When Eren was fourteen, he caught Clair removing her disguise and she threatened to kill him. Things led to things and they became friends. Alex, Eren's dad, died when he was twelve by natural reasons - one day, he just collapsed and died right before Eren's eyes.
Now, Eren lives alone with his mother, Maya, earning off their farm.
Maya always worked; selling herbs and flowers so she would provide seeds to plant more flowers and herbs with fertilizers and machines.
Four years had passed since Alex died and Maya and Eren had gotten quite used to living without him.
***
Eren arrives home to see Maya already home.
"Mum, you're early today."
"I've been here for some time. We sold out early today." Maya says.
"Wow. All of it, I'm sure I harvested a lot yesterday and you sold them all." Eren remarked.
"You never tell me where you're off to during the afternoons and Miss Shaun tells me you're off almost every afternoon." She poured a glass of water for Eren.
"Miss Shaun? What's her business?" Eren asks a little annoyed as he collects the glass of water from Maya.
"Come on, don't talk about Miss Shaun like that!" Maya chided as she dished out a plate of beans with corn on the side.
The house was quite small. Maya says Alex built it himself with the kitchen behind the sitting room.
"Even if she's a gossip, she says the truth sometimes." Maya says.
"You have nothing to worry about. I go with Clair to the market." He answered.
"Everyday?"
"Yes." He answered straightforwardly.
"Well, that's something." Maya lowered the plate and a glass of juice on the dinning table where Eren sat.
"What do you mean by 'that is something', using that all-wise-and-mysterious tone you use when you are hiding what you really think from me?" Eren asked suspicious.
"What do you think I'm hiding?" Maya laughs.
"Whatever." Eren decided to ignore.
"Well, I'm just saying." Maya said as she sat on the chair opposite Eren holding her own plate and glass of juice.
"It's not what you're thinking. We're just friends." Eren said with his mouth stuffed with corn.
"Whatever you say." She replied.
***
"Mum, I almost forgot. Clair got you something. She also got something for me too." Eren handed the diamond necklace that Clair got over to her. He showed her the jade ring she got him.
"Wow, it's beautiful." Maya says, trying on the necklace.
"Isn't that a pair ring?" Maya asked when she saw the jade ring Eren was showing her, "I thought you guys weren't a thing."
"We aren't. We're just friends." He replied.
"Again, whatever you say. Tell her I said thank you." Maya got up from the chair and walked into the room.
'Yeah, forgot to thank her...'
***
The sun rose up, lightening up the farm. All the flowers bloomed in their brightest colors and butterflies flew haphazardly around the scenery.
Eren had finished packing up some herbs and flowers for the day's market and stacked them into a truck parked beside the house.
"These ones look fresh today, kid." Mr Todd yelled from the front seat.
"They always look fresh." Eren yelled back.
"Tell your mum to hurry up or I'll be off." Todd continued.
Todd was a furniture maker with a local shop hold in the Sage market, which was the second most populated market in the Pandoria division.
Ever since Alex died, he would give Maya a lift to the market everyday. He even fixed some worn out furniture for free.
"You don't have to be in a hurry, Todd. It is not rush hour yet. Give mum a break." Eren said nonchalantly.
"Hey boy, for the last time, it's Mr. Todd to you!" Mr Todd scolded.
"Alright, Todd." Eren said as he walked into the house.
"What will I do with that boy?" Todd murmured with a smile.
***
Maya sat on the couch with a morning newspaper on her left hand and a cup of coffee on her right hand. This was a daily routine for Maya. She was dressed up in a navy blue baggy trouser and a flay-yellow top with a V-neck line. She wore pearls on her neck and wrist and a black flat shoe. Her blonde hair was curled short and she had put on light makeup.
"Looking good today, mum..." Eren commented when he saw Maya, "...What's the occasion?" He asked.
"There's no occasion." She answers.
Eren passed by - into the room, yelling as he went, "I have new seeds to plant today, mum. I'm sure that you'll be shocked when you see them."
"Well then. I can't wait to be shocked." Maya said wearily as she sipped her coffee.
Eren took three loaves of bread and a jar of strawberry jam from the kitchen and went to sit beside Maya on the couch.
"Honey, how many times do I have to tell you that it's wrong to eat in the living room?" Maya scolded him.
"Mum. Please. Just this once." Eren replied carelessly, "Besides, you're drinking coffee in the living room." He continued.
"That's different." She retorts inattentively.
"It seems that this notorious thief group, the trade, had finally been caught, but they escaped and they're on the run." Maya said informatively while sipping her coffee.
"What?" Eren said after processing the information for a few seconds, "Did they get their faces?!" He said as he snatched the paper from Maya.
"Woah, calm down. Yes, but the last one is a disguise master so the face they saw was probably not her real face." Maya put out nonchalantly.
Eren scanned through the seven members of the trade looking for Clair's face. He lowered the paper and breathed out in relief when he didn't see Clair.
"You almost spilled my coffee." Maya clicked her tongue.
Eren didn't reply her as he spaced out.
"Are you okay? Honey?" Maya asked worriedly.
"Hmm?... Yes... Mum?... I'm okay, just hungry." Eren smiled and stuffed bread in his mouth.
"O-okay." Maya said as she got up from the couch. "Well, I'll be on my way. You can make anything you want when you are hungry in the afternoon. That is, if you'll be home." Maya said with a smirk and dropped the cup in the sink.
"Oh, I forgot to tell you! Todd's waiting!" Eren said with bread in his mouth.
"Oh wow, nice timing." She said sarcastically then bangs the door behind her.
'Clair is in danger... ' Eren thought, '...but if she's on the run, I won't be able to find her. It's okay, she'll be fine... I mean, they can't possibly find a master of disguise, can they?'
Eren restlessly stood from the couch and went to wash the dishes.
'I really hope she's okay.'
***