Luminescence

Twenty-nine.

PRISCILLA

I woke up to the sound of... laughter on this gorgeous Sunday morning.

As I climbed out of bed, the usual back pain made my spine pop in different spots, but I paid no attention to it as I throw on a robe and my slippers to see what all of the commotion was about.

I stealthily open the door to my room with my tablet in my hand, on my way to read the Sunday newspaper in my old chair I sat in years ago. As I declined back, a peaceful sigh escapes from my lips.

Boy, did I miss my chair.

Walking the halls of this home again felt like a dream—or a nightmare to be more specific. Vivid flashbacks of my son, his wife and Mara's parents would flash through my mind like it happened just yesterday. I missed them more as each long minute passed in the old home of ours.

It was crazy to think that their kids were falling in love now.

I walk by the open kitchen, to see something I never expected to see in all my years. Mara was cooking something on the stove, while Hudson was so close to her you could've thought they were married. He looked down to her in such joy and pureness that his smile was about to fall off his face.

Clearly Mara was teaching him how to cook. When Hudson was a kid, he was the worst chef ever despite countless lessons from his mother and I. It was one of his weaknesses, and so was Mara, standing right in front of him.

Mara looked back up to him with a glowing smile. The happiest I had seen her... ever.

Mara then notices me standing in the doorway, and she gives me a small wave before flipping over the eggs on the pan. The smile on Hudson's face falls as he sees me, something I had unfortunately expected. I could tell he wanted to talk to me more than anything.

I nod to him, before walking to my chair once more opening the daily newspaper. The articles were just a bunch of Plague propaganda sources, and community events happening around us. I stopped reading when I sensed Hudson walk into the room.

His eyes were wary as he struggled to come up with something to say.

"Son," I start off, placing the tablet away from me. "You made the right decision coming back here."

He had grown so much more mature from the last time I had seen him, if I were to be honest.

Hudson nods, his tall figure now sitting on a chair nearby.

"I-I..." he stutters. "I'm sorry, Priscilla. From everything I've done when I was sixteen to now, looking back at it I've realized how horrible of a person I was. I sometimes wish I could just forget who I was and restart my life again. The memories haunt me like the bubonic plague," he says, his voice trailing off at the end.

"Hudson, it's not about the bad things you did. It's about the journey and finding who you truly are. So what, you were evil for six years. All of the events and people you've met from the Rebels and the Plague have shaped you into the strong man you are today. Never say sorry for finding your character."

"Oh, I'm sorr—" he stops himself from saying the s-word again. He stars to chuckle, as do I alongside with him. We both sit there in silence, hearing the soft sounds of Mara cooking from the kitchen.