Exile

Sitting on the two-seater sofa, Alexa blinked repeatedly.

Her eyes scanned Stephanie's house. There are three bedrooms as she was told, while the living room and dining room were together.

It was just the same size as their living room though it looked normal as it didn't have human organs hanging around the house.

The warm light chandelier above was so bright that she could see the dust on the glass coffee table in front of her.

She sighed, turned her face at the sink direction where Stephanie was busy boiling the water in the kettle for her tea.

The door opened, Alexa looked at its direction and found Stephanie's mother whom she hasn't met entered the house with two plastic full of which seemed to be grocery.

Alexa got up, plastered a genuine smile as she walked towards her.

"Hi auntie," she friendly said.

The woman was taken aback for a moment and then smiled back, she lowered the bags on the floor and stretched a hand.

"Hi, you must be Alexandria."

Hearing the softness of her voice, Alexa felt overwhelmed.

She accepted her hand and firmly shook it.

"Yes, Auntie, I know it's very shameless of me to ask this but can I stay here for one night?"

The woman smiled, nodded her head and turned to her daughter.

"Stephanie, help me prepare the dinner for your friend." She lively said.

Alexa watched Stephanie's mother as they helped each other in the kitchen.

For a moment, she felt a hand gripping her heart, her mother was just like Stephanie's mother, aside from her threatening words and sarcastic remarks, she could say that her mom was warm and gentle.

She gulped hard, suddenly misses her mother.

Her phone rang, she took it out of her pocket and found her brother Ethan calling her.

She rudely ended the call, turned her phone off and sat on the chair in the dining table.

She rested her elbow on the table while her palm supported her chin.

Stephanie doesn't go to her school, but soon she will after she gets all the papers from her previous school and Alexa couldn't help but be excited.

Since Stephanie has the same age as her, she's certain that they will become classmates when she transferred to her school.

Thinking that, Alexa looked at the kitchen counter, "Steph, when are you coming to school?"

A smile curved on Stephanie's lips, she walked closer to the sofa and took a card hidden in the book.

When she handed it to Alexa, the girl's eyes immediately swelled.

Alexa looked at Stephanie with surprised, lowered her eyes on the card in her hand and blinked her eyes.

"Oh my God! You will be in my class!" she squealed in a loud voice.

Stephanie nodded, held her hands and slightly shook them, "Yes, we are going to be classmate!" she yelled.

"Oh my God!" they both screamed at the same time, started jumping with excitement like a kid.

--

After some time, Stephanie and her mother had finished cooking and even the table has been already set.

Alexa bit her lips, soon the smell of the dishes on the table entered her nose. She sniffed and felt that the snakes in her stomach had started to move around.

"When is your cousin coming?" Stephanie's mother asked, looking at the wall clock with a worried face.

"Mom, he's a teacher, for sure he has some papers to check," Stephanie reply, inclined her head towards Alexa with a smile on her lip, "Al, let's eat."

Alexa got up, smoothed down her shirt and strode towards the dining.

As she was about to sit down, the door opened once again. Her eyes shifted from looking at her plate to the door only to find a familiar man with a shock painted on his face.

Her jaw fell on the ground, eyebrow slightly raised in disbelief.

"What are you doing here," she asked, pointing the fork she had in her hand at him.

The man smiled, "I should be asking you that, your brother said you are sick today," he lowered his bag and books on the table, "so Ms. Su, could you explain to me why were you absent in my class today?"

Fear crept out on Alexa's face, she was not expecting her math teacher to be Stephanie's cousin, and she absolutely doesn't have a plan, to tell the truth in front of Stephanie's.

She bit her lips, "well, my brothers really -" she blinked, dumbfoundedly stared at him.

"I didn't go to school today because I was feeling sick this morning but later, I felt," she gulped hard, feeling her cheeks reddening in embarrassment.

"Stop it Carlito. Don't embarrass our pretty guest, change your clothes so we can all eat."

Alexa rose an eyebrow in amusement, lips gradually parting said in surprise, 'Your name is Carlito? I thought it was Carlo," she tried holding her laugh but she slipped and exploded.

Her shoulder shook as she laughed, even Stephanie next to her was laughing as well.

"His name is really funny," Stephanie tapped her shoulder with tears in her eyes, "I call him Lito which is hilarious," she continued.

Hearing the name, Alexa's laugh went louder, she took a deep breath to stop herself from laughing but Stephanie suddenly snorted causing her to laugh again.

Carlo stared at the two-teenagers laughing like there's no tomorrow, with head shaking in dullness, he left the living room and proceeded to his room.

Out of nowhere, a hand lay on Stephanie and Alexa's shoulder, they looked back and found Stephanie's mom looking at them with narrowed eyes, "I think it'll be much better if you two will stop, remember he's your math teacher."

--

At the café.

Ken pressed his lips together when he realized that Alexa was not in the house. He took in a deep sigh, standing next to the chair where his wife was sitting.

"Where is Alexa?" he asked, eyes narrowing with suspicion looked at Ethan and Leo.

The two boys shrugged.

He turned at Selena, sitting on the couch with Killian next to her, "Selena, where is your cousin?" he asked.

Selena swung her head on the side to look at him, "She's at her friend's house. She will stay there overnight," then she turned and watched the evening news.

Ken's lips twitched upon hearing it, "Who gave her permission to leave?" he growled, the voice was irritated.

His wife raised a hand, "Me, she texted me and I said it's fine, some people are guarding her so it's alright."

He scoffed, "It is not alright if her mother finds out that we let her stay at her friend's house overnight, that short-legged woman is going to bomb our house," Ken hastily turned to leave to pick up Alexa but he was stopped when Novie held his wrist.

"Calm down ok?" she said in a low voice, "Daniella's is in a coma, she wouldn't know about -" and the rest of Novie's words died down her throat after realizing what she had just said.