Thud! Thud! Thud!
Those footsteps were soft, rapid and chaotic. The boy and the girl argued back and forth without a pause. Saina has a wide smile on her face, it showed that she has been waiting for them.
"Here comes the twin." She said.
Then, she pushed herself up, moving herself to the corner of the hallway. August paid attention to her more than anyone who might came out of the dark hallway. She leaned on the wall, making herself as flat as possible. He came to the realization that this move is going to make someone cry. In a sense, she was cruel trying to do that.
The twin coming close, their voices became loud and clear.
"I'll win again, haha!" The boy shouted joyfully.
"You always win!" The girls shouted back, her voice shook and cracking. She was about to cry.
The boy suddenly dashed out from the darkness. Without knowing, Saina came out of the corner, making a loud roar.
The boy almost lost balance on the spot. His body leaned forward but his feet stuck on the floor. Luckily, he's able to rebalance himself.
He didn't say a single word, but the drop of tear running down on his cheek. His eyes become glossy as his body began to shake, lightly.
Oh, great job! Now we have two crying kids!
August looked at Saina, her face wore no ashamed. Instead, she smiled from ear to ear.
Heartless!
The boy was a human, so the girl must be the same. He has brown short hair; it was messy like a bush. He has a round face, big green eyes and one of his front teeth disappeared. He wore a very oversize fur sweater which covered half of his legs.
August looked worried, he immediately crouched down in front of the boy. Deep down, he also finds Saina a little intimidating, due to her looks and behavior. For the kids, she might be scary in their eyes. August wiped the boy's tear with a gentle smile, "It's alright."
The boy froze, "W-Who are you?"
Oh...right.
August answered with a friendly tone, "I'm August. And don't worry I'm not a thief or anything."
While saying so, he glanced at Saina which she replied back with an irritating grin which made August doubted his own patience.
The girl soon, came out of the darkness. As he thought, the girl eyes were watered. She's sniffing while trying her best to held on those tears. Reyna, the girl, has most of the feature like his brother. It was very obvious that they are twin, if Saina hadn't told him, August could have guessed with ease. She has a brown hair that hang loose on her back and wearing the very same sweater as his brother. Hair was the only thing August can use to identify each of them, since both of them look exact identical, even the boy face looks feminine like the girl.
"Why don't you listen to me!? Dad said don't run!" Reyna shouted, her voice trembling.
The boy didn't argue back, but didn't make eye contact either, he didn't even turn back to talk to her.
August sighed silently in his mind. To be in such a situation, he didn't have much experience. He couldn't remember the last time he argues with his siblings, all of his family pursue knowledge. Like the most of Mha'rea citizen, those who priorities knowledge above everything else tends to have only a tiny bit of any emotions or feelings. They are true walking library. August was different, he was the oldest brother of all three children. Both of his sibling was born way after his birth. The middle son, only spend a couple year in his youth with their mom, while the youngest sister never has a chance to meet her. Their mother was the foreigner who married to Mha'rea man, August who spend his younger years with a very emotional mom took a lot from her, mostly sympathy.
The reason why August isn't used to with these situations was because both of his siblings were a puppet with no emotion, so, he always curious that in his funeral, did they cry?
The boy looked at his feet, at guilt, he chose to do nothing. August gently grabbed his shoulder. The boy lifted his head up, their eyes met, "Are you scared?"
Nodded, the boy's tear never appears again, but his face slowly turned red.
"It's okay. But your sister also scared, you know?"
The boy blinked rapidly.
"See?"
The boy turned to his sister under August's guidance.
This was the most gently voice he has ever use, he's trying his best not to provoke the boy, "Your sister worried about you. She's afraid that you will hurt yourself. If you tripped, if you fall, will she be happy? No, she would cry so hard, none of us couldn't even hear your voice! Would you like to hear your sister cry?"
The boy silently shook his head.
"Then what do you do?"
The boy answered with very faint voice, "Say sorry..."
"Mhm. Apologize. Now, say sorry to your sister."
The boy slowly walked toward his sister. As she crying, the boy used both of his arms and tied it around her. The girl was stunned but eventually hugged him back.
August turned to Saina, this time the gentle smile disappeared from his face. He still afraid of her, but he figured that this is the time to showed that he isn't. He won't be put in the lowest hierarchy of this house, not ever. He said, with a gritted tooth, "You...too."
Saina visibly shocked, "What?"
August left the twin behind; he stood up to confront her. Before, Saina met him while he was sitting. But now that he stood up in front of her, the height different was significantly huge. Seeing how he completely towered her, she was caught off guard. He repeated, "You, apologize."
She didn't know that August could be this intimidate, he has the same air as Rein, her dad. Under the harmful looks there's a kind-heart person but that person also covered his fangs completely from the world. She didn't argue further, being putted to her place she sadly walked to the twin, she joined the hugging group of two, "I'm sorry, Ra."
Reyna and Ra?
After successfully solved a small family problem he knew how his future will be. Miserly and painful headache will definitely occupy his everyday life. If he has family this big, problems will come in a terrifying rate. But what can he do?
He sighed, "So you are Ra?"
The hugging circle already disbanded at this point, the boy turned back, his voice was now back to loud and clear, "Rajan."
The girl stopped crying, only left with a bright wide smile, "I'm Reyna!"
August smiled back at her, "I'm August. I'm your...new brother."
She rushed to him without any words. Surprised, the girl hugged his leg tightly, "Nice to meet you, big brother August!"
This was the feeling he has felt once. But it has been forgotten long time ago. He felt like he came back into his mother arms again. Even if she just his knees tall, he felt genuine love and respect from all of them. He felt that to a certain level, Saina's respect for him has been increase, the way she looked at him gradually change. The twin fond for him exceeded his expectation. It not even been an hour since he met three of them, and they already felt like family, they've done more siblings stuff than his real siblings ever done in fifteen years!
Before he could give Reyna a proper hug back, she let go of him. Saina grinned, she spoke in low voice, "Congrats, never seen someone pull out this great performance at their first day."
Huh?
She continued, "Most of us just sit awkwardly at the dining table, not this."
I'm doing great then!
August frowned, "So you did all this just to test me?"
She chuckled irritatingly, "Nonsense! I did that for fun. Maybe blame you later, who knows!?"
August froze, while he has a hint of wraith in his eyes, he stayed silent. At this point he didn't know anymore, if this girl being annoying is just an act or her true self. He wants to test it out but didn't know how. For now, he let her be.
"Say August, how old are you?" Saina asked once she dropped herself back on the couch.
"Twenty."
She whistled, "Oh, so you're the oldest of us all! Huh...why does dad even take you here?"
He noticed that all the books have dust and web all over them, saying that these books never been touch in a while, maybe ever.
He pointed it out, "I'm guessing that they are no proper school here, huh?"
He's not completely guessing. Rein told him that these kids never receive a proper knowledge which have two possibilities. One, there's just simply no school here, or they're just that bad. Either way, these kids won't be able to learn anything.
"Could say that. There's only a military school, well, most of them kids are just kids who got sold by their parents. Believe it or not, a kid value is a full year of food supplies for a couple. Generous, isn't it?"
Generous my ass! How could parents do that? Is this place that fuck up!?
"How come you guys being adopted then? Rein bought you?"
Saina shrugged, pouted, "Some. Not me, though. And before you ask about my past life, I don't wanna talk about it."
Okay?
Saina continued, "There's also a school under the watch of Friday's gang. You can guess why they're not our option."
August nodded, he finally understood the situation here, "Alright, then be amaze. I will be your teacher from now on."
The twin overheard their conversation, the boy's eyes lit up in excited, "Really!?"
August didn't know that both of them were listening, but it isn't a secret or anything. In the end, he must teach them all, "Yes. And to be frank, I'm well educated in my area. And-uh quite alright in many other."
Saina bought it quite easily which surprised him. He thought she would be too, stubborn. But seeing how she accepted the fact that her brother will also be her teacher this easily, he felt at ease.
"Seems like dad didn't dig you up from this garbage hole, huh?" She jokingly teased her own home ground which isn't so far from reality.
August didn't answer that question, since there's no reason to tell her about Mha'rea and all that dying stuff. He being technically crossed the White Wall might freak her out. He could lie about being from another city down south, but his knowledge of western land isn't much and he couldn't underestimate Saina's brain either. If she's not insisted, he won't tell.
Then, after chatting for a while. Reyna suddenly blurted out, "Oh no! Big sister Saina! Big sister Isha asked us to bring you to the dining table! We completely forgot!"
Rajan looks as worried as his sister, "Oh Reyna, how could you forget!?"
She immediately shouted at her brother, "You do too!"
But Saina seems to be the calmest one, "Ah! Don't worry! Once she sees August, she will forget all that, trust me. Isn't so easy to ignore this one."
What could that possibly mean!?
August was confused for Saina's statement for a second. But Reyna just grabbed his right leg, pulling it with all her might, but he barely felt anything, "Come!"
Then, Rajan helped her pulled his other leg. August smiled; he felt his heart being warm but not from his ascended ability. He played along, begin to step forward with the little help of the twin. Saina rushed forward didn't wait for them. But August and the twin playing until they have reached the dining room.
Along the hallway, there are other four rooms which is two bathrooms, one storage room and one kitchen. The closer to the dining room the louder of these talking noise. They came out of the other side of the door, mumbling, August couldn't catch a single word.
August looked down at the twin, they look exhausted but happy. August pushed the door forward.
Inside, the long table placed in the middle of the poorly designed room.
Do all the room look the same!?
This room look just like the living room but wider. Again, there was a lot of doodles on the walls, but that only it. On the wooden long table, seats are all occupied once the twin returned to their seat. On one end of the table assume to be Rein's on the other was left empty. But there's also another one left beside a big-muscular guy.
Muscular dude it is.
If there's no one sitting opposite of Rein, August won't be the first. He walked toward the other empty chair, while being stared by each from the table.