𝐀𝐒𝐘𝐋𝐔𝐌

Chapter Five

“It’s... -ma.... -all... mama! Ca-...he-... mama!!”

You jolted awake as Fern’s voice barely registered through your sleep.

”Fern, you woke her up.” You heard Owen lightly scold Fern.

Rubbing the sleep from your eyes and trying your best to focus on their words you lifted yourself into a sitting position on the living room couch.

Fern and Gabriel seemed to be mad at each other, with Fern looking too aggressive for Gabriel to handle.

Gabriel was shivering with anxiety and looked so incredibly confused that it immediately made you worry. What a terrible way to wake up.

”Woah... what’s the matter?” You asked, your first instinct to comfort and hold the nervous Gabriel.

”H-He was yelling at me, sis! He wants me to call-“ Gabriel began.

”Mama!!” Fern jolted out your nickname to grab your attention, causing everyone in the room to jump. His demeanor changing from angry to worrisome.

You stared at the nervous looking Fern in surprise as he struggled to come up with a justification for his yell. His eyes were wide and his body stiff, shaking a bit.

”U-Um! I wanna... go to the park.” Fern mumbled, looking down at his feet.

You titled your head in confusion, “Wha- but I still have no idea what just happened! Besides the park doesn’t have much shade, does it?” You asked, baffled at all that happened this early in the morning.

Owen noticed your concern and in turn, made an effort to assure you.

”Fern and Gabriel just had an argument. Fern gets loud, as you know, so Gabriel wasn’t sure how to respond. I was supervising, so all was fine.

As for the park, it should be mostly shaded at this time of day. A short trip should be fine.” Owen spoke out.

While you appreciated Owen’s efforts to provide comfort to you, you question if the same courtesy was extended to Gabriel.

You wonder, if it were between Fern and Gabriel, who would he choose..?

”Sis... I wanna go to the park too...” Gabriel whined out while hugging you.

While you were asleep, was Gabriel blamed for Fern’s outburst..? Gabriel may be a kid, but he’s a strong kid, a social one. He wouldn’t make a conscious effort to avoid leaving your side unless he felt unsafe in some way.

Gabriel is devoid of injuries, but he just seemed distressed. Maybe you were wrong in thinking he was persecuted in some way, but someone did something to neglect his feelings. That was very clear.

”I don’t see why not.” You smiled at Gabriel.

Fern seemed to tense up, angrily, and Owen took one glance at Fern before speaking out.

”No. I’m sorry but I need help around here, so you’ll have to stay.” Owen rebuked your permission. His words were strict, but not mean.

To you, Gabriel was the only reason you tried so hard to live in this apocalyptic world. If there was even the smallest chance of Gabriel being hurt, whether or whether not it was physical or mental, you would not allow it.

It was like a cinder block in your body that doesn’t move. You were sure that prompted to do so, you could kill anything that threatened to hurt Gabriel with no hesitation.

Still, you resisted the urge to immediately get aggressive. Owen wasn’t violent or mean, so you had to think about why he was acting this way.

”I already said he could go.” You spoke with an incredible contrast to your usual doormat personality, “Besides, most of the chores have been done today. There’s not much else to do. Much less for a kid of Gabriel’s age.” You explained.