Chereads / Family of the Sunflower / Chapter 16 - Coming Back From The Beach

Chapter 16 - Coming Back From The Beach

Kai asked Bia what she was doing after checking on Alek. He saw Bia walking away from Alek. He couldn't continue watching because a kid pushed Kai into the water by mistake. By the time he got up from the water, Bia was out of his sight.

He wanted to get out of the water to check but, the parent of the kid who pushed him came to apologize and, he couldn't send them away. When the kid and the mother were gone, that was when he saw Bia approaching him with a smirk.

"Nothing much," Bia said nonchalantly and walked through the water gracefully. "Talking with some guys."

"Mmmhhmm. I see." Kai told her with a hint of sarcasm.

"What?" Bia asked him.

"Nothing." He started to sink slowly, staring at Bia.

"What?" Bia asked a little louder than before. But he just continued to look at her and didn't reply.

He stopped sinking when the water was just below his eyes. Bia hadn't moved from her position since he started to sink, and it was becoming awkward.

"Fine!" Bia couldn't just bear his staring and gave up. "I taught them a lesson."

"What?!" Kai rose up from the water quickly. "Tell me you did not use your powers."

"Relax." Bia didn't want other people to understand their conversation, so she replied in Japanese. "Kubi motte kabe ni haritsuketa dakeyo." Rolling her eyes.

"With your speed and strength." Kai guessed.

Bia half nodded. She didn't want to say because once Kai knew, she didn't want to see the outcome.

Kai sighed. Since when did Bia get reckless like Alek? She thought before she put it in action but now she used her powers. Kai was shocked.

"Don't worry about those guys. I'm sure they would not talk a word about me and never come near Alek." Bia talked before swimming to the deeper parts of the shore.

Kai looked away from Bia and faced Alek far from him. She seemed to be fine, resting on her back. For now, no one was approaching his sister. He just let the problem with Bia go and continued to float, sometimes swim, on the water and relaxed.

After a while, Alek finally woke up from her amazing rest and went to join Kai.

Alek pushed Kai off his big leaf into the water and got on playfully. Kai immediately rose up from the water and turned his leaf upside down so that Alek would now be in the water instead.

Alek rose up and squinted her eyes. Kai reciprocated the action. They both glared at each other before started fighting for the leaf. The leaf was made for a single person but big enough for two people. They splashed water on one another and pulling it towards themselves. It looked like they were playing push and pull.

Soon after, Kai managed to get on the leaf and, Alek was halfway on top when both of them were flipped into the water. When they got up from the water, they saw Bia on the leaf, enjoying the sun peacefully. They looked at each other before pouncing on Bia.

In the end, Bia was lying on her stomach facing the horizon while Kai was lying on her on the top of her legs. Alek looked up at the sky, lying on her back and Kai was strangling her legs between his.

Kai gave Alek his sunglasses so that Alek wouldn't hurt her eyes. Meanwhile, he closed his eyes. Good thing they all put sunscreen on themselves before they left the house, or otherwise, their skin would be peeling off by now.

They floated like that without talking until their parents told them they were leaving.

The sun was not yet touching the horizon, but they didn't want to get in the jam that was going to be around an hour later from now. They said yes in unison before using their hands as floppers lazily to get to the shore. None of them tried to move from their place on the floaty even though they reached the shore.

Alek finally got up after ten minutes of lying and walked with her spine bent in half the elliptical and walked to the tree where her parents were waiting slowly. Kai and Bia followed what Alek did and reached the tree with Bia dragging the leaf on the sand.

Panacea laughed at how her children were walking and walked to the car with things in her hands. The floaty needed to be squashed by Kai and Bia as Alek was helping their parents put the things they brought back into the car.

They were already dry, so they needn't wait to dry up after squashing and before they got in the car.

Alek brought out the towels she had in her bag and handed them to everyone, just in case they were feeling cold. Bia didn't know that Alek had brought towels and she thanked Alek for it. Truth to be told, she was feeling a little cold and she could feel light goosebumps on her skin. Bia and Kai wrapped themselves in the towels before finally sitting in the car.

Robin insisted on driving but, Alek badly wanted to drive again, so he let her. At least now he didn't have to worry about Alek driving poorly.

The way back home was much more relaxed than before as Alek didn't drive at a high speed and being reckless. Alek stopped at a mall as her mother said she needed to buy groceries and, Alek also got out to help her mother and also to buy ice cream for herself.

They had not changed from their beach clothes but no one seemed to care as there was a popular beach nearby and, many people wore their beach outfits.

Alek and Panacea were shopping while chatting until the rest of the family joined them.

"Oh, hi." Alek and Panacea greeted their family with a smile. "I thought you guys wanted to stay in the car?" Alek asked.

"Yeah, yeah we did." Bia answered her sister with a fake smile. "And you know what? You guys take years." Kai and Robin nodded to Bia's statement.

"Really?" Panacea was kind of surprised. She thought it has only been minutes since she entered the supermarket.

"Yep." Kai told his mother.

"Well then, you can help us shop then." Panacea spoke happily looking at how many people were with her.

The three of them agreed with a little hesitation and unwillingness. Panacea grinned at how Bia asked what she needed to buy and told her.

They separated into two groups; Alek and Panacea, and, Kai Bia and Robin. The three of them kept coming back to Panacea for what they need because the list was long. They roamed in the supermarket for an hour before getting what they needed. They even used the shopping cart to carry all the groceries to the car.

They reached the house before the sun was down.

All of them needed to go back to the car a few times so that they can get everything out from the car. The car was seven-seater but they folded the last seats to make more space for the trunk.

After putting the groceries in the right place in the kitchen and was done putting the dirty things in the sink, the children showered one by one. Alek was the last one to shower and when she was done, she collected all the dirty laundry from everyone and set the washing machine.

While she was waiting for the washing machine, she washed the dishes and read a book next to the washing machine in silence. She didn't even hear the washing machine making noise because she was concentrated. She changed her position rapidly while reading. Ale didn't even notice the sunlight fading as she was too concentrated on the story.

When Bia entered the room, it was dark. She turned the lights on to find her sister lying on the floor in a fetus position reading a book. At least her thumb was not in her mouth.

It took a few minutes for Alek to notice the lights on and she looked around in wonder until she saw Bia in the doorway.

Bia saw her sister averting her eyes from the book and when her eyes caught the sight of Bia, Bia crept out. Alek was staring at her with big but emotionless eyes.

Alek snapped out of her daze slowly when she saw Bia move. She needed time to come back to reality from the world she was in.

"Hey." Bia spoke after seeing her sister's mind coming back to her body.

"Hi. What are you doing here?" Alek asked.

"I just came to check the washing machine because I heard the noise. I thought it was malfunctioning." Bia looked at the rumbling washing machine next to Alek.

"I'm the one who set the washing machine." Alek told her sister.

"Seems like it." Bia nodded seeing her sister and the washing machine.

"Are you going to make supper today?" Alek asked after a short silence.

"Yep. Mom's tired." Bia answered. "Actually, it's me and Kai. You can hang the clothes while we prepare." Bia didn't want Alek to prepare food because she was already hanging clothes.

Bia left after saying that sentence, leaving the light on. Alek was a little irritated because she left the light on and, she tried to turn it off.

"Don't!" Alek heard her sister half shouting from the kitchen and grumbled. It was like Bia knew Alek would do that. When Alek tried to turn the light off after five minutes, she heard it again. She was sure Bia couldn't see what she was trying to do.

'Dang it.' Alek thought but she didn't say it out loud.

Little did she know, there was a mirror behind Alek that Bia can see from the kitchen if she moved a little. But Bia didn't need to use the mirror to know what her sister was trying to do.

Alek liked dark rooms with a little sunlight because it was 'calming'. She explained to Bia why. She said it was like she was in the mother's womb. Bia didn't listen to her nonsense and still opened lights and curtains for her own sake. Alek would have bad eyesight if she continued to do it.

Bia smiled when she saw Alek going back to the fetus position to continue her book.