Squirrel

"Are you boys playing here alone, no one seems to be looking after you guys...?"

The driver noticed the big bandage under Emilié's left eye. "You ok there young lad?" The driver said tapping himself under the left eye.

"...yeah it's fine, just some graze I got while playing around, nothing big."

"Hmm?" The driver gave out leaning closer to Emilié.

Emilié's breath stagnated there for a second. Why was the mister leaning in so closely? Did he notice something? Or did she make a mistake, disrupting Aria and him and exposed herself?

If it were not for covering Sera, she would never have said anything at the first place.

Her hands curled into fists, wanting to insert strength to leave pain, to feel something else than the panic that was coming up, yet her fingers were weak, not able to exert any strength at all.

"As boys it is good being energetic and adventurous, but caution should be still taken. It can be a graze one day but a broken arm the next." That face, he finds it nostalgic, but from where he doesn't know, so he continues saying with good intent.

Emilié let out a breath, "Yes I will be more careful." She said. But it was more of a reminder for herself not to do anything rash.

'It can be a deep cut one day, and her life the next in that mansion'

Lucky for her that she was covered in a layer of sweat and looked haggard, or the driver would have noticed something wrong with her and probably had taken another close look, just to realize that the young lad in front of him, looked just like the girl on the photo that Sasha distributed.

However, before anything came to that scenario, "Ouch!!" Aria cried out, rubbing his head.

"What happened?!" The driver yelled fully alert. How can a child cry out in pain without doing anything that warrants it?

Something splashed on Aria's head, now rolling on the ground to Emilié's feet. She picked it up for a better look, just to be dazed.

Both parties next to her saw her picking something up. The driver asked, "What is it?"

Emilié raised it up, her throat already starting to ache from the previous conversations and additionally, she has the impression that they wouldn't believe her if she'd just say it.

"Hah?" Aria looked just as blankly. Weren't this his chilled strawberries? Was it that, why the place he was hit felt sticky?

"Since when do strawberries fly from the sky?" The driver asked astonished looking up to the sky.

They were standing on the middle of the backyard, the main house was 20 feet away and other than a handful of trees nothing else was present. So where does this strawberry come from?

But before anyone responded two more red stains covered Emilié's and Aria's face.

'splash' 'splash'

"Ouch!" Aria groaned once again while Emilié did not let a sound out.

"What! What is happening?! Why is it hailing strawberries?" The driver called out frantic.

"Squirrel" Emilié said half heartedly, not even trying to deceive him.

Her throat hurt anyway and she knew the reason, why they were attacked with fruits, but that would bring more suspicion than this half cover up.

"Squirrel?" The driver asked doubtfully as predicted, looking around seeing nothing the like of a squirrel.

Aria too chimed in doubt filled, "Squirrel?" was it not Sera throwing at them his strawberries for no god d*mn reason!

What a waste for his perfectly fine strawberries! ToT

Emilié did not explain, she held Aria's arm taking his attention away for a second. "Squirrel" she repeated showing him her hand, wiggling her five fingers and nodding to the driver's direction.

The driver not noticing, being busy searching for the squirrel Emilié was talking about.

Aria's eyes grew wide, understanding dawning to him and a mischievous glint could be seen in his face.

And that was what Emilié bet on, she only knows Aria for a short while, but the first impression was this mischievousness that loves to fool around.

Her throat hurt, she can't explain. And even if that was the least of her troubles, she doesn't like to act childish and that would make it even harder to fool this mister.

Aria started his acting instantly after getting it and time was short now. He did not wish to get bombarded with more of his strawberries.

Besides, while he is at it, he will make some jabs at Sera too, isn't this a win-win situation for him; fooling this uncle and bad talking Sera!

Thinking about this, Aria couldn't hide a giggle slipping out.

"Hi hi, uncle this squirrel is a really vicious one, hiding behind leaves and shrubs, bullying us while it's enjoying itself, even stealing! You see those strawberries were mine at first, when this hairy ball came taking them all with no scruples!"

Before Aria knew his fooling monolog became a complaining one, ranting about all the 'squirrel's bad deeds', forgetting his actual goal in all of this.

The driver listened honestly completely stunned. 'What kind of squirrel is this?'

Emilié on the side looked incredulously at Aria, slowly distancing himself from him.

Sera pelted them with fruits, only because the five minute break was up and they had to start running their three laps.

If they just had started running after being thrown a fruit at, the driver might think it being odd and become suspicious, that's why this half a$$ lie.

But with Aria, she thought the driver might believe this bullsh*t, they are kids after all, but now Aria was only ranting about Sera and she heard every word...

Well it was Sera's own fault, if she had waited until this mister went away, but who is she to complain about?

Know what, who cares now! Emilié turned and run away, before she got on Sera's visir too.

Both driver and Aria fell silent following Emilié's back which turned smaller.

Driver: "What's wrong with him?"

And right at that moment, Aria got a full barrage of Sera's silent rage. All the strawberries came flying, hitting him with splashs.

'splash' 'splash' 'splash' 'splash'

"Ouch! Ouch, ouch, OUCH!!!" Realizing his wrong, Aria too run after Emilié, screaming, "I'm sorry, I'm wrong!!"

Staying alone the driver only blankly watched them disappear. Not understanding anything. "Squirrel...?"

Than he heard a shout from inside the house. "The house is clear!" The search parties checked the house, not finding anything.

Hearing this, the driver went back inside, but gave one last look to the backyard with doubts filled in his head, but he has to report to Sasha now.

"Haa" He sight, not letting his thoughts linger deeper in this matter and just walked back to Sasha's side.

....

While Sasha's men were searching the house, Jane and he were in a silent stalemate, waiting for the results.

Sasha's suspicion, that Emilié was here was very high, thanks to Jane's accusation -of stealing another thing away from her- what actually was said to aggravate him; yet here it was not the best thing, leaving such seeds, when Emilié was truly here in her home.

However, the higher the hope, so deep is the disappointment, when the driver reported him with no results.

His eye rims got redder and he looked piercingly at Jane like a hurt animal. "You searched everywhere?" He asked once again to make sure.

"Yes" The driver nodded.

"Nothing abnormal?"

"..No" The driver pause for a second, thinking about the weird squirrel, but who would believe him that a squirrel attacked them with strawberries.

"Where was the boy?" Sasha asked.

Jane frowned at this. Seemed this guy was snooping around after her private business, her dissatisfaction showed.

What was a bit of a misunderstanding on Sasha's side. He only wanted to make sure, that no unfamiliar element slipped through in this search operation.

That is why, before he came here, he read a report detailing their living condition in the summerhouse.

In the years he did not visit, Jane took in his nephew and raised him instead of his busy parents, that is why he knew about him.

The driver only heard singular and not plural, but let it slip as a mistake and answered, "In the backyard, playing."

But how could Sasha know, that this driver on his side made a watertight alibi for Emilié, only thinking it was a stupid mistake!

Sasha asked nothing more, keeping silent. This moment, where his hopes fell in the deepest pit of his heart, it felt like shattering.

It was the same pain he felt when he lost Emil, this short moment for him was like years worth of suffering, yet he grit his teeth to not show it and turned around marching to the car.

"I'm sorry ma'am for the disturbance." The driver hurriedly apologized for the disturbance in the early morning, and followed Sasha to the car.

"No need." Jane said after him. "After all I've gotten good entertainment this early" she murmured for herself.

But, when the driver reached the car, Sasha drove away before he could get in and left him to eat his dust.

The driver panicked and screamed some gibberish, hurrying to the other car where his comrades were. However, since they had no seats free they stuffed this big build man in the trunk.

"..."

Jane watched blankly at them, her mouth twitching every time they tried closing the trunk.

In the end they stopped trying to close it and left it open, driving away, leaving the driver's body pointing out from the trunk. His face already forming blue and purple bruises from the strength his comrats used, while closing the trunk lid.

Seriously, no mercy for him...

...

Back to the backyard, Aria escaped successfully from Sera, now sitting next to Emilié, strawberry juice sticking to him.

"Aah, my clothes are ruined." He started to whimper, while Emilié eyed him querulously.

Nothing would have happened if he had not bad-mouthed Sera!

Than Aria turned to Emilié, wanting to see if she was just as bad as him covered with strawberries, but to his dismay other than the one on her cheek she was spot free.

"Hmm? Hey aren't that my clothes you are wearing?" He asked in discontent.

".."

The clothes is his only problem?! Boy, worry more for your life! When Sera finds you, you can only beg for forgiveness!

And talk about the demon, there she is, her voice frosty as ever.

"Who said you can laze? This big sis here is still around! Now run ten more laps, before I think about worser punishment!"

🌷

First April babble:

Would anyone believe me, if I say this chapter is an April's fool?

If yes, than thank you guys for believing me and sorry to say that I fooled you guys, since it is not, I'm to nice for something like that ; )

As promised the other half, enjoy...

XoXo, Quhon