Odd One Out

Chapter Five - Her Training

"Hey mom," I greeted, holding my phone in front of my face as I took in my ever prim and proper mother before me, giving me that calculated stare down as always.

"We've missed you, Mabel! Why aren't you calling more? Is it too stressful to live away from us? You look tired. Are you tired?" She asked as her mouth curled downwards into a frown.

I resisted the urge to snort at the comment. Even when I was living with my parents, there was no shortage of these questions: Is working one day a week too stressful for you? Are you finding your workload too much for you?

My parents have always been on the quirky side. Both making it their sole responsibilities in life to shelter me from the evils of the world. Those including going to school in person and having any semblance of a typical childhood.

My parents were both geniuses (literally) so teaching me wasn't an issue. They were both epidemiologists and had dedicated the majority of their lives to studying the patterns of diseases and attempting to mitigate the risks - for me, this meant keeping me in a bubble from the rest of the world until I turned eighteen.

I took my first chance at moving away when I was done high school, accepting the furthest college that I could from my hometown - which turned out to be Boston.

Though I had been living here for more than two years, the distance hadn't gotten easier for them.

"I'm fine, mom. I'm sleeping great." Despite my overly sexually active neighbour keeping me up until ungodly hours. But I refrained from adding that.

My dad poked his head in front of the camera, "Are you taking your vitamins, Mabel?"

"Yes, dad," I replied stirring a spoonful of sugar into my coffee.

"Are you limiting your caffeine intake?" My mom questioned.

I stopped stirring my coffee and placed the steaming mug on my counter, "Er, yes."

A loud knock sounded at my door. "Who is that?" My mom asked curiously.

I shot her a dry look as I walked to the door, "I don't know, mom. I haven't answered it."

"Well, check the peephole first," my dad cautioned.

"And keep it locked unless you know the person," my mom continued.

"Do you still have that extra lock we sent you? You're using it, right?" My dad inquired.

"Guys! It's just someone at the door, relax! I will call you later."

"We love you, Mabel. Please be careful and stay safe. Please take your vitamins and lock your door, and get eight hours of sleep. Know that we're always here should you need anything," my mom's reply was never ending and I held my thumb over the end call button for what seemed like forever.

"Love you, bye," I rushed finally ending the call.

I opened the door and was met with Marcus, standing there, clearly just having taken a shower, his brown, wavy hair tousled and deliciously messy.

"Morning," He greeted as he pushed past me and into my apartment.

"Morning," I trailed as I watched him flop his overly large body onto my couch.

"Smells like coffee," he stated, looking around my apartment.

Ah, that reminded me of my mug waiting for me. I grabbed the cup and took it to the couch across from Marcus before sitting down and sipping it contentedly.

Marcus raised an eyebrow at me.

"What?" I slurped loudly, tucking my legs underneath me.

"Coffee?" He asked.