John Victor: The Origins

CHAPTER 13

"Is your dad home from work already?" I inquired Nick.

"I'm not sure, man. He usually gets home in the evenings." he replied.

"We should be cautious. It's possible someone tracked us down, and it might be someone dangerous." I warned.

Both of us proceeded downstairs and carefully opened the door. Thankfully, it turned out to be Lily, Nick's 5th-grade sister.

"Hey Nicky, I'm home." Lily said, giving her brother a warm hug.

"How did you get home so early, sweetie?" Nick inquired.

"Today's half day at school, remember?" Lily reminded him.

"Oh, right, my bad, sweetie. Did you walk home all by yourself?" he asked.

"No, Jesse's mom dropped me off here." she responded. Jesse was Lily's best friend at school, and they lived in the next lane.

"Oh, alright." he said.

"Nicky, can I borrow that hat you're wearing?"

"Uh, it's kind of a dirty hat, Lily. I can get you a new one."

"Don't call me dirty, you fool." Mr. Hat muttered.

"No, I really want this one. I promise to give it back after trying it on." Lily pleaded. Nick couldn't resist her innocent and eager eyes. So, he reluctantly agreed.

"Yayyyy, you're the best brother ever!" she cheered.

He removed Mr. Hat from his head and whispered, "If you try to hurt her, I'll rip you into pieces."

Mr. Hat remained silent, not responding to Nick's warning. Carefully, Nick placed the hat on his sister's head. The hat was far too big for her, almost covering half of her face. She looked uncomfortable.

"I can't see anything, Nicky. Please take it off. It's heavy." she said.

"See? This is exactly why I didn't give it to you in the first place. It's too big for your tiny head." He removed the hat from her head.

"I'm not tiny, hmph. I'll wear it when I grow up as tall as you are." she declared.

"Sure, you can." Nick replied, smiling at his sister's determination.

"Hi, Johnny! I didn't notice you were here." Lily exclaimed, giving me a warm hug.

"No problem, Lily. How were your classes today?" I inquired.

"They went well, but math was really tough." she replied.

"Don't worry, if you ever need help, just ask me. I'll be happy to explain things." I offered.

"Thanks, Johnny. Nicky won't teach me." she said with a little frown.

"Why not, buddy?" I asked Nick.

"5th-grade math is a bit tricky for me, and honestly, I'm not the best teacher." Nick whispered.

"Come on, you're almost finishing high school, and you find elementary math challenging?" I chuckled.

"Stop embarrassing me in front of her, bro." he said, pretending to be annoyed.

"Hey, move it, you guys! My bestest cartoon is starting soon, and I wanna watch it." Lily interrupted with excitement.

"Nah, nah, go freshen up and change out of your uniform." he insisted.

"Aw, don't act like daddy. I'll do it later." Lily protested.

"Nope, go to your room and change now. There's still some time before the show starts." he replied firmly.

"Hmph, fine then." she huffed and headed upstairs.