"Well, thank you very much," Thana responded, trying to sound enthusiastic. Everyone seemed to be watching expectantly, so she forced a smile. A flash momentarily blinded her, causing her to blink rapidly to clear the black spots from her vision. "Exactly what I wanted!" she continued with her rehearsed mantra, looking at the book she had received. One thing was certain: it was already a lot better than the ugly statuette her aunt had given her the previous year. It had only taken a few days before she had accidentally broken it, but that didn't matter. She decided to set the book she had just received aside, so she would take a good look at it later when she was alone. She didn't expect much from it.

Her aunt didn't seem to notice Thana's true feelings at all. She clapped her hands enthusiastically. "Marvelous! I knew it would be just the thing for you!" she chirped as she produced the next poorly wrapped gift. Thana looked archly at the extra package; this had never happened before. "This goes with it, the seller said!" her aunt continued undisturbed, "He said they belong together and that the right person would understand when the time was ripe or something like that?" Aunt Adaline just shrugged: "I'm not entirely sure what he meant by that, but I thought it would be perfect for a young girl like you. I didn't see anything special, so it was probably just a sales pitch. The man didn't really seem to know what he was doing anymore, I think. Otherwise, he would never have let me get away with the price so cheap."

The forced smile had long since disappeared from Thana's face; it was clear to her that her aunt had not bought this for her. No, it hadn't had the story for her as the man had promised, and now the girl would get the cast-offs. Still, she kept telling herself to stay positive; it was better than the food she had once received, which had been three months past its expiration date. Carefully, she peeled off the mass of tape that had been applied around it and was surprised to find the necklace inside. The links were discolored here and there, but the small bottle hanging from it was made of pure glass. Surprised, she looked at it; how did this fit with the book she had just received? "Thank you, Aunt Adaline," she continued to thank her, after which her aunt turned to her little brother. It was her birthday, but that didn't mean her aunt would skip her brother.

Thana knew that if she came home to celebrate her birthday, she would have to share the spotlight with her brothers and sisters; it had always been that way. Hoping to escape some of the attention, she took the book she had just received. The cover was made of a type of leather she hadn't seen before, and it even creaked a little when she opened it. Absentmindedly, she slipped the necklace into her jacket pocket as she began to leaf through it. She wasn't really reading; it wasn't a book she enjoyed. She just didn't understand what everyone had with romantic books that were obviously unhealthy. Somewhere, Thana feared she already knew how it would end. They would probably be happy at the end with a child, or the main character would choose herself after a love triangle. Maybe she would give it another chance if she got really bored.

Reading that kind of book made her feel even more that there was a missing piece in her heart. It was as if Izara could read her thoughts, for Thana's thoughts were interrupted by the ringing of her phone. The ringtone, specially set for the girl, quickly filled the entire room, causing her mother to look up in irritation. Apologetically, Thana raised her hand as she quickly fled the room to answer the phone. Hearing the girl's voice was all Thana needed to cheer up. "Thana!" Izara's cheerful voice sounded through the speaker: "You'll never guess!" Before Thana knew it, Izara began a long explanation about how her brother had brought back an engraved necklace for her from his trip. All in all, a better gift than Thana had received now that she had returned home. Staying home for a few days had been the agreement with her mother.

Izara continued her cheerful explanation, but Thana didn't care much that she couldn't get a word in edgewise. She had celebrated her birthday the day before with her and the rest of their group of friends before starting her journey home. Izara had even taken her aside to give her the book of poems and the stuffed animal that now lay on her bed. Thana couldn't count how many times she had been on the verge of confessing her feelings to her best friend, but she knew well enough that she couldn't do it over the phone. She wanted to see Izara's face, just like in all the scenarios she had already prepared in her head. "Tas? Thana? Earth to Thana!" Izara's voice laughed: "Are you still with us?"

Quickly, Thana started to nod until she realized Izara couldn't see that over the phone. "Uh, yes, of course!" she responded as quickly as possible, while she heard Izara laughing on the other end of the line. It sounded like a lot of little bells, making her blush. What was she doing again? She could kick herself.

"Oh yeah?" came the teasing voice from the phone again. "What exactly have I been telling you?" Thana knew she had been caught; she had heard something about a gift from her brother, but she was sure Izara must have changed the subject several times in her explanation. Hesitantly, she tried to come up with something to respond, but on the other end of the line, someone vaguely called out Izara's name. Izara called back before speaking to Thana again: "Well, saved by my brother, talk to you later, Tas! Toodles!" Before Thana had a chance to say anything back, Izara had already hung up. For a few more seconds, Thana held her phone to her ear, hoping to hear something else, but it was silent. With a deep sigh, she finally decided to put her phone back in her back pocket. It was time to return to her own party.

Her thoughts drifted to the day before when she had opened her presents with her friends. Now, while receiving the gifts from her family, she suddenly felt alone. With a sigh, she tried to shake off that feeling. It was her birthday, and she had to be grateful for what everyone had arranged for her.