Xander and Xerra had a good night's sleep to the point that both of them woke up late. Xander missed this, being with his sister and spending time with her. For now, he decided to forget everything and focus on Xerra for the mean time.
Like usual, he woke up earlier than his sister so he went down to the kitchen to cook them some late breakfast. He opened the fridge and saw that it was fully stocked, it must have been the work of Carl. He found chicken legs and some vegetables which he carried to the sink as he started to prep the ingredients.
He missed cooking so he could not help himself from humming while cooking curry that his sister likes. Xerra came through the door while yawning. She smiled when she saw the familiar scene she had missed so much. Instead of disturbing her brother, she decided to sat down and waited for him to finish cooking.
Xander was thoroughly enjoying himself so when he turned around, he was a bit surprised to see his sister. He did not notice when she came in but he immediately smiled towards her without further ado, he placed the food on the counter.
After giving thanks, Xerra scooped a spoonful of rice with the curry sauce and placed it in her mouth. "I really missed your food brother! Although brother Carl is a good cook, I still prefer the food you cook," she commented while putting another spoonful on her mouth.
"I also missed cooking for you and please eat slowly, I cooked enough for the two of us." He picked the napkin and wiped the sauce on his sister's face. They then enjoyed the food like they always do after that Xerra helped with cleaning the table and washing the dishes before she was sent by Xander to take a bath and change clothes.
He was planning on taking Xerra to the amusement park since it was a Saturday after that he would treat her to any where she wants. He went upstairs and to his room to also prepare for the day. After he took off his top, he then realized that he forgot to clean the wound and changed his bandage because he was with his sister.
He shook his head and carefully removed the bandage and dressing before he went for a quick shower. The wound stung for a bit but he endured as he carefully cleaned it too.
Carl came to the house and it was Xerra who opened the door for him. "Where's your brother?" he asked when he saw that there was no one in the living room besides the little girl.
"He's at his room. We are going out today so he must be changing clothes too." Xerra answered. "We are going to the amusement park, are you coming with us?"
"I think I will," Carl grinned as he ruffled her hair then Xerra gave him a glare. She just finished combed her hair and now it was ruffled again.
"He's taking his time. I'll go get your brother then." Carl stood up and went upstairs. As he was used to it, he did not knock and just opened the door like he always does and what he saw was out of his expectation.
Xander was currently dressing his wound when the door opened abruptly and when he raised his head to see who it was, he saw his friend's frowning face and before he could hide everything, Carl was already stomping to where he was.
He yanked the bathrobe that Xander used to hide the wound, "What's the meaning of this? Who did this?"
"It's not a big deal though and it is healing so you don't need to fuss over it," Xander pulled the clothing to hide the wound but Carl was not letting him have it. Carl tightened his grip as they remained in a standstill until Xander finally gave up.
His friend silently helped him to dress his wound and after he put the bandage, he could not resist it and patted the wound. Xander groaned in pain followed by a few coughs before he gritted his teeth and looked at Carl.
"I won't ask because I know that you won't tell me but this does not mean that I'm letting this go. If you want to tell me in the future, I'll hear you out." He then left to give Xander time to change his clothes.
After he was dressed, he went down to see that Carl and Xerra were playing a board game. Xerra raised her head and saw him but before she could go to him Carl whispered something on her ear before she ran to him. Xander did not expect her sister to suddenly run to him and before he knew it, Xerra was already in his arms with giggles on her lips. His friend who was watching all of these was holding back the laughter at Xander's awkward expression. Xander swallowed the groan of pain and just gave his sister a smile.
"So how was it?" Carl was grinning while driving them to the amusement park he was not that heartless to let Xander drive after what happened.
"You are really a good friend." All he could do was glare at the other and ignore him but Carl did not mind.
They reached the amusement park and Xerra was very excited because after a long time she was able to go out once again with her brother. Just like she thought, going to any place was more enjoyable with her brother.
"Where do you want to go first?" Xander asked after they went around for a bit to look at the available rides they could try.
"Hmmm, I'll go with the roller coaster!" She exclaimed while jumping. She wanted to try it our since she was bigger now compared to a few years ago.
"Are you sure?" Xander was skeptical since roller coasters were not a typical choice for a ten-year-old girl like her. Xerra nodded so the three of them went to ride one. The roller coaster ride was thoroughly enjoyed by the child compared to the two adults who felt lifeless after the terrifying ride.
Without wasting time, Xerra pulled her two brothers to different rides until she was tired and hungry so Xander decided to treat them to a nice restaurant.
From a table on the corner a man was watching the three of them in silence. He had been with them from the time they were at the amusement park. He was silently observing them while acting like a bystander.
Xander was happily talking with his sister when he felt like there was someone staring at them so he looked around but did not notice anyone. Everyone was minding their own businesses and no one was paying them attention. He frowned but after a while he just shrugged it off and returned to talking with Xerra and Carl.
The man who was looking at them smiled at Xander's perception but it was not enough to discover him. After that, he focused on his food and left the restaurant ahead of them. The time when they would meet was yet to come.
Xerra fell asleep during the ride home while the two friends fell into a silence before Carl finally spoke. "I'm really glad that you are okay and that you are back Xander. When you disappeared, it was a total nightmare and the thought that you had died lingered in the back of mind. I don't even know how to comfort Xerra that time. We almost lost hope because we couldn't find you thankfully Mayor Mykel informed us that you were alive."
Xander listened silently because he knew that what they went through was not easy. He himself thought that he was lucky because he was found and he was alive but for Carl and Xerra it was different. "Thank you for staying beside Xerra during that time and for not losing hope. You are really a good friend."
"Well, you are my brother and Xerra is technically my sister too although we don't share the same blood the two of you are still family." Carl replied without any hesitation and if something like this happens again, he would still do the same. "I just hope that in time you will be able to tell me what really happened during those almost three months that you disappeared."
"Please be more patient with me, in due time I'll tell you everything because right now, it's a bit complicated," Xander could only sigh, he hoped that when he finally tells them everything, they would be able to accept it and that they won't freak out.
"I'll hold your word for that but you already knew me, I'm not a very patient person," Carl grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "So, you should make up your mind soon."
Xander laughed at his friend's words, "Alright, I won't keep you waiting long."