Lillian was humming to herself as she chopped the carrots while Natasha cooked up the broth in a hotpot. They were in the kitchen, preparing dinner while Howard was watching the television in the living room.
"How's your work going?" Natasha asked.
"Great! The school is a really fun place to work in," Lillian said.
"And how was your trip?" Natasha inquired, keeping a casual tone. "The school sends its teachers to Japan! That's interesting."
"It was a training session," Lillian shrugged, not looking at her mother. "Many schools do it."
"But to send their teachers to Japan…"
Lillian sensed her mother was suspicious of her lies and she had to come up with some kind of excuse. She thought hard while Natasha noted that the color had drained from Lillian's face.
"Lily," she began. "Are you-"
