[PENDING] -No Title Yet-

Chapter Three

Tim walked to the front of the door. He searched for his keys in his pocket and unlocked the door then, a strange metallic dog barked at Tim.

Mellissa jumped at the sight of the machine. She didn't know if she'll whack it with a fallen branch or run back to the market.

"Relax. It's just a dog. I built him myself," said Tim with confidence, "Pod, this is Mellissa. Mellissa, Pod."

They proceeded inside the building after Pod and Mellissa's short introduction by Tim.

"You built him? Amazing. How? It looks pretty clear that you live alone. And is this a history book?"

Mellissa picked up a hardbound book that was sitted on top of the coffee table.

The living room was basically what Mellissa had imagined. A black leather couch that could fit 4 people at the left side, a coffee table in front of the couch which held stacked books and magazines, a shelf that consists of 3 layers at the right side that includes framed pictures of people that looked like they traveled around the world, and a potted plant next to it.

It seemed like the living room was the simplest room, but it isn't. It was the cleanest room. Tim never really bothered to hang out in the living room except when he is studying. Usually, he would go directly into his work shed to work on his projects. Not including the machine he built that transported him to Mellissa's world. He built that in a corner of his room.

"Yes, I built him and yes, that's a history book. Don't care about history much, though. I'm already graduating high school and I have no plans on taking up whatever's next."

Shocked, Mellissa replied, "Really? I'm graduating high school, too. But, I still would like to go to college. I want to have a job that fits my preferences and the only way I'll know how to know it when I take up college."

Tim just nodded as he didn't know what to say. He then offered to tour her around his house. He needs to know why they were at the market place when they returned and it concerns him. If Mellissa wants to go back safely and not to another place, Tim needs to find out how. It may take a while, so the reason why he toured her is so she'll be familiar with the house. She might stay there for a while.

The kitchen was almost empty. It had no legitimate stove or microwave. Instead, it had a whole box of wood chips, maybe taken from the oak tree, a table and chair, and a few bowls on the floor, some were bone molds. There was a sink installed on the wall opposite to the table. Atleast, there were no dirty dishes.

His bathroom was better than the kitchen. It was the second cleanest room so far. It had a black-blue motif which made it look manly. There was a toilet and bidet next to it, a tub and shower, a sink and a medicine cabinet. It was a complete bathroom, quite elegant as well.

Second to the last room is Tim's. Now, the rankings have changed. His room is the second cleanest. An arranged bed was the first thing you'll see when you step inside. His closet was piled with clothes that were folded neatly. Aside from working on projects and studying, Tim likes to keep things tidy in his room. Except in his condition now, the identical spheres at the corner of his room is surrounded by tools, blueprints, pens and notebooks. It would've been the first cleanest room, if you disregard the invention.

She grazed through his room further. A little bed made of recycled newspaper is paced beside Tim's bed.

"That's adorable," Tim's head shook and replied, "It is not, I tell you. I just feel sorry for letting Pod sleep on the floor during the night, when it's cold."

His reply made Mellissa's heart melt. A guy who may not like cute things, but is soft-hearted even to those inanimate objects, is someone the Mellissa adores.

She continued her stroll around his room. This time, she noticed a small picture frame at the corner next to the invention. Literally, it was on the floor.

The frame was one thing, having a delicate but firm structure since it was made of wire entangled to form a frame. The picture was the one that caught Mellissa's eye.

She first saw a man with white-blond hair and moustace, wearing a suit and tie, then a middle-aged woman to his right, who wore a yellow sunday dress and a gold chain necklace hung around her neck. Sitted beside her, was a teenage girl, around 15 years old, who wore identical necklaces with the middle-aged woman and a younger girl, maybe 6 years old, that is settled beside her.

Mellissa took a closer look at the boy who sat at the left side of the old man, realizing he resembled a younger version of Tim.

"Hey, Tim? Is this you?" she walked towards Tim with her face full of curiosity and slight confusion. 'Who are these people? His family, of course. But where are they? Is Tim even at a legal age to live alone?' The questions spun around her head like a top. Curiosity strucked her real good.

His head jerked towards her, surprised to see she's already gone to that part of his room. As soon as he laid his eyes on the frame, he focused himself into adjusting a few wiring in his invention.

"Yeah." was his only reply.

"Well, where are they? Plus, I don't think people our age are allowed to live by ourselves yet. Especially since you live quite far away from the marketplace."

"They're gone," sorrow washed over his voice and face when he replied. He even stopped what he was doing.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't mean to.. I'm sorry." Mellissa sat beside Tim, who was in front of the machine with hands in its mother board, and placed her hand gently on his back.