Chapter 75: 75
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Amber had just gotten back from the local supermarket to buy some ingredients for her mother when she heard Remi calling out her name.
She looked up and saw Remi standing at the top of the stairs, smiling and waving down at her.
"Remi! What are you doing?" she asked, concerned that he might get a headache. Although he looked fine, there were times that he suddenly got a headache and blacked out. She was worried that he might blacked out all of the sudden and fell down the stairs.
Remi slowly walked down the stairs and when he reached Amber, he smiled and hugged her waist. "I miss you, sis."
Amber smiled as she rubbed the top of his head. "Aww, I miss you too. Come, lets go to the kitchen," she said, grabbing his hand to hers while her other hand was carrying her grocery bags.
Inside the kitchen, her mother was in front of the stove, stirring something in a pot. She turned her head when she heard their footsteps. She lowered the heat and walked over to Amber.
She gave her a kiss on the cheek and took the grocery bag from her. "Oh great," she said as she peeked inside the bag. "You got everything that I asked for."
She then turned to Remi. "Remi, go and sit down. You can't be standing for too long," she told her, looking worried.
Remi nodded and did as he was told.
Amber took a seat next to Remi, placed her chin on her palms, with her elbow on the table. "What are you cooking, mom?" she asked, watching as Mrs. Keene walked to the kitchen island and began to take the items out of the bag.
"I'm making my homemade burgers and mushroom soup," Mrs. Keene announced, smiling as she chopped some onions and garlic.
Remi cheered, waving his hands up in the air. "Yay!"
Amber grinned and then she looked around. "Where's dad?" she asked. "Is he not joining us for supper?"
A glint of sadness filled her mother's eyes but soon disappeared so fast that Amber nearly thought she was probably seeing things. Mrs. Keene gave her daughter a small smile and said, "He got called out at work. He will be having his dinner at the office. Apparently, there were some new recruits, who just arrived in town so they wanted your dad to come over as soon as possible."
Amber frowned and nodded. Recently, she noticed that there was a bit of disorder happening in town, especially with the elections coming up soon. And what she found disturbing was that the army was also involved, which implied that it can be dangerous.
While her mother was cooking, she began to chat with Remi. They talked about the TV shows that were just aired that month and talked about their favourite characters. Amber also asked about what Remi has been doing and he told her that he has been practicing with his maths exercises.
Shortly after, the three ate their dinner, with Remi conquering the conversation. He began to talk excitedly about what he has been watching, his dreams and his plans after he was healed. Both mother and sister just smiled sadly as they listened to his excited chatters. The two of them really wished that he would be healed. It broke their hearts to think of how the little boy has missed so much in his childhood, spending his days only at home and in the hospital, doing treatment. For now, all they could do is to wait and hope the treatment will help him.
After they were done with dinner, Amber stayed behind to wash the dishes, while her mother helped Remi back to his room.
Few minutes later, she opened the door to her room and was surprised to see there was something on top of her pillow. She walked closer and saw a single red tulip laying there, looking ethereal against her pink pillow.
She picked the flower up and noticed that there was a note too on the pillow. She picked it up too and read the words written on it.
It was a simple yet meaningful message.
'I miss you.'
She smiled gently when she saw the initial 'E.K' written at the bottom of the note.
'Looks like he's back,' she thought.
----
It was a couple of days before school started and Erick was in his room, doing his homework. Since he had left town, immediately after school break started, he hasn't had any time to do his homework. And even after the mission had ended, he was bombarded with training and other stuff. In short, it was a hectic school break.
That day, he finally got the morning to himself. And he was being diligent where instead of playing his game console, he had his shower first and then breakfast and after all that, he went straight for his study table.
Around his shoulder was his duvet. Apparently, when he first entered his room after his 'trip', he had smelled something familiar and the scent was much stronger on the duvet. It smelled like the scent of the forests, fresh and flowery. He wasn't sure but it seriously smells like Amber's. Though it would be impossible since he never brought her here before.
He kept trying to ask his parents about whether someone has been in his room but recently, they have been so busy. It was hard for him to bring the topic up.
Few hours later, there was a knock on his door. But Erick was too engrossed in his Economics homework that he did not notice or hear the knocking. He did not even notice that his mother had entered his room and placed a plate of sandwiches beside him earlier.
A couple of seconds later, without any sound from inside, Hamish entered Erick's room and was amused to see the latter hard at work at his study table.
He then frowned when he saw the duvet around him. 'It's not even cold,' he thought as he looked around the room.
He walked over and peeked over Erick's shoulder. It seems that he was stuck on one question. There were a lot of crosses and scribbles in his notebook. He then glanced at the empty plate and back again.
With a shrug, he walked over to Erick's bed and lay down, his arms behind his head.
The two of them were quiet; one was doing his homework while the other was enjoying the peace and quiet.
After a while, Hamish was startled awake from his light snooze when Erick suddenly shouted.
"ARRGGGHHH!"
He stretched his arms up and groaned. "That felt good," he mumbled. He stood up and began to do some light stretches, his body sore from the long hours bent over his table, working.
He turned around and was about to do some leg stretch when he finally noticed Hamish in his bed. The latter was looking at him, with his eyebrows raised.
Erick stumbled back, surprised at Hamish's sudden appearance. "What the heck, bro?" he exclaimed. "You startled me. When did you arrive??"
Hamish shrugged. "A few minutes ago?" he answered, unsure since he fell asleep.
Erick ran a hand over his hair and groaned. "You could have knocked."
"I did but you didn't hear so I invited myself in."
Erick rolled his eyes. "Dem. I'm hungry," he exclaimed, rubbing his stomach. He looked over at his study table and wondered how come there was an empty plate near his books and papers.
He picked it up and beckoned Hamish to follow him downstairs. "Let's go and grab some snacks."
"Before we go, what's with the duvet?" Hamish asked, pointing at the duvet on Erick's shoulder.
Erick looked down and was surprised to see his duvet. He had felt so comfortable because of the scent, he did not notice he had put it around him.
He let out an awkward chuckle and placed the duvet on his bed. "Never mind that. C'mon and let's go."
Hamish nodded and followed him.
In the kitchen, Luella was preparing some food for Lachlan. Apparently, he will be working overtime at the office so he won't be home for dinner. Seeing that Erick was out of his room, she smiled and said, "Right on time, my son."
Erick frowned as he placed the plate in the dishwasher. "Yes, mom?" he asked slowly, suspicion in his eyes.
"Your father will be working late tonight so go and bring him his lunch," his mother instructed.
Erick frowned deeper. "What am I? A gofer?" he complained, as he joined Hamish at the dining table.
"Nope, you're my son. And you should be doing whatever your mother tells you to," she replied back as she packed the foods in several food containers.
"At least, give me food first," Erick whined.
Luella frowned. "Didn't I just give you some sandwiches?" she asked, confused.
Erick frowned back. "When?"
"While you're doing your homework. I left it on your table," she replied, sealing the containers shut before placing them in another huge bag.
His mouth dropped in an 'o' as realization dawned at him. "Was it the empty plate on my table?" he asked, pointing at the dishwasher. He did not realize that he had eaten them.
His mother narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, did you finish them all?" she asked. Before he could answer, she answered her own question. "Of course, you did. Silly question."
She then turned to Hamish. "Will you be staying for supper, Hamish?" she asked sweetly. "I can text your mother that you'll be joining us."
Hamish nodded. "Yes, Luna."
Luella chuckled. Sometimes Hamish can be so serious. Although she had told him to call her, 'Aunt Luella', he had refused as he thought that it would be disrespectful for him to call his Luna, 'Aunt'.
She then turned to Erick. "Go and set the table for three," she instructed. "And after eating, go straight to your father's office and give him his food before he gets hungry."
"What's with these differences in behaviour??"
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Amber had just gotten back from the local supermarket to buy some ingredients for her mother when she heard Remi calling out her name.
She looked up and saw Remi standing at the top of the stairs, smiling and waving down at her.
"Remi! What are you doing?" she asked, concerned that he might get a headache. Although he looked fine, there were times that he suddenly got a headache and blacked out. She was worried that he might blacked out all of the sudden and fell down the stairs.
Remi slowly walked down the stairs and when he reached Amber, he smiled and hugged her waist. "I miss you, sis."
Amber smiled as she rubbed the top of his head. "Aww, I miss you too. Come, lets go to the kitchen," she said, grabbing his hand to hers while her other hand was carrying her grocery bags.
Inside the kitchen, her mother was in front of the stove, stirring something in a pot. She turned her head when she heard their footsteps. She lowered the heat and walked over to Amber.
She gave her a kiss on the cheek and took the grocery bag from her. "Oh great," she said as she peeked inside the bag. "You got everything that I asked for."
She then turned to Remi. "Remi, go and sit down. You can't be standing for too long," she told her, looking worried.
Remi nodded and did as he was told.
Amber took a seat next to Remi, placed her chin on her palms, with her elbow on the table. "What are you cooking, mom?" she asked, watching as Mrs. Keene walked to the kitchen island and began to take the items out of the bag.
"I'm making my homemade burgers and mushroom soup," Mrs. Keene announced, smiling as she chopped some onions and garlic.
Remi cheered, waving his hands up in the air. "Yay!"
Amber grinned and then she looked around. "Where's dad?" she asked. "Is he not joining us for supper?"
A glint of sadness filled her mother's eyes but soon disappeared so fast that Amber nearly thought she was probably seeing things. Mrs. Keene gave her daughter a small smile and said, "He got called out at work. He will be having his dinner at the office. Apparently, there were some new recruits, who just arrived in town so they wanted your dad to come over as soon as possible."
Amber frowned and nodded. Recently, she noticed that there was a bit of disorder happening in town, especially with the elections coming up soon. And what she found disturbing was that the army was also involved, which implied that it can be dangerous.
While her mother was cooking, she began to chat with Remi. They talked about the TV shows that were just aired that month and talked about their favourite characters. Amber also asked about what Remi has been doing and he told her that he has been practicing with his maths exercises.
Shortly after, the three ate their dinner, with Remi conquering the conversation. He began to talk excitedly about what he has been watching, his dreams and his plans after he was healed. Both mother and sister just smiled sadly as they listened to his excited chatters. The two of them really wished that he would be healed. It broke their hearts to think of how the little boy has missed so much in his childhood, spending his days only at home and in the hospital, doing treatment. For now, all they could do is to wait and hope the treatment will help him.
After they were done with dinner, Amber stayed behind to wash the dishes, while her mother helped Remi back to his room.
Few minutes later, she opened the door to her room and was surprised to see there was something on top of her pillow. She walked closer and saw a single red tulip laying there, looking ethereal against her pink pillow.
She picked the flower up and noticed that there was a note too on the pillow. She picked it up too and read the words written on it.
It was a simple yet meaningful message.
'I miss you.'
She smiled gently when she saw the initial 'E.K' written at the bottom of the note.
'Looks like he's back,' she thought.
----
It was a couple of days before school started and Erick was in his room, doing his homework. Since he had left town, immediately after school break started, he hasn't had any time to do his homework. And even after the mission had ended, he was bombarded with training and other stuff. In short, it was a hectic school break.
That day, he finally got the morning to himself. And he was being diligent where instead of playing his game console, he had his shower first and then breakfast and after all that, he went straight for his study table.
Around his shoulder was his duvet. Apparently, when he first entered his room after his 'trip', he had smelled something familiar and the scent was much stronger on the duvet. It smelled like the scent of the forests, fresh and flowery. He wasn't sure but it seriously smells like Amber's. Though it would be impossible since he never brought her here before.
He kept trying to ask his parents about whether someone has been in his room but recently, they have been so busy. It was hard for him to bring the topic up.
Few hours later, there was a knock on his door. But Erick was too engrossed in his Economics homework that he did not notice or hear the knocking. He did not even notice that his mother had entered his room and placed a plate of sandwiches beside him earlier.
A couple of seconds later, without any sound from inside, Hamish entered Erick's room and was amused to see the latter hard at work at his study table.
He then frowned when he saw the duvet around him. 'It's not even cold,' he thought as he looked around the room.
He walked over and peeked over Erick's shoulder. It seems that he was stuck on one question. There were a lot of crosses and scribbles in his notebook. He then glanced at the empty plate and back again.
With a shrug, he walked over to Erick's bed and lay down, his arms behind his head.
The two of them were quiet; one was doing his homework while the other was enjoying the peace and quiet.
After a while, Hamish was startled awake from his light snooze when Erick suddenly shouted.
"ARRGGGHHH!"
He stretched his arms up and groaned. "That felt good," he mumbled. He stood up and began to do some light stretches, his body sore from the long hours bent over his table, working.
He turned around and was about to do some leg stretch when he finally noticed Hamish in his bed. The latter was looking at him, with his eyebrows raised.
Erick stumbled back, surprised at Hamish's sudden appearance. "What the heck, bro?" he exclaimed. "You startled me. When did you arrive??"
Hamish shrugged. "A few minutes ago?" he answered, unsure since he fell asleep.
Erick ran a hand over his hair and groaned. "You could have knocked."
"I did but you didn't hear so I invited myself in."
Erick rolled his eyes. "Dem. I'm hungry," he exclaimed, rubbing his stomach. He looked over at his study table and wondered how come there was an empty plate near his books and papers.
He picked it up and beckoned Hamish to follow him downstairs. "Let's go and grab some snacks."
"Before we go, what's with the duvet?" Hamish asked, pointing at the duvet on Erick's shoulder.
Erick looked down and was surprised to see his duvet. He had felt so comfortable because of the scent, he did not notice he had put it around him.
He let out an awkward chuckle and placed the duvet on his bed. "Never mind that. C'mon and let's go."
Hamish nodded and followed him.
In the kitchen, Luella was preparing some food for Lachlan. Apparently, he will be working overtime at the office so he won't be home for dinner. Seeing that Erick was out of his room, she smiled and said, "Right on time, my son."
Erick frowned as he placed the plate in the dishwasher. "Yes, mom?" he asked slowly, suspicion in his eyes.
"Your father will be working late tonight so go and bring him his lunch," his mother instructed.
Erick frowned deeper. "What am I? A gofer?" he complained, as he joined Hamish at the dining table.
"Nope, you're my son. And you should be doing whatever your mother tells you to," she replied back as she packed the foods in several food containers.
"At least, give me food first," Erick whined.
Luella frowned. "Didn't I just give you some sandwiches?" she asked, confused.
Erick frowned back. "When?"
"While you're doing your homework. I left it on your table," she replied, sealing the containers shut before placing them in another huge bag.
His mouth dropped in an 'o' as realization dawned at him. "Was it the empty plate on my table?" he asked, pointing at the dishwasher. He did not realize that he had eaten them.
His mother narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, did you finish them all?" she asked. Before he could answer, she answered her own question. "Of course, you did. Silly question."
She then turned to Hamish. "Will you be staying for supper, Hamish?" she asked sweetly. "I can text your mother that you'll be joining us."
Hamish nodded. "Yes, Luna."
Luella chuckled. Sometimes Hamish can be so serious. Although she had told him to call her, 'Aunt Luella', he had refused as he thought that it would be disrespectful for him to call his Luna, 'Aunt'.
She then turned to Erick. "Go and set the table for three," she instructed. "And after eating, go straight to your father's office and give him his food before he gets hungry."
"What's with these differences in behaviour??"
Amber had just gotten back from the local supermarket to buy some ingredients for her mother when she heard Remi calling out her name. She looked up and saw Remi standing at the top of the stairs, smiling and waving down at her. "Remi! What are you doing?" she asked, concerned that he might get a headache. Although he looked fine, there were times that he suddenly got a headache and blacked out. She was worried that he might blacked out all of the sudden and fell down the stairs. Remi slowly walked down the stairs and when he reached Amber, he smiled and hugged her waist. "I miss you, sis." Amber smiled as she rubbed the top of his head. "Aww, I miss you too. Come, lets go to the kitchen," she said, grabbing his hand to hers while her other hand was carrying her grocery bags. Inside the kitchen, her mother was in front of the stove, stirring something in a pot. She turned her head when she heard their footsteps. She lowered the heat and walked over to Amber. She gave her a kiss on the cheek and took the grocery bag from her. "Oh great," she said as she peeked inside the bag. "You got everything that I asked for." She then turned to Remi. "Remi, go and sit down. You can't be standing for too long," she told her, looking worried. Remi nodded and did as he was told. Amber took a seat next to Remi, placed her chin on her palms, with her elbow on the table. "What are you cooking, mom?" she asked, watching as Mrs. Keene walked to the kitchen island and began to take the items out of the bag. "I'm making my homemade burgers and mushroom soup," Mrs. Keene announced, smiling as she chopped some onions and garlic. Remi cheered, waving his hands up in the air. "Yay!" Amber grinned and then she looked around. "Where's dad?" she asked. "Is he not joining us for supper?" A glint of sadness filled her mother's eyes but soon disappeared so fast that Amber nearly thought she was probably seeing things. Mrs. Keene gave her daughter a small smile and said, "He got called out at work. He will be having his dinner at the office. Apparently, there were some new recruits, who just arrived in town so they wanted your dad to come over as soon as possible." Amber frowned and nodded. Recently, she noticed that there was a bit of disorder happening in town, especially with the elections coming up soon. And what she found disturbing was that the army was also involved, which implied that it can be dangerous. While her mother was cooking, she began to chat with Remi. They talked about the TV shows that were just aired that month and talked about their favourite characters. Amber also asked about what Remi has been doing and he told her that he has been practicing with his maths exercises. Shortly after, the three ate their dinner, with Remi conquering the conversation. He began to talk excitedly about what he has been watching, his dreams and his plans after he was healed. Both mother and sister just smiled sadly as they listened to his excited chatters. The two of them really wished that he would be healed. It broke their hearts to think of how the little boy has missed so much in his childhood, spending his days only at home and in the hospital, doing treatment. For now, all they could do is to wait and hope the treatment will help him. After they were done with dinner, Amber stayed behind to wash the dishes, while her mother helped Remi back to his room. Few minutes later, she opened the door to her room and was surprised to see there was something on top of her pillow. She walked closer and saw a single red tulip laying there, looking ethereal against her pink pillow. She picked the flower up and noticed that there was a note too on the pillow. She picked it up too and read the words written on it. It was a simple yet meaningful message. 'I miss you.' She smiled gently when she saw the initial 'E.K' written at the bottom of the note. 'Looks like he's back,' she thought. ---- It was a couple of days before school started and Erick was in his room, doing his homework. Since he had left town, immediately after school break started, he hasn't had any time to do his homework. And even after the mission had ended, he was bombarded with training and other stuff. In short, it was a hectic school break. That day, he finally got the morning to himself. And he was being diligent where instead of playing his game console, he had his shower first and then breakfast and after all that, he went straight for his study table. Around his shoulder was his duvet. Apparently, when he first entered his room after his 'trip', he had smelled something familiar and the scent was much stronger on the duvet. It smelled like the scent of the forests, fresh and flowery. He wasn't sure but it seriously smells like Amber's. Though it would be impossible since he never brought her here before. He kept trying to ask his parents about whether someone has been in his room but recently, they have been so busy. It was hard for him to bring the topic up. Few hours later, there was a knock on his door. But Erick was too engrossed in his Economics homework that he did not notice or hear the knocking. He did not even notice that his mother had entered his room and placed a plate of sandwiches beside him earlier. A couple of seconds later, without any sound from inside, Hamish entered Erick's room and was amused to see the latter hard at work at his study table. He then frowned when he saw the duvet around him. 'It's not even cold,' he thought as he looked around the room. He walked over and peeked over Erick's shoulder. It seems that he was stuck on one question. There were a lot of crosses and scribbles in his notebook. He then glanced at the empty plate and back again. With a shrug, he walked over to Erick's bed and lay down, his arms behind his head. The two of them were quiet; one was doing his homework while the other was enjoying the peace and quiet. After a while, Hamish was startled awake from his light snooze when Erick suddenly shouted. "ARRGGGHHH!" He stretched his arms up and groaned. "That felt good," he mumbled. He stood up and began to do some light stretches, his body sore from the long hours bent over his table, working. He turned around and was about to do some leg stretch when he finally noticed Hamish in his bed. The latter was looking at him, with his eyebrows raised. Erick stumbled back, surprised at Hamish's sudden appearance. "What the heck, bro?" he exclaimed. "You startled me. When did you arrive??" Hamish shrugged. "A few minutes ago?" he answered, unsure since he fell asleep. Erick ran a hand over his hair and groaned. "You could have knocked." "I did but you didn't hear so I invited myself in." Erick rolled his eyes. "Dem. I'm hungry," he exclaimed, rubbing his stomach. He looked over at his study table and wondered how come there was an empty plate near his books and papers. He picked it up and beckoned Hamish to follow him downstairs. "Let's go and grab some snacks." "Before we go, what's with the duvet?" Hamish asked, pointing at the duvet on Erick's shoulder. Erick looked down and was surprised to see his duvet. He had felt so comfortable because of the scent, he did not notice he had put it around him. He let out an awkward chuckle and placed the duvet on his bed. "Never mind that. C'mon and let's go." Hamish nodded and followed him. In the kitchen, Luella was preparing some food for Lachlan. Apparently, he will be working overtime at the office so he won't be home for dinner. Seeing that Erick was out of his room, she smiled and said, "Right on time, my son." Erick frowned as he placed the plate in the dishwasher. "Yes, mom?" he asked slowly, suspicion in his eyes. "Your father will be working late tonight so go and bring him his lunch," his mother instructed. Erick frowned deeper. "What am I? A gofer?" he complained, as he joined Hamish at the dining table. "Nope, you're my son. And you should be doing whatever your mother tells you to," she replied back as she packed the foods in several food containers. "At least, give me food first," Erick whined. Luella frowned. "Didn't I just give you some sandwiches?" she asked, confused. Erick frowned back. "When?" "While you're doing your homework. I left it on your table," she replied, sealing the containers shut before placing them in another huge bag. His mouth dropped in an 'o' as realization dawned at him. "Was it the empty plate on my table?" he asked, pointing at the dishwasher. He did not realize that he had eaten them. His mother narrowed her eyes at him. "Yes, did you finish them all?" she asked. Before he could answer, she answered her own question. "Of course, you did. Silly question." She then turned to Hamish. "Will you be staying for supper, Hamish?" she asked sweetly. "I can text your mother that you'll be joining us." Hamish nodded. "Yes, Luna." Luella chuckled. Sometimes Hamish can be so serious. Although she had told him to call her, 'Aunt Luella', he had refused as he thought that it would be disrespectful for him to call his Luna, 'Aunt'. She then turned to Erick. "Go and set the table for three," she instructed. "And after eating, go straight to your father's office and give him his food before he gets hungry." "What's with these differences in behaviour??"
