After Soal made a deal with Milton and Heather, everything became a whirlwind. They had contacted Alice about it, who seemed willing to take in this lost child, and her parents arranged a visit to meet her, with Isabel joining along. After everything he had endured, Alice seemed like the ideal parent for him, and they were just alike: stressed, working many jobs, and passionate about other children. However, this brought him back to Irene. How would Soal cope with her absence? He knew she was out there somewhere, but he just didn't know where... or when.
They had to drive from Pennsylvania to Massachusetts, where Alice lived, near Boston (a future Lint Corp trade center), in order to keep Soal safe. Soal was mightily afraid of being recognized as an individual that wasn't supposed to exist yet. Thankfully, the lengthy car ride, which spanned almost seven hours, went by in a flash.
Finally, they approached Boston. Soal was excited to see the ocean whenever he seized an opportunity to go there. But he was even more restless to finally meet Alice, and to get to know her. After all, he wanted to know the person that was building his final boarding school.
She lived within a quaint suburban home just west of Boston. It was large enough to contain a population of seven, but it was the kind of house whose bills one barely pays in time. Its neighborhood attracted much sunlight, thus growing the tree leaves tall and wide, therefore blocking much of the sunlight that made them heighten.
"We're here," Milton, who had been driving, announced as their car parked on Alice's driveway. Soal marveled at the sight of such a lively-looking neighborhood. He remembered growing up in a suburban area, but it was much more packed, and much less appetizing. Soal smiled and nodded. He was prepared to meet Alice.
Isabel was fast asleep, so Heather picked her up and carried her out of the car and, eventually, into the house. Soal's smile drooped at the sight of Alice's front door. He had suddenly been reminded of a visit from someone that had changed his life, someone who had arrived at the front door once and brought something for the house's resident to keep.
All four of them stood up before the front door. Soal hesitated before ringing the doorbell, despite the grandparents' encouragement.
A distraught-looking woman in her late thirties with long, brown hair and green eyes like Irene's opened the door. Alice's face was illuminated when she noticed everyone standing in front of her.
"Please, come in," she opened the screen door to invite the four inside, and Isabel, now half-asleep, reached for her mother.
"Mama," Isabel requested Alice's company, and she gladly accepted to allow Isabel onto the floor. The toddler immediately clung to her mother's lower leg, and wouldn't let go. But Alice seemed used to this.
"As you can see, we have arrived with Sam and Isabel," Heather patted an embarrassed Soal on the head. "He is eager to settle down."
"That's right," Soal nodded. "I can't wait." He tried to speak as little as possible. First of all, in this unfamiliar environment, he was forced to become relatively reclusive with his speech. Second of all, he could not contain his excitement.
"Well, Sam," Alice put her arm around his shoulder, much to his humiliation. "It's going to be a long day, isn't it?"
Alice was right, and Soal knew for sure that her words would become old news in no time.
YOU ARE READING
The Sketch Survivors: The Enemy Among Us
Bilim Kurgu{Book Three in the Sketch Survivors Trilogy} A new and reliable hope rises for the Revolutes when the coordinates of three "Insanity Sketches" are uncovered. Their leader, the Green Phantom, along with several others, all under the leadership o...
