August 8th, 2222. Later that afternoon, a knock was heard on the door. Laibah rushed to the door, yelling "I'll get it!" while expecting to see Kei and Asahi at the door, since school should've just let out at this time. However, Laibah looked up, shocked and excited. "Silas!" she cheers.
"Silas is back?" Zia asks as she rushes to the door. Zia welcomes Silas inside and gives her son a hug. "Your father is out. He'll be working late. We had to pick up Laibah from school early today. I'm afraid she's having some... difficulties with the other kids."
"What's going on?" Silas asks, concerned.
"W-well..." Laibah starts to explain. "A girl in my class got scared by somebody with magic today and all of the adults think it was me! But it wasn't!"
"Something... else is going on then?" Silas asks, looking at Zia with a confused expression.
"I have no clue what's going on." Zia says. "I can't get answers from anybody. Laibah seems as lost as me on this issue. Also, Laibah? Dinner should be done cooking right about now? Check the timer on the rice cooker and help get dinner set up, please?"
"Mhm!" Laibah agrees. "Yes, mom!"
After Laibah scurries to the kitchen, Zia pulls Silas aside and speaks quietly. "I'm worried she may be having a really hard time out there. I know it's something we had troubles trying to sort out diplomatically when you were in school too, and I'm sorry for that. Do you think you might be able to reach out to your little sister and help give her a push? Anything helps, really. Trying to force my way into situations here doesn't work on the civilian types when people all know you as some sort of criminal. One wrong move from me and it could put the family in danger. As for Laibah, I'm worried there's something she isn't telling me. I've heard her speaking really loudly in the restroom today and many other times in her room while nobody else were in there. I know she won't want to tell her mom if something is wrong. She tries to be tough. Maybe she's just afraid to look weak. But maybe you can get something out of her?"
"She's talking to herself?" Silas asks. "You don't think it's like... a shard of Chronos incident, right?"
"It definitely shouldn't be." Zia answers. "But you can never be too careful. I'm sorry to ask this of you. I know we weren't the best parents for you, during the later years of your childhood... I just, don't know what to do!"
"No, no!" Silas replies. "It's okay, mom. Really! Besides, you and dad did everything to make sure I was safe in the end. Don't say you were bad parents."
"Thanks, Silas." Zia says. Laibah starts bringing out the plates for them to eat, then three bowls of rice. The three of them sit down together to eat dinner. Silas started drinking his water when Zia suddenly asks "So, when are you going to make me grandchildren?"
"Pfft-!" Silas suddenly spits out his water and chokes a little bit.
Silas kept coughing and pounding his fists on his chest to clear the water out of his lungs as Laibah asks "Is Silas gonna be a dad?"
"Not at this rate, he's not." Zia says with her arms crossed.
Silas continued choking as Laibah asks "So, where do babies come from? How does Silas become a dad?"
"You'll find out when you're older." Zia replies.
"But-"
"If they didn't teach it to you in school, it's not being taught at the dinner table." Zia replies.
"Argh! Fine..." Laibah grumps.
"Mom!" Silas protests after finally clearing his lungs. "What the hell!?"
Zia simply replies by playfully shrugging her shoulders with a smile. "Adults are weird..." Laibah scoffs to herself quietly.
After dinner, when the three of them were finished cleaning up, there was another knock at the door. Laibah rushed to the door to find Kei and Asahi at the door with their moms and dads with them. "Laibah! What happened?" Asahi asks.
"We heard something happened at school?" Mikoto asks. "Is everything okay?"
"Well, it's a bit of a story. How about you all come in and I can get something to drink ready?" Zia offers.
"That would be nice, thank you." Daiki answers.
"Hey- uh, why don't you kids have some fun while the grown ups talk for now?" Satomi offers. "Kei, you and Asahi kept talking about wanting to check in with your friend. Why don't you three go to the backyard and talk?"
"Oh!" Laibah says excitedly. "Come on! Let's get out of here before they start getting all boring!"
As the three of them run towards the back of the house, Silas looks at Zia and Zia tilts her head while looking at Silas as if to tell him to follow the kids. Silas nods his head and follows behind the three children. As Silas makes it out to the backyard, which was surrounded by a wooden fence and had a small garden with almost ripe vegetables growing along the fence, Silas heard the three kids talking about Laibah's two imaginary friends. "Kein and Heinnen?" Silas asks. "Why do you have two imaginary friends?" Silas then laughs a little bit, but Laibah looked at him with a serious face.
"Silas, it's not funny!" Laibah pouts.
"Hey, I didn't mean to upset you!" Silas says. "You know I'm your friend too. You can tell me anything. What's going on with school?"
"Well, I found out when I got home today... that girl that got scared... it was because of Heinnen!" Laibah answers.
"Heinnen!?" Asahi asks. "Is he like... an evil fox?"
"Heinnen? Fox?" Silas asks. "Heinnen as in... your imaginary friend Heinnen?"
"Yeah, what of it?" Laibah asks.
"Laibah... this could be serious." Silas answers.
"Why, what's wrong?" Kei asks.
"Well, imaginary friends aren't real." Silas says.
"Well, we obviously know that!" Asahi answers.
"So then, he shouldn't be able to interact with the real world..." Silas adds. Suddenly Laibah's face slowly changes to a horrified expression. "If what you're seeing are foxes, then it may just be because we're laibah. But if it used magic on a real person, there might be more to your imaginary friend than I first thought, Laibah."
"No!" Laibah argues as she stands up. Laibah looks around, panicked for a second, then runs to her room.
"She seemed upset about that." Kei adds.
"What's going on with Laibah?" Silas asks as he stands up to follow. Kei and Asahi also stand up and follow behind Silas. Silas slowly opens the door to Laibah's room and peaks his head in and finds her pouting on her bed. "Laibah?"
"Get out!" Laibah yells, her face down buried into her bed.
"Laibah, what's wrong?" Silas asks.
"There's another thing wrong with me!" Laibah pouts. "Everything about me is wrong! What do you mean 'what's wrong'? What isn't wrong?"
Silas walks into his little sister's room and sits on the bed next to her. "Laibah, there isn't anything wrong with you."
"I don't believe you!" Laibah pouts.
Silas was silent for a moment, then says "I do get it, you know. I was worried I was too different. But there isn't anything wrong with being different, you know. You're my little sister. If you think I'd stop caring about you after a couple 'go away' and pouty faces, then you've got another thing coming." There was a moment of silence, then Silas says "I understand, it feels like the more you grow, the more you try, the further you slip away from the rest of the world. But in reality, you never needed them to begin with." Laibah turns her head to look at Silas, still crying. "You're a strong girl, Laibah. I can tell. You have two great friends and your older brother, plus mom and dad. You don't need their understanding or acknowledgement. You know you have us to support you, so just talk to me. Otherwise, your brother can't help."
Laibah sits up and hugs tightly onto her older brother. "I don't want to be different! I'm tired of always being the wrong one! I don't want to be bullied anymore!"
"I know, I know..." Silas says as he gently pats her head. "We can't always change or fix everything. Don't pray for easier lives. Pray to be stronger men. That's an old quote from an American president looooong before the Naris Catastrophe. Do you think you can be stronger for your brother?" Laibah nods while keeping her face buried in Silas's shirt. "Of course, I'll leave my phone number and everything here so you can contact me if you ever need me when I'm gone. That way, your brother will always be right here. Okay?" Laibah again nods. "Don't worry so much about the imaginary friend thing. I'll ask mom if she knows anything about these Kein and Heinnen names. She and dad know a lot. Since we're the only two laibah in this time, maybe it relates to something from ancient times or something. I'll talk it out with them, alright?"
"But I don't wanna tell mom and dad about it!" Laibah pouts.
"You can't expect to grow more if you keep hiding, Laibah." Silas scolds. "You can't keep acting like that!"
"Alright..." Laibah agrees.
"That's good." Silas says. "Now, you three take some time, and I'll go handle mom for you. Deal?"
"Deal!" Laibah says, jumping up and wiping her face.
"Good, then you three go have fun." Silas says. "But next time, I wanna see you talking to mom and dad by yourself. Got it?"
Laibah nods as she starts walking, Asahi and Kei opening the door wider to let her through. "You're the best, big bro!" Laibah says with a smile.