Chapter 44 - One slice of cake

She departs, leaving me alone with my siblings. After this eventful series of events, no one dares utter a word, unsure of what to say. Noticing the tension, Aurora is the first to break the silence. She smiles awkwardly and points to the refrigerator.

"I'm… not sure what just happened, but I made some cake if you want some."

Calliope radiates eagerness.

"More cake!! I want some too!!"

Asher looks at Calliope with a worried expression and sternly speaks to her.

"Calli, if you eat too much sweet stuff, your teeth will fall off and then you won't be able to eat anymore!"

With a panicked face, she replies, glancing at me for confirmation.

"R-really? Is that true?"

Without looking her in the eye, I approve of Asher's claim. She throws a dejected glance my way. It takes everything I have to not give in and give her the cake despite the negative health effects. We need to keep her healthy as much as possible. In the last two weeks, she has eaten more sweets than I have in the last year. Is it because she hasn't had it before, or is she simply the biggest sweet tooth I've ever met?

Still skeptical, she looks to Aurora for help.Unfortunately for Calliope, Aurora does not back down. She speaks to her, even more authoritative than Asher.

"Calli, I said no! Yesterday was your last slice for the next two days remember? We promised? Promises are important, right?"

Calliope, on the verge of tears, does not have a counter argument. She knows Aurora is right. Thus, she slowly heads back to my room, which is her room now. Before she can exit the kitchen, Aurora declares something that immediately lifts her mood.

"But, since today is a special case, and that Alden is back and well. I'll allow one  more slice. Come sit down."

Her eyes light up with excitement. She runs back to the dinner table and sits down, patiently waiting for her promised slice of cake. Her feet kick the air under the table and her joy permeates the atmosphere, contaminating all three of us. Even the previously severe Aurora can't help but let a smile invade her face upon seeing the joyful little girl. The same goes for Asher and I.

Immediately, Aurora retrieves the cake from the refrigerator and places it on the table. The cake she presents is a beautiful chocolate cake topped with fresh chocolate covered strawberries. It consists of two layers of frosting. The top layer is decorated with a beautiful art piece made from frosting which resembles a rose. Aurora sometimes likes to display her artistic talent on her pastries. 

At the same time, Asher sets plates and Silverware, I pour four glasses of milk, one for each of us and Calliope's only job is to remain seated and wait for the treat. As a finishing touch, I add one scoop of vanilla ice cream on Calliope's slice, a scoop of the same on mine, a scoop of strawberry ice cream besides Asher's slice and a scoop of chocolate ice cream in a different bowl for Aurora. They thank me. I know all of their preferences when it comes to ice cream. I also know how they like to have it with their cake. I must admit that it was a guess for Calliope, but this girl loves ice cream to a point I doubt it would make any difference. When all is ready, there is nothing left for us but to dig in. Aurora offers a few words before we do so.

"A bit late… but welcome back Alden."

Asher does the same, but with a curious grin.

"So, that girl who came to deliver the news. Is she…? I mean, that hug was pretty intense"

"No! We're just friends! Let's eat!"

Aurora does not let the matter go so easily.

"Is that who you were going to see the other day when you went on that date?"

"Well, yeah, but it wasn't like that! Also it wasn't even a date!"

"Sure, but you were wearing cologne, you never wear cologne."

I have no reply, they have both cornered me. Calliope, who did not bother to wait for us, makes a statement of her own with her mouth full of cake. 

"She's really pretty, but I don't like her! She's too scary, and mean!"

I can understand why she would say that. Sylvia refused to allow it when Calliope wanted to reach me. Even going as far as to scare the little girl. It may be hard in the future to get Calliope to appreciate Sylvia. The first impression definitely could have been better. WIthout dwelling on the matter any further, Calliope returns to her plate, nearly inhaling the slice of cake. Aurora continues.

"Whenever your.. issue… is sorted. She could come over for dinner one day. We'd love to properly meet her."

'Sometimes I feel like she's also taken some of mom's role'

I vocalize my thoughts.

"Aurora, I sweat, it's not like that!"

"Okay… But I just think that it's okay for you to.. Focus on yourself once in a while and… explore something new."

Asher silently agrees, discarding his unserious expression and I can feel the emotion in their statement. She is right that, even before DaiKar, I did not have much time for myself. I had a family to support after all. I needed to make ends meet while still being a good student. That did somewhat cost me nights out with friends and the formation of stronger bonds, but I never once regretted it or resented my siblings for it. I was proud to have this role as the beating heart of the household. In the same way that I would make the same decision with Soulweaver, I would do it all over again for their well-being. With a sigh, I look them both in the eyes and reassure them.

"I know you guys just want what's best for me, and I promise I'll be okay, you don't have to worry. Sylvia is my… she's my friend, a good one. Now, let's eat, seriously, I haven't had your pastries in a while!"

With my words, we all devour the piece of cake before us. I am not as fast as Calliope who has already finished. She salivates at the sight of our parts. Forgetting the previous arrangement, Calliope pleads with Aurora, then Asher, then with me. None of us concede, but I, with Aurora's agreement, give Calliope two more scoops of ice cream after making her swear it would be her last. Fortunately, she's already had lunch, hence, giving her sweets is not too much of a bad idea.

Upon noticing the lack of food on all of our plates, I clear the table and head to the sink to clean them.. Asher and Aurora try to take them off my hands to do it themselves, but I assure them that it is no trouble and continue. After putting everything away, I invite everyone to go shopping. My siblings question me about our finances, worried that we cannot afford it. When I retrieve my watch from my room and show them the state of our account, they are stunned, I've already cashed in Ivana's check. They've never seen so many numbers in the account at once. They tremble with excitement, already thinking of what they've been wanting to get for a long time. Asher stutters, stumbling over his own words.

"T-t-that's real, right!? Y-you're not doing anything shady, right??"

I assure him that the money was obtained legally and set aside a budget for the trip. We head for the nearest shopping center.

When we return, Aurora is carrying many bags containing clothes, make up and different sets of jewelry. Her biggest bag however, is filled with baking supplies such as molds, specialized machines and tools. Asher's bags contain several virtual reality games, among which is the new iteration of Sonarise he has been wanting to play, but did not have the courage to ask me for. He was also forced to buy clothes by Aurora and new sets of shoes. They've both bought school supplies as well. These items include personal mock instruments for training. They've had to use the basic, flimsy ones offered by the school in the same way I did. To see them carry their own fills me with joy. 

We've also made an order for the newest model of the Melodican watch. This will take some time to arrive, however. Since they act as methods of identification, obtaining a new one, even if simply changing the model, is a bit of a tedious process. Calliope preferred to obtain toys for her rather than practical items. She is nine after all. Certain stores had a multitude of those, so I had to remind her that even if we do have more money now, we can't simply purchase the whole place. She ended up choosing a dozen of her favorite ones. Of course, Aurora made sure to also make her pick clothes she liked, no matter how disinterested the little girl seemed in the matter.

As for me, I was equally made to buy new clothes, despite my lack of need for them. At DaiKar, we wear the same uniform everyday. To be honest, there was nothing I particularly wanted, this trip was mainly for them. Though, as I glanced through the stores, I did end up getting something else than the clothes.

The sun has already fallen when we return to the apartment. Two days pass by in a flash in their company. It is now midnight and I find myself under the moonlight standing in Lauderdale's practice field. Sylvia stands before me.

"So you've come… Alden"

"Of course."