Chapter One
It was three hours into the game of monopoly for the trio, Sarah, Kira, and Cosima. The weekend gladly dancing before them.
"One, two, three, four...," Cosima counted the monopoly spaces out loud till she got to the number indicated on the dice.
"Mummy are we going to win?" Kira asked from aside her mother at the table.
"Yes baby, your auntie here is finally walking over to her doom," Sarah teased.
Cosima found herself reduced to less than four hundred dollars and two houses left. There was nothing else left for her to do at this point.
"Okay, okay, I quit. You guys got me bankrupt here. What do we say, who's up for another game!" Cosima beamed.
I need to redeem myself, she thought.
Cosima was not used to losing and that fact alone got her into trouble sometimes.
It had been since grade school since Cosima last played snakes and ladders or monopoly. Yet she found herself enjoying the moment all over again even though games of luck involving dice was never her forte.
"Oh Cos, you just want to find a way to get us back, right," Sarah said as they tidied their workstation at the cafe.
Snakes and Lattes was Kira's favourite place to come to when she was with Mrs. S and very quickly it became Sarah's place to be when she chose to be sober over drunk. It was even better with her daughter by her side.
"Oh shut up you!" Cosima retorted.
"Mommy can you buy me a drink first!" Kira asked bouncing on her toes.
"Kay Monkey, let's go. Cosima you mind fixing everything while we order some drinks? Anything you want by the way?" Sarah asked as they walked to the counter.
"Um green tea is good for me, thanks Sarah," she said nodding. Pot would do well too right about now, maybe later.
Cosima took a seat and played with her locks while she waited for Sarah and Kira to get back. So far it was a good start to her break. But she couldn't wait to get back to her labs and science books.
It was late and Cosima found people still walking through the front door for their rounds of nightly fun.
I hope Kira still has it in her for another game, Cosima thought, one she was actually good at this time.
"Auntie, auntie, me and mummy allow you to pick the next game since you are losing!" Kira said as they walked back to her after ordering.
"Yeah, we have faith that whatever you pick Cos, we will still win," Sarah smiled as if victory was already hers.
"Are you sure you aren't tired Kira?" Cosima asked.
"No!" Kira exclaimed as she slurped at her orange smoothie.
"No, you aren't sure? Should we go home then?" she teased, knowing fully well what Kira meant.
"Oh Auntie Cos, I mean I'm sure I'm not tired!" Kira said giggling as Sarah patted her head.
"Okay, in that case let's play Scrabble!" Cosima said and they all walked over to retrieve the game. Scrabble was a game based on word smarts, and she was pretty damn intellectual. Now was her time to shine... or so she thought.