Aaand here are the other protagonists!
CHAPTER THREE
Kyle got home from his friend Tyler's house at two PM, but his day was far from over.
He slammed the door closed and took off his shoes, calling out, "Mom! I'm home!"
"Good job, honey!" she called back, a little snarkily. Kyle rolled his eyes. And she told him to watch his attitude. "I'm with a student right now, how about you fix yourself a snack, then help out Holly and Mason?"
"'Kay, Mom!" he replied, taking off his shoes. He walked over to the kitchen, running a hand through his blonde hair, inherited from his father, and pulled out a bag of chips from the pantry. His little sister Holly sat coloring a picture of Simba from The Lion King on the counter. He sat down next to her and commented, "You know, Simba's yellow, not green."
"I can do what I want, Kyle!" she exclaimed. "It's better this way."
"All right," he agreed, shoving some chips in his face. "Where's Sammy?"
"Dunno," Holly said, focusing on the picture of the lion cub she was defacing. "Ask Mason."
"Where's Mason?"
Holly pointed down the hall. "Music room."
"Thanks, sis," he told her. "Here, have the rest." He tossed her the half-empty bag of chips, which she caught in delight. Kyle stood up and walked down to the music room, where the sounds of a pure tenor voice rang out clearly. Mason was practicing.
Kyle opened the door and said cheerfully, "Hey, Mason."
The young boy faltered and stopped singing, looking up at his older brother. "What do you want, Kyle?"
"Where's Sammy?" Kyle asked, leaning against the doorframe.
"Soccer practice," Mason answered. "He went with Gregor. Said he wouldn't be back 'til evening."
Kyle scowled. "He owes me ten bucks. He told me he'd pay me back today."
"There's still time," Mason said with a shrug. He leaned down and flipped some pages in his music. "Can you play for me?"
"Homeward Bound?" he asked, walking in and shutting the door behind him.
"Yeah," his little brother confirmed. "Have you practiced since last time?"
"Some," Kyle said. "Move over." He sat down at the piano and began to play. It was a slow piece, very sweet and solemn.
After a few measures of introduction, Mason began to sing. "In the quiet misty morning, when the moon has gone to bed...When the sparrows stop their singing, and the sky is clear and red..."
Kyle focused on his music, trying not to mess up while still listening to his brother's beautiful tenor voice.
"When the summer's ceased its gleaming, when the corn is past its prime...When adventure's lost its meaning, I'll be homeward bound in time..."
Kyle smiled and crescendoed his playing as the music intensified. He had to focus more on the movements of his fingers than the lyrics of the song.
"Bind me not to the pasture, chain me not to the plow...Set me free to find my calling, and I'll return to you somehow!"
The song went on, and Kyle was prepared to play it, but Mason stopped him.
"Can we go over measure eleven again?" he asked. "I wasn't breathing right."
"Sure," Kyle said, backing up.
They practiced for another half hour, until Mason complained his voice was tired. By then, their mother was done with the student she was tutoring, and Kyle was able to talk to her.
"So, how was Tyler?" Annie Crimsen asked her son.
Kyle shrugged. "Cool. We hung out, played some video games."
"You know, when I was your age—"
"Yeah, yeah," Kyle interrupted, rolling his eyes. "You and Dad and your cousins did things like exploring caves and getting lost in the forest."
His mom nodded. "Of course, I admit I spent a lot of time on the computer. But still. Why don't you and Tyler go to the park next time?"
"And do what?" he demanded. "Sit and look at clouds? Boring."
Annie shrugged. "You could go camping."
Kyle groaned. "Then Dad would want to come along."
"Why not?" Annie suggested. "You and your brothers and Tyler, maybe Gregor and Isaac too, and their fathers—"
Kyle pulled a face. "Definitely not."
"Well, did you help Mason when you got home?" she asked, changing the subject.
"Yeah, I played Homeward Bound for him."
"Good." Annie nodded and took a sip of water. "Sammy said he'd be home late. You might have to do his dishes."
Kyle groaned. "Really? Why can't Mason do it—or Holly?"
"Holly's too young," his mother explained. "And Mason did it last night."
"I have to do it tomorrow!"
"Tomorrow's Saturday," Annie disagreed. "You remember my friend Gennie? We're going out to dinner with her family."
"Right," Kyle grumbled. "I'll do Sammy's stinking dishes." He stood up. "I'm gonna go watch some TV, okay?"
"Fine," Annie said, throwing her hands up in surrender. "Just don't forget that the outside world exists, too!"
Kyle did end up doing Sammy's dishes that night, finishing up just as his older brother slammed the door closed.
"Hey family!" the older boy shouted. "I'm home!"
"What an achievement," Kyle said sarcastically, wiping his hands dry. "Having fun while I did your dishes?"
"Chillax, Kyle," Sammy said, grinning. "Nah, practice was a bit rough. Thomas—our goalie—called in sick, so we had to get a sub, and they were all awful. Coach was pissed by the end."
"Sammy! Sammy!" Holly cried out, racing down the hall, holding up her picture proudly. "Lookit what I did!"
"That's great, Holly," he praised her. "Love the green."
The seven-year-old beamed, her dark curls bouncing as she ran back down the hall.
"Is Dad home?" the soccer player asked, taking off his dirty cleats and tossing them in a pile with the other shoes.
"Working late," Kyle replied.
"Is the next episode of Blue Moon any good?" Sammy asked.
Kyle shrugged. "Dunno," he said. "Haven't seen it yet."
"I'll watch it with you," his older brother offered. "Soon as I shower. Make some food for me, okay, bro?"
"Fine," he sighed. "I'll heat something up for you."
"Thanks, man," Sammy said appreciately. He walked away and stomped up the stairs, heading to the shower.
The episode of Blue Moon was pretty good, though Kyle was a little upset that Bridget and Jeremy didn't get together (again). Their dad, Ryan Crimsen, came home just as it ended and sang along obnoxiously to the ending theme as the credits rolled.
"Hi, Dad," Kyle greeted him while Sammy shoved his face into a throw pillow, trying to block out his father's caterwauling.
"Hey, boys," Ryan said, plopping down next to his sons. "Was it any good?"
"Yeah, I liked it," Sammy said.
"Bridgemy still isn't canon," Kyle complained.
"Nerd," Sammy teased, elbowing his younger brother.
Kyle only rolled his eyes. Just because he was active in the Blue Moon fandom... At least his parents understood, to some extent. They had really liked this weird kid series about cats, Warriors, when they were young, to the extent that his mom had even written some fanfiction. Kyle hadn't tried to read it after he found out it was self-insert, and thus, inherently not any good.
"It's late," Ryan said. "You two should go to bed."
"It's summer," Kyle complained.
"It's not like we have to get up early tomorrow," Sammy agreed.
"What else are you going to do tonight?" their father demanded.
Sammy shrugged. "Dunno."
"Mom says I should remember that outside exists," Kyle said craftily. "We could go for a walk outside."
Ryan shrugged. "Okay, fine. But be back by eleven, and don't leave the neighborhood."
"I'll grab my shoes," he said, pleased, getting to his feet.
"Mason will be jealous," Sammy commented as the walked along the lamplit sidewalks.
"That's his problem. "Kyle grunted. "You talked to Becca recently?"
"She's old news, bro," Sammy said, shaking his head. "We broke up a month ago."
"You got your eyes on any other girls?"
His older brother shrugged. "Not anyone in particular. I mean, there are some hot chicks out there, but, like, no one I really want to date, you know?"
"Mhm," Kyle agreed.
"You should get a girlfriend, Kyle," Sammy said, grinning down at his younger brother. His dark hair blended into the night, making his pale skin look even paler in the thin light from the streetlamps.
Kyle laughed. "Like you said—there are lots of hot girls, smart girls, nice girls, whatever...but no one I feel like dating. Maybe when school starts up again."
"You're a sophomore next year, right?" Sammy asked. Kyle nodded. His brother smiled, looking up. "I'm so glad I'm a senior. All my hard classes are done with, and only one more year left!"
They walked a little further. Kyle shivered. It was summer, but the night was still a little chilly. He wished he'd thought to bring a hoodie or something.
"We should probably go back," he said as they reached the end of the neighborhood.
Sammy shrugged his shoulders and turned around. Kyle was about to do so as well, until he heard a horrified yelp from somewhere to his left.
"What was that?" he whispered in surprised.
"Probably a dog," Sammy said carelessly. "You've been watching too much Blue Moon, man. Jump too easy."
The noise came again. It was definitely not a dog—it sounded human.
"That's not a dog," Kyle said warily.
Sammy scowled. "So what?"
"We should go investigate," Kyle urged. "Make sure they're alright."
"I'm going to regret this," Sammy groaned, glancing up to the heavens. He took his hands out of his pockets and crossed his arms. "All right, fine. Let's go take a look."
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