportunity to go to India again but end of term also meant seeing Jacques. In fact, Mimosa was so excited at the prospect, she felt it prudent to announce as such to her room every day. After all, why wouldn't everyone in her dorms, or the entire common room for that matter, not want to know.

Mercy had also - miraculously - gotten permission from her mother to go to India and Mimosa could not wait to show her best friend around SIMPLY EVERYWHERE. She would show the Gryffindor all of India in the two months they'd be spending there, she just knew she would. But first Mercy had to go home to pack. So on the final day, the two friends bid each other a reluctant goodbye and hugged fiercely, promising to see each other in two days't time. Mercy would head back to Hogsmeade station with the other students taking the train home while Mimosa would be picked up by Jacques and taken out all over London. Jacques had said she could pick where she wanted ti go and Mimosa had made a list.

A hand written list, in French.

The child grinned, patting the folded piece of paper in her skirt pocket. Her Jacques would be so pleased to see how far her penmanship had gotten. No one at the palace really said it but she knew they would prefer if she improved her reading and writing and he had honestly been trying for almost the whole year. She'd been working with the doctors that came down once every six weeks from America, she had kept up her promise of writing to both Jacques and Clara without using her phone or correction quills and she had even began reading some of the books grandmere sent her.

Jacques arrived right on time, though at first the child thought he was early because a lot of the older girls hadn't left yet. In fact, they just seem to annoyingly be around in the Great Hall when he came to pick her up and for some reason, all of them decided to come say goodbye to ehr the very moment Jacques was walking in through the door.

"Mimosa, my dear, I'm going to miss you so so much," a tall, dark skinned girl said loudly as the Clement heir came within earshot. "Are you going to miss me?"

"I don't know you," Mimosa replied honestly before ducking around the tall girl and running towards her Jacques who caught her in his usual style. Still they had to stay back for a few minutes as he politely mdse conversation with the seven or so girls who had all decided now was a good time for farewells and introductions before they could finally leave.

"I don't understand them," the eleven year old groused as they cleared the school gates. "I was waiting for you for fifteen minutes, they would have said goodbye to me them, but they only come over when I'm about to leave." The Frenchman merely smiled, as if he knew a secret she did not before distracting Mimosas by asking her what the plan was. Proudly, the little witch pulled out her hand written list, nearly bouncing on her feet as he read through each item written in her neatest handwriting and in almost perfect french.

The rest of the day was spent shopping, eating, going to the theater and then going out for ice creams. At the end of the day, they made their way back to Jacques's apartment where the child promptly fell asleep through a movie on his bed, even if she was supposed to sleep in ehr room with the to beds. Jacques never minded, she was his favorite after all.

The next day they made their way to a private hanger, Mimosa tucked safely in front of Jacques withe her eyes bugging out in adoration as the male drove his motorbike so faaaaaaaast. The only unlikable part was him insisting she wore a helmet despite all the safety charms but the helmet was pink and had her name on it in sparkly letters so it wasn't too bad. Once at the hanger, they boarded the palace jet which would take them to Ireland. Mimosa used the journey to play a very fun and too short lived game of Heads Up with ehr Jacques, the two having fun even when she read a word wrongly and acted out the wrong thing.

When they finally arrived at Mercy's, Mimosa was back to full mode excitement, giggling, bouncing and squealing at nearly everything. She greeted Mercy as if she hand't seen the older witch in years and while the two began chatting at once about what Mercy had packed, Mrs. Williams and Jacques stepped aside to discuss travel plans. Mimosa knew her friend's mom would be coming to India too at some point to see Mercy but she hand't paid attention to the details, that was for someone else to sort through.

And after what felt like ages, AGES, the four of them were finally at the airport. Mimosa had flown on her own many times before so she was not at all scared, And just in case Mercy was, the young model held her hand securely throughout check ins, reassuring her that everything would be fine.

And she kept holding on to Mercy's hand until the plane finally took off, whooshing slightly as it soared into the starlit night sky.

After saying farewell to Mimosa, Mercy followed the others back to the Hogwarts Express and boarded the train, humming with nervous anticipation. She found a compartment with some of her teammates near the front, and they played a few games of exploding snap to pass the time, pooling together for some Every Flavour Beans to pass around. Mercy was unusually quiet, lost in her own thoughts.
"Please please pleeeeeaaase can I go, Mam?"  Mercy begged on the phone. "I'll be with Mimosa the whole time; it'll be perfectly safe. And we don't even have to pay for plane tickets!"

The other line was silent for a moment before her mother's worried voice came through. "How long did you say it was?"

"Two months." Mercy bounced nervously on the balls of her feet as she awaited her mother's verdict. She knew what the problem was of course, but she was willing to risk it if her Mam was. She heard her mother sigh quietly on the other line and bit her lip, glancing around the empty corner of the courtyard she had hidden herself in, out of earshot of the other students.

"Mercy..." her Mam began carefully, "You know it's dangerous. And I don't mean India. You haven't told Mimosa, have you?"

"No, but...we can make it work, can't we? I could go home for a week each month, or you could come to India, or...or something."

"I don't think it's the best idea. I'm sorry, Mei," her Mam said gently.

Mercy felt a lump in her throat and tried to shove it back down. "Please, Mam. I don't have to stay the whole time. Can you just think about it?"

"I'll see what your dad says, but I think he'll probably agree with me. You know so many things could go wrong."

"What if I only stay for a few weeks?"

"You're leaving right after school ends?"

"Yeah..."

"Mercy, that gives you eleven days. Four days until you have to start taking potions."

Mercy bit her lip, blinking angrily as she felt her eyes start to sting. It was so unfair! She'd never asked to be bitten by a werewolf. She couldn't change what she was. Why couldn't she do all the things other kids could do? Mimosa travelled all the time without even thinking about it. Why did one week out of every month have to ruin everything?

"Mam..." her voice cracked.

"I know, it sucks. But you have to be careful, Mei. We can find something else to do this summer."

"I don't want to do something else. I want to go with Mimosa." She didn't care if she was whining. She was allowed to be upset, wasn't she?

"Mercy," her Mam's voice warned. "You know there are going to be some things you can't do because of your condition. This is one of them. You can't take any risks."

"But, Mam, I don't want to miss out on things just because I'm scared! I'm not like that! I don't..." she swallowed, the anger dissipating from her voice and leaving her with something quiet and pleading. "I don't wanna live my life like that," she said softly.

The line went silent for a long moment. Finally, she heard her Mam heave a slow, heavy sigh.

"You really want to go?"

"Really really," she nodded, even though she knew her Mam couldn't see her. "More than anything."

Another pause. Mercy held her breath. Finally, after what seemed like ages: "Okay. We can try to figure something out."

"Really?!" Mercy squealed.

"But you have to promise to be careful. If anything goes wrong, you're coming home, got it?"

"Yes, I promise!"

"Good. I don't want to hear any complaining."

"I won't. I love you, Mam! Thank you thank you thank you!"

"I love you too, Mei. I want you to be happy."
It had been a few weeks since her Mam had told her she could go, but they'd discuss the details when she got home. As her trip to India grew closer and closer to becoming a reality, Mercy began to feel some of her mother's initial worry. What if something did go wrong? Would she really be able to hide the truth from Mimosa for so long? If Mimosa found out, what would she think? Worse, what if she put her best friend in danger?

Mercy tried to shake those thoughts from her head and focus on all the fun things they were going to do together while they were there. It was going to be a good trip, she told herself. Nothing was going to wrong. Her Mam would make sure of it.

The train came to a stop, and Mercy gathered her luggage, saying goodbye to her friends as she disembarked to find her Mam waiting for her in the crowd. She rushed to give her mother a hug, and the two of them set off from the platform to meet her dad on the other side of the barrier.
When they arrived back home, Mercy set her school stuff aside, and immediately got to packing what she'd need for India. Her Mam helped her pack as she explained the plan.

"I'll be coming with you for the first two weeks. Aoife's going to hold the shop down while I'm gone. I'll make sure you get your potions, and I'll be there for the first moon to cover for you. I've been in contact with Jacques Clement and cleared everything with him already. He knows about your "Lupus," so it won't be too suspicious when you start getting sick."

Mercy nodded, rifling through her summer clothes. The plan was relatively simple, and fairly airtight from what Mercy could tell. Her Mam would return home on the 14th, giving Mercy enough time to recover mostly from the moon on the 11th before she left. When the moon started waxing again in July, Mercy would feign feeling ill a little before she actually did, providing an excuse for her Mam to come back to India to help her. They could do the same in August.

After about an hour and a half, Mercy was finally packed and ready to go.
The next day, Mercy was once again buzzing with nervous energy as she waited for Mimosa to arrive. The doorbell finally rang, and Mercy shot up off the couch and ran to greet her, excitedly pulling her inside to talk while her Mam discussed the plan with Jacques.

When they finally left for the airport, Mercy felt at ease. Her Mam would be with her to make sure nothing happened. Everything would be fine. She allowed herself to relax as she held Mimosa's hand through the airport and sat down next to her on the plane, gazing out the window as they left the ground.

The flight would have felt long had Mimosa not had her best friend (and said best friend's Mom) by her side. Thinking it only right to give the Gryffindor the window seat, Mimosa ended up sitting sandwiched between both Williams and more snug than anyone had a right to be in the chilly cabin. As soon as they ascended, chocolates and juice boxes appeared for the girls while Mrs. Williams was treated to her choice of wine. Mimosa spent the entire first class tutorial of reclining seats and heated bottles and whatnot happily munching on her chocolate because Mercy's mom hand't told her she couldn't.

"We're going to Delhi first," she informed Mercy once they chocolate was dispensed with. "There we're meting Raj and Simran and we'll be staying with them for a few days before we head off to Mumbai in another plane." Lowering her voice, she added "But that won't be a big, crowded plane like this one. Drishti Aunty is sending their own plane for us, it only has ten seats total." Mimosa had only ridden in the Ambanis private jet once and even if it was miles away from the jets of the Palace, it was still better than flying commercially. All the waiting at air ports tended to annoy the young model to no end.

"But before that, we have to go to Delhi's big bazaar, its so huge, as big as our palace I think, I haven't seen all of it. And it sells like, everything. It has clothes, and animals, and toys, and food, and I think it even sells people." The last was said with an air of puzzlement before the eleven year old instinctively latched on to Mercy's arm. "Stay near me though, if they catch children, they sometimes sell them too. The lady who was taking us to the bazaar said so." Then, realizing she was being impolite, the little witch turned to Mercy's mom. "You can come with us to Mrs. Williams. What would you like to do in Delhi? There's a really famous temple there everyone wants to go too, lots of grown ups go there. I got some glass bangles from there last time."

And so the conversation continued, until an interesting enough movie came on and everyone watched. Mimosa couldn't finish hers because she fell asleep halfway through but she supposed Mercy must have two since both girls were being prodded awake in what seemed like only a few minutes but what must have been most of the flight.

The two girls were still decidedly groggy as they disembarked, leaving Mrs. Williams to handle the immigration and exits, but Mimosa woke up when she saw what awaited them just outside the VIP Lounge.

For there stood both Raj and Simran, with three giant garlands of fresh flowers in their arms. A sparkling pink sign shaped like a heart floated beside them and the girl did ehr best to read it out loud. "Mi... Mimo... sa & Friends." With a small squeal, she ran towards the two adults, hugging them warmly before turning to introduce them to the Williams. "Mercy, Mrs. W, this is Raj and Simran. Raj is in charge of musics for our projects and Simran is background researcher... though she won't tell me what that means." The young brunette waited for the inevitable handshakes all around before she added "Oh and Simran promised me she would have a tiny baby for us to play with when I came next, I don't see a baby."

"He's at home," Simran laughed, giving Raj a sideways glance. "And don't worry, we picked the tiniest one for you. He can probably fit in your one arm."

"Shukriya," Mimosa grinned, dipping into her very limited Hindi vocabulary as they followed the two Indians to the limo parked outside. In no time at all, they were riding through the crowded streets of new Delhi, heading towards their temporary accommodation.

The excitement began to sink in as the plane took off and Mercy snacked on the complimentary refreshments while listening to Mimosa talk. Mimosa seemed to know what she was talking about, and Mercy once again admired how extravagant the younger girl's life seemed to be. Where hadn't Mimosa been?

Her eyes widened as Mimosa mentioned selling people. "You mean like slaves?" She glanced at her mam. "I thought that was illegal..." She decided she wasn't going to let Mimosa out of her sight. Nobody would come anywhere close to hurting either of them on Mercy's watch -- she'd managed to perfect the Bat Bogey Hex before summer started, and she wasn't afraid to use it.

Mercy's mam looked a little saddened by the question. "It is illegal," she said. "But sometimes bad people do it anyway. You'll need to be careful. Make sure you have an adult with you whenever you go anywhere."

She smiled at Mimosa's invitation. "Oh, don't worry about me. I just thought I'd tag along with you guys. If you two want to see the temple, that sounds fun to me."

Mercy watched Mimosa's face once they were soundly in the air and there was nothing of interest outside the window. It was no wonder Mimosa was a model, Mercy mused to herself as she noticed the way the girl's clear blue eyes sparkled when she spoke. She seemed genuinely flawless, even from this close.

No matter how hard Mercy tried to snap out of it, her feelings had remained persistent ever since she'd realized them back in February. She wondered if at some point she'd have to tell Mimosa how she felt. Most of her hoped this crush would fade soon so things wouldn't get awkward between them, but some small, stubborn part of her wondered if Mimosa could possibly like her back. And if she did...could they be a couple someday? She snapped her gaze away from Mimosa's face and stared intensely at the movie beginning to play on the screen in front of her, blushing slightly. No, that would be weird. Stop thinking about it. It's not going to happen.

About midway through the movie, Mimosa drifted off, and Mercy followed soon after, the two girls leaning against each other as they slept. Before she knew it, Mercy was being shaken awake, just in time to hear the pilot's voice crackle over the speaker system announcing their landing. She glanced out the window, awestruck as she sleepily fixed her eyes upon the sprawling city below. The plane was calm and silent, and Mercy felt completely relaxed. When the plane finally stopped moving, it took some effort to push herself out of her seat and bearily follow Mimosa down the aisle.

Mercy stretched her legs as they stepped off of the plane, blindly following her mother and Mimosa until the latter squealed and started running towards a couple of people with a sign and a bunch of flowers.

Mercy and her mam greeted the two adults with smiles and handshakes as they were introduced, and then followed them toward a fancy limousine outside as Mimosa chattered excitedly about a baby. They squeezed into the limo, and Mercy nearly drifted off again as she watched the streets of the city blur past. It was very different from Dublin, she noted sleepily. There were so many people everywhere. She couldn't wait to go exploring.

Mercy tried to pay attention to what Mimosa was saying, but she felt herself fading in and out of consciousness as the heat and the jet lag worked against her. She hummed occasionally to show she was listening, but most of the information failed to register. She glanced out the window to see all the buildings Mimosa pointed out, the occasional "wow" or "ooh" slipping out as appropriate, but she knew she would remember none of it in the morning.

At some point, she must have nodded off entirely. The next thing she knew, her pillow was shifting underneath her head, and she realized she had fallen asleep on her mam's shoulder. Mimosa was leaning against her on the other side, and Mercy blinked a few times before registering that the car had stopped in a driveway. She looked out the front windshield to see a large estate.

Slowly climbing out of the car, she stumbled a little, then steadied herself and helped Mimosa out. She tried to appreciate their surroundings as they made their way through the garden and up the short front steps, but found herself thinking only about how amazing it would feel to fall onto a real mattress. The lady that they'd met earlier (Mercy couldn't remember her name -- it started with an S) asked a question, but Mercy only caught the ending. She looked up at her mam.

Mercy's mam glanced down at the two sleepy girls with an amused smile and said, "I think these two could use some rest." Mercy nodded in agreement, a well-timed yawn escaping from her mouth as she tried to say "Uh huh."

The three of them followed their guide upstairs toward a fancy wooden door, which opened to reveal a lush bedroom with two large, inviting beds.

"I think this should be fine for now, thank you," Mercy's mam responded to the lady's offer. "We'll see if the girls decide they want more privacy when they wake up."

Mercy didn't even remember walking toward the bed, but somehow she ended up buried under the covers next to Mimosa. She may have commented on the softness of the sheets, or she may have already been dreaming, but soon enough she was fast asleep and snoring softly, her arm draped limply over her best friend's side.

Waking up in India was an experience Mimosa would never forget. Because unlike everywhere else she lived, here the morning started with song. More specifically Simran and Raj performing Aarthi in the main shrine of the estate Mimosa and her entourage were being hosted at. When she had first been awakened in this manner, the girl had assumed only this couple performed prayers every morning but so far, the act had been pretty standard across all her host's homes, the streets and consumer based establishment the model had frequented. Whether it be a filming studio, a home or a roadside vendor selling chaat, the day began with offered prayers to one of the many Hindu Gods.

And the smell of sweetmeats warm from the oven, was encouraged to circulate around the whole house, waking Mimosa further up to the reality that she was indeed in another continent. As much as she wanted to rush down and grab a laddoo, the little witch knew you couldn't show up to Aarthi in your pajamas. So instead she picked up her phone, sent a quick text to her Jacques and then inspected Mercy's' still sleeping form.

Had the Gryffindor looked this pale last night, Mimosa wondered, reaching over to move the blanket only slightly from Mercy's chin. Her best friend was all bundled up and the merchandising disturbed her. Instinct told Mimosa to reach out and shake the older girl awake but something close to consideration reared its head... Perhaps Mercy was more tired than her. Maybe she should sleep a little more.

With herculean effort, the brunette placed the blanket back over Mercy, murmuring "I'll save you a gulab jamun" under her breath and bolted from the bed and straight into the shower. Her clothes were laid out for her in the dressing area as she knew they would be. Simian had even managed to find something for Mercy. Changing into one of her more preferred black and white Churidaar, the child rand comb through ehr hair, drying it automatically in the process. Within minutes, the once wet her were full of bouncy waves and cascading down her shoulders in a coppery waterfall.

Stopping to grab a pen and paper, Mimosa wrote a hurried note to the sleeping Williamses before bounding out the room and making it just in time to join the fourth chorus of Simran singing prayers.

Gnoe donw to Pojoa, Come dwno when you'er awaek! - M

Mercy blearily opened her eyes to see the sun already streaming through the window. She felt heavy and tired, but she quickly shook off the last remnants of sleep as she realized where she was. Immediately, her senses came alive to the world around her, and while the blanket felt incredibly soft and comfortable, a more powerful motivator pulled her from the bed: she smelled food. Her stomach rumbled as something sweet and vaguely spicy hit her nose, wafting in from some other part of the house. She looked around to see that Mimosa had already left the room. She found a note. She didn't know what Pojoa was, but she got the gist of the message.

She gradually became more aware of the sounds drifting up from downstairs. It sounded like people were singing, but as she listened, the voices faded out and soon stopped. She must have just caught the end of it. Mercy looked up at the sound of the bathroom door opening, and found her mother emerging, hair still damp from a shower. She was wearing a dress Mercy hadn't seen before, and she smiled as she saw that Mercy was awake.

"There are some clothes set out for you in there, " she pointed. "If you want to take a shower, I'll wait for you. I think breakfast is ready downstairs."

Mercy nodded and clambered out of bed, padding into the washroom to take a quick shower. When she finished, she dried off quickly with a towel and inspected the clothes that had been provided for her. The top was a little girly, but not too bad, and the sleeves covered her shoulders. She decided everything looked comfortable enough, and she gladly pulled on the soft, linen trousers. She took a moment to adjust the top, inspected herself in the mirror, then shrugged and left the bathroom to meet her mam.

Together, they walked downstairs to the common area where they met Mimosa and the rest of the household. As they drew closer, the smell of delicious food grew stronger, and Mercy's stomach growled again. She had no idea what she was smelling, but she was excited to find out.

After the Pooja was concluded and Mercy had joined Mimosa and the rest of the family for breakfast, the two girls wasted no time stuffing their faces full of all the delicious sweets. The young model pointed out as many as she recognized to Mercy, even recommending a few before they were sent to wash up. Today's agenda would include going to the huuuuuge market that sold everything.

The marketplace was so crowded that in a way, Mimosa was glad Mrs. Williams came along with them. She was taller than both her and Mercy and so a good focal point to watch out for if either of the girls got lost. The market sold everything from shoes and bags to birds and squirrels to foodstuff and ice creams. There was even a small shop where several girls drew henna tattoos on passerbys palms. Mimosa pointed the place out to her friend and they both watched until the younger witch grew dizzy at the speed of the girls drawing a million, zillion henna patterns at lightning sped.

Mrs. Williams and Mercy bought some souvenirs while Mimosa simply listed everything she wanted on ehr phone, recording it for later. Someone else would eventually convert the list into physical gifts and wrap them up to await Mimosa's personalized note before posting it off to the relevant destinations.

It was nearly evening when they returned, Mercy having to draw the American away from a seedy looking stall that offered "Cleen Pearcings, all holes Rupees 150". Just when Mimosa had almost talked herself into maybe trying to pierce something on her.

Dinner back home was a stunning affair of briyani, pulau, tandoori chicken, haleem, nihari, seekh kebabs and all accompanying salads and yogurt dishes. For dessert, Simran had made carrot halwa along with the best kheer ever. But though the food was good, Mimosa couldn't help notice that Mercy grew paler throughout dinner. By dessert, she looked almost as white as the kheer she was being served.

"Are you okay?" the child asked, her blue grey eyes full of concern as she put her own sweet treats aside. "Are you tired? Is it your Lupus, is it coming back?"

The food tasted just as amazing as it smelled, and Mercy happily indulged in just about everything on the table. Afterwards, she still wasn't sure what anything was, but she had a few favorites that she hoped she'd get to try again later.

When they finished their breakfast, they prepared themselves to go to the market. Remembering Mimosa's warning from the plane about people getting kidnapped and sold (it still didn't quite make sense to her why someone would do that, but she supposed there were some very bad people in the world), Mercy made sure to keep her friend close by her side as they headed into the crowd.

The bustling marketplace was alive with colours and sounds and smells and Mercy revelled in the energy, hungrily drinking in the new experience. Her eyes jumped from stall to stall, unsure where to begin, and she followed Mimosa's lead as the younger girl pointed things out. She stood mesmerized as she watched a lady skillfully drawing patterns on people's hands with some kind of dark paste. She considered asking her mam if she could get something on her own hand, but the line was really long, and she didn't want to have to wait.

Eventually, they moved on. Mercy's mam stopped to buy some teas and spices, and Mercy inspected some decorative knives and swords from the next stall over, transfixed by one especially ornate dagger with a lion head pommel.

"You want that?" her mam asked. "It's not too expensive, and it's small enough to fit in your luggage."

Mercy nodded emphatically, and her mam smiled as she approached the vendor to negotiate. Mercy watched her haggle, impressed by the ease with which her mam was able to drive the price down even further. A few minutes later, she held the dagger in her hands, unsheathing it for a closer look.

It wasn't very sharp, but the blade was etched with patterns and it gleamed in the sunlight. "Wicked," she exclaimed with a grin, turning to show Mimosa.

They continued to explore as the sun sank lower in the sky. At first, Mercy enjoyed following Mimosa from stall to stall to admire all the wares, but as the day drew on, she began to feel her energy waning. By the time they were done, Mercy's feet felt heavy, and the sounds and smells that had excited her that morning now felt grating and far too intense. Her senses heightened when the full moon approached, and the experience of the marketplace became overstimulating and was starting to give her a headache.

Mercy began to drag her feet, her face losing some of its colour, and soon her mam seemed to take notice.

"I think we've spent enough time here, don't you?" she remarked softly, gently stroking Mercy's hair and massaging her scalp. Mercy looked up at her and nodded gratefully.

"Why don't you go tell Mimosa it's time to start heading back," her mam suggested. Mercy glanced over to her left to see Mimosa a few meters away, staring at a stall that offered piercings. She crossed the short distance and took Mimosa's hand, relaying the message.

When they got back to the house, a feast was prepared for them. Mercy tried to enjoy it, but found that her appetite had mostly evaporated. She took a little of everything to be polite and ate what was on her plate, but as the meal continued on to dessert, Mercy pushed her spoon around in her bowl of rice pudding, the creamy texture beginning to make her feel sick.

She glanced up as Mimosa addressed her, and she grimmaced slightly and shook her head. "I don't feel so good. I'm probably getting sick again."

By now, the lie seemed to slip easily off her tongue, and Mercy hated herself for it. Especially as she saw the sincerity in Mimosa's worried eyes, she felt bad for making her friend believe something that wasn't true - and for hiding something that was. She wanted so badly to tell her the truth. She could trust Mimosa, couldn't she?

Yes, but that wasn't the problem. The problem was that she was scared Mimosa would no longer trust her. Mercy was a liar, after all. She wouldn't blame the younger girl for feeling betrayed. Mimosa deserved better anyway.

But Mercy was selfish, and she didn't want her best friend to go.

"I think I should go lie down," Mercy said, excusing herself from the table to escape from these thoughts. Her mam quickly got up to follow her, apologizing to their hosts.