Giving Alexander and Thais some privacy, Selena stands up, and with the glass in her hand, she observes the people on the dance floor while drinking her beer. People keep coming, dancing and talking. It seems like a gathering of old friends with a lot to tell and to celebrate. Feeling sad and out of place, she wishes she were with her friends. What terrible truth will be told when she turns twenty-five? If she was educated in a small group according to year of birth and interests, why don’t they explain what will happen after coming of age? The teachers always clarified their doubts but never about this subject. Why not? Learning in advance would be much less distressing than all this expectation of the unknown. Because she was born in November, Selena was one of the youngest of the group so she has to wait some months more to know what comes after her 25th birthday. How were Stephanie and Agatha? Did they react like her brother? She would love to have been with each one of them on that day and support them in the transition process.

Hoping for her birthday is a mixed feeling of joy and fear. She knows that aunt Irene and Alexander will be by her side on that day, it has always been like that because they are each other’s support. There is little time left, no way to avoid it and it seems like an eternity when one is on countdown.

Since the first day away from Stephanie, Selena marked a red X on the calendar, and then, when Agatha was gone, she added a blue one. Selena intended to keep this ritual till the day she would meet her friends, but it only increased her anxiety and she stopped. Alexander also played a part in her latter decision. One day, instead of the calendar on the wall, there was a pen, a lined sheet with her name in cursive and a note written by her brother.

“Dear X,

it’s time to stop signing your name with a cross. I don’t want people to think that you are illiterate. A calendar is not a good notebook for training. Please, use my gift to practice your signature.

From someone concerned about your mental health.”

Instead of a signature, there was a winking emoticon. It made her laugh. This was his sweet way of dealing with her dramas without invading too much of her space. Sometimes, she just needed to look at him and her inner storms calmed down. Other times, besides knowing that she was being selfish, she was happy that Alexander hadn't moved house yet.