As I was about to turn around, someone tugged at my hoodie.
"Down here, please!" said a crisp, childish voice.
It was Turquoise tugging at my clothes with one of his chubby hands, while looking up at me with his big starry eyes, and waving a signed contract with another chubby hand.
'Will I get arrested if I send videos of him on social media? How much will I get if I reveal this level of cuteness to the always surfing society?' Seeing him like that, the first thought I had was posting his videos to earn money... Only if grandfather Bright didn't dislike me, I might not have turned out this materialistic...
"Oh, you signed it too?" I said as I cleaned the potential drool off my mouth.
He showed me his chubby thumb proudly.
"It got scratched when I fell earlier. So I used it! Everyone was biting their fingers or poking them with needles. That's how I figured it out! Aren't I smart like Silver??" Saying that with a tone dripping of proudness, I could just nod and ruffle his silky hair.
"Yes, you can go in! But do you know what's written?" I asked with doubt. Even though I wasn't gonna scam a little child, it still hurt my conscience.
He frowned, looking at me as he crossed his arms.
"Grandpa said only idiots sign a paper without knowing the content! Of course I know I am not an idiot! I asked Cinnamon! "
His words were like a hammer banging at my head. Indeed, I am an idiot.
'Even kids are more smart than I am...'
To be honest, I never was on the bright side. Ever since elementary, I had to study double the other kids only to get a passing degree, and ten times others if I wanted a higher degree. However, after that curse, everything turned around, so I took the most advantage of it.
Sometimes I felt guilty about having that cheat code curse, but whenever I saw naturals like Turquoise, that feeling would become nonexistence.
'Yeah, I don't feel guilty to have gotten myself a teacher's degree, a computer engineering degree, a law degree, a business management degree and a medicine degree using the curse...'
Feeling like even though I have worked myself to bones yet none of those achievements were possible without the curse, I felt pissed. To conceal my pissed up insides, I gave the smart little kiddo a big smile.
"Go on inside. Coming, I'm just gonna get the dining table and chairs from the car! "
Entering, I got faced with offending, disdainful glances to the insides of the house.
'Tsk! Tsk! Spoiled brats!' I thought to myself. They are acting like this since they haven't yet had to sleep in a cheap collective house yet!
Even the remnants of those days sent chills down my spine. My second moving out, or should I say getting cast out, was not as easy as the first time.
I sent the children upstairs to choose a room.
"Take your time... I will call you when the food is ready!" Saying that, I came back down and started assembling.
By the time I finished assembling and got the dinner table ready, there was a knock on the door. Thinking it should be Mr. Jerald, I ran to the door.
Knock! Knock!
Opening the door, I put on a big smile, trying to look as welcoming as it was possible for my facial structure...
"Hi, welcome!" I said like automatically like a robot, before even looking who was behind those doors.
"Haha, after you sir!" said Mr. Jerald with a shaking voice to the devilish handsome man in a black tuxedo.
'What's going on?' is what I was saying with my eyes to Mr. Jerald who gave me a troubled look I couldn't translate?
The over two meters tall man with his shiny black hair, shiny silver eyes, as white as a vampire, reminded me of two people. One, Damon, two, Mother. He was also analysing me.
"So, you are the one who made me homeless!!" He said as we got eye to eye. His voice was so pleasant, but how did I make him homeless?
'Holly shhhhhh-----t'
I couldn't close my dropped jaw. Closing my jaw with his slender point finger, he passed by me with a neutral expression. My neck following him had turned so much, I didn't even know it was capable of this much turning.
Following him, Mr. Jerald, his wife and grandson entered too. Passing by me, Mr. Jerald patted my shoulder, which looked like bad news.
The sound of the door closing made me come to myself. Let's not jinx it. Who knows, maybe he isn't here for trouble. 'Perhaps he just needs a place to sleep the night..!'
That jinxed thought made me slap my mouth real hard. I was supposed to not jinx it...
"No!"
It was Turquoise looking at me with eyes filled to the brim as he ran toward me. Turquoise's small body slammed into my legs, bewildering me as he hugged them tightly.
"What- is this? Who made you cry?" I asked as I tried comforting him to by caressing his hair.
Seeing this action of mine, he reluctantly looked up, looking like a whimpering, small puppy.
"Don't hit yourself!"
"Oh! "As I was reflexively trying to hit my mouth again, I held it back before it succeed meeting my mouth again. Sitting down on my knees, I wiped his beautiful eyes before framing his chubby face with both my hands.
"You small adorable thing! I wasn't hitting myself... I was just killing an insect that was there!"
"Liar!" said the supposedly great grandfather.
'Genetics are really scary!'
It felt so much like dejavo. Last time I was lying to a small child at the hospital, this happened too. Samuel, the honest person who turns out to have a train of trailing children unbeknownst to his other children, pointed my lie out.
If he is anything like grandfather, I shouldn't even try fixing the lie as he will ruin that too. Therefore, I used the art of changing the subject as I lifted Turquoise and placed him on one chair.
"Sorry for the walls! You must be hungry. Please take a seat. I will just call the children to come down.." I said, pointing to the dinner table in the middle of the hall that I had hurriedly tidied up.
Fastening my path, I walked upstairs. It somehow looked undignified to shout out to them. Especially when having two distinguished guests who look like royalty.
Taking in a deep breath, I shouted.
"Everyone, let's go down! Dinner is ready!"
I felt like a woman in the nineteens banging a pot and ladle to gather children to eat. It felt so refreshing that I gave out a chuckle.
"He! He!"
The most grumpy of the kids saw this little habit made of living alone for a long time. Emerald and Lucas, who looked at me with narrowed eyes and shaking heads, passed by me.
"Really no respect for the elder!" I murmured as they faded away from my sight. From now on, I have to be careful of my actions...
"Food is ready! Cinnamon? Silver?" I said again.
There still was no news of Silver and Cinnamon. Suddenly, when nearing the doors, I heard Cinnamon's murmuring voice from the room to the left of mine. As curiosity took ahead of me, I peeked through the lock.
There they were. Standing in front of each other with serious expressions. Afraid they might fight, I took the handle, but before I could press it, their conversation caught my interest.
"Brother, now the scary gold isn't around. We should escape before Samuel comes back! If he comes back, he will send you to study aboard!"
"Please, big brother, I don't want to be separated from you!"
"Where are we going, then???"
Confused by their conversation I, unconsciously pressed on the handle and opened the door.
"Could you please respond?" I said, pretending to be restless.
Never in a million would I want to be the cat who died because of curiosity.
'Didn't Sprits have no parents? Wasn't grandfather and grandmother supposed to be their parents?'
Questions flooded my head as I dramatically left after looking at them with a hurried expression, small frown and a hand gesture urging them to hurry.
As I took the last step down the stairs. Nothing good ever comes from prying into other business. Besides, I already know more than my capacity.
Taking out the chair next to Lucas, I paused as conflicting thoughts drowned me in them...
'It is none of my business. Either they are my grandparents' children or not, sprits or fairies. It has nothing to do with me! Since I am just a babysitter for two and a half months, I should just do my baby sitting and deliver them back to grandfather safely! Deliver them safely?? ---, but they are running away...'
'But, will it be okey if they run away under my watch??'
Feeling the stares, I tried to get my act together as I again drowned in my role as the host took a glass and a fork. Then stood up from my chair and tapped the glass with the fork to get everyone's attention. An act I had seen several times but never done myself.
[Ding!]
Unexpectedly, it worked as everyone's attention directed towards me. Maybe it worked too well since it made me want to run away. Hoping this eventful day was another delusion of mine, I took a deep breath and bite the inside of my cheek hard. The irony taste of blood filled my mouth. 'Is this life or a series of misery? Great grandparents and young uncles and aunts...'
What did I expect? There was no way in hell this type of ominous happenings weren't real. After all, this is my life... Nothing bad, nothing real; nothing realistic, 100% real!
"Ahem! Everyone must be hungry. It might not be a lot, but please enjoy!" I said, hoping no one would notice the slight shake in my voice or the urge to run away in my heart. Specially, the cold-blooded vampire looking great grand- p- a- of mine. Even looking at him hurt my sanity!
The sanity I had held together with the cheap glue of fantasy was now falling apart in front of me as I got eye to eye with the relaxed man who looked nothing like being a fossil...