"Please, Mama, I need you to calm down," Jordan's soothing voice came through the phone.
Merida's sobs echoed in the empty house, her fear and anxiety palpable. "What if something bad happens to them, Jordan?" she whispered, her voice trembling.
Jordan's calm tone tried to reassure her. "Merida, they're probably just fine. Maybe they're just busy having fun or their phones are far away. She could even be driving."
But Merida's imagination ran wild, conjuring up worst-case scenarios. She didn't hear her mother's car pull into the driveway, nor the sound of the front door opening. Her face was buried in her palm, the phone pressed to her ear with the other hand.
Suddenly, her sons' voices pierced the air. "Mummy!!" Jason and Jared exclaimed in unison, running towards her with open arms.
