A boy's eyelids flickered open, but there was no sign of grogginess like kids of his age who had just woken up from their sleep. Instead it was filled with excitement.
It was noticeable that he barely slept at night.
He energetically jumped out of his bed and zoomed into the bathroom. And after 15 minutes, he came out with a towel wrapped around his waist and drops of water dripping from his pitch black hair.
He began using his hand towel to dry his hair while quickly walking towards his drawer when his towel got caught up in something which caused it to get pulled out of his waist.
He quickly grabbed it and wore it back before looking at the culprit. "Pervert," he voiced out before continuing his activities.
After 30 minutes he walked out of his room dressed in casual clothes while carrying a backpack. He was all smiles because today was finally the day of his trip to Europe.
He had been waiting four days for this day which seemed like the longest four days of his life except for one time when he had to stay at home alone for a week. Gosh! That was really something, especially the last four days.
When passing a particular room, he made sure to stomp his feet to make as much noise as possible.
***************************
Within the room,
"My gosh! He's really annoying," a girl with blue eyes and blonde hair which was worn in a pony tail which stretched below her waist voiced out in annoyance.
"Tell me about it. Did he have to cause all that noise," added another girl who looked exactly like her but wore her hair in bunches instead which was slightly below her waist.
***************************
Ray walked into the living room and sat on a sofa. He stared at the clock with a frown. 'What's taking them so long?'
He usually went to school using their school bus. His parents insisted on having a driver take him to school but he refused.
He preferred going to school while conversing with his friends who had all agreed to follow the school bus, than being with an old driver barely saying anything.
The school bus was to pick them up and take them to the airport where some of the school staffs who were going to escort them were waiting. But some people used private vehicles instead of the school bus.
He continuously stared at the clock as his frown deepened anytime the minute hand moved.
"Ray, as expected, you're already prepared." A voice came from behind him as he turned around already knowing who it was.
"Good morning dad," he greeted.
"Good morning son. Are you sure you don't want a driver to take you?" He asked a little bit confused why Ray suddenly made a decision one day to start joining the school bus, something he hated when he was younger.
"I'll pass," he replied dismissively.
"I need to go to work, so I won't be seeing you off." Ray smiled wryly when his dad said this. His father wasn't also happy with this but he received a very urgent call. He wondered why it had to happen when Ray was travelling away. He was just happy that he was able to see Ray before he headed out. If it were the girls, he was sure they won't have woken up by now.
"When you get back make sure to fill me up on everything okay." A smile appeared on Ray's face. "Of course."
"Don't split up from the adults and make sure to stay safe."
Leaving those words with him, his father headed out.
Seeing him leave , a sigh escaped his lips as he rested his back on the sofa.
"How was your night dear?" He heard another very familiar voice which would be recognizable no matter the situation he was in.
"It was….um…great," he replied not looking towards her direction.
"You didn't sleep huh?" She saw right through him.
"I never said that!" He denied.
"I'm your mother young man, I know you far too well." She walked closer to him with an amused smile.
"Even if what you say is true, it's not like I can't sleep on the plane," he shrugged.
His mother looked at him for some time before shaking her head. "Whatever. Come have your breakfast." She walked towards the kitchen to prepare a quick breakfast while Ray headed into the dining and took a seat. After five minutes, his mother came out with a bowl of cereals
"Thanks," he said, grabbing the bowl. And after a quick prayer, he began eating as his mum walked back into the kitchen.
She was an excellent cook and she also enjoyed doing it. His father said that was one of the many reasons he married her. Ray hoped that his future wife would also be able to cook as much as his mom.
When he was midway to finish his breakfast. He began hearing two synchronized footsteps. He increase the speed at which he was eating because he was sure that he would lose his appetite soon. The two footsteps paused right in front of him.
"Look at how fast he's eating," one voice said.
"Like his life depends on it," said another.
Ray's lips twitched when he heard this and as expected, he lost his appetite. Their voices were very similar and would easily be mistaken, but he had spent enough time with them to know the difference.
He looked at his two sisters, who stared at him intensely with poker faces. He cleared his throat before standing up and slowly walking past them.
"Huh? What's with that attitude?"
"Don't ignore us just because you got lucky to go to Europe."
Ray slowly spun around to face them.
"I'm sorry about that. A lot of thoughts were on my mind. I have to continuously practice my French and other languages as I might be needing it, but I don't expect you to understand," he said in ridicule.
"You think you're a hot shot, huh?" The girl with the ponytail pointed at him in annoyance. He focused his gaze on her and with a calm expression, he said.
"Sophia. You've always wanted to taste Italian dishes. Rejoice my sister, cause big bro's gonna bring home some leftovers."
The finger which she had pointed at him dropped when she heard this, with a dumbfounded expression on her face
He shifted his gaze to his other sister.
"Sophie, you've always wanted to see the Eiffel Tower. Don't worry, I'll make sure to bring home some pictures. Wait, I almost forgot, you have like 100 of those." He busted into laughter after saying this, causing emotions to swell within them.
Their eyes turned red and moist while staring at him. And as though they had one mind they screamed in unison.
"MUM!!"
Their mother rushed towards them from the kitchen. "What's wrong?" She panicked. They pointed at Ray who had an innocent expression simultaneously.
"He's picking on us!" They both wailed.
Their mum face palmed when she heard this. "Ray, you're about to travel. Don't make your sisters sad before you leave," his mom scolded. "Now come on, make them feel better."
Ray rolled his eyes when he heard this. He walked towards them with a loving smile while they stared daggers at him. He was taller than them, so he bent slightly to hug them. He crossed his arms around both of them. "I'm sorry," he said half heartedly.
"Girls. What do you say?"
"It's alright big bro. We're used to it." They said with big contempt smiles.
Their mother sighed before walking away, and before he could break the hug, they both pinched him on his arms.
"Ouch!" He exclaimed, pushing them away as they both stuck out their tongues.
He was about to say something when a honking sound was heard.
"They're here!" Ray beamed and quickly ran towards his backpack and picked it up.
His mum, also noticing this, took off the apron she was wearing and escorted him outside their house which was very large.
"So this is it huh," she said with a wry smile.
Ray who saw his mother's expression laughed out. "I knew it. You're going to miss me." His mother looked at him with a smile before hugging him tightly. "Of course I will."
For a second Ray felt like quitting this journey, but he threw that thought out of the window.
He looked at his two sisters who avoided making eye contact. He walked towards them while squatting, before embracing them.
"I'll miss you both."
With this, they couldn't contain their emotions anymore, as their eyes got teary.
"Ray, don't go. We promise not to make fun of you," Sophia sobbed.
"Yes, maybe we can go together another time." Sophie added, also sobbing.
"Come on, don't cry, it would only be less than two weeks. Stop crying now. I didn't know you loved me this much." Ray said, causing them to push him away, while wiping their tears.
"You can go if you want!"
"Yeah! We're not begging you."
They both pouted.
"I'll be going now." With a smile, Ray ran towards the school bus. He glanced back at them with a wave which they responded to, before entering, not aware of the future in store for him.