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“Hey, what are you going to do with it?”
“With what?” Sera asked quizzically.
“Well, with the turkey. You’ve won it, haven’t you? Are you going to give it away or eat it?” The scrawny boy glanced down at the freshly killed turkey, its feet bound tightly and its head hanging limply from Sera’s firm grasp.
Sera laughed and held up the turkey; it swayed back and forth, spattering cold droplets of water from the white-and-blue plastic packaging.
“Why, you want it for yourself?” she quipped, raising an eyebrow.
She recognized him from school. Where was he from? Math? No, not math. English? Probably not—she was usually wide awake for that class and knew everyone by name.
Sera squinted at him: his black hoodie with neon green writing, his sheepish, mischievous grin. He looked like an elf. He also sounded like an elf, with his high-pitched voice and slight lisp.
“No! No! No! Of course not, I’m just curious.” The boy quickly shot out, shuffling his feet side to side.
His feet were quite large for his thin frame.
Where was he from? Sera continued to stare at him, trying to figure it out.
“You see, surely your family must have already purchased a turkey ahead of Thanksgiving, and so, logically, I’m asking because—what are you going to do with this turkey now that you’ve won it, assuming that your family was prepared for Thanksgiving?”
God, his voice.
“Got it. Well, you’ve got a point,” Sera replied. “My family does already have a turkey, and now that I’ve won this one, I’m not sure what I’ll do with it.”
The boy’s dark brown eyes glimmered despite the overcast sky that Thanksgiving morning. His spiky hair and entire demeanor were ridiculous, but oddly endearing.
“Well, maybe you could bring it to class!” the boy exclaimed, grinning.
Class. So they did have a class together. Ah, German class.
“You’re in German, huh?”
“Did you forget? I sit right in front of you!”
Sera pursed her lips, wracking her mind for an excuse and feeling slightly guilty at the slightly downtrodden look on his face.
“Yes, of course … I’m always so preoccupied with Camila,” she said.
“I know. You two are always talking during class and laughing, but honestly, don’t you feel like Herr V is so easy? I took German at my previous school, and it honestly set up a great foundation for me.” The boy’s eyes quickly darted between her and a squirrel on a nearby tree, further accentuating his quirkiness.
Slightly amused by the boy’s antics and his theatrical, fast-paced way of speaking, Sera decided to bait him to figure out his name.
“Here, I have to go soon.” She glanced down at her phone. 9:43. “Give me your Snapchat. I don’t think I have you on there, do I?”
She handed the boy the phone. He gave a quizzical look, squinting. “Do you not? There’s a class group chat on there, and I’m sure I added everyone.”
Shit. Was there?
“Oh, I don’t always add people back,” she said airily.
Shrugging, the boy typed quickly before handing the phone back. She glanced down and, to her relief, they had not added each other before.
Angelo has added you back!
Interesting. His name was Angelo. Like an angel. Just like hers.
“Well,” Sera shuffled her feet and readjusted the turkey in her arms, “let’s Snap soon.”
“Cool. See yah. Happy Thanksgiving.” The boy abruptly spun and began marching back toward the group of students from the Institute chattering under the wooden pavilion.
As if on cue, she saw her family walking toward her, chatting animatedly while sipping from white paper cups.
“Wow! A turkey!” her father laughed heartily. “Who gave this to you?”
She rolled her eyes. “I’m assuming you didn’t stick around for the raffle?”
“Well,” he gently extracted the dripping, cold turkey from her hands, “you know I hate crowds and prefer to stay in the back.”
Sera jammed her hands into the slinky, synthetic pockets of her running jacket, welcoming the respite from the cold.
“Please! You insisted on getting water and chatting with Kevin’s father about restaurant business,” her mother exclaimed. “Don’t listen to him, that’s why we missed the raffle.”
“Pftt, it was a quick conversation! Who knew they’d be so fast with the raffle?”
“Okay, okay. Relax,” her brother Shen said. He peered through his black-rimmed glasses and gave her a crooked smile before pausing for dramatic effect. “They both were yapping.”
“Shen! You are so annoying!” her mother lightly slapped his shoulder while her father chuckled and gave him a playful tussle on the head.
“Cheeky son,” her father chuckled, readjusting the turkey in his gloved hand.
Sera laughed at Shen’s antics despite the sudden piercing wind.
“Shit! It’s so cold,” she said.
Her father straightened. “Let’s get outta here! We woke up early and ran this morning, so let’s treat ourselves to … burgers and shakes? How about the diner on Prospect?”
Sera grinned at Shen, who mirrored her excitement.
Abso-fucking-lutely.
“Yes!” they both shouted in unison.
“Alright, alright! Let’s get going and beat the crowd,” her mother smiled, gently nudging them toward the parking lot.
What a great day. Sera felt blood pumping through her veins, a mix of emotions engulfing her.
Excitement, for her exceedingly healthy father indulging them with an unhealthy breakfast.
Discomfort, at the increasingly sharp Illinois wind picking up.
Adrenaline, from the race, from winning a raffle, from meeting a new friend at the Institute.
But most of all, gratefulness.
Grateful for a loving family, for a healthy body and mind, for meeting new friends, and for being alive on this beautiful, Thanksgiving morning.
Angelo has messaged you.
The bright yellow icon appeared on her phone as Sera sat at the dining table, feeling content after the meal.
Angelo is typing…
The clicking noises from notifications irritated her. She switched off the ringer and opened the message.
[A] What did you end up doing with the turkey?
Sera felt bemused, but there was a slight course of excitement running through her as she typed out her response.
[S] Nothing. Left it in the freezer.
Send.
Her screen lit up: Angelo is typing…
[A] Nice. What else have you done today?
[S] Got food with my family, now I’m just home, chilling.
[A] I feel like you didn’t remember me from German class.
Sera winced.
[S] That’s not true …
[A] Yes it is. It’s cool though.
Sera laughed aloud, feeling thoroughly entertained at Angelo’s directness.
[S] So, what did you do today?
[A] Spent time with one of my older brothers and my sister. Just ate dinner and chilled. Hey, honest question, how do you like the Institute?
She raised an eyebrow and hesitated before continuing to type.
[S] Haha, that’s so random. It’s alright, a bit different from the All-Girls private school I went to. People here are … interesting at times. At my old school, classes were smaller and less competitive.
Sera paused, her finger hovering over the send button. Why was she over-explaining?
Ah. Fuck it. He seems chill.
[A] Huh. So you like the people from your old school better? Isn’t the All-Girls school super weird?
[S] Nah, it’s just small. The girls were pretty chill.
[A] Anyone you get along with here? I always see you with Raya. You guys are always laughing.
[S] Raya’s great. I love her. Camila from German too. There’s also Minh, Amir, and Mahmud. I knew Zoya before as well.
[A] That’s great, they all sound awesome. I love talking with Minh; he’s sharp. Amir’s a bit of a fool, but chill. Mahmud too. Zoya I knew from middle school. Honestly, I feel so happy at the Institute. All my siblings attended, and now I’m last. It feels surreal. Hopefully the teachers love me the most, but I’m definitely the smartest.
Sera laughed aloud.
“What’s so funny?” her brother asked.
“Nothing. Don’t worry about it, Shen.”
“Alright, sis. Talking to a boy?” Shen smirked.
“Shut it. You know I like Melissaeus.” Sera glanced back at her phone.
Shen groaned. “Really? It’s been months and you still haven’t talked to him in math class. He just doesn’t like you!”
“Shut it, Shen!”
[S] Haha. What makes you say that? That’s really cool, all your siblings went here. Hopefully my brother can also attend one day.
[A] I just am. You know the exam we took to get in? I scored way higher and studied way less than my other sibling, Samuel, who you’ve probably seen in the hall.
Sera did, in fact, recall Samuel. Two years older, tall, popular, friendly, now she realized he was Angelo’s brother.
[S] Oh shit, Samuel’s your brother? I just connected the dots. You guys don’t really look alike.
[A] What do you mean?
[S] Oh… he just looks older, I guess.
[A] It’s because I’m short, huh? But trust me, I’ll be taller than him. My entire family’s tall. Sam just hit his growth spurt earlier than me, but my dad’s like six feet and my mom’s like 5’9’’. Just haven’t had a growth spurt yet.
[S] Haha, okay. That’s not what I meant. I guess physically, besides height, you don’t have similar features.
[A] Really? I think so. I just have lighter-colored hair. He’s a good-looking guy, but I’m going to be even more handsome than him one day. Trust me.
[S] Yes, of course! Excited to see it. You’re already a good-looking guy.
[A] You think so? There’s a girl I’m kinda into. Think I have a shot?
[S] Well, it depends on the girl. Every girl has different preferences, right?
[A] Yes, but there are universal preferences. Some people are objectively good-looking, whereas others aren’t. Take, for instance, Richard. Full honestly, girls aren’t going to be lining up to date him. They’ll go for guys like me.
[S] That’s true, haha. Poor Richard. He is a bit odd, isn’t he? He’s very smart, though, he’s just one of those people who, despite being so smart, lacks social skills.
[A] True. Back to my question, though, do you think I have a shot?
[S] Depends. Who’s the girl?
[A] I don’t want to say.
[S] Well, how can I make an assessment then?
[A] Do you like anyone? Why don’t you tell me yours first?
Sera held her breath and felt an odd sense of comfort wash over in the thought of confiding to Angelo.
[S] …I don’t know about that.
[A] Can I guess? If I guess correctly, you have to say yes.
[S] You get limited tries, though. Otherwise, you’d just run through the whole list of guys from our class.
[A] So it’s a guy for sure?
[S] Funny. Okay, go on. You get three guesses.
[A] Muhamed?
[S] No.
[A] Huh, you guys are always hanging out, though.
[S] He’s easy to talk to. Nothing that deep.
[A] Dante?
“Sera! Shen! You both want to watch a movie together?” her mother walked out from her bedroom into the kitchen.
“I’m down!” Shen exclaimed, leaping from the couch. “Let me grab Dad.”
“Sure,” Sera responded.
“Get ready to watch soon, and put your phone down,” her mother said as she sat on the couch and grabbed the remote. The TV lit up.
[S] Nah. Last guess. Also, I need to go soon, FYI.
Angelo is typing…
But no message came.
[S] ??? No guess?
Angelo is typing…
He sure was taking his sweet time with the last guess.
[A] Melisseus?
Shit. He had guessed correctly. Sera bit her lip as she stared at the message, her mind racing. Should she confess?
[A] I feel like since you’re not responding, it’s a yes.
[A] Right?
Sera sighed. Her silence had given it away.
[S] Yeah. Melisseus. I’ve liked him since the first day I saw him walk into the Institute.
[A] I wanna know more.
The thuds of footsteps from the staircase snapped her attention toward the small hallway of the house, where her father and brother grinned at her.
“You ready to watch a movie?” her mother peered over the couch.
“As long as it’s not a cartoon or any of the BS romance stuff you two like to watch,” her father said.
“Well, sit down! And then we’ll go through and decide on something,” her mother patted the area next to her, gesturing for them to sit.
As her father and Shen began moving toward the couch, she quickly glanced down at her phone.
“One second, let me wrap up this conversation, and I’ll join you guys,” Sera called out to her family, who had begun scrolling through different movie options.
[A] Sera? You there?
[S] Hey, we can talk another time. But what about you? You told me to go first, who do you like?
Silence.
Sera sighed and stood up from the table, moving to the couch where her parents were conversing and Shen was scrolling on his phone.
[A] I’ll tell you another time.
[S] That’s not really fair.
[A] I know. Random, but do you know what my name means? It means Angel. I just realized your name also means Angel, right? It’s like “Seraphim.” Seraphims have the highest order of position in the hierarchy, they’re known as fiery or burning angels. So I’m an Angel, and you’re a fiery angel.
[S] I guess so. We’re two angels, haha.
[A] I don’t feel like an angel, though. Fallen angel might be more accurate. Anyways, TTYL, Sera.
The text indicating Angelo was on the platform suddenly vanished.
“We can’t wait for you to start the movie!” her mother exclaimed. “Put your phone down.”
“Yes, you’re always on your phone,” her father quipped, shaking his head in disapproval.
Sera shoved her phone into her pocket. “Sorry, sorry! It’s gone.”
Next to her, Shen sighed and pressed the remote, starting the beginning of the movie. “Women.”
As the movie began, Sera still couldn’t shake the lingering thought of her interaction with Angelo. What an odd guy. But there was also something fascinating about him—the way he just got it. His probing questions, his intuitiveness… there was something about him. And his last message, so oddly theatrical.
A fallen angel and a fiery angel.
Sighing, Sera decided to set her thoughts aside and focus on the movie, allowing the warmth of the Thanksgiving holiday envelop her.
