When she walked in the door, the first thing Emily noticed was her mother sitting on the couch, who promptly got up to show off the new second-hand dining table and chairs.
"Oh wow," Emily said, trying to be enthused by her mother's eagerness. "Where did those come from?" she asked while setting her backpack down in her room. She glanced at the contract on her box of books, decided it could wait in lieu of the crushing disappointment of her destined mate wanting her to reject him. When she walked back into the living room, her mother was just lighting the single candle on a tiny green birthday cake with 18 drawn on in purple frosting. She couldn't help the tears that bubbled over, even while she couldn't stop smiling. Anna sang her happy birthday while she blubbered, making no move to get
