Underneath the clouds

XIX

The school year was done, and so was Jolin. There was nothing to do, and the summer break had just begun. Confusion was always in the air, along with tension and annoyance. If creating the serum was a waste of time, why would he do it? Jolin always questioned, never allowing him to answer. She felt it wasn't important. But since the summer was here, and the school year had ended, she had other things to do. Other responsibilities.
The vans had returned, and they seemed more frequent. It was only a couple of hours into the day when she noticed them a few streets away from her window. A chill ran down her spine. Either they were being stalked, or they were about to get robbed, either way, it wasn't good news. The day was a little chilly for summer, with a nice breeze blowing through the streets, giving a calm demeanor to the neighborhood. Kids and teenagers were rarely ever seen outside, and if they were they were either swimming in a pool or helping their mom bring in groceries.
Undoing the bandage around her forearm, she sat on the lid of the toilet, in dim light. The blue spot hadn't changed, despite it being scratched several times. It did raise concern, but she couldn't go to anybody. They'd probably think it would be cancer or a tumor.
And she couldn't go to her father, because she kept it a secret she was never in his lab that night. Jolin was stuck with nowhere to go, and no one to talk to. She hadn't been outside for three days, and it kind of bugged her. Last summer she was always outside, either trying to get away from her quirky dad or just bored.
Nowadays she didn't care. Didn't care if her dad came and talked about a new invention. That would be the only excitement in the summer, but it never really happened.

It was a Saturday, and the sun was setting. Jolin watched from the windows of her attic, resting on the carpet floor. Dinner wasn't going to be ready for another 15 minutes, she assumed, so she had time. She had time to gaze at the wonderful sunset, and think. The air in the attic was always hot or cold, it depended on the weather outside. Today, it was cold. Jolin was snug in her oversized hoodie, and her sweatpants, which had a very soft and fuzzy material inside. It made her feel secured and safe. After the sun had set over the horizon, and the only thing left of it was a bright orange glow, she headed down the stairs, down another set of stairs, and into the foyer. Dinner was coming along nicely. Rounding the corner, the smell grew greater.
Her father was in there too, along with her mother who was the one that was making dinner. "So..." it was inaudible. "What's for dinner?" Jolin spoke up. "Spaghetti," Angelica answered. The teenager nodded, slowly walking to the dining room. "And when is it going to be ready?"
"In a minute, so come and get your plate." Dinner smelled delicious, and it triggered a grumble from Jolin's hungry stomach. The three had set down their plates on the table and sat down. Her mouth started to water, looking down at the sauce and the noodles. The smell was delicious, and to a hungry stomach, heavenly. Twirling the noodles around on her fork, Jolin took a bite, slurping the hanging noodles into her mouth. She couldn't remember if she had eaten today, so this was a good meal. The only meal. The family ate in silence before Jeremy broke the ice. "So... how was your guys' day?" Angelica swallowed her food, clearing her throat before speaking. "Busy."
"Boring," Jolin answered, continuing to eat. "How about yours?" Angelica asked. "Mine was pretty busy too, I finally finished the other serum, so there's three for all of us.
Enough about the damn serum.
Her inner voice hissed. Whatever he said instantly triggered her. But she refused to let the anger show. Instead, she kept her head down, eyes on her food. "Did you test any of them yet?" It came out more of a disrespectful comment, but Jolin was genuinely curious. He stayed silent.
I guess that answers it then.
The tension was building, the quiet feeding the fire. "Anyways," she could hear it in her mother's voice. She was angry.
Well... he should have tested it. A real scientist would have.
Now she despised her thoughts. At least he made something, at least he created a new thing. It was an inner argument, a silent struggled between her and her ruthless thoughts. The argument went for so long it even surpassed dinner and lasted until she got up in her room. But even still, her thoughts always had the last word. Now it was dark, pitch black outside. Not even the moon was visible. She had turned off the light, getting ready for bed, until she had the overwhelming urge to turn on the lights. Or at least stay awake. A pit in her stomach started to form, the hairs on the back of her neck started to stand up, even more so when she saw the vans passing by. Her mom was in their room, and her father was downstairs, doing god knows what.
Jolin was uneasy, restless, and anxious. Something was wrong.