Missing Fire

Chapter 9: Dream

"Piramid purba, piramid batu..."

"Can't you shut up?" Solar finally snapped, unable to contain his annoyance at Duri's incessant blabbering. He was trying to focus on the new book he had just bought, but Duri's voice kept breaking his concentration.

Duri rolled his eyes, too familiar with their usual back-and-forth in their shared bedroom. "I was just reminiscing about the time when—"

"Yeah, yeah, I know. The time when you got us lost in the tunnel," Solar interjected, not looking up from his book.

Huffing and folding his arms across his chest, Duri protested, "Hey! You were the one who made us go around in circles!"

Solar put down his book on the table, turning his body to face Duri with a frown. "I think you forgot that it was your brilliant idea to follow your 'heart' through that maze."

Duri leaned forward, his eyes narrowing. "Oh, so now it's my fault? If you hadn't been so logical, we wouldn't have been lost for hours!"

Solar stood up, frustration evident in his stance. "Being logical is the right thing to do. Your heart could never rival the power of analytical and physics!"

"Or maybe if you had a sense of direction, we wouldn't have needed your brain!" Duri shot back, standing up as well, their faces inches apart in a heated standoff. The tension in the room was thick, each twin glaring at the other, neither willing to back down.

"If you two want to argue, do it quietly, please."

Just then, Ais appeared at the open door, his face a mixture of exasperation and fatigue.

Both Solar and Duri turned to look at Ais, expecting him to say more, but he just walked away without another word, leaving the twins in stunned silence.

Solar sighed, running a hand through his hair. "I guess we were being a bit loud."

Duri nodded, the fight leaving him as quickly as it had come. "Yeah, sorry about that."

Solar picked up his book again, but this time his focus was gone. "Why was he so upset? It's not like Ais to snap at us."

The older twin shrugged, his earlier irritation forgotten. "Maybe he's just having a rough day. You know how he gets sometimes."

The latter nodded, worry creeping into his thoughts. "Yeah, maybe."

Duri nodded and the argument was forgotten as the twins settled back into their usual routine.

—---------------

Ais made his way back to his bedroom, the clock just past 9 o'clock at night. Hearing his two youngest brothers arguing didn't help with his headache. Sometimes he wondered why the bathroom was so far from his room. Maybe he should have chosen Duri and Solar's bedroom, since theirs was much closer to the bathroom, but then it would be too far from the stairs if he wanted to go downstairs.

Life was complicated. Maybe if he had Solar's power, he could just teleport with the speed of light anywhere. Too bad he was born with the power of water and ice, which had nothing to do with teleportation.

Ais might look like someone who didn't care about anything, but the truth was, he thought too much. People– more like his brothers always said he had an overthinking tendency about everything in his life, which at the same time contributed to his depression.

Gempa had told him that maybe what he needed was some fresh air and a change of scenery. Honestly, Ais didn't believe that. The only thing he needed was his bed, some food, and Whally.