I felt giddy as the car drove us back to the game house. It was the way I felt whenever mum and dad left us at home to travel but this time it was because I spoke to mum and dad.
Zeke, Alison and I had taken turns talking to them and Ezra's parents. They were currently on a Navy ship on the Atlantic Ocean. They'd been flown there three weeks ago and were just able to contact Captain Caldwell last week. My mum and Ezra's mum were extracted because the United Nations were gathering scientists to help them analyse the virus that caused the pandemic.
Caldwell hadn't actually gone on a scouting run, he had gone to our house with the soldiers we had seen on the road to get us two days ago. The same day we left home. According to him, they'd run into some trouble which is why they just came back today. We didn't run into them because they took a different road.
He said we could speak to them again tomorrow and I was already counting down the hours. We had already dropped Ezra and Zeke at home and they had looked as elated as I felt. Alison excitement was palpable as she hadn't stopped bouncing in her seat while humming.
The car drove off after dropping us at the game house and Alison bolted into the building. I couldn't stop smiling as I walked up to the double doors and pushed it open.
Clareta was still in the game house when I got back so I guess pool was actually fun. Alison was latched onto her hand as she chattered away while Clareta listened to her with rapt attention. She looked up as I approached and gave me a huge smile. Alison's new friends waved her over and she said a quick 'bye' before leaving.
"Oh my God. I'm so happy for you," she said as she wrapped her arms around me, squeezing hard. "Man, I thought they were dead, no offence."
I let out a laugh because I couldn't even feel offended. The boys at the pool table were smiling as they watched us. Alison must have said it loud enough for them to hear.
"Are you guys going to leave us here," she asked as she releases me, a hint of sadness in her voice.
"Huh?"
"You, Zeke, Alison and Ezra."
Zeke had asked mum but she couldn't give a definite answer. She said people were always being moved from ship to ship and the ship she was on right now couldn't take more people. And there was the fact that Zeke wouldn't want to leave Hae In, I wouldn't want to leave Daniel and Daniel wouldn't want to leave his mum. They also didn't allow dogs on that ship. And even if they could take us, what about Faye and Clareta.
I shook my head at her. "I don't think so."
"Oh, thank God," she lets out a breath before she hands me a cue stick. "... Pool?"
"No," I said and she pouted.
"Do you want me to teach you?" the guy whose name I think is Kayden asked.
"Kayden, I said she has a boyfriend."
"You said had," he exclaimed and I gave her a dirty look.
She gave him a devilish grin. "...Oops."
He frowned at her as she bent over the table and lined the cue stick up with a ball. I looked at the video games side to see if I could join Tatyana. At least I could play video games.
"Where's Tatyana?" I asked when I didn't see her after looking around.
"She left at ten."
"I thought she said she was leaving at ten thirty?" I ask again and she shrugs. I had wanted to see the kitchen but I guess I would see it another time.
Strong arms wrapped around my waist from behind just as a voice crooned in my ear, "Hey beautiful."
I turn around to see Daniel and he pressed his lips to mine. My face immediately flushed when the boys whistled. Wesley, yes handshake high five Wesley, was standing behind him while Zeke was headed to the video games section with an awe-struck look on his face.
"Uh..."
"Zeke told me you talked to mum and dad," he smiled at me. Either he didn't know that we were being watched or he just didn't care.
He tightened his arms around me when I didn't answer and kissed me again.
He nodded at Clareta who winked at him before she abruptly pulled him down with his jacket. She whispered something in his ear and he furrowed his brows before whispering in her ear back. She lets out a snort and holds her hand over the bottom half of her face before he pulls me to a couch that wasn't occupied.
"Enny! Daniel!" Alison rushes towards us with two paper-wrapped cones of ice cream in her hand. "They have an ice cream machine!"
A couple of people glance at us before going back to what they were doing as she hands us a cone. It seems like they have everything in the estate.
"Another thing they have... I got two words for you," she said. "Minibar... or wait. Is that one word?"
"Are we supposed to share one?" I asked and she replied with a 'duh' before she went over to Clareta and gave her the other cone.
Daniel takes a lick of the ice cream and scrunches his face up. He shrugs after a couple of seconds and licks it again.
"What?" I ask.
"Tastes weird but it's still okay." He hands me the cone before he asks about mum and dad and I tell him everything.
His face falls. "Are you... leaving?"
"No," I said, smiling, and he immediately looked relieved.
My eyes dart to Clareta when she lets out a 'whoop' and dart back to Daniel. "What did Clareta ask you?"
He leaned back in the chair. "If Tatyana asked me out?"
I raise a brow at him and began to lick the melting ice cream.
"Who is Tatyana?" he asked and I let out a snort before I realized he wasn't joking.
"The nurse lady that you took me to for my check-up."
"... Oh. Why would she ask me out?"
I rolled my eyes at him. He had gotten used to the sudden pause in a person's natural expression when they looked his way followed by a nonchalant gaze and a weak smile which was accompanied by a blush. He had the kind of face that stopped girls and guys in their tracks. It didn't help that he was so modest with it, it made people fall even more.
"That's true, why would she? You're ugly," Zeke says as he sits next to me, pressing a button on a remote that turns on the screen in front of us. "Let's play a video game."