[Re-edited: 06/12/2024]
Hello, dear readers! Here's Chapter 17!
I've changed the name of my original novel, since I noticed that it didn't really help people know what it's about.
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Damovotsk, Molkovia, Earth.
Demian's P.O.V.
As the 'Ding' noise resounded in the cabin, Demian's body tensed up slightly, his gaze swiftly roaming around the corridor to ensure the lack of threat. Noticing the empty place, he let out a discreet sigh of relief before saying. "Let's get in quickly. There's no use staying outside." Following his suggestion, the three quickly moved toward the security door at the end of the hallway acting as the entrance to their home. On the way, he glanced briefly at the second door located on one side of the hallway, its function being to separate this room from the staircase leading downstairs. 'With a digital lock, there's no way anyone could pass through that door. After all, it's not a movie. Without advanced knowledge and tools, cracking the lock is clearly impossible.' He analyzed shortly while following his Aunt in silence, his hand still holding Seraphine's own.
A few seconds later, the middle-aged woman had finished inputting the secret code, unlocking the entrance door in front of them. Without wasting time, the three walked inside before Demian immediately closed the door behind them and exclaimed in a tone mixed with playfulness and relief. "We're home." His words brought a relieved smile on both of the women's faces with Adeliya even commenting. "Being home has never felt so great!" Pausing for a second, she then turned toward the other two and said. "I'll go take a shower. I'll be right back after." Chuckling lightly, he replied. "I get it. I also need to take one." Indeed, fear had a knack for making one sweat and that came with its own set of disadvantages. The worst being... "I agree. You do stink." Seraphine remarked after her dainty nose sniffed discreetly a few times.
Looking in her direction, Demian replied wearing a wry smile. "Do you have to be so direct, Sis?" Her frown immediately disappeared, leaving her giggling for a short while before she responded. "I'm just telling the truth. But if you want I can say it in another way. Something like 'the fragrance emitting from your body may not suit the majority's taste'. How does that sound?" Shaking his head while sporting an amused smile, the young man claimed. "Fine, I stink. No need for the fancy language." The young redhead, still having a playful grin on her face let go of his hand and said. "Just go take your shower. I'll go after you." With a simple 'sure', he then went to grab a few clean clothes from his room upstairs before moving to one of the available bathrooms to take a quick shower. A few minutes later, the young man was both clean and clothed. As he started walking toward the stairs, he suddenly recalled something. 'The gun! I almost forgot about it.'
Instantly moving his feet in the opposite direction, he quickly went to Bryn's bedroom. Naturally, the door was unlocked and with a slight twist of the handle, it was opened, unveiling the room behind. With some slight curiosity, the young man observed the place briefly. 'It's been a long time since I visited her room. I think it was before grandpa and grandma passed away...' His eyes lost focus for a short while as his mind was distracted by old memories resurfacing. After an indeterminate amount of time, Demian regained focus, shaking his head slightly while muttering. "Time flies so fast..." Shoving those thoughts to the side, he decided to really focus on the room, in order to find what he was looking for. Fortunately, the place was tidy and relatively bare, at least for a woman's bedroom. A large bed, wardrobe, desk, and chair were the main pieces of furniture around. 'I wonder if there are some 'unspeakable' secrets hidden somewhere...' He pondered playfully although with no intention to verify his random thought.
Instead, he went toward the massive wardrobe, opened one of the small panels at the bottom, and immediately found the safe hidden behind. Seeing the metallic box, his face lost its playfulness, leaving only seriousness as his hands moved toward the number pad. After briefly pausing his movements to recall the secret code, he punched a few numbers before pressing enter. Immediately, his ears caught a muffled click sound, prompting him to grab the small handle on the side, turn it downward, and pull it in his direction. Finally, the safe was open. "Let's see... There's the handgun I was looking for." After carefully taking the weapon out of the safe, he checked if it was loaded, something that his past life's brother insisted he learned despite his slight aversion to firearms. After all, the thought that any random guy in the street could pull out a gun and shoot a few people just for the heck of it was something that terrified him. Even knowing that the chance of it happening to him or someone he knew was almost nonexistent did not do much to erase that fear from his mind.
"And here I am willingly using a gun for self-defense... How ironic." He muttered wryly. After a brief second, he shoved those thoughts to the side of his mind and grabbed the two magazines that were still in the safe while leaving the pile of documents untouched. 'Since it's not loaded, I've only got two magazines' worth of bullets in case of an attack... It should be sufficient! I'm not fighting a war, after all.' He contemplated while closing the safe's hatch. Done with his errand, he did not waste more time and walked back to the penthouse's first floor with his weapon and ammo in hand. There, he found Seraphine lying on the couch waiting for him and Adeliya to return. "I'm done taking a shower, Sis. Do you need help to get your clothes?" He exclaimed, startling the absentminded woman.
With a small pout, she replied. "You could have made more noise before coming. You scared me for a second there." Chuckling briefly, he then apologized before saying. "You didn't answer my question though." Shaking her head, she explained. "No need. All my clothes are labeled so I can recognize them with a touch. Plus, I remember where most of them are." While listening to her he set the items in his hands on the coffee table in front of the sofa. He then let himself fall on the latter, his body almost touching the redhead's small feet. "Alright then. I'll wait here." Pausing for a second as something came to him, he then instructed. "We'll all sleep in the living room tonight. Although I don't believe anyone could break in, but I'd rather we stay together in case something like that happens. So wear something you can move easily in, alright?"
Nodding her head obediently, she replied. "I'll listen to you, my k..." She also said something else, but her voice was too low for him to catch her exact words, although the adorable blush on her face did give him some clues. As soon as those unknown words left her lips, she stood up and walked confidently toward the staircase leading to the second floor. "So cute." He mumbled with a warm smile on his face. After letting out a few chuckles, he turned toward the TV, grabbed the remote, and turned it on. After checking a few channels, he settled for a relatively old but classic science-fiction TV show that had been popular for years, prompting those big Channels to air those old episodes again and again. 'Funny how similar it is to that show with portals leading to other planets from my previous life.' He thought while his mind was focused on the lit screen.
"You've taken Bryn's gun? Did she tell you to get it?" The sudden voice of Adeliya disturbed his train of thought, prompting him to turn his head toward the middle-aged woman. With her burgundy-colored hair held in a loose bun coupled with her usual figure-hugging combination of a pair of black silk shorts and a deep blue silk camisole, she was really a sight for sore eyes. 'I really don't how her shirt can hold those without tearing apart...' He randomly thought with genuine curiosity as his eyes wandered briefly on her chest area before focusing on her face and saying calmly. "She did. Just in case something happens. By the way, do you know how to use it?" With a hesitant look, she answered. "A little. Bryn taught me, but it was purely theoretical so I'm not sure I'd be able to use it in a normal situation." Nodding his head, he then declared. "I'll be the one to use it then. Although I can't say I've got much experience with handguns, I still have more than you."
The implication behind his words was thought-provoking, bringing a look of curiosity and doubt to the woman's face. Before she could say anything, Demian stated. "I'll explain later, alright?" After staring at his face for a few seconds with a glint of doubt in her gaze, she let out a sigh and replied. "Fine. But you'd better come clean quickly. I'm worried about you. And I'm not the only one." A wave of guilt erupted in his heart after listening to her words, prompting him to decide to tell the girls everything once Bryn came back, something he shared with his Aunt while she sat beside him. With a relieved smile on her face, she claimed. "One more day won't hurt then." Feeling her deep concern for his well-being, a surge of warmth appeared in his heart. However, he did not make any comment but instead asked. "Do you want to watch something in particular while waiting for Bryn's match?"
Shaking her head, she claimed. "Not really. That show is fine." She said while gesturing with her head toward what was playing on the screen. The two thus watched TV in silence before Seraphine joined them. The young woman, unlike the long pajama pants and shirts she was used to wearing, had on similar clothes to those her mother was wearing. The only difference was the color with her bottom being deep blue instead of black and her top being pure white instead of deep blue. Those clothes greatly highlighted her toned thighs, curvy buttocks, and above-average-sized breasts. Coupled with her silky shoulder-length red hair, fair cheeks, and smiling cherry-red lips, she perfectly portrayed innocence blended with sensual allure, plunging Demian's unprepared mind into a daze. 'Wow' was the only word that came to mind as his brain seemed unable to function for a few seconds. It was only when he heard her question that he shook off the haze completely. "How do I look?"
"Amazing." Was his instantaneous response, bringing a crimson hue to the woman's fair cheeks along with a joyful smile. "Th-thanks." She responded softly, her voice trembling slightly with embarrassed happiness. Although feeling a bit awkward at his eager response, the young man still guided her to sit on his other side before commenting calmly. "Do you want to do anything special while waiting for Sis' match?" He asked, knowing that she was not able to enjoy watching TV for obvious reasons. Shaking her head, Sera replied gently. "You were watching something, right? You can keep watching it. I'll just stay here and listen to it." To which he asked again. "You sure?" Seeing her nod her head again, he relented and laid his body completely against the comfortable sofa, focusing his attention on the show playing on TV.
However, he was swiftly distracted by Seraphine's following actions. Her body gently leaned on him, with her head on his shoulder and her hands carefully moving his arm to set it against her soft breasts. Despite having some experience with women in his previous life, his current body was still in its teens, increasing his sensitivity to that kind of... Stimulation. Fortunately, he was wearing a pair of loose shorts, making it relatively easy to hide his 'stiff reaction' from the two women, or more specifically from his Aunt since Sera was unable to see anything. Taking a deep breath to calm his excitement, he then decided to simply enjoy the moment and turned his focus back to the show on the screen. 'My new life is really getting better and better.' He thought while a discreet smile appeared on his face.
A few hours later, a show host's voice resounded in the room. ["Hello and welcome to MNN News, this is Angelika Tarasovna with the latest headlines..."]