ELI WOULD FEEL SAD

When their food came, the three of them ate in silence but soon the deafening silence was broken by Neon. Perhaps he felt the awkwardness between Eli and his sister. Or maybe he just didn't like the silence. In any case, with him there, Eli and Belle were able to chat without thinking too much about their current situation.

"Belle, am I still going to school in three weeks?" Neon asked during their dinner and this question made Eli look at Belle as well. He was considered her direct employer and he knew that Belle has been busy in the hospital. Although she wasn't fired from her work, she couldn't work as a nurse either. And she wasn't paid for it as well. She could only rely on Eli at the moment.

"Yes, love. I will still send you to school. Do you want to move somewhere? Don't you like your previous school?"

"I'm okay with the place but I will be too far from you."

Eli stopped eating for a while and placed his chopsticks on the side. He would feel sad with Neon gone as well. "Can I make a suggestion?"

"What is it?"

The cold response brought a shiver to Eli's spin and he was thinking twice if he should speak up. After all, it was a problem that the siblings should deal with on their own. Still, he couldn't stop himself from feeling sad when thinking about Neon's future.

"My mother said that she will send Andrei to a public school. He may need special care but private schools where he studied previously were nowhere better than public schools. If you want, you can send Neon to the same school. In that way, my nephew will have a friend, which goes the same for Neon, too."

"Which school will he be going to?"

"It should be St. Francis Academy. It's the primary and secondary level school affiliated with Xena University. It sounds like a private school but it is actually a public school that hones their students either with their intellectual capabilities or with their athletic skills."

"Oh! I remember, Cayenne Dumrique goes to Xena University, right?"

"Uhh huh. If everything goes well with her studies and pregnancy, she should graduate this year."

Belle nodded her head and thought about what Eli said. It would be great if Neon could go to the same school as Andrei but that means she needed to find a place near the school soon. She can't continue to be a freeloader in Eli's home. Her shamelessness isn't as thick as Ceres'.

"Give me a week," she told Neon while caressing his face. "I will think about it and find a way to make it happen."

"Thank you, Belle. Anyway, whatever you think is better for me, I will not be against it. You are the adult between us."

"Alright. I'll be sure to decide on the better option."

[Does that mean we're getting funds from those bank accounts?]

Belle knew they weren't supposed to do it since there was no guarantee that the money was hers. However, she was pushed into a corner and she has no other choice.

[How about we stop this amnesia drama?]

(We'll do that in due time. Not now.)

Their dinner ended an hour later and Neon was rubbing his stomach happily. Belle was also doing the same thing which brought a smile to Eli's face. Usually, she would be so restricted; not wanting to show any flaws that would be a stain on her image but right now, she looked so carefree and pretty.

[Pretty? Where did that adjective come from?]

Since they had finished their dinner already, the three of them decided to take a dip in the hot spring. Neon walked away with Eli and Belle walked in another direction when no one was watching her anymore. Her objective wasn't about the hot spring. She needed to leave as soon as she can, finish what she went there for, and returned before Eli and Neon noticed she was missing.

Using the emergency exit, Belle jogged down to the ground floor and used the back door where the staff usually goes out to throw away their trash bags. There were several vehicles there owned by the resort and she could use them to hide herself.

Under one of the vans, she pulled her stashed backpack. It was something she hid there earlier when no one was watching. She was even able to secure a one-liter aqua flask with boiled water stored in it.

The night was perfect with no moon illuminating her and creating a shadow. She could easily move around with no one spotting her.

(Can we really make it there?)

[We will. Trust me.]

Belle finally allowed Ceres to take over her body and the latter, controlled Belle to run as fast as she could. She didn't use the path made by humans because there was a high risk of someone other people seeing her. She chose a shortcut and that was by crossing the forest in between the resort and the village.

"Ahw!" Ceres exclaimed when a sharp branch cut the side of her face. [Damn that branch!]

(You better think of an explanation for that when those boys see us later.)

Ceres just wiped off the blood on her face and continued running. Her lungs hurt after running straight for over ten minutes without stopping but she held on until she emerged on the other end of the forest. The road finally came into view and she saw a sign board saying 'Arayat Village'.

[We're finally here. Are you sure you want to do this? When we step on that road, there's no going back anymore. Whether you change your name or not, I will not allow you to get your body back until we're done.]

(My heart turned to a stone a long time ago. There's no space for conscience inside it anymore.)

Ceres nodded and jumped off to the road in front of her. The night was still and only the sounds of frogs, crickets, and owls could be heard. Few solar-powered lights were placed in every 50 meters which barely illuminated her way.

This time, she'll take back everything that belongs to her. It didn't matter if that woman took them in. It didn't matter if she was considered her godmother. For Neon, Belle will reset everything and close off her emotion.

(Let this life be damn!)