The Erebus

PART ONE: Chapter 5

Over the next few weeks, Hannah spent most of her time in and out of school hanging out with Jaden and his friends. She'd become a fully integrated member of their little group, cracking jokes and talking about school gossip. Her feeling of loneliness had completely disappeared. It was as if her unpleasant past was no longer real, but a distant nightmare becoming more and more faded with each passing day. The only thing still on her mind was her brother's warning. She and Simon had developed a closer friendship compared to her relationship with the others and at moments she couldn't help but imagine it as something more. Those thoughts quickly passed, but their very existence troubled her. It was a normal Wednesday and Hannah came home from school a bit later than usual.

- You're home a bit later than usual, - Richard noticed curiously.

- I've taken up extra math lessons after school, so I'll be coming home around this time on Wednesdays and Thursdays from now on. Hope that's okay, - she replied.

- That's great! I had no idea you were interested in maths. Lunch will be ready in 20 minutes. Kayla is making her spaghetti bolognese.

- Sounds great!

Hannah went upstairs to her room where her brother was waiting for her.

- So, how was your day? - he asked her.

- It was great, I signed up for extra math lessons.

- I thought you hated maths?

- Well I do, but Simon told me if I worked harder and more often, I would naturally get better. He mentioned the extra classes he was taking, so I joined him.

- So, you took the classes to get better at maths? - Jaden asked with an implied suspicion in his tone.

- Yeah, I just told you.

- So, it has nothing to do with the fact that Simon and nobody else from our class takes those lessons?

- Don't be stupid, of course not.

- Really? - Jaden asked rhetorically, provoking her with sarcasm - Who do you sit next to?

- Well, I sit next to him, of course, but it's so I have someone to ask if there is something I don't understand. Besides, he's my friend, so who else would I sit with?

- Well... yes, I suppose you're right. I didn't mean to accuse you of anything.

Despite what she just heard, she knew his opinion was still the same and his suspicions still present. Jaden left her room and went downstairs. Hannah sat on her bed to clear her mind. The worst part was, she wasn't sure who she was trying to convince in that conversation - her brother or herself. She had never liked maths and still didn't and yet something pushed her towards making the decision of taking extra lessons. Did she really do it just so she could be alone with him twice a week? Her trail of thought was broken by a shout coming from downstairs.

- Lunch is ready! - Kayla shouted making sure the entire house... and the house next-door heard her. Alice eagerly ran down the stairs. She loved her mother's cooking, especially Italian food. The five of them sat down at the table and ate. That was the first time Hannah tried Kayla's specialty.

- How do you like it? - Kayla asked her, hoping for a good review. However, the one she got was more than good.

- This is amazing, by far the best food I've ever tasted.

- I'm glad you like it, it's an old family recipe my mother taught me.

- She must be an amazing cook.

- She... was, - Kayla confirmed sadly - She worked as a chef in an Italian restaurant in southern London. Everyone I knew praised her cooking.

After lunch everyone went to their rooms to either work or take a nap. Jaden usually had lots of homework and studying to do, so he was not to be disturbed until the afternoon. The thing that annoyed him most was when Alice knocked on his door a thousand times while he was trying to work. At moments like that he would yell at his little sister and then later always regret it. After lunch, he sat at his desk and took out his physics book, ready to struggle with some thermodynamics exercises. As he opened the book, he heard 3 knocks on his door. He let out a loud sigh.