Avenoir || BTS

39

I wish she remembered me, her daughter.

"So, this is your boyfriend's brother, huh?" my father asks. 

I look at Jungkook, who looks around the place curiously. He's very good at pretending he can't hear us. If he were human, he would be out of earshot, but I know he can hear us. I wonder whether I can master the skill of looking human. 

"Yeah," I nod, wondering what more I can say.

I take a bite of the hamburger casserole on my plate. It tastes utterly bland and flavorless, but at least it doesn't taste bad. 

"Huh," my father nods. 

"You have a fireplace," Jungkook comments, seemingly excited. 

"We don't use it anymore. I'm too old to be lugging around wood. And Y/N hates it."

My mother eats silently, merely observing the whole interaction. 

"Why?" Jungkook asks. 

He looks pointedly at me, a little curious. 

"I used to be friends with this kid in elementary. I've always loved cats, and he told me he would throw one in a fireplace if he ever had the chance because one of them had scratched his brother's arm once. I was terrified. He used to come over to play a lot and I never let the fireplace be lit if I knew he would be here," I explain, "Has anything changed while I was gone?"

"A lot," Dad answers, "There are a lot more houses around, you must have seen that. And we have a very lovely neighbor. She's around your age, a nurse who works at the hospital in town."

"Oh, that's nice," I reply. 

Everything feels a little awkward and new, but it's not that bad. I didn't imagine this day would ever come. 

"What do you say about lighting up the fireplace now?" Jungkook asks. 

"How about tomorrow? It's too dark out to cut wood," Dad reasons. 

They seem to be getting along fine. 

"Yeah, that would be nice," Mom comments. 

We gather in the living room and end up talking for a while until Mom cracks a yawn. 

"She's tired. We're getting to bed. You can stay up for as long as you like. And can you show him his room, Y/N?" Dad requests. 

"Sure," I reply. 

I curl up on the armchair, not the least bit tired or thirsty. 

"I'll... leave you alone," Jungkook mumbles awkwardly. 

He moves to get up

"Stay," I blurt out, and his eyes go wide, "I mean... you don't have to."

"I will," he replies a little too quickly. 

"I'm just going to read a book or something."

He smiles, taking a seat next to me on the couch. 

"That's alright. There are ways to keep me entertained," he says with a  shrug. 

"Like what?" I huff. 

I get up from the couch and walk towards the dusty bookshelf. A lot of stories from when I used to live here were still neatly stacked on the shelves. My eyes catch on a particular book and I take it out.

"Watching you?" he replies instantly. 

I giggle, turning to look at him. 

"Cute," I mutter, "Wanna fact-check a book with me?"

I hold the book 'My Babysitter is a Vampire' in my hand. I remember reading it like it was just yesterday, even though the story wasn't exceptionally good. 

"There's probably garlic in there," he says, fluffing up a throw pillow. 

I sit next to him, opening the book. 

"Yeah, there is. But does it really affect us?" I ask him. 

"No. But I suppose there are vampires with a garlic allergy."

"Wait, what?" I ask. 

"Some vampires cannot tolerate garlic. Take Jin, for example."

"What would happen if he comes in contact with it? And I'm sure he's cooked for me and there was garlic in it."

"It's only when he eats it. He can't keep the blood down and throws it up for a day or so. Speaking of blood, are you thirsty?" he asks. 

"No. Are you?" I ask. 

"No," he replies, "Start reading."

I am startled when he drops his head on my lap, turning to look up at me like a curious puppy. I am sure my heart would have skipped a beat if I were still human. 

"Uh... okay," I start. 

I begin to read and I am sure he would have dozed off if he could. He starts to play with a Rubix cube as I read to him. Minutes turn to hours and I've picked up another book to read. And then, it's morning. Jungkook leaves to take a shower while I take a break and go outside. 

The little garden is thriving, surprisingly. Is Dad taking care of it?  

"You're up early."

I'm not shocked to see my dad outside as I'd heard him as soon as he woke up. 

"I was tired, so I slept early last night," I shrug, "Do you tend to the garden?"

"Nah, never cared for flowers. You should know. It's Cynthia," he says. 

"Who?" I ask, trying to remember if I've heard of her. 

"The nurse who lives next door. She takes good care of us."

"Oh... yeah. You told me about her."

It's silent for a few seconds and the sun starts to hurt my eyes.

"Do you want me to make breakfast?" I ask him.

He's always loved my cooking, but I don't know if I can cook as well now. It won't hurt to try. 

"That'd be nice," he smiles. 

My mom is silent today as well. Around noon, Jungkook offers to chop up firewood, and he's doing a great job. I mean, I doubt there's anything he's bad at. And it's also around this time, while Jungkook chops wood and the nosy neighbor lady drools over him, that Cynthia arrives. 

I am the one to open the door to her. She is gorgeous, her chestnut hair just reaching her chin and a strong, lithe figure. But she also seems incredibly tired. 

"Hi," she greets me with a polite smile, "I'm Cynthia. You must be Y/N."

And I know I have no reason to, but I don't have a good feeling about her.