On the first day of staying at home with her both parents, Camellia feels nothing weird about the situation. She just assume that her parents really take a day off from work to make up with her. Then she did not gives too much thought about it.
Camellia spend her time with her mom all the time in the morning and evening in the kitchen. Helping her mom making a few batch of cookies for snack really tiring but it worth it. She also help her arrange and keep the cookies in air tight jars after resting them on the dining table to cool it down. The cookies will be edible and the shelf-life will be longer that way.
She can have them whenever she get hungry. Be it at school, up the mountain and even at home. She can even share the cookies with Jessica during the walk to school. Jessica will happily munch on the cookies all the way from home to the door of the class. Jessica really addicted to her mom's homemade cookies but Camellia's mom rarely baked them make her eat like a pig whenever she get her hand on the cookies. Camellia can't wait to share the good food with Jessica.
Later when Camellia about to get ready to go up the mountain that evening, her parents insisted that she have a day off to from climbing up and collect the herbs. They want her just to stay at home with them. Camellia tried to persuade them that she want to collect the herbs for tomorrow as she already promised the pharmacist at the town to bring some wild herbs that he had request for. But all her attempt went unsuccessful. Her parents insisted that she just stay and no more discussion allowed.
Camellia thought that they might want her to stop thing about raise her collage fund again. They want her to depend on them more as they were supposed to give everything that she needed and it is supposed to be their role as parents to make money for the family. In order to make them both less guilt and stress about it, Camellia just obey their request for that day. She did not give too much thought about the reasons behind her parents' decision to just stay at home.
On the third day Camellia and her parents stay at home, Camellia start to get a little suspicious with her parents act. She want to ask her parents why have they not going to work. But everytime she want to ask them, it seems like her parents tried to dodge any questions on that matter. Not only that, she even wondering why her parents still at home and they were act as if they both have no attention to leave the house for work at all.
"Is it that they already get the letter from the school about my discipline? But, I thought that I am the one who supposed to tell them about the situation first, right? How did they get the letter when they both usually were back from work later than me? I really want to know, at the same time I don't want to make them disappointed in me. But, how am I supposed to start the conversation on the matter? Haah..." Camellia keep questioning herself in her mind and only let the sigh out of her mouth.
"Camellia… Why are you keep sighing since you wake up? Is there something wrong happen? Do you want to share it with me?" asked her mom while she peeling some garlic for their lunch.
"Umm… nothing. Nothing serious. I-It just that… umm. Never mind." Mumble Camellia. She tried her best to rearrange her sentences but miserably failed. She really want to knock and bang her head on the dining table over and over again. But that will make her mom's more suspicious and curious even more. So she held herself from doing just that and try again to tell start the conversation confidently after taking a deep breath.
"Lia, darling… What happen? The way you react make me doubt that there is nothing happen. You make me curious a lot more now. So… just tell me what happen." Said her mom again after watching Camellia's weird reaction and expression.
"Umm… okay mom. But promised me first, promise me that you will answer my question truthfully. Can you do it?" reply Camellia. She want to make sure where the situation lay on. She don't want to make a mistake.
"Yeah. Okay, fine. I will. So… what is it?" was all Camellia's mom replied with her eyes on her only child while her hand still peeling garlic and some onion.
"So… Why are you guys take so much day off? Is there something happen there? Or is it that you both were fired from there? Can you explain to me what happen? Umm…?" Burst Camellia with all her question in her mind. Although it only was a few of them, her mom reaction make her have more interest to ask more.
"O-Oh… U-Umm… It nothing actually. It just that as I told you before, your dad and I decided to make up your birthday for you. S-so, we take a week off from work. W-we want to spend them together with you." Said Camellia's mom in her nervous tone.
"Your mom is right. After all we had been working hard to keep up with the order and it has been a while since the last time we both take a few days off. And there is nothing much to do there anyway." Add her dad confidently as soon as he walk in through the back door and closed the door carefully.
"But dad, why did you guys does not allowed me to go out. I want to take some fresh air too. You have been trap me in the house for the past three days. You did not even allow me to open my bedroom window, front window or even step out of the house. Not at the lawn. Not at the back. Just inside the house. I think it is weird. Did you hear or… received anything from my school?" Explain Camellia, at the same time asking her parents in case they do really received any news about her trouble. She really hope it is not the case.
"Darling… there is really nothing happen to us at work. And what with your school? Is there anything happen?" Asked her dad.
"Ohh…nothing happen, dad." Reply Camellia when she hear the reply she was waiting for.
"Good, if there is really nothing happen. Now, just go to your room and study before our lunch is ready. I will help your mom prepare all the ingredients. Okay?" Said her dad. Trying to stop all the conversation about his day off and question them further.