35: Ready

                                    

                                          
The first thing I noticed when I woke up was the faint smell of something cooking. My stomach growled, and for a brief second, I debated whether to roll over and ignore it or drag myself out of bed. The lazy option won for another five minutes, but eventually, my hunger won. Groggily, I shuffled out of bed, wrapping my robe tighter around me.
The hallway was quiet except for soft footsteps coming from Mariah's room. Seconds later, her door creaked open, and she emerged looking just as sleep-deprived as I felt. Her twists were tied up in a scarf, and she squinted at me like she was still half-asleep.
"Morning," she mumbled.
"Barely," I replied, suppressing a yawn.
As we made our way toward the kitchen, the smell hit us in full force-warm, buttery, and savory. It was enough to wake us up completely.
"Is that...pancakes?" Mariah asked, perking up a bit.
When we turned the corner, there was Eliška, standing at the stove with a spatula in one hand and an apron tied neatly around her waist. A plate of golden-brown palačinky sat beside her, along with scrambled eggs, mushrooms, and rye bread. She was practically glowing with energy, as if she hadn't just woken up like the rest of us.
"Dobré ráno!" she greeted us cheerfully, her voice bright.
"Good morning, sunshine," Luana muttered, dragging herself into the kitchen behind us. Her hair was piled up in a messy bun, and she looked as though she hadn't slept at all.
"What's with all the energy this early?" I asked, slumping into a chair at the dining table.
Eliška beamed. "Breakfast! I always feel better when I cook something. Plus, this is from home-makes me feel less homesick."
"Okay, but do you always have to be this cheerful about it?" Luana grumbled as she plopped into a chair beside me.
Mariah, who was now pouring herself a cup of coffee, chuckled. "Let her live, Lu. At least someone around here has their life together."
"I sure don't," Chloe mumbled as she entered the room and immediately flopped into a chair. She looked like she'd dragged herself out of bed against her will.
"Eliška, this looks amazing," I said, grabbing a plate.
"Thank you! It's nothing fancy," she replied, sitting down with her own plate.
We ate in a comfortable silence for a while, the only sounds being the clinking of forks and the occasional murmur about how good the food was. Gradually, the food and Eliška's energy began to work its magic, and even Luana looked more awake by the time we were done.
Mariah leaned back in her chair, phone in hand, and sighed. "We've got some time before practice. What if we binge-watch Queen of Tears?"
"Isn't that the new k-drama everyone's been raving about?" Chloe asked, her interest piqued.
Mariah nodded. "Yeah, it's supposed to be hilarious and heartbreaking all at once. Perfect for a lazy morning."
"Fine, but we're only watching one episode," Luana warned, standing to clear her plate. "I have things to do."
"Sure you do," Chloe teased.
Luana smirked. "I do, actually. Influencing isn't as easy as it looks."
---
We piled into the living room shortly after, spreading out across the couch and floor with blankets and cushions. The opening scene of Queen of Tears had barely started before we were hooked. Chloe clung to a pillow during an intense argument between the lead characters, while Mariah dramatically gasped at every cliffhanger moment.