8 c h a p t e r – e i g h t

"Son? Don't you really want to come with us? Your Uncle David would be really happy if he sees you fetching him up at the airport."

"Nope, not a chance." I replied to Mom for the n'th time since this morning when they got the news from my Uncle that his flight back to this country would land later this afternoon. It's Saturday today and it's been few days since they told me that Uncle David's coming home.

Currently, we're having our lunch together and I'm starting to lose my appetite just by thinking that I'd be seeing his face more this coming days.

Right after finishing our meals, Mom and Dad left at once to drive to the airport since it is a quite far from the location of our house.

Meanwhile, when I started feeling bored, I decided to ask Ace to come over. He was actually staying with his parents which live just few blocks away from our house. Considering that he already has his own apartment to stay in, he still decided stay with them when he don't have many things to work on especially on weekends which is a good thing for me since I'm suggested to stay at home to have some rest still because of what happened.

Not being present in school isn't too much of a hassle this time since it is almost summer break and add to that is the faculty's preparations for our upcoming graduation in secondary school which made them so busy to the point that they don't have enough time attending our classes. What we are just supposed to do is do our part in the preparation for the ceremony. As much as possible I actually don't wanted to go back to school yet, however, since my Uncle would be having more of his time here at the house, I would much prefer being at school than being here with him.

Few moments later, Ace arrived at my room like what I've told him to go directly here when I called him.

"What's up Jacksons?" He greeted.

"I almost died waiting to be back at school." I barely replied without attempting to match with his energy.

"And what do you actually mean by that? I thought being beaten down to make you out of school was a blessing in disguise that came into you?" Confusedly, he asked.

"Yeah, but that was before I knew that Uncle David's coming home." I said while walking over to the bookshelf to open passage to my secret room.

"Oh." He paused. "When is he coming again? I almost forgot about it even it was just few days since your father broke the news. I'm really having a short term memory loss these past few days." This time I've already opened the door and we immediately walked over before it closes again.

"Unfortunately, today was the day."

"So that explains why I was summoned here by Mr. Alexander the Great, huh?" He teases while I'm setting up the game console for us to start playing.

"Whatever." I responded. "But you can say that." I added as I finish booting up the console and slumped myself on the seat beside him. He then got the game controller and threw the other one to me which I easily caught it in midair.

Being occupied by the couple of games Ace and I are enjoying, we never noticed the time until his phone rang. As he answered his phone, he signaled me to lower the volume of game which I did right after since the sound effects of the game are almost literally banging on the room like the usual when we are here and enjoying the game we are playing. We never worry that someone would be bothered with the noise because I'm positive that this room really has the best soundproofing which is also the reason why I made it my leisure area.

"Who was that?" I asked as he ended the call with the person on the line.

"It was just Loki, reminding me to be back at home before dinner."

"Hmm." I answered, nodding to him as a reply.

"Mom said she was cooking something for dinner as a small celebration for their success partnership with a foreign company few days ago. It was supposed to be celebrated the day they came home but they wanted to me to join them and just waited for me to come back home this weekend." He continued explaining.

I glanced over my wrist watch to check the time. When I confirmed that it was almost six in the evening, I asked, "So, you're leaving now?"

"I think so, as much as I wanted to stay. I needed to go now." He replied sheepishly. "D you want to come?"

"If only I could, but Mom surely won't be allowing me to leave right now." I've been wondering if at this time they aren't here yet. It's been hours since they left.

"Okay, then I'll be going now." He rose from his seat and I followed him towards the door out of the room.

As we went out of my secret room, the voice of Mom sounded inside my room. "And there you two are, I wasn't informed you were also here Ace." It suddenly made us look to the direction where it came from. There we saw that Mom was on the door together with my Uncle which is already in his house clothes. How they look made me realized that probably they've arrived moments ago and we just didn't noticed them getting back.

"How long have you two been there?"

"Not so long son, just quite a moment ago. We're just going to fetch you for dinner." Mom spoke up, sounding so sweet like how she always is. "Since you're already here Ace, why don't you just join us?"

"I loved to, but I really needed to decline your offer tonight Mrs. Jacksons because Mom would surely hang me upside-down above a tub full of boiling water if I wouldn't show up tonight this dinner like what I've promised to her since she said she was cooking for some sort of celebration." We know he was just kidding since I've already met Mrs. Graysen several times and as what I could say, she seems so gentle and loving person and I even doubt if she could even hurt a single mosquito. But I would still bear in mind that an angry mother could turn into something we would never expect her to be, right?

"Then you should hurry up before Lily's temper hit the limit and start preparing a tub of boiling water for your late return." Mom said before letting out a sweet chuckle.

Ace then shared a chuckle and bid his farewell to us. "Bye Mrs. Jacksons! Bye Alex! Bye Mr. Carter, it's nice meeting you again!"

"Oh, just tell Mr. Jacksons that I'll be going!" He turned back on his track and added before continuing his way out.

"I wonder where he got the energy and if he ever loses that." Uncle David commented on him and Mom just chuckled again.

"Let's go back down, so we can have our dinner. Your Dad's already there and waiting for us."

"What took you all so long? I've been starving here." Dad whined as he spotted us walking over the dinning area and Mom just laughed it off before leading us onto the table.

"Oh, I thought I heard Ace shouting a while ago. Where's he now? Or maybe I am just imagining things because of hunger?" Dad questioned.

"He was really here a while ago, Dad. He just left already for some sort of reason."

"I wonder what his reason is to refuse eating with us. It is very unusual for him." Dad commented confusedly which made Mom explain to him the actual reason why.

After some sort of time, silence lingered between all of us in the dinning. All we can hear are the sound of utensils hitting each other as we eat, but that was all before Uncle David spoke up and broke the silence in the middle of our meal.

"So, what's the feeling of almost getting beaten down to death, Zion? Did you have a glance of the holy light?"

Wow! Is he really now insulting me, especially in front of my parents?

"Did they cut your tongue and made you mute. Or they just destroyed your hearing making you unable to hear what I just said?"

"Sorry for disappointing you, but my senses are still intact and working properly. I just don't want to give a shit dealing with your stupid questions." I scorned. "Excuse me, I think I have lost my appetite because of the scumbag in front of me." I dryly added while giving a stern look to my Uncle who sat across me before hardly putting down on my plate the spoon and fork that I've been holding. That made a sound that wasn't so pleasing to hear before I rose on my seat. I managed to walk few steps away from them before Dad spoke up.

"Where are you manners Alexander? Go back here and sit down!" Hearing Dad's words, I can assure myself that he really is getting annoyed on how I acted. Adding to that was the way he addressed me compared to the usual way he was doing.

"Damien, calm down and just let him do whatever he wanted. He'll be thankful of my presence soon enough." I heard Uncle David said as I started walking out of the scene again. Which made me paused on my tracks and stated my last words before bailing out.

"Don't be so sure about that."