The Shadows Within Children's Footsteps (Hiatus/exams)

11- Hidden Within The Heart (Part 2)

The blonde lad winced and pushed the phone away from him, ignoring the ringing sound that was resonating inside his ear. He figured that his mother must have done that on purpose to throw him off balance and it sure did work, there was no other explanation for the silence.

"Y-Yes, Mom?" He answered after a while, still keeping the phone away from him.

"Do you know how much trouble you are in right now young man!" His mother cried. Theo paused and thought of all the possible things he had done but came up with every little mishap he done in Arcadia, none that seemed normal back in the Lillin Reality.

"Um... maybe?" Theo said after a while, testing the waters.

"Honestly," Theo heard her mother rasped, annoyance evident in her tone. "Does it hurt to call every once in a while? How am I supposed to know if you are alright or not if you don't tell me every now and then?"

So she was mad at him for not calling, nothing major then.

"School is... hectic." Theo answered back as he began to walk through the hallway again. He still had to find out a way to get out of there and return to Arcadia, but hearing his mother's voice seemed to make him relax and take his time to think things with a clearer head. His mother was right in one way though, it had been too long.

"Is it so hectic that you can't even bother typing an email?" His mother snapped, but the blonde lad noticed the anger was fading away.

"Yea, the internet is pretty wonky over here." Theo replied, which was not a complete lie. What Arcadia made up with magic, lacked in technology. No, he was sure the technology in Arcadia was pretty advanced, but no one seemed to bother depending on it and relied on magic and books instead. In all honesty, Theo liked it, it was like a breath of fresh air.

"Can't even call?" His mother asked, her voice slowly growing sad. Theo flinched a bit, but managed to keep his tone even while scanning through the paintings one by one.

"I can." Theo answered before he quickly added. "Just that the exams and homework they pile on students are ridiculous. I am amazed at myself for still being in once piece."

"Well you are a genius." His mother added and Theo could almost hear her smile. "You are my little Sherlock Holmes, so this stuff should be a breeze for you right?"

"It kinda is, actually." Theo said with a smile, admitting that despite how he had to adjust the new environment, he found the complexity of magic as simple as stacking blocks over the other. A part of him wondered if it was due to Alazne's memories inside of him.

Maybe, the reason he was doing so well in Arcadia was because of that, something to do with muscle memory. He was still rusty compared to the princess, but he was more than average according to his teachers. He hoped that they were not lying just to boost his confidence.

"So anything interesting happened while I was here?" Theo asked after a while.

"Well, according to the newspapers, someone's fence fell down." His mother answered but Theo could tell the amusement in her voice.

"Seriously?" Theo asked, shaking his head. "That's the most lamest news I ever heard in my entire life."

At the other hand, Theo's mother seemed to be suffering from a fit of giggles.

"I know dear." She said in between laughs. "The news here is so bad, that it's pure gold. But other than that, your favourite pair are on the news too."

Theo paused, frowning at what she had meant about his favourite pair when an embarrassing memory from the past came to ambush him out of the blue. At once, Theo felt his cheeks flamed and held his phone in a death grip.