The holiday from school passed very quickly, and before Sophia knew it, there were only two days left.
She wanted to lie in bed and relax and sleep, but Kate woke her up early in the morning.
"Clean up the room, and your aunt is coming to visit today!" Kate said, "They're coming to town to get some work done on your cousin's teeth and are stopping by to say hello."
Sophia wasn't the biggest fan of this aunt. Having scoured the other Sophia's memories, she could see that they weren't close. She didn't live in Lands City and didn't come to visit them often at all. She was a rather sour lady and not at all easy to get along with.
Sophia got up for breakfast and began to help with the cleaning. There was very little to do as Kate was always on top of the housework. Kate was pulling out all the stops and had even done a new grocery shop to make a fancy meal.
The aunt and cousin arrived at 10 am. They were a little different from the memory she had of them. Her aunt was tall and strong and had put on a little weight, and her cousin was quite short. He wore a pair of thick glasses and held his head in quite a haughty manner.
As soon as her aunt entered through the door, she laughed loudly, "Sophia, I haven't seen you for years. You've grown so much!"
It had been six years since they had last seen each other; of course, she had grown!
She smiled, "Hi, aunty. You're looking well."
The words didn't come easily.
"What a good girl!" She laughed again, "Oh, by the way, I brought you some of our specialty. Have a taste!"
She put a small bag on the table.
Kate hurriedly said, "Oh, there was no need. Let's not stand on formalities. Sit, have a drink!"
Sophia felt a bit embarrassed. They had not seen each other for years, but being family, they had to pretend to be all friendly and close. It made Sophia feel quite uncomfortable. She said, "I haven't finished my homework yet, aunty, so I just need to get that done." And she tried to slip away.
The aunt smiled, "Sophia has begun to study now! Wow, well wonders will never cease. Taking after your cousin, Reed, finally. Sophia, where are you placed in your class?"
Sophia frowned, "You must have forgotten, aunt, I had a car accident two years ago, and I've only just returned to school."
She had only sat her first monthly exam last week. The results would not be released until she went back to school, only then would she know her place in the class.
Her aunt was a little embarrassed. She had known about the accident, but she had never once come to visit in those two years. After all, it costs money to visit, and she hadn't felt she could come empty-handed. She had to buy presents, and it was another expense, she couldn't quite stomach.
They had only made the trip this time because Reed had an appointment with a specialist dentist.
"Sophia's doing great now." Kate said hastily, "Since waking from her coma, she's had a whole new attitude, really keen to learn. It's wonderful."
The aunt laughed again, "Well, that's wonderful news. No more running into trouble and school and fighting, eh? Maybe if you work very hard, you might even get into university. Oh, imagine if you and Reed were at the same university, you could look out for each other!"
She looked at Reed as she spoke with pride in her eyes, "Reed wants to go to Glinton University. Of course, it's just a hope… Glinton University is not easy to get into."
Reed was happily eating some fruit, and when he heard her words, he said, "I'm sure I can get in!"
She patted her son on the head, "You should have this kind of ambition for Sophia."
Kate smiled, "I would be happy if she gets into any university. It would be a lot to catch up on to match Reed after all Reed has been top of the class always, hasn't he?"
The aunt laughed happily, "Not the top of the class but the top of the school! But our city is too small to compare with Lands City."
Sophia listened silently to her aunt, boasting about her son like that. Again, she said, "Auntie, I haven't finished my homework yet. I need to get it done before school tomorrow."
The aunt sighed, "Sophia, you're right. You can't delay your homework. You should probably do some extra exercises as well so that you can improve your grades quickly. After all, it's an important year!"
Sophia was totally speechless.
"By the way, have you signed up for any extra-curricular classes? I heard that they pay a lot of attention to that in college admissions. With some extra talent, you will be more attractive to a college."
Sophia shook her head, "No."
With a face of surprise, the aunt said, "Well, that's a shame. You should do something about that. Ideally, you start young. Reed has been learning the piano since he was five years old. He's beyond Grade Eight now. Sister, as a teacher, you should pay more attention to her education. Reed, play a song for your aunt… Oh, I forgot, you don't have a piano…"
Sophia listened impatiently but had to put up with it. Suddenly, she smiled and said, "Aunt. Actually, I also signed up for an extra class."
The aunt was surprised, "Oh, what's that?"
Giving a small smile, Sophia said, "Juicing!"
"Juicing?" The aunt was confused.
Sophia picked up the orange on the table, put a cup under it, and grabbed it with her right hand and squeezed it hard.
At once, the orange burst and the orange juice poured into the cup. The orange was completely squashed.
The two visitors were stunned and didn't know what to say.
"Please enjoy your juice!" Sophia put the cup in front of her aunt.