Zemblanity

Chapter 2

We neared our house at the roundabout, which consisted of two floors with white walls, a black door, and a black jeep in the driveway. We walked up the stairs, and Evander scanned his thumb and went in.

"Aunty, we're home!" I shouted.

"In here," we heard from the kitchen.

We went towards it to be greeted by the aroma of steamed rice, vegetables, barbeque chicken, along with the smell of freshly baked cake.

"What happened for you to be in a happy mood?" Andy questioned as he sat at the countertop and dropped his bag to the ground.

"Nothing much," she added. "At work I got invitations for us to go to the new museum that will showcase the artifacts from before the new era."

"And we are to be happy because...?" Evander asked as he dropped his bag on the countertop.

"We are going to learn about our history and it's good for your studies," she replied, eyeing the bag, seeing that Evander dropped it onto the ground instead.

"But you have never shown an interest in history before," I spoke, eyeing the apple vials, and dropping my bag.

"I have, you just don't ask," she replied offhandedly as she brought the food to the counter. I took my eyes off the apple vials to watch her. I didn't question further.

"So please pay attention when we go, it's this Sunday," she stated firmly.

"Why this Sunday? I wanted to check the tech convention," Evander whined, not reading the room.

"Who would you go with? Because I'm quite sure Andy or Avy aren't going."

"I have friends," he stated, crossing his arms.

"No, you can't go, and I don't know these so-called friends of yours, and it's Sunday, you know the rules," Rachel replied, leaving no room for argument.

"Yeah, yeah, Sunday is for family," Evander replied, and I looked at the vial basket, finally deciding to grab the apple-flavored liquid vial.

"Good, and Avyanna, put down the vial, you can drink it after lunch." I put it down immediately and gave her a sweet smile, hearing her tone. Alex snorted at that while Andy laughed.

"Now if anyone has something this Sunday, you're going to have to reschedule it," she stated firmly and nobody said anything and just nodded.

"Good, now dig in," she said and we started serving ourselves.

Aunt Rachel was the only one who could tell us what to do, and we wouldn't mind it too much. Sometimes we forget what she has done for us and get mouthy, but at the end of the day, we usually get her something to add to the apology that comes. As the conversation goes on around me, I munch on the veggies, savoring every crunch, when I am taken out of my musings by Aunt questioning Andy.

"How was school today?" Rachel asked, looking directly at Andy without even trying to hide it. Andy looked up, feeling her gaze on him.

He sighed and answered, "No, they didn't approach me, because one, you threatened to report the principal to your superiors who might I add is in the ROO, and two, Avy had punched the guy hard enough for his nose to go crooked. Why would they start again?"

Aunt Rachel looked right at me and said, "I don't support violence, but you should have gotten more punches in."

Andy just rolled his eyes at that and said, "I am 16, I can take care of myself."

"If your idea of 'take care of yourself' is bearing through it, then no, you don't have the right idea."

"It's not like I could do anything. You know that if I got them to lay off me, they would go onto another kid-"

Evander cut him off by saying, "Why protect others when you are using yourself as a shield? I'm quite sure they don't even know of your sacrifice. You really aren't in a place to care for others when you can't even take care of yourself. Sure it's sweet to some extent, but that's all it is. In the long run, it's just plain stupid," he ranted with a venomous tone, in which I smacked him on the back of his head.

"Don't use that tone," the food didn't taste as good as before.

Aunt Rachel sighed and said, "There is some truth to it, but that is what he thought was best, Evander."

"What was best is to inform someone who can stop it," the smack wasn't enough.

Aunt Rachel didn't say anything else since he is right, but it's not like they will stop it. They will just give a warning and let them off. Andy looked at his food and started gnawing at his lip. I didn't point it out since that would be the last thing he wanted. I passed the last piece of meat; he glanced up that didn't stop me from catching the look in his eyes. I kept munching on my veggies.

"I still think they should have at least gotten a punishment at ROO's stadium considering they have done it to others who have gotten concussions, that should make them second guess every choice they make," Evander grumbled after calming down and finally reading the room.

When it comes to family, Evander gets protective and vicious in ways you didn't think possible considering everything that has happened. Looking at these two, I started to think that maybe it affected them much more than it had affected me; I hoped they didn't hold it against me.

I was snapped back to reality by Aunt Rachel's voice, "you promise to say something if it starts again?"

"Yeah, I promise," Andy replied idly.

"What about your day, twins?"

"It was fine," I shrugged and added as nonchalantly as possible. "But I won't be coming home at the usual time for the next two weeks."

"Why is that?" Aunt Rachel questioned with a raised eyebrow.

"I got cleaning duty," I mumbled.

"Why?"

"I fell asleep during class."

Aunt Rachel pursed her lips at that and didn't ask further seeing my reluctance to answer.

"How about you, Evander?"

"Fine," he narrowed his eyes. "Why doesn't she get grilled about falling asleep?"

"Because I already came to terms with it last time Miss Gonzalez called and informed me."

Evander smiled to himself. I only rolled my eyes. Of course she was already informed. I didn't want to let him get away with trying to get me in trouble.

"Me falling asleep is the least of her problems. The fact that you and Andy are tinkering with a flip phone is her biggest problem." Andy stuffed his mouth at that, and Evander looked away. Aunt Rachel didn't comment and just stood up to get the cake. I continued on.

"You do know we are not supposed to have anything related to back then, right?" They still didn't meet my eyes probably already knowing how I feel about what they are doing.

"At the museum they are showing the technology before the war," Aunt Rachel spoke up breaking the tension with her words and cake.

"Wait, seriously? Why didn't you start with that?" Evander asked.

"That should be obvious it's a museum," I said with a tone that would irk him and let go of the before topic.

He didn't get too bothered by it though thinking of the tech that he could see. We continued to have small talk... I grabbed an apple vial and headed to my room while Rachel said she was going somewhere, I didn't bother to ask. Alex and Andy went to finish whatever project they were making and I went to my room to have a short nap.