Surprise!

The sun coming in through the big bay window, cool air from an open windows and birds chirping was a pleasant way to wake up. Even if my surroundings were different from home. Looking over I see my mother sleeping beside me. We were up late talking and catching up. We didn't have too much to catch up on since it's only been a few months since we last caught up. Before this visit was the first time I saw her in 11 years. Living in another dimension from her was hard but now we have a waypoint sent up between our worlds that we can travel through. 

My mother stirs and stretches awake. She is almost my twin but I have my father's dark hair with her red under tone sadly none of her blonde highlights. We both share the same blue with green eyes, light skin with freckles over our noses and high cheek bones. I am a few inches taller than her though at 5ft 6in. We are both fit thanks to our line of work of traveling to other places and fighting anything and everything. With some slight time traveling on behalf of Aba. Once my mom over threw a whole empire to save thousands of lives. That's where she met my father but that's a story and a half.

"Good morning birthday girl. How does it feel to be 20 years old now?" She smiles.

"Ugh. Still can't believe I'm not old enough to drink here. Maybe I should go home to my husband." I retort.

"Noooo stay with your old mother. I'm making you a strawberry cake and I have the good ice cream." She bribes.

She jokes about being old but is only in her early 40's but has aged well.

"Cake batter?" I ask. She nods. 

"Where did you hide it?" I have to know! I don't have ice cream where I'm from so when I tried it for the first time here it was instant love.

"If I told you would we have any left for today?" She replies. "Plus your brothers will be here for dinner to see you." She gets up from the blow up mattress.

"Ain't no way I can eat the full 2 gallons in one sitting."

"I dont believe you. Now do you want some for breakfast?" She asks.

"Yes." I reply shyly to hide how excited for my yellow cake with chocolate swirl ice cream.

I find myself sitting at the table savoring the ice cream that I heaped into my bowl. My mother serves her husband Elroy his breakfast and we try to exchange small conversation. Kinda hard to relate when your world is what my mother calls "in the iron age" and hers is in the "information/technology age". Or the fact mom's memories got erased so she didn't know about my dimension for that 11 years. Plus her husband and my dad had a fight over my mother a few months back. Talk about awkward. Elroy heads off to work driving truck. He offered to take me with him but being he had a long day we decided against it.

My youngest brother Harley comes out of his room mid morning. Staring at his phone. Mom said something about him being on summer break. Looking at him, he is moms young male version with a light tan.

"Oh? hey sis!" He perks up seeing me.

"Hey little brother." I happily say.

"Evalet are you having ice cream? Where did mom hide it?" He looks to me for directions.

"The tub is under the vegetables." I tell him and he books it down the stairs scoop and bowl in hand.

"I'm going to be in the garden so I don't have to witness the ice cream disappearing." Mom gives my back a light scratching and heads off outside.

Harley returns with a heaping bowl of ice cream too. 

"How have things been going?" He asks.

"Pretty good. Trades with other countries are coming together. Nothing too big. How about you?" 

"Trading with country's like its nothing. Jeez. It's been alright I mostly watch things on my phone. Randomly I will record a video." He explains.

"Record?" I ask.

"Yea here." He turns his phone to me. And briefly explains recording to me again.

There sang and danced a girl with a huge smile on her face. Not to mention her adorable little dress. Scandalous where I come from but I have also always found clothes restricting unless I really want to look pretty then I will bare the restrictions.

"I can voice. I'm for you. To pick you up when you're down." She continues to sing up lifting short verses in a catchy tune.

"Oh wow." I say. Phones really are something here. The first time I saw one I asked what sorcerery was done to get the poor person into the little box. Now I know better. My translator on my arm is cool but I was always told it was magic that made other languages my language and vise versa.

"You want to try?" He asks and I agree with him.

In the basement he sets up his phone. The downstairs living room has enough space anyone can dance around. We run through a few practice rounds just so I can get the cute little dance moves the girl did.

"I'm going to try to do this without my translator. I think I got it." I say with confidence turning off my magical translator on my arm. My English isn't that rusty.

"And go!" Says Harley. He presses record and I start dancing to the music. I go to do the poses the girl made.

"Canem vocare infernum." Red, orange and yellow flames burst up around me. They were hot but didn't burn me. Once they calmed down I saw a small blonde with some brown hair, brown horned dog with 3 black pointy tipped tails sitting on my mother's now in ashes rug.