The insistent tapping on her forehead was expected, but no less jarring for Angela, struggling to remember why she had agreed to being awoken at 5 in the morning.
"Can't you wake me up like a normal person?" Angela growled.
"I have tried many methods in the past, and this is the most effective", replied Ana.
Angela groaned and got out of bed. The night before she had contemplated whether it would be easier to pull an all-nighter instead of cutting her sleep short. She tried, but ended up giving up, crawling into bed just a few hours earlier, fully-clothed.
The doctor raked her fingers through her messy blonde hair, and pulled it up into a quick ponytail.
"Best to put on a sweater. It is quite chilly at this hour."
"You're not my mom."
"Yet", added Ana with a laugh.
Angela laughed with her and reached for the closest sweater she could find. It was old, thick, and blue. Time and everyday wear-and-tear had stretched out the sweater and put more than a few holes in it, but Angela couldn't bear to throw it away.
"Isn't that Fareeha's?"
"It used to be. We traded when she left for Egypt."
"Oh right, I almost forgot. Let me patch it up this afternoon. It looks like moths have gotten to it."
The outdoor air was indeed crisp, and the sun was nowhere close to rising yet. The cooler temperature encouraged Ana to set a brisk walking speed, while Angela tried her best to drag her feet fast enough to keep up.
"Did we really have to leave so early? I can't even see anything."
"If you are looking for early birds, you have to be even earlier than them. Every sniper knows that finding the right spot to set up is the most crucial step to their mission. Stay right behind me, I am the one with the headlamp."
Angela groaned, feeling the burning in her calves from walking on an incline. She didn't want to admit that she was having problems keeping up with a 60-year-old, so she shut her mouth and concentrated on her breathing.
Even before the sun started to rise, Angela could hear birds start to sing. She stopped and reached for her binoculars.
"What are you doing?" snapped Ana.
"I – well, didn't you say we'd be birdwatching?"
"Yes, but these are not the birds we are looking for."
"What are we looking for?"
"You will see. Just follow me."
They climbed higher and higher until the sun rose, washing the side of the mountain in brilliant hues of red and orange. Angela took a moment to admire the view, noticing the flowers that had not yet opened, and the dew that covered the leaves of the plants surrounding the trail. She had a clear view of the valley. The lake shone and the pristine sand that surrounded it looked almost white. She never noticed how beautiful it was, as she rarely left her lab. She was glad that Ana pestered her the night before until Angela gave in. It wasn't a sight she would normally see.
"Ok, we will have to set up here. I would have liked to go a bit higher, but we have run out of time."
"What are you doing?" asked Angela, as Ana reached into her case and took out pieces of her rifle.
"The scope of my rifle is many times more powerful than whatever you have. You will see."
Ana took out a piece of plastic tarp and laid it on the damp ground. She lay on her stomach, staring through her scope for several minutes, shushing Angela every time she asked for an update.
Angela curled up at Ana's feet, feeling herself starting to nod off, until Ana gave her a swift kick.
"There! Come see!"
Ana quickly shuffled out of the way, letting Angela take her place.
"I don't see anything except for sand."
"Move the scope a little. She is on the move."
Angela did as she was told, and when she finally found what Ana wanted her to see, she choked on her own spit as a laugh formed in her throat unexpectedly.
"Ana Amari! Did you bring me out here to spy on your own daughter?"
"It is a present. Take your time. I am going to start on my breakfast."
Angela heard the sound of Tupperware opening and the sound of what must have been Ana biting into cold toast. Drool dripped from the corner of her mouth, but not from the reminder that she hadn't eaten yet.
Ana was right when she said the scope of her rifle was powerful. Angela could practically see the sweat bead on Fareeha's skin as she jogged barefoot across the beach. Fareeha was wearing a tight, black tank top, and blue shorts that clung to her frame nicely. Angela admired the powerful muscles in her arms and those thighs. She imagined being squeezed between those perfect legs, and forgetting that Ana was behind her, she let forth strange noises.
"Heh. Heh. Heh heh heh."
"Stop that, it's gross."
"Sorry" replied Angela, snapping back to reality.
Ana handed Angela a croissant and a thermos of coffee. The younger woman took a quick bite of food and cursed inwardly when she had to find Fareeha through the scope again.
When she did, she saw that Fareeha was searching through her backpack. At first Angela was disappointed, thinking that Fareeha was going to head back already. But her hope was restored when Fareeha pulled out a one-piece swimsuit. She watched Fareeha carefully scan the area around her before swiftly pulling down her shorts and underwear.
Angela dropped her croissant and almost knocked over her coffee, wishing that it wasn't Fareeha's back that was facing her.
She only had a few brief, glorious seconds of admiring Fareeha's buttocks until Fareeha's swimsuit covered it up.
"Why doesn't she take everything off at once?" Angela muttered in German.
"I am guessing I do not want to know what you are seeing", said Ana. Angela didn't even hear her.
Fareeha peeled the tank top off her body, revealing a plain sports bra.
"What a tease!" continued Angela in German.
Angela saw the way Fareeha's back muscles bunched up as she reached up to take off her bra.
"Ach mein Gott! TURN AROUND!"
Angela yelled the second part in English so loud, she heard her voice echoing in the valley. She gasped and instantly clasped her hands over her mouth.
Surely I'm too far away for her to hear, thought Angela.
To her dismay, she saw Fareeha freeze and hurriedly look around her.
"Scheiße!" Angela tried to stand and run, but Ana grabbed her by the wrist and pulled her back down.
"Stay low! She will not see us up here!"
Angela held her breath as if it would help. To her relief, Fareeha chalked up the noise to her imagination, finished changing, and waded into the water.
"Is it clear?"
"Yeah", said Angela. "She's in the birdbath now."
"Let's start heading back down. We should try to get back before she does."
"Right. And Ana? Thank you. I see Fareeha in her armour more often than not."
"I thought that was the case. I just have one favour to ask of you."
"What is it?"
"When you get married, call me "mom" alright?"