JJ's Firework-er

My family and I had been welcomed a hot welcoming last night and there I was the next day in the Johnsons huge household. I've heard of stereotypes that farmers are poor but these Johnsons were loaded. Well, that was an exaggeration. They simply owned many investment-related objects like their big home, the farm itself, some lands, and a barn. However, they still worked like they owned none of that. Kendrick checked out the actual workers every morning and supervised them while Sally and Jerremy-her son- took care of the barn. Laila took care of Mika. Laila and her mom switched between their jobs every day. Today was Laila's turn for the barn.

I had memorized the Johnsons' routine years ago, but it was always the first day back that ached the most. I was so used to sleeping late and waking up late. As a result, when I woke up the next day at around 5:00 AM by the sound of those Turkeys outside, my body refused to get out of bed. Because of that, Jerremy Johnson was sent to get me downstairs for breakfast. To avoid confusion between him and my brother, I often called Jeremy Johnson JJ.

"Come on man," JJ said in an attempt to wake me up "food has been out for a while, it almost 5:30."

"don't come on man me," I told him back.

"Welp, mom is packing the breakfast by 45 so you better hurrrrry" I can hear his smile.

"Fine." I got up finally, did not change clothes, and went straight downstairs. It seemed like no one was out here. Was I that late? Sally and JJ only were there. Where was MY family?

"Hey, where is every-"

"oh, good morning dear," Sally said with a smile"Did you sleep well? Come along, breakfast is still out." She told me as she led me to the dinner table that I sat a 1000 times eating on before. I decided not to be rude and answer her greeting with a greeting "Morning Sally" I told her with a forced smile "I slept well thanks for asking... I was wondering where are my fam- I mean mom and Jeremy?" I asked and decided to try not to segregate between my family and theirs so I don't come off as rude.

"They went horse riding with Laila" Sally answered as she put me an empty plate, a glass cup, and a fork and gave me the cue to chose the food I wanted: there were croissants, cheeses, two chocolate bars, milk, fresh orange juice, and an egg pie-basically mixed eggs with chopped vegetables in the oven. The food looked delightfully delicious. I always forgot how happy I was about the food from how anxious I was about the actual breakfast conversations I had to endure with both families. I picked out a croissant, a chocolate bar, some milk, and some of the egg pie.

"They went without me?" I asked as Sally washed the dishes of those who already left for work. JJ sat in front of me. " You didn't eat yet?" I asked him. He shook his head and grabbed some food onto his plate. Sally did not answer. She must have not heard me. When JJ noticed that he answered instead "they figured you'd rather sleep" he smirked at that.

"It's not like you would leave me to sleep," I told him rolling my eyes while we both chewed on food. IT WAS SO DELICIOUS OK? LIKE HOMEMADE SWEETNESS. SAVOURY, SALTY, SOUR, SPICY, ALL TOGETHER. I SMILED WHILE EATING: FOR REAL THIS TIME.

"There is a first time to everything" JJ chuckled.

"Wait, do you mean that you will let me sleep in?" I asked him in visible confusion.

"I said there is the first time to everything, not that it will be today" JJ enjoyed messing with me. Something was different about JJ this year and I was liking it.

I knew JJ throughout his middle school years which were the cringiest thing in existence. He was such an annoying child. He used to talk a lot, especially about fandoms and any random, cringy event like that time he farted and blamed it on his classmate or that time he cried because a nacho got stuck in his eye, which was weird hearing. He used to be a chubby child up until this year.

JJ changed. Obviously, he went through puberty. He was now just as tall as his dad. He became way thinner as the fat distributed on his grown body over the past year. personality wise though, he became calmer and more contained, funnier, and more sarcastic.

"Why aren't you and Laila doing the barn duties though?" I asked.

"Dad found some people to hire instead of us working. He got some extra income and is using it for the wages of the barn workers. He sends both me and Laila to check up on how they are working twice a day or so" JJ said.

"That's really cool and what do you do now that you have more free time?" I asked finishing my plate and purposefully filling it again not because I was hungry, but because the food was delicious.

"How is the food boys?" Sally asked from the kitchen.

"Never had been better!" I exclaimed as Sally proceeded to continue with the dishes.

"Cool," I said. Soon, JJ and I finished our plates, and to answer my question he led me to the living room where he showed me his new gaming set. Spoiler alert: we played till afternoon.

"You should probably change' JJ finally said after half an hour "We will be checking out the barn soon. Mom told me take you with me."

"uuh sure thing," I told JJ before putting down my controller and went to dress up. Typically, I would dress up in my own style, but I decided to keep it the low-no need for workers to mock me.

Soon we were off to the barn and just as JJ has said, there were indeed some workers in it(and animals too obviously.) JJ did his thing while I stood back watching, at least for the first time so I would know what to check for next time. JJ checked if the chores were done and if the animals were fed and such and ticked his checklist often. While he did all that work, I watched him from the back of the barn beside a random cow(SHE WAS NOT A RANDOM COW. SHE WAS CALLED NESSIE AND I LOVE HER.) As I stood beside the 'random cow,' one of the barn workers approached me slowly.

"Hey kid," he said standing beside me.

"I am not a kid" is the first thing I said. "shouldn't you be with them listening to Jeremy?" I asked him to make sure he isn't slacking.

"Perhaps," he said, "but nothing is too important during the day."

Wait, what? I glanced at him in confusion then focused back on JJ. JJ could deal with the slacker and I would learn from him how he does it.

"Night is where my day actually begins," he said and I was starting to be creeped out.

"Jerr-" I was about to call up JJ. The worker huffed then in an extremely precise movement of his arm, he shot fire in the barn beside the hay. He shot fire. The guy's hand shot fire. WHat in tHE wOrLD- and in an extremely stealthy movement, he also grabbed me outside, straight away from the barn while JJ and the other workers tried to put down the fire.

"Now listen kid" the barn guy started "You don't seem to be as smart as General Lunar said you would be"

"hey!"

"shut it-" the man said, "at midnight you will come here and we'll go to the night kingdom, get that?" He was so aggressive in the way he spoke.

"What if I don't want to come," I said hotheadedly because I cannot resist complying with anything even if it's something I want to do deep down. If someone ordered me to do it, I would never do it.

"Then deal with the consequences" the guy raised his arm and it was on fire. Still looking at me, he threw more fire, now on the barn itself.

I tried to stay calm. They can put this out.

Another fireball but this time beside Nessie.

"OKAY OKAY I AM COMING, STOP BURNING THINGS" I panicked as I sprinted to Nessie and found some random milk bucket and threw it on the fire but it wouldn't light out. It kept on beaming with the same burning light and kept spreading and so did the fire on the outside on the barn and on the hay. The guys in the barn were panicking. Even JJ was trying his best to stay calm but couldn't.

I looked up to the fire guy in the distance and he raised his hand and simply snapped his fingers then the fire was out.

"Midnight," he mouthed to me. The rest of the workers and JJ have noticed him standing there by now and he didn't care and about hiding. All of us were confused about his presence but only did he creep everyone out when they noticed his arm was on fire and he did not flinch. The fire workers walked away and none of us dared to stop him.