Their house wasn't luxurious but it sparkled with a charm that transcended its status as a home to a family of non chakra users.
A beautifully designed duplex with its walls and ceilings covered in delicate acrylic sheet patterns and its wooden floors, showcasing a perfect shade of white. With three bedrooms and a mini living room upstairs, there was a brown wooden staircase joining the upper floor with the downstairs walkway.
Now dressed in his winter school uniform, Keres passed through the walkway, leading him into the main living room, the heart of the home.
He made his way past the pair that sat at the dining table. Mina, his foster older sister, cradled her three-year-old sibling on her lap, gently spoon-feeding the toddler a bowl of cereal.
"Yo" Keres gave a slight wave and Mina immediately responded.
"Morning, pepperhead" She said and he continued towards the kitchen ahead of him.
As he entered, the enticing hissing of scrambled eggs above the stove serenaded his senses. He was greeted by a woman's rear view, her hair pulled into a ponytail, and the casual wear she wore, covered in a pale blue apron.
"Hey, Lizzie" The teenage boy called out to her from behind.
"Good morning, sweetheart. How was your night? Did you manage to get some sleep this time?" The woman inquired, her gaze fully fixated on the sizzling eggs before her.
"..." However, the question was met with Keres' silence.
And when a response to her inquiry failed to arrive, she spoke up once more.
"You know, I think it's high time we involved a professional" Her tone was warm and gentle, but the teenage boy furrowed his brow at the voice full of concern.
"Not this again" He took a pause.
"I'm fine, I don't need therapy. And to begin with, none of this would be happening if only you'd let me take some white water" He added as he maneuvered through the cabinet. In the next instant, he grabbed a cup and then dropped it on the slab.
"No, no no. We're not having this conversation again" Lizzie shook her head sideways, turning in his direction.
"Now, this is my exact problem with you. You never listen to what I want but expect me to sit back and accept it whenever you bring up therapy."
"Kay, as your mother, I want what's best for you, and I can't imagine any situation where it would be wise for you to self medicate using drugs with strong hallucinatory side effects. They can be really harmful, and I care about your well-being too much to ever allow it" Her voice filled his ears as he poured hot water into his cup.
'You're not even my real mom,' were the words he chose to swallow in order to prevent what would have been a cliché scene. Right, he had said that several times before and knew the exact response he'd receive.
"Haaaaa." He sighed "Forget it." He said as he grabbed his cup of tea and headed out of the kitchen.
"Kay—" Her weightless voice failed to reach him so she stared back longingly until he arrived at the dining table.
Make no mistake, Keres respected his foster family. But these disagreements were inevitable. Their disapproval of his self damaging thoughts and habits came off to him as intrusive and annoying. Why Lizzie was so insistent on him seeing a psychologist was something he just couldn't understand.
Aqua ambien, otherwise known as white water is a highly addictive substance that not only induces sleep, but also temporarily enhances the cognitive functions of the brain. Although non-prescribed usage has been banned due to the high abuse rate and alleged side effects, a pharmaceutical engineer like Andrew Levine, Keres' foster father; could easily obtain it.
Keres' first experience with white water, as he remembered, was about seven months ago. It was a serene sensation, like floating on a cushion of bliss, where time slowed, and the world felt perfect in its imperfections. For the first time, he slept with a gentle warmth enveloping him, and all his worries seemed to evaporate into the sky.
He found his salvation, at least until Killjoy-Lizzie here banned him from using it, talking about side-effects and what-not. A total busybody.
Jelly was settled on her booster seat, twiddling her spoon through the bowl of cereal when Keres arrived at the dining table.
As he took his seat opposite to her's, the toddler struck him with the persistent gaze of her round, doe-like eyes. Keres could only release a sigh, 'Hell swallow me, it's about to happen again.'
"Kay, Kay, can you pwease feed me? Big sister doesn't wove me anymore" She pouted as she said.
"That's harsh, Jelly. Both Kay and I are running late for school" Mina said as she emerged behind Jelly's seat, pulling the toddler's cheeks playfully.
"Weave me awone, you twaitor. I hate you" Jelly wriggled her face away and Mina soon gave up, taking her seat next to Keres.
"Well, she has a point though. I don't have the time for this" Keres said, taking a sip from his cup. And in response to his refusal, Jelly puffed her cheeks in disappointment.
"Waaah, Kay... you meanie" Her face turned red as she whined.
"What he means is, you're a big girl now. You can eat what's left by yourself, can't you?" Mina responded on Keres' behalf.
"Bu... but it tastes better when someone else feeds me!" Jelly said with her lower lip quivering as she spoke and in response, Keres swallowed a soft breath.
It was a precise reenactment of the same script he had seen several times before. Jelly would start crying loudly and the moment anyone tried to console her, she would throw a tantrum, knocking her bowl over to the floor. The scene often ended with Mina calming her down or Lizzie having to step in.
Now, Keres usually wouldn't care enough to intervene. Yet, today, he stared into the near empty bowl, 'It's just a few stupid spoons anyway.'
"Alright, just for today, okay?" Keres said but Jelly's pouting only seemed to intensify afterwards.
"No! I want Kay to feed me evewytime!" The toddler whined.
"Don't you want to become like Tinker Bell?" Keres asked and the toddler immediately nodded with full force.
"Well, I heard she used to feed herself as a child so you must do it too if you want to become more like her" He added and Jelly paused to think for a moment before responding with an eager nod and a smile.
"Okay!" She said and Keres proceeded to scoop up a spoonful of cereal, holding it out for Jelly, who opened her mouth wide. Just as he was about to feed her, she suddenly clenched her tiny, milk teeth around his finger and bit down with maximum intensity.
"Ouch!" Keres winced and in response, the toddler snorted with a giggle.
"Hehehehehehe."
"That's for siding with big sister" She added as she took the spoonful of cereal in her mouth. Trying to conceal a grin, she began to chew, savoring the morsel with a sense of victory.
"You're such a handful" Keres couldn't help but titter at her actions. He revealed a smirk as he scooped up another spoonful for the toddler.
"I'm just a cute littew pwincess..." She stopped to chew for a moment.
"So you must feed me evewy morning" She added and maintaining his smirk, Keres responded.
"Yes, your highness."
Lizzie and Mina erupted in giggles, finding the scene hilarious, as Lizzie shed her apron and settled into an empty chair at the table. The final interaction was twice as funny as it was a parody of a scene they had all enjoyed in a movie the previous night.
While family movie night wasn't Keres' favorite pastime, he'd come to understand that it was more than just two hours staring at a screen while feigning interest. It was a way to connect, to share laughter and moments, and as time passed, they became the most tolerable aspect of his routine.
"Mom, has Sara called yet? Do you know if she's returning home today?" Mina inquired, turning her gaze towards Lizzie.
"She has classes until this evening and there's no flight scheduled for tomorrow so unless a miracle happens, I doubt she'd make it here anytime before Wednesday"
"Is that so? I was hoping to attend the inauguration ceremony together with her..." Mina's shoulders slumped as she spoke.
"Haaa, I guess it can't be helped. I'll have to go with my friends" She sighed softly.
"I hope we get to see Lord Invel up close. He's soooo handsome." She clasped her now reddened cheeks as she spoke.
"Hmph, Kay is more handsome, mowon" Jelly said with her arms folded across her chest. She pouted her lips into a frown and turned her gaze away when Mina looked towards her.
"Jelly, you shouldn't call your older sister a moron, and besides, how do you even know the word?" Lizzie clicked her tongue and then turned to Keres. "Keres, what have you been teaching her?" She inquired, revealing an indecipherable smile that sent shivers down the teenage boy's spine.
"Mom, Kay did nothing wrong. They cuss all the time on TV."
"Yeah, yeah. On TV." Jelly backed up her older sister's claim, drawing a rectangular shape in the air with her fingers.
"Anyways, we should start planning for Sara's birthday party. I suggest we surprise her, what do you think, mom?" Mina said, signaling to Keres with a thumbs up gesture from behind her back. And thanks to her, he was rescued from the hot seat.
Not only did she defend him, she shifted the topic to something more fun and they chattered until it was time to leave for school.
Keres may have tried as hard as he could to fight it but in the end, his lips curled into a bright smile. Deep within his heart, a warmth blossomed as he witnessed their happiness, and even though he had vowed never to trust people again, perhaps, these guys were worth giving it another shot. A gentle grin tugged at the corners of his lips as he thought.
Regardless of how mundane life was, he was genuinely grateful to Andrew and his family for rescuing him when he had truly given up on everything. However, cherishable moments like this are amongst things he often took for granted.
His mind soon deviated from the original reason for his smile as the mention of a familiar name curled his lips up even further.
'Invel!' He clenched his fists as breakfast came to its conclusion.
***