"I am back!" Xaloc said as he removed his shoes and placed them into the shoe rack.
"Xaloc. You should have called the driver to pick you up. Do you know how long we have been waiting?" His mother's voice from the next room came closer and closer.
Xaloc's action paused before he continued.
"Good evening, mom. I went to Mimis but she was out of White Poppy Flowers so I had to go to other flower shops."
His mother came into the entrance corridor. Karen Night was not like other CEO Wives in the magazines that were equivalent to a sexy bombshell or an elegant heiress.
She was a bit on the plainer side with a chubby figure. In Xaloc's opinion something about her was extremely motherly and even though she looked tired from catering to the two twins, she still seemed to glow.
It was fascinating to watch and perhaps it was one of the reasons his father had never strayed.
Karen's entire life centred on being a wife and a mother, and she was a good one but towards him, since the twins were born, her features had never softened.
"Thank God, you found some at least." She took a vase and put the flowers in. "How was school today?"
Xaloc washed his hands at the sink in the entrance corridor. It was a nice addition to the house since the Covid 19 virus, although nowadays he was the only one that used it.
"School was fine. A little accident happened but it is alright now."
"An accident?" Slight worry graced her features and she looked him over. He looked alright so she sighed in relief.
Even though her feelings towards Xaloc were complicated, he was still her son. Not to mention, if something should happen to Xaloc, if the twins should have a relapse, it would be very terrible.
Xaloc's eyes widened before he understood her expression and chuckled. "Don't worry mom. I am alright. All my organs are in perfect health."
Karen paled, "Xaloc. What do you mean by that?" She shouted.
"What I mean don't you already know. I can spell it out for you if that is what you want." He paused and watched her. Between the both of them was a reason for lies and secrets, he already knew these little tricks.
"Mom! Big Brother." A cute voice called out as a figure stepped into the entrance corridor.
It was an eleven-year-old girl who was still wearing a ballet uniform. Her blond hair was in a ponytail and she had a smile on her face.
"Big Brother, welcome home." This was Maya, Xaloc's immediate younger sibling and the other of the twins.
"Thank you." Xaloc said as he walked past his mother to his little sister, "How was the ballet lesson?"
Maya worried her lips before pouting cutely, "It was terrible. Everyone is so much better than me."
However, her brother did not give her the much-wanted comfort, he just patted her head and sincerely told her, "That is much expected, after all, they had been working and practising much longer than you. If you want to catch up with them, you need to practice harder and learn faster than all of them."
"Xaloc!" Karen yelled before hugging Maya, "Is that something to tell a child?"
"It is the truth." He replied. He was not prepared to lie to his sister, no matter the reason.
Karen held her patience. It was like this every day with Xaloc. He was so disobedient and rebellious. None of his siblings was like this. She could not wait for him to leave for college.
"It is 6:15, go up, bathe and change, then come down for dinner."
Xaloc nodded. He pulled up his headset and his heart pounded at the thought of the fast-approaching night. He was feeling so sleepy.
Rubbing his eyes, he entered the room and leaned on the door.
He was sure by now, his mother would be consoling Maya and telling her not to listen to her evil brother before placating her with cookies.
He brought out the book that he had found in his grandfather's attic.
It was an old leather book bound together with an iron chain, he pricked his finger and watched as the red blood dropped onto the chain and it cracked open.
It was a mysterious book. Not only did it need his blood to open it, but it was also made up of a very rare material. When Xaloc had investigated, he had found that it was made out of papyrus.
The papyrus plant grows widely in Egypt, and the material itself is made by cutting the stem of the plant in half and laying it crosshatch over itself, like a weave, before hammering it together.
However, the papyrus plant the book was made of was a very rare species. The royal papyrus plant.
The book had sixteen pages and Xaloc was still reading the first page. He could vaguely understand it, however, it did not react in the system as any known language. He had also asked about Archaeological websites and they had confirmed that it was not Ancient Egyptian or any ancient language that they knew.
Some had even accused him of forging a language just to play pranks on them.
Xaloc's fingers traced the odd symbols. That strange animal that had attacked the both of them when they went fishing.
That strange animal that had tried to kill him no matter how far they ran. He shook off the memory of that day. Would this book help him find out more?
If he could kill the animal, then surely in a way it could be said that he had successfully paid back his life debt to his grandfather who had given his life up for him.
He needed to completely decipher this book and find a way to buy the museum from his father so he could search for any leftover clues.
He sighed as he put away the book and went to the bathroom. Setting his water to icy cold, he plunged into the water. The chill awoke all his senses allowing his brain to work even faster arriving at good decisions.
First, enter Jaune College. Second, study Archaeology/ ancient languages. Third, find a side hustle to earn money.
He sank deeper, no need to hurry, he had all the time in the world.