The morning sun exhaled brilliantly. The streets had begun to get busy but at Lady Chislon's household, Khay unlike the rest of the people in Dolrea; was still in bed; tossing and turning and smiling to whatever dream or fantasy he'd thought up for himself.
His door crept open and footsteps approached his bed, a shadow cast over him. Two pair of feminine hands reached out to him, touched his shoulder and shook him gently in an attempt to wake him but failed. There was a deep sigh. The woman was dressed in a blend of black and white – the standard maid uniform – had on a pair of glasses which protected her sea blue eyes then on her head, a whitish see through hairnet that revealed her long black hair that was tied in an a bun (up-do).
She was a person that had been serving the Lady Chislon before Khay was born and even before the household was established. Anshinin Mikado was family and close to the next thing Khay knew a woman to be all about, next to his birth mother; she had been with him from the day he was born and always made sure to keep Khay from trouble, if she could.
"Young master, please wake up, its 8:04am. You'll be late for the academy, young master." Her soft calming voice cried out as she shook him awake. But Khay was reluctant, he moaned and turned all the while, smiling.
"Young Master." Mikado said. Shaking him but to no avail. Then, she could hear footsteps behind her.
"Khaay!" another feminine voice daringly called. "Wake up; you'll be late for the academy."
"Unnhh…" he moaned. "Just… two more minutes…" he tossed in bed once again and was attempting at another toss but suddenly stopped midway. Then his eyes opened without the morning laziness and weariness. His brain had noticed the difference in the tones. Mikado's voice always generally had a sense of calm to it, when she was serious, it got quite stern but there was another, one he knew very well. It always was soft but had this authoritativeness to it, but when she got serious, it had this sharp, non-hostile yet threatening tone to it. Khay would always hear that tone of voice when he was persistent or stubborn about something, when all the members of the household had had their say and he still wouldn't budge, that tone was the end of the line if he wanted to keep his life.
"Mo… Mo… Mom." He shot up from his sleep.
She was the Lady Chislon, head of the Chislon household. She wore a light green linen gown – that was held together by a belt across the waist – over a white dress that had a blue flower pattern. All that was needed was one glance, and one could tell she was Khay's mother, they both shared that coal-deep curly black hair, except, hers was longer, flowing down to her waist. They were both brown skinned, a dominant trait of those that were descendants of Old Africa. She had emerald green eyes that could seer into ones soul.
"Khay." She sat on his bed. "We wouldn't want you to be late for school, now would we?" She said, smiling innocently at him. Khay could feel an uneasy heaviness and a brewing sense of danger behind that smile and without a moments delay, he jumped off his bed putting distance between him and the ladies, landing close to the bathroom door that was to the right of his bed.
"I'll be ready in no time. Mom, Mikado-ne." He signaled nervously breaking a sweat then he thought to himself "I think I almost died".
"Alright Young Master, Young Mistress Lilith and Young Master Trilith are already awaiting your readiness."
"Mikado-nee, I'll be out in a jiffy." He hurriedly slammed the door shut behind him.
"Alright young master." She replied smiling at him.
Lady Chislon let out a sigh. "How they grow fast, that young fragile boy who was born not long ago has grown so much." She paused and sighed once again, worry weighed down on her face. "If only his father could see him."
"My lady…" Mikado concernedly assured. "I'm sure he's watching over him."
They came down the stairs, to the kitchen area and it had been a few minutes since they had left Khay's room.
"That idiot, what's taking him so long" then as if in response, the floor boards above them squeaked with footsteps and they all turned their attention to the roof to look. "Young master, your friends have been here for a while now, if you'd please hurry up."
"How is Zara doing?" Lady Chislon seated at the table with the twins asked.
"She's fine Auntie." Trilith replied.
"Always watering those flowers" Lilith and Trilith respectively answered.
"I suppose it wouldn't be Zara if she wasn't taking care of those."
"But I don't get why, she doesn't even sell them or anything."
"Young Master Trilith…" Mikado called out from the kitchen counter. "You don't supposed she'd just sit around all day doing nothing."
"Well… when you put it that way…" Trilith gave it a thought. "But there's so many things she could be doing."
"Young Mistress Lilith?" Mikado turned her attention to Lilith. But Lilith was lost, she couldn't make heads and tails of what Mikado was trying to get across.
"Mikado… you forget these ones are just buds, they'd understand once they get older."
"My lady. I think they're quite the age."
"Well… Let the kids be kids."
Then, steps came rushing down the stair case.
"Took you long enough!" Trilith cried out.
Khay had one hand through and out his attire - a light blue long sleeve shirt with a DA insignia on the left side of the breast pocket. This was the Dolrea Academy's prescribed attire, and for the lower half, the students were allowed liberty of a trouser with a color of their own choosing. Khay wore a long black trousers to compliment his shirt.
"What got into you today young man?" His mother said.
"Just a little something we decided we'd do Mom." She smiled in response and glanced over at Trilith who was also neatly dressed in the academy's standard attire over dark blackish green trousers, one leg over the other. Then to Lilith. She couldn't complain about Lilith, she was the model student, always dressed as prescribed. A dress that ran down from her neck to a little below her knees. Over that, she wore a rather slightly baggy faded blue trousers.
"I see Lilith has had quite an impact on you two."
"Well, Tawa had it out for us yesterday… so…" he responded, buttoning his attire.
"Mikado ne-san, where are Isove and Ragna? I haven't seen them around in a while."
"Running some errands for me." Khay had a look that screamed his next question was. And his mother could see it. "Don't worry." She assured. "They'll be back soon."
"Alright!" He exclaimed. "Then we'll be heading off now." And so they were out the door and yet to leave the compound. Then…
"You guys finally look like actual students. You look good." She complimented the two of them.
"Thanks, but I can't help but feel suffocated." Her twin said.
"And I feel like we're forgetting something." Khay wondered out loud. Then… "Young Master, what about your breakfast?" Mikado reminded.
"Ah! That was it!" He exclaimed. "I'll just grab something." He screamed back at Mikado. Hurriedly, he took off to the kitchen and pulled out a hand sized sack and began to pack some meat, carrots and onions, a bottle of ketchup and a bowl of rice into it.
"What's taking Khay so long?" Lilith couldn't help but ask.
"I wonder; he's almost quick when it comes to food." Trilith said.
"Young Master." She was descending down the stairs, with bed sheets in her hand. And there was no reply. Then she paused and began to look around the kitchen space and counter; setting the bed sheets in her hand on a table to her left. "Huh!! Where's all the food I prepared?" the pan that was supposed to be full was now empty, and so was the other plates she had set aside that had the king chicken she had just fried.
"Aahhh young master!!!" she screamed and rushed to the kitchen counter as if for closer look. The counter was indeed empty and so was the kitchen with Lady Chislon seated alone.
"Ara, arah" Startled and coming to a complete realization of what she had failed to see through. She let out a long cry. "Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh" and Lady Chislon couldn't help but giggle in response.
"He pulled quite a big one on you Mikado."
She quickly barged out the front door huffing like an angry bull and screaming; "Where are they, where are they?"
"Mikado nee." A familiar voice came from the distance.
"Where?" she questioned looking around.
Mikado turned her attention to it. It was coming from atop one of the nearby roofs. "Thanks for the breakfast." "We'll be sure not to leave any leftovers." The twins said in succession, waving at her.
"Oh they really got you this time." Lady Chislon waved at them. Mikado could only sigh and smile. "As long as you enjoy yourselves, young masters and mistress."
"Come on." Lady Chislon called out to Mikado. "I knew they'd do this, but at least ask me and let me pack it up for you." She said in lower tone. "It's alright. You did well."