Scientific Crescendo - Book 2: The Genetics Project 🪼✔

2 - Family Time

I actually don't live with my family anymore. I am going to college but I'm home for a couple of weeks for school break and I decided, what better place to crash than back at home? I like the college life but I missed my family since we're such a big part of each other. And I mean that in about three different ways since my family extends in a weird way.
See, I was born of my father; literally. An experiment involving seahorses got interrupted with an explosion and it in turn enabled him to carry children. I was actually a surprise because I had an older brother that was stillborn and somehow he kept me from being seen on the ultrasound. My real mother left my father and my dad stayed with his best friend named Tarot Koine, who helped raise me and I view him as my uncle. When my mom divorced my dad, she married this crazy bastard named Gerald, who used to beat me whenever I went over my mom's house.
No one knew that he was more crazier than expected and kidnapped me and my dad to try and use my dad's body for experiments and stuff. My mom, unknowingly being controlled by Gerald, complied to Gerald's direction and got my dad pregnant again and he had three more children against his will. I was too young to stop it, but the memories creep up into my mind every once and a while; considering I had to go through a lot of therapy when I was little to even have a decent night's sleep.
My dad, on the other hand, had his fair share of therapy too but it was for a different reason. But when he had the babies, he was so disgusted by how it all happened that he didn't want them but he did. So, my stepmom (his girlfriend at the time) agreed to keep one of them and then my Uncle Miller took one since he and his wife cant' have kids. Uncle Tarot found out that a girl he had dated was going to be having one of his kids and said that he would also take one of the kids.
So, here is how we are all connected... My dad and Uncle Tarot are the best of friends. Uncle Tarot took one of dad's kids, so he has my brother. Uncle Miller and Aunt Lottie took one of the kids and so my brother is my cousin. My dad and Tamari got married and so Tamari is Uncle Miller's sister and we kept one of them so my brother is my brother. The trick is that none of them know they are related. It's hard but we get through with it...
When I got done with the session with Dr. Peters, I went to the bathroom and brushed my teeth where Ichor and Kalij were already there. Ichor was one of Dad's kids but Kalij is my half-brother from Tamari. Ichor looked a lot like me with same strawberry blonde hair but his had a lot more red in it making it more like suicide blonde and he also had green eyes just like me. Kalij was mocha colored since Tamari is Indian and has chestnut hair and hazel eyes.
"Hey, Sim!" Kalij said, waving with his toothbrush, foam all over his mouth.
I smiled at him and grabbed my toothbrush as well.
"Are you okay? We saw Dr. Peters in here." Ichor asked, concern on his face.
None of them know the exact reason why Dad and I have to go to therapy but they just know that it's something bad. They're good kids and don't ask questions.
"I had a nightmare... Nothing bad. Um, are we going to be hanging out with Uncle Tarot and everyone?" I asked.
"I think Dad said we're going to all go to the water park. But stupid Ace is bringing her boyfriend, which makes it not a family affair."
"They're not even related to us, Kalij..." Ichor said as he brushed his hair a little.
I smiled at them and continued to brush my teeth.
I went into the kitchen to find a huge feast for breakfast and grabbed a pancake.
"Hey, wait for everyone else." Dad said with a smile.
I smirked at him and leaned on the bar. My dad cooks amazing food and usually for an army since the kids are usually over and spending the night with each other, unknowingly brothers.
"Was everything alright?" he asked.
"Yeah, I got it all sorted out."
He smiled a little though he never forgave himself for not fighting to save me. He was drugged heavily so what could he do? I never held that against him but it always hurt him to know that if he had just been careful enough he could have prevented everything.
"Would you mind taking Jibbles out so we can leave right after we eat?" he asked, motioning to the dog on the floor.
Jibbles looked up and his big tail began to wag. Jibbles was a nickname given to the German shepherd that Dad bought us when Kalij was born. He was paranoid after having a really bad dream and so he bought us a dog. His real name was Jibrantecles but Ichor couldn't call him that so he called him Jibbles and it stuck. I patted my leg and the big dog got up, loping to me and waiting patiently by my leg to get hooked up.
I smiled and rubbed his head, taking him outside.

As Jibbles sniffed around to look for a place to pee, I looked up at the sky and took in the good breeze.
"Sim!"
I looked over and saw my friend Tayla on the other side of the fence waving. I waved back and she put crossed her arms over the fence separating the houses.
"How's it been?"
I tied Jibbles to the post and walked over to her. Tayla was my best friend from school, all twelve years, and I hadn't seen her in all the time that I've been in college. I was surprised to find her home.
"I'm surprised you came home." I said when I got to the fence. "I mean, you always said you hated it here."
Tayla smiled, her blue eyes looking up at me.
"Yeah, that's true, but all my friends have homes they actually want to go home to and I didn't feel like bumming a room. Besides, my parents aren't home so I'm kind of squatting."
"Your hair..." I said, pointing at the dark green locks.
She pulled on a part of it. "You like?"
"Green is... good..." I said, trying not to offend.
She grinned big and punched me in the arm playfully.
"You haven't changed a bit; still polite as ever. So how's it been? Heard you're on the development of something big?"
"Well- Wait, how do you know?"
Tayla looked away quickly and cleared her throat.
"I uh... I go to the same college as you. I thought you knew."
"No... If I had known, I would have kept it touch! I feel bad now!"
She laughed and stood up straight. "It's alright, Sim, it's not like I was heartbroken. You're a smart guy and you were off doing smart things. I've heard about all your achievements. Skipping two years of schooling? Pretty impressive."
I smiled nervously, hating when people mentioned that accomplishment. I didn't really mean to be that smart but I mean, what can I do? People think I'm haughty sometimes because of it and I'm not... by a long shot.
"Yeah, well..."
Tayla smiled sweetly and rustled my hair like she has always done.
"Hey, no need to be shy, Sim. I know you don't like all that talk, I'm just riling you up like usual. I mean, I haven't been able to pick on you in three years."
"Yeah. So what's your major?"
"Hmm? Oh, nothing important."
"Why isn't it important? It's important to me."
Tayla looked like she blushed and turned away.
"Um, I have to go. It's nice seeing you. Maybe we'll see each other around at the college."
She started walking off and I stared after her. I never noticed how much she had grown. Tayla was always tall for her age and as a girl but she was really nice looking, slender. I turned my head at her and smiled, not realizing how much I missed her as my best friend.
Poor Jibbles was sitting patiently, whimpering a little to go back in the house. I grabbed his leash and led him inside. If he didn't have a lightning fast way of digging under the fence, he'd be able to roam free but he was under post arrest.

"What took you so long?" Dad asked as he set the eggs on the table.
"I just saw Tayla..."
"Oh, your friend from school?" Tamari asked, sitting down.
"Yeah... I didn't know she went to college with me but she said she did. She was home because her parents aren't or something."
"I liked her." Ichor said as he drank his orange juice. "I like her a lot better than Sansr..." he said with a face.
I made a face at him as well. "Something wrong with my girlfriend?"
"She's too prim." Kalij interjected.
"Well so is Ace but you like her." Ichor said.
Kalij blushed, even though it was barely detectable in his brown cheeks. Being so close to each other, Uncle Tarot's family was like our own and so even though it was perfectly alright, the thought of Kalij liking Ace was somewhat amusing.
"Ace is different... she at least talks to me. Sansr ignores me and acts like I'm stupid."
I had to admit that Sansr wasn't the friendliest of people but she was my girlfriend and I couldn't just throw her to the wayside because she was uppity.
"I'll try to keep her from doing that. Can you pass the bacon?"
Dad grabbed the plate and handed it to me.