13 Family

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Lucky for Kerol and Brenda, Mak Farah was still awake, even though the clock tells them that it was nearly one in the morning. Mak Farah was very warm and welcoming, and had invited Claire and Wayne to sleep over since it was late, or at least, have some tea. They were glad she wasn't offering caffeine to them as late as one in the morning, but Wayne secretly needed a good cup of coffee. He was already sleepy and he had to drive all the way back to the city, but he decided to just drop by any Seven Eleven convenience store later and buy a few cans of Nescafé.

Then again, maybe Mak Farah had drank up all the coffee and that was why she was offering tea, and maybe that was why she was up so late.

Wayne and Claire waved them goodbye, before Wayne pressed the clutch and the engine pedal. The car sped off to leave the insanely quiet neighbourhood, and back into the main road. Wayne had both windows rolled down, and Claire had her seat set low so she could lean down to properly rest.

"Don't sleep," Wayne slapped her lap hard as the car entered the nearest highway. "You're gonna have to talk to me until we reach home."

"I'm not gonna sleep," Claire mumbled, but the seat was suddenly too comfortable for her, she would've dozed off without her even realizing it. "How far is home, anyway?"

"About half an hour, or forty minutes. Wait, should I send you to Refill or your studio?"

"The studio. Rayhan's probably at Refill, and that new Bender girl too, so I'd like a comfortable bed, thank you very much." Her voice sounded sleepy and lazy. "Oi, sleep over at the studio tonight. And then you go back in the morning lah. I don't think Haru's coming home, anyway, with Ray at Refill."

"Haru's not going anywhere, oh no."

Claire chortled in a sarcastic tone. "Pfft, yeah right, just wait until Ray's gone back to West City, she'll be out and about like a horse."

Wayne laughed. "I don't know why you associate Haru with a horse. I thought bunny would be suit her more."

"Bunny? Seriously?"

"I'll just go with the horse. Don't tell Haru I said that."

Claire threw an arm upwards. "What happens in the car, stays in the car."

"Rayhan isn't going anywhere either. She's got cracks on her femur and she shouldn't go anywhere until she's completely healed."

"Rayhan got cracks on her what? Did she fell off or something? She, out of all the hideously clumsy people of The Metal Children, is the most graceful one."

"You don't expect her to be graceful if she's under attack. She's not Audrey Hepburn."

"Black Benders." Claire scoffed.

Wayne wanted to turn to Claire, but he focused his eyes on the road instead. It wasn't very dark on the highway - in fact, it was very bright, with sufficient street lamps and light from other cars on the road. The city lights glistening like glitter from a distance. But they were nowhere close to home yet. Wayne supposed the time they have in the car would be sufficient for him to explain what had happened to Rayhan and Haru. "Not a black Bender, Claire. Much worse." He began telling her about the Gemini, assuming that Claire already had known of the C.E.S. He told her how Haru and Rayhan were attacked by one of The Gemini pair, and didn't left out the part where Haru's face was revealed to the Gemini. He also had told her how Haru had ordered for the Bronze Children of the South City to start training for a war, and obviously, Claire as the Head of the Training Unit will be in charge.

Claire felt bile rising up to her throat, and her head was pounding painfully. Her eyes refused to stay open, but with all the pain and exhaustion, she couldn't sleep. The wind that blew through the open car windows blew harshly against her skin, and for once, she appreciated the fresh air.

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