Cain did not prescribe to Asher's recommendations. He climbed up trees in Tree Camp when he wasn't looking, he raced after Adah when she forgot about the recommendations too.
And now he was paying the price, heaving over the porcelain throne in Asher's house.
"This is why I told you to take it easy," Asher told him from outside the door. However, he had a suspicion that it was more so the new genetic material in his system.
"Shut up," Cain demanded before another wave of nausea hit him.
"They try to silence me because they know I'm true," Asher muttered as he walked away, clearing the way for Adah and Mum. Mum was a nurse, so she was concerned for the boy attempting to puke in the hallway bathroom.
"Cain? Are you alright?" Mum asked.
"Yes, Mrs Abbott. I'm just a tiny bit dehydrated," Cain lied. He would never be dehydrated, he kept a flask in his vest.
"Are you sure?" Mrs Abbottinquired, raising an eyebrow.
"Yes, I was so excited about getting some new materials for the range that I forgot to drink water this morning." Cain continued.
"Alright, so you should just drink some more water. I'm still skeptical about allowing you to sleep over, though, if it turns out that what you have is infectious," Mrs Abbott told him.
"I can sleep away from Adah, Asher, PJ, and Miriam if that helps ease your consciousness," Cain said.
Mrs Abbott began to walk away. "Now that we have that handled, I'll be in the office. Knock if you need me."
"Shoof. That was a close one!" Adah exclaimed as her mother got out of earshot.
After a half minute, Cain replied. "Yeah, that was. I feel more tired than nauseous now."
"You can stay in my room," Asher offered. During sleepovers, the boys always slept separate from girls so he didn't understand why Asher was repeating something he already knew.
"Alright," Cain said. "I need some help getting up the stairs though."
Leaning on Asher's shoulder he was escorted through the living room to the stairs which climbed up the wall nearest to them and to the second floor. Part of the hallway hung over that living room, and you could see down into it above the railings to the right. On the left were three doors for the Jack and Jill bedroom-bathroom-bedroom set up. At the end of the hallway was a closet. At the opposite end was a turn left to the two offices, one which was a real office and the other had been turned into a library by Asher.
The said boy escorted Cain into his room. Pressed against the dark blue wall on the left side of the room was a bed with a dark oak frame at the back. A nightstand of the same color was to the right, and in front of that was a blow up mattress. In front of the bed was a door to a closet. To the right was the door to the bathroom along with a dresser which also served as a desk. Glued to the walls in some places were shelves holding up awards. He also had a star trek poster hung right above his head. Pasted to the ceiling were glow-in-the-dark stars.
"Will you be alright in here?" Asher asked as Cain layed down on the air mattress and pulled a blanket over himself.
Cain took off his vest and threw it to the side before saying: "Just close the blinds and I will be."
Ashed did so and then said, "If you need anything, please call me."
"I will," Cain replied.
"Good night - er, evening," Asher said as he closed the door.
Cain woke up in a cold sweat. He jerked into a sitting position, breathing heavily, and in a couple of seconds his eyes adjusted to the darkness. He could see almost everything clearly from the light of the glow stars.
How does he sleep with those? Cain thought, breathing slower, transfixed by the mesmerizing glow. They're so bright!
Whatever. I don't need to sleep now, anyways. I'm hungry. He continued as he slid on his vest. He unplugged his phone and the lights temporarily blinded him. One in the morning. Typically, at sleepovers, the girls went to bed at 10 and the boys at 12. At this point of time, Asher could still be conscious, as he suffered from insomnia.
He stood up and saw Asher sleeping, almost face down on a pillow. So that's how he sleeps, Cain thought, suppressing a chuckle.
The carpeted stairs muffled the sound of him dropping down the stairs. He stood on the edges of the rug that stood an inch away from a sofa in the middle room and made the leap to the tile of the kitchen.
Then, dropping into a low stance, he sneaked across the floor and opened the pantry door. The loud creak hurt his ears. He turned the lights on and the brightness astounded him. After a couple of seconds, he snatched a bag of Doritos and turned off the switch.
I'm going to need to open the bag, Cain realized. He closed the door to muffle the noise and opened the bag, but it still sounded like a gunshot.
He turned on his phone and put it on the shelf to provide some light as he ate the doritos, standing alone in the cool pantry. When he finished, he tossed it into the garbage can and slid his phone back into the pocket in his vest.
At this point, he was fully awake, though his mind felt like it was swarming with bees. He walked over to the living room and sat down on the couch facing the TV, hunched over, reading a social media page on his phone.
After a couple of minutes, his eyes started to work and he sighed. I can't keep on doing this for the whole night, he thought as he walked towards the windows.
He could see the shadows of the trees severed from the midnight sky. Crickets serenaded the fireflies which flickered in and out over the pine straw. Above the forest loomed a clawlike moon. Despite the minimal lighting, he would see everything.
An idea struck him like lightning. He raced to the front door and put on his snug sneakers, not even hesitating thinking about his lack of socks.
And after a second, he stood at the back door again, staring into the night. He opened the door and despite the icy-colored moon the air was warm. He stepped onto the deck which shined at every angle.
He took a step down the stairs, staring through the small backyard at the darkness. Cain's breathing became more steady as he turned in a circle, staring at the safety of the house and the wild in the opposite direction.
He dashed across the stones littering the lawn like he was crossing a river and then disappeared into the forest.