After hours of conversing with each other, our laughter and chatter slowly died out. It was 01:00 a.m. and time to say goodbye to my sister, Suzi. We silently stood up and walked outside. I had promised her not to cry, however, gazing into her glossy eyes, it was hard keeping myself from doing so. We embraced each other in a bone-crushing hug, relishing our final moments together before she left for the US.

          “I’ll miss you...” she murmured.
          “I’ll miss you more,” I replied, choking back a sob.
         

I pulled back to look at her face.

          “Call me as soon as you land Suzi,” I said, trying to use a stern tone.
         

She chuckled lightly, “Don’t worry, I will.”
         

With one last hug, we pulled away from each other. After everyone had bid their goodbyes, me and my little brother Oti stood on the edge of the driveway. My parents and Suzi gave a final wave, before getting into the car and driving away. It would be about four hours before they reached Tirana’s airport. When the car finally disappeared from view, the two of us went back into the house and in our bedrooms. Exhaustion took over me and I was soon fast asleep.
         

The next day, after having lunch, I went into the garden to clear out my thoughts. I sat on the grass, running my hands over the daisies surrounding me. Suzi’s favorite flowers. It was then that realization dawned upon me that I wouldn’t be seeing my family for a long time. In 13 days, I would leave for England. Tears streamed down my face and I buried my head in my arms. I already missed my sister. What would happen when I went to England and didn’t have any of my family with me? I didn’t let my tears stop. I had kept everything bottled up and it was time to release it all. After half an hour of crying, I finally stopped, and a new feeling of calmness took over me. However, my peace was short lived as I heard my brother shouting:

          “Luiza! Where are you? Come here quickly!”
          Panicking, I got up as quickly as I could and rushed to the living room.
          “Look!” he said, pointing at the TV. “The towers...the...the World Trade Center blew up!”

I shifted my attention to the screen. It was a live broadcast showing two buildings fully engulfed in black smoke. It seemed as though it was a Hollywood produced movie.
          “Oti, you scared me. This is just a movie.”
          “No, I swear,” he insisted. “This is happening right now.”
          “Oh, come on. You can’t seriously expect—”
         

The scene abruptly switched from the towers to the news studio. It was then that I recognized the news anchor and realized that what I had just seen was indeed very real and happening in these moments. Two hijacked planes had hit the buildings, leaving behind only fire, smoke and terror. The US had closed off its borders to all flights and would shoot down any planes overhead that could provide a threat. My sister was supposed to land in New York anytime now. What if she was in one of the planes that struck the towers? What if she was overhead New York and the government decided to blow them up in the air? With shaking hands I grabbed the phone and called my parents. They still hadn’t returned from Tirana. I ringed several times, however they wouldn’t answer.
         

I rushed out of the house and started running to my friends’. My heart thudded violently against my chest and it was getting harder to breathe with every footfall. I reached Maja’s house and urgently pounded the door. Maja’s mother, Rita, opened it and let me inside. Their TV too displayed the two towers surrounded by pitch-black smoke. I tried to call my parents again, this time from Maja’s phone, however, they still wouldn’t answer. The three of us then went back to my house. Oti hugged me and started crying on my shoulder. Tears started streaming down my face too, however I quickly wiped them. I had to be strong for him. I couldn’t lose hope.
          “What if something has happened to her?” he mumbled.
          “Shhh…” I said, my hold of him stronger, “she is fine. Anytime now she will call and you will see for yourself.”
         

Two hours later, my parents had returned home and our entire neighbourhood was with us. My phone was tightly clutched in my hand. My mother had not stopped crying ever since she arrived. However, I believed in Suzi. She was fine and I knew she would call. She will call I repeated as a mantra in my head. I was startled by a ringing in the room. Everyone went silent. It was my phone. An unknown number appeared on the screen. Would it be Suzi calling or someone to deliver unfortunate news? My family gathered around me. Letting out a shaky breath, I answered.
          “Hello?”
          “Hello? Luiza? It’s Suzi. I’m sorry I couldn’t call earlier, but they wouldn’t allow us. We were forced to land in Canada and have been stuck in a hotel ever since…”
         

We all sank to our knees, hugging, crying and thanking God. She called. She was fine. Suzi was fine.