CAMPING

Entering the house, Emerald slipped off her heels and walked barefoot across the pristine floor, which Alaric himself had cleaned.

She turned on the speakerphone and heard Iris's voice. "Ember, remember the camping trip I mentioned last week?"

Emerald pressed the button on the water dispenser, dropping two dark red roses into a glass. As the color spread in the water, she smiled slightly.

"I'm not going."

"Oh, come on, Em! Do you really trust me to go camping with a bunch of guys without you?"

Emerald rested her chin on her hand, stirring the water with a spoon, pressing the petals down into the hot liquid.

"What do you expect me to do? Go suffer with you in the cold mountains, dealing with mosquitoes, snakes, and no proper toilets? I'm not going."

Emerald wasn't fond of physical activities and despised sports. To her, free time was better spent brewing scented tea, eating vegetable salads, and starting new design sketches.