It was only after dinner that Elyse found out what was bothering her son so much.
He handed her a piece of paper with shaking hands.
Instead of asking him what it was, she took it and studied it seriously, being careful not to have any untoward expression on her face.
Though that was a bit hard as it turned out to be a permission slip for a field trip to go to the shelter?
She had been so worried that it was something truly serious that when it was just this, an immense relief fell descended upon her.
Yes, a part of her knew that to her son, this was a serious matter but it's not easy to think and act like another person. She may understand it, but her reactions are still 'her'. Holding back was hard.
If she looked like it didn't seem like a big deal to her, her son would feel even more anxious. Blaming himself for over-reacting.
Being a carer was just as difficult as the person going through it - and some would say more difficult. Elyse wasn't one to quibble for she was on the end of the carer and she had no idea how Shane truly felt. So most likely, each felt that they were in a more difficult position than the other.
What was important right now was to focus on this situation and deal with it.
The fact that her son gave her the permission slip meant that he wanted to go.
This was a huge step!
Previously, he would have just thrown the paper into the wastepaper basket and not even consider the matter.
Having him qualify for the aid to go to Retsu Primary School was truly God's Gift to them. The children there were much more accepting of Shane's quietness. Pre-school had been a slight nightmare for Shane and Elyse had been worried he would never have come out of his shell.
"Field trip," Elyse began slowly then looked at him, smiling, "This is wonderful. Of course you may go."
It would have been stupid to ask him if he wanted to go. He gave her the slip, right? If she had asked, maybe he would have changed his mind and shook his head.
This way, she blocked the path he most likely would have run to if he had the slightest push. So, she pushed him to the path he wanted to take, albeit with some fear.
Shane gave her a pen and she signed it.
At the same time, she made a mental note to talk to Shane's Homeroom Teacher and see what his classmates are like.
This would be his first outing and she was, quite frankly, scared to death as well. The Teacher should be informed about his condition. It was a pity that they were only Primary 1, too, as she could not rely on his classmates to keep an eye on him.
But, at the very least, she could see what they are like. They must be good, to help Shane come out of his shell like this.
An idea formed in her head.
The more she thought about it, the more it seemed plausible.
She wouldn't tell Shane, of course, in case it made him more nervous.
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Shirley experienced a completely different scenario when she showed her parents the permission slip.
With great excitement, she had practically run over to the car. Unable to even wait for them to go home, Shirley had told them, "The school is having a field trip, Mum! Imagine! It's to the shelter!"
The moment Shirley said this, Holly stiffened and turned to look at her husband who was driving. He didn't shift his eyes away from the traffic in front of him, but he did tilt his head a bit, indicating that he was aware of her glare and their daughter's excited chattering behind them.
"There will be so many animals there," Shirley continued, not noticing her parent's abnormal silence, "Cats and dogs for sure. But will there be rabbits? What about birds? Tortoises?"
Shirley began listing out all the animals she knew, looking at her fingers as she counted them and then, with wide eyes, she looked up and said, "Wow, that's so many!"
"But to think nobody wanted them," Shirley then said, sounding a bit sad as she thought about it, "But at least, they have a home."
"Wait, is it a home?" Shirley asked herself, patting her chin, "Whatever!"
She finally declared and kept on chattering all the way home. Opening the door, she dashed out to enter the house when finally, Holly said, "You tell her."
Eric raised his hands and walked in front, "Not me. You."
"Eric! That's not fair!!" Holly complained, stomping angrily to catch up to her husband.
Eric scoffed, "You're the one that doesn't want to allow her to go. Why should I be the bad guy?"
"I'm always the bad guy," Holly stated, "As if you would be comfortable with her going! You're just too much of a wimp to tell her! Not this time, Mister!"
Eric stopped as they reached the door and looked at her, "Well, I'm not telling her. I'm fine with her going. I am not the overly protective one who can't let their little Princess go all alone for a school trip without their parent."
This time, Holly was the one who scoffed, "Yeah, right. As if."
Eric gave a gloating look, sure that his wife would be the first one to back down, so he said, "For sure."
Holly rolled her eyes at him and walked past him to go into the house, not caring to say anything more to him. Eric gave a triumphant grin and nearly whistled as he entered the house.
The smugness didn't last long, however.
When Shirley gave them the permission slip with a happy smile, Holly took it and signed it, giving it back to her before Eric could protest or say anything. Shirley yelled happily in excitement, clutching the paper to her chest with her eyes shining.
Eric's protest died in his throat when he saw this.
He was in a daze as she came over to him, happily saying while giving him a wet, sloppy kiss on the cheek, "Thank you, Daddy!"
She hugged her mum and kissed her cheek, "Thank you, Mummy!"
She ran off to her room and Eric turned to his wife, his mouth wide open that she imagined she could put a whole egg in there.
She didn't say a word and just gave a grin.
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Compared to the other two, the situation at the Smiths was slightly different.
Kyle's face scrunched up as he looked at the paper.
Without a word, he took out his phone and said once it got connected, "Zero, get me all the information on Paws Shelter."
"Yes, everything," Kyle continued after a pause, "Including background information on all its personnel, the bus drivers responsible for the school trip, and the route from Retsu Primary School to it."
After talking a bit more on the phone, Kyle then leaned back on the chair while Alex stared at his father.
Wasn't this a bit of an overkill?
It was just a field trip!
What the heck is his father thinking??
He looked at his mother and sister, who didn't seem upset or fazed at all by such behaviour.
Finally, unable to stand it, Alex said, "Aren't you over-reacting over this field trip?"
Kyle raised an eyebrow.
"You think I'm over-reacting?" Kyle repeated.
Alex looked at him with the expression, 'DUH'.
Kyle smirked.
"The best method to avoid trouble is to be prepared for it," Kyle said.
"It's just a shelter," Alex pointed out.
"A public space where anything can happen," Kyle replied, "A trip that is public information and will only be done in two months. Any sort of preparations can happen in those two months."
Kyle turned serious, "You are Alexander Belvior Smith, the firstborn son of Kyle Smith. Net worth is over a billion dollars and rising. Possible heir to the Smith Industries and well-known that the Smiths place great value over all of their children."
"Do you honestly think that you're a normal kid that can have a normal life?" Kyle said, looking intently at him.
"From the moment you were born, your path has been set for you," Kyle went on, "Well, several paths but still, they are there for you. We do our best to give you a childhood that you should have amidst the responsibilities that you bear."
Sayuri placed a hand on Kyle's arm, making him stop before he went on. He tended to go on and on about this, making Alex's face scrunch up more.
Alex was already seething the moment the words 'your path has been set for you' left Kyle's mouth.
"What your father is trying to tell you, Alex," Sayuri said, "Is that all of this protection and preparations is his way of letting you have a semblance of a normal life. You, and all of your siblings, will always be targets."
Alex pressed his lips together in a tight line.
"It's not like whatever Daddy does would affect the field trip," Aurora piped up, "And you know that."
Sayuri signed the permission slips and gave it back to both of them. Alex took it stiffly, thanked them, and walked off.
His mind was still on the words 'set path'.
No.
He had his own path.
He just had to figure out what it was first.
Whatever it was, it wasn't what his father had planned for him.
That, at least, was something he knew.