Chapter 14 - Hinawa's Box
I woke up with a pounding headache a few hours later. With a grunt, I got up and went downstairs, hoping my parents would be home by now. It turned out they were still out despite me having slept for a long time. I walked into the kitchen and downed a cold glass of water, feeling the much-needed cold liquid slide down my parched throat. I placed down the glass and stared towards the living room, reflecting on whatever happened a few hours ago. I was reckless and crazy to come up with that plan to repel the bullies. I could've totally burned down the house or worse, severely injured or even killed that kid. Despite being nothing but an absolute menace to me, I felt extremely bad when I saw him in tears on my front porch. I realized I needed a bit of fresh air, the idea of staying alone in the house was starting to become too much for me now. I climbed back to my room and grabbed something warmer to wear, which turned out to be Ninten's grey hoodie. Only because it was warm and cozy, not because I thought it was comforting at the moment. I placed a post-it note on the fridge, informing my parents I was out for a walk in case either one came back while I'm away. As I walked out of the house, I questioned the wisdom of leaving at this hour, but I figured the bullies wouldn't be around anymore. At least not after.. that.
I felt the strong wind outside nipping at the tip of my ears and nose. I shivered, raising my shoulders as goosebumps crept down my spine. If the wind got any stronger it could lift a person. I should know, since I barely tipped the scales at 90 pounds soaking wet in all my clothes and with sandbags attached to my ankles. I stuffed my hands inside the hoodie pockets and continued walking, watching my breath condense into cloudy puffs before dissipating in the air. Eventually, I passed by Ninten's house, the mouthwatering aroma of grilled meat wafted through the air. My stomach gurgled, protesting not eating anything all day. I ignored my grumbling stomach and continued forward. I passed through a lot of streets that I knew nothing about, eventually noticing the imposing silhouette of Duncan Factory looming a few blocks away from where I was. I stopped to look at a massive lit billboard reading 'Duncan Corporation' depicting a suburban setting, with a cheesy tagline, 'Transforming Merrysville by the end of the Millennium'. I must have reached the other side of town; I was completely lost and it was already too dark, so I had to ask someone for directions. There wasn't a soul on the streets now, however. I spotted a small convenience store across the street. I carefully crossed and walked in. There was a tall man with a light brown goatee wearing a wide cowboy hat on top of factory uniform and standing in front of the cashier. H for a carton of eggs and a few other grocery items before walking away with a stiff gait. I asked the cashier lady for directions to my street address. She shook her head as no, she didn't know. The cowboy stopped and turned around.
"Don't you mean that street with a small park at the corner?" he asked with a gravelly voice. He had a faint accent I couldn't quite place. I nodded.
"I live nearby," he said, and gave me a lengthy description of the directions back, "You're a little out of your way, kid. I can give you a ride if you like."
I hesitated, unsure whether I should go with a stranger. He could be a pedophile or something, but he looked trustworthy enough. Besides, I'm pretty sure I've seen his peculiar 70s-era Dodge car around the street before, validating his claim as a neighbor. I nodded again, gingerly thanking him for offering a ride. He silently tipped his hat in reply. I noted he looked rather dispirited, dragging his feet to the car as if being compelled. I was awkwardly silent throughout the ride, unsure of what to say. I kept sneaking curious glances towards the hat. I didn't quite get his fashion style, but I've seen weirder clothes. He might be hiding goofy hair or a bald spot under that big hat. The man noticed me staring and smirked.
"Geez, you're persistent," he said in an amused tone, gazing at the road, "You're wondering about my hair, aren't you?"
I shamefully nodded. He chuckled, shifting the gears before picking up his hat, revealing a marvelously smooth scalp underneath.
"That's right," he said, "I'm bald as a bean."
I laughed at the analogy.
"That's a funny way of putting it, Mister, um…" I trailed off. I didn't even know his name.
"Name's Flint," he said, "Yeah, my boys came up with that, actually."
"You must really be close with them," I remarked. I didn't think I could joke about something like that with my dad. I was usually too formal around my own father. I was surprised by the sad look Flint had on his face.
"Wish that was true," he said, "Not these days I'm afraid. I've been a lousy parent to them, especially my older son."
I arched my eyebrows, "Oh. S-sorry about that, sir."
"I'm so proud of him, you know? Heh. It's funny how I'm telling that to some random kid," Flint said with a bitter smile, "But I'm gonna make it up for my kids and be a better parent somehow. Even if both of them hate me now, they still need me."
I nodded in understanding. I wondered why he didn't mention a wife, but I decided not to pry since he had already told me a lot even if he didn't know my name. We were silent for a while, and I had just realized Flint was driving through my house's street.
"Which one's your house?" he said.
"Just passed it," I replied, pointing with my thumb to a point behind me. Flint slammed the brakes and pushed the gears into reverse.
"Glad I wasn't driving fast," he said, rolling the car backwards a few yards and stopped in front of my house. I took off the seat belt.
"Thank you for the ride, Mr. Flint," I said, hopping out.
"Yeah, you're welcome," he said. I closed the door behind me and Flint sped off away from view. He seemed nice, but even someone as bad with people as me could tell he carried a heavy burden on his back. Something with the way he carried himself was just… sad. I turned around and went inside my house.
I spotted Ninten sitting in the cafeteria during break the next day sipping a carton of juice. I tapped his shoulder and he half-turned towards me.
"Hey," he greeted with his usual smile, "Been waiting for you, Lloyd."
"Well, here I am," I said, pointing to myself before taking a seat in front of him, "So, what did you guys talk about?"
"I think 'guys' is too vague a term. Care to be more specific?"
"Uh, you said you wanted to talk to Ness after school yesteday?"
"Man, since when did you take interest in other people's business?"
I shot him an unimpressed look, only for his grin to take on an impish quirk.
"You promised you'd tell me," I said, arching an eyebrow. He rolled his eyes.
"He doesn't know anything about Lucas and his brother in case you were wondering," he said, "Obviously it wouldn't be something the twins would share with others that easily."
"Oh," I said, slightly disappointed. It seemed Ninten can't help me shed more light on the twins' chat yesterday.
"But I had an interesting chat with Poo. Just like I told ya, he's one hell of a psychic."
"You mentioned that."
"Uh huh, but I wanted to confirm it."
"You just asked out of the blue?"
"Nope. Ness told me so. The guy can't keep his trap shut."
"Heh. That does sound like Ness, all right."
"Anyway, what did you do after school?"
Oh, nothing. Just gave a bully an electric shock to the…
"Nothing much. Stayed home alone all day."
"Damn, must've been boring."
"It was."
"Learned anything about the twins yourself?"
'If one word got out, I'll end you,' Claus' voice ominously flashed back to mind. I gulped.
"N-no," I squeaked, "They didn't talk much during the ride."
"I see," Ninten hummed, obviously seeing through the lie, but not commenting further. I quickly thought of a topic change.
"It's funny, isn't it?" I said nervously, "It's like we're girls looking for something to gossip about."
Ninten laughed at that.
"What can I say? That's the only form of entertainment in this stupid town."
"Excuse me," I said, feigning offense, "I am from this stupid town you're talking about."
Ninten picked out the straw from the juice carton and chewed at its tip.
"It's effectively boxed in by one landslide," he said, nibbling on the straw, "And it's the only place in the country where it is a bajillion degrees in August and snows by October."
"That's called continental climate. It's everywhere, not just here," I replied.
"You guys have nothing better to talk about than the weather?" A voice came from behind us, "Lame."
I turned around to see Ness standing behind me, holding a large cup of instant noodles. I rolled my eyes at the choice of flavor, which was beef. Poo stood next to him, sipping bottled water. Ness sat next to me while Poo assumed his seat next to Ninten.
"What are you guys up to?" Ninten asked.
"Coach O'Donnell tried talking Poo into taking up either football or baseball just now." Ness said with a shrug. Ninten dropped the straw from his mouth while I faced Ness with a disbelieving look. Coach never asked a student to join a team before.
"No way," Ninten exclaimed, "What did you do?"
"Poo destroyed everyone in dodgeball," Ness said before Poo could open his mouth. Both Ninten and I gave Poo awed looks.
"And what did you say?" I asked.
"I told him I would think about it," Poo said with a nonchalant shrug, "I believe football does involve a lot of rigorous physical activity, yes?"
"No, you just chase around the field for a pigskin ball while jumping on a bunch of spandex-wearing dudes," Ness said, then took a noisy slurp from his noodles.
"I see," Poo hummed.
"It's basically rugby with body armor, right guys?" Ness joked, eliciting a glare from Ninten.
"Ness, shut up," Ninten replied, "Anyway, I think you're better off with baseball, since you have prior experience and all."
"I thought so myself," Poo replied, "Although I am not supposed to play sports to begin with, since I am supposed to be preparing for my pilgrimage."
"Well, you're attending school if that's not distracting enough from your pilgrimage," I said. His stoic face cracked into a half-smirk.
"That is against the pilgrimage rules too, but let us say I convinced my mentor to keep a loose leash on me this time around."
I blinked in confusion.
"How come a prince of a country isn't allowed education?"
"Mu pilgrims are required to visit areas that are mostly outside Dalaam yet they defeat the purpose of the pilgrimage with xenophobia. It is a glaring contradiction I believe it should not exist," he said with a steely edge to his tone, "I am going to learn everything about the world, and a decrepit old king will not stop me from doing so."
I don't think I've heard Poo speak with this much spirit before, which makes it obvious it's an issue he really cares about. Poo is quite the iconoclast then, which apparently put him at odds with his conservative father. I was going to say something before Ness slurped too loud in my ear, making the skin on my back crawl.
"Quit it!" I hissed, glaring sideways to Ness, who lifted the noodle cup from the table and took another slurp. I noticed a small ring of broth on the table where the cup was, and a few drops trickled down from its bottom and dripped on Ness' shorts.
"Problem?" He said haughtily. I kept staring at the drops sneaking from underneath the plastic cup.
"Your lunch is leaking, dumbass," Ninten said, pointing at the leaking cup.
"…And this is how we write those linear equations," The teacher said, ending her winding speech with a deep breath. She took a step back to examine the blackboard, now completely full with graphs and equations. I put down my pencil with a sigh, having copied everything as she spoke. The last bell for today rang, and the students hastily stuffed their things in their bags, eager to get out. The teacher hastily reminded us of the homework due next class. I packed up my notebook and pencils and exited as well, looking for the restroom before going to the buses.
I found the bullies from yesterday standing in front of some kid in the hallway. I instinctively flinched, stepping back before I saw the kid they were talking to, if 'talking' meant roughly shoving him towards the lockers.
Lucas? They must've cornered him when Claus wasn't around, since no sane person would think of bringing the ginger's wrath upon their heads. I felt anger well up in my chest. They must have decided that I wasn't worth the trouble, so they decided to pick on a new victim instead. I watched them shove Lucas again, this time his back was already against the metal closets, his eyes darted between them, looking for an opening to run away. I noticed the greasy-haired blond wasn't there this time around.
"Say, whatcha got there?" The shorter bully said, tugging at Lucas' arm. He pressed his back further against the wall with his hand stubbornly behind his back. The bully grew tired from trying to yank Lucas' immovable arm, so he landed a slap across Lucas' face. Lucas retaliated by punching him in the jaw, starting a brief scuffle between the two. The shorter bully took the punches and used his smaller height to his advantage, deftly plucking a wooden box from Lucas' grip. The other two grabbed Lucas' arms when he reached out to take his box back. The bully licked his mustache while examining the thing he managed to pilfer. He noticed a small metal crank on the side, identifying it as a music box of some sort. It looked fairly worn, but of sentimental value.
"That's what you were hiding? Damn," the bully said as the other two restrained Lucas from lashing out as he cursed at the bully, who eyed the wooden contraption with disdain.
"What a worthless piece of shit. I thought there was something worthwhile in there."
With one swift motion, he tossed the wooden box towards the trashcan, where it collided with the wall and landed in pieces inside the trash. Lucas suddenly stopped squirming, staring at the trashcan with wide eyes as he covered his mouth with both hands. The bully turned around.
"Tch, let's go," he commanded his goons, who left Lucas to slump against the lockers. When they passed by me, one of them shoved me aside with a "Beat it, freak!", making my shoulder painfully hit the wall. I winced, cussing under my breath. The horrified look in Lucas' eyes was still there, fixed at a point in the wall with chipped paint where the box hit it. He sunk down on his knees and burst into tears. I hurried towards him.
"D-don't cry, Lucas," I said, placing a hand on his shoulder. I wasn't good with comforting people, so I wasn't sure what to say or do. Lucas violently pushed me in the chest with a hand, making me land on my rear.
"Go away!" he yelled, glaring daggers at me from behind his tears. The sight of a distraught Lucas was unnerving, and what was more unnerving that kids walked around us, completely ignoring Lucas. I got up and walked to the nearby trash can, taking a peek inside. I fished the music box remains from the mass of junk that filled the can. I inspected the damage; the top cover broke away at the hinge, and the small windup crank handle was broken. The mechanism inside was a little moved out of place, but mostly intact. I walked back to Lucas, approaching cautiously this time.
"H-hey, Lucas," I said hesitantly, holding out the box, "I can fix this for you."
He lifted his head to gaze at the box in my hand with his wide, teary blue eyes, then looked up at me.
"…You'd do that?" he said, his voice was small, yet hopeful. I smiled at him.
"Of course," I said, nodding. He smiled back, drying his face with his sleeve.
"Come on, you should wash your face," I told him as he got up.
During the bus ride, he told me his address, which was just around the corner from where I lived. I noticed Claus' absence, but didn't want to ask. Lucas offhandedly mentioned Claus was in detention for getting into a fight with some kid. That explained his absence, and why did the bullies feel safe to jump Lucas. We parted ways at the bus stop, and I promised him I'd fix the music box today, since he definitely looked hesitant to leave it in my hands. That seemed to placate him, or at least he stopped looking at my backpack where I placed the music box with lost, puppyish eyes.
At home, I quickly greeted my mom and climbed to my room, setting the damaged box parts gently on my desk. Now that I can examine it more carefully, it was a bulky box made from rosewood about six inches wide and four inches tall, with an ornate sunflower motif on the lid and a small nick on the side where it most likely hit the wall back at school. The inside of the lid had a small engraved text. I squinted to read.
'Wife of Flint, Mother of the twins Claus and Lucas. Daughter of Alec. May the beautiful Hinawa remain dear in our heart for all time.'
So this belonged to Lucas' late mother. No wonder it meant so much to him. The name 'Flint' rang a bell. Could that cowboy hat guy be Lucas' dad? The same guy who beat up Claus yet said he was proud of him? Maybe it was a coincidence, but who else has the name 'Flint' these days? I shelved the thought and examined the winding crank, which was snapped in half where it came in contact with a copper cylinder underneath. Here's something that has to be replaced. I don't think I have anything that could double as a windup crank. I scratched my head while pulling out my toolbox. There was a soldering iron dad got for me recently when I started experimenting with electronics.
An idea popped in my mind. I went downstairs to the dining room, where mom kept some trophies I won from science conventions and broke out the big one I got after winning first place at a memory contest. It had perfectly sized handles with a smooth cylindrical middle and an ornate enough top. I carried the trophy upstairs and used the soldering iron to break off one of the handles and smoothed the breakage point with a file and the soldering iron's tip. I bent the handle and got it into shape. Now I had to fix the mechanism inside, but that means I have to take it out from the box. Carefully, I unscrewed the points that held the insides at secure points and pulled upwards. The contents were surprisingly heavy. With a few careful tugs, I managed to take out the inner works, which were fastened to a flat, heavy metal baseplate with screws. I tightened up the screws and plucked away a few scraps of paper from the trashcan that were lodged here and there before refitting it with the handle-turned-crank. I gave it a test by turning the new crank a few times, then let go for it to play.
It played out the same melody I heard Lucas play the other day. I listened and cranked it again when the music stopped, watching it play over and over. It was a lovely tune that I could listen to for a while, but I had to fix the wooden box. I noticed a glossy edge of a photographic paper inside the the box, which was originally hidden by the flat baseplate.
"Hello there?" I murmured as I took out the photograph and turned it. It was frayed at the edges, and depicted a brunette woman in a red dress, sitting in a sunflower field and flashing the camera a stunning smile. I could see the similarity between her and the twins. Something about the eyes and the general face look. There were several other pictures too. The second one showed Hinawa and a much younger Claus and Lucas in front of a wooden farmhouse, a brown puppy sleepily napped in the corner of the picture. The next picture left me gaping at it. It was Hinawa and Flint. The guy from the factory district himself!
Although I could totally tell he looked way happier in the photo, he even had more weight and stood with more strength in his posture as he stood behind Hinawa and placed a hand over her shoulder, the other wrapped around her waist while she looked back at him with pure love in her eyes, her flowing hair waved with the wind. I hastily picked up the remaining photos and placed them aside, busying myself with fixing the broken hinges, which required a replacement. I asked mom to drive me to the department store, and she agreed as long as I helped her with her shopping. I whined in protest, but agreed nonetheless. I got too liberal with purchases and got some teak oil and sandpaper as well since they were there, and mom didn't mind.
By the time I came back home with the new hinges and completely reassembled the box and polished the exterior, a bleary look at the clock indicated it was already evening. I lifted my head, rubbing my sore neck. I forgot to return the photos back in the box, but I figured Lucas can put them back anytime later. I placed the box in my backpack and placed the photos neatly in my notebook, before quickly putting on my shoes and telling mom I was delivering something to a classmate. She told me not to stay out too long.
I was surprised to find out Lucas' house was actually just around the corner from where I lived. A brown Retriever dog eyed me with disinterest from its shelter as I approached the front door and knocked twice after a moment of hesitation. I took a step back and waited. Claus opened the door, looking a bit surprised at seeing me of all people.
"What are you doing here?" he said. I fidgeted at the gruff reception.
"Um, is- is Lucas here?" I asked. Claus narrowed his eyes.
"What do want from him?" he said while slowly narrowing the door in my face.
"Claus? Who's at the door?" I heard Lucas' voice approach. Claus looked behind his shoulder.
"It's Lloyd. The kid from school," Claus said.
"Oh, good," Lucas came behind his twin and swung the door open, "Come on in, Lloyd."
"Uh, okay," I said, tentatively looking at Claus, who crossed his arms and walked away. I stepped inside, noticing the house was fairly clean for a single father and his two sons. The open kitchen-and-living room in front of me was basically spotless.
"Lucas here is a neat freak," Claus said, noticing me looking around, "In case you're wondering how come this house ain't a pigsty."
"Claaaaaus!" Lucas whined. Claus gave his twin a mischievous grin.
"Say, what brings you to our 'humble abode', Lloyd?" Claus asked, doing an air quote gesture as he spoke 'humble abode'. I looked at Lucas, unsure whether I should tell him.
"He was fixing mom's music box," Lucas said, then gave me a pointed look, "Right?"
"You broke mom's music box?" Claus screamed, grabbing Lucas by the collar. I winced, totally expecting the reaction.
"No, I didn't. I was jumped by some guys. They broke it," Lucas said flatly. Claus' mouth opened wide, loosening his grip on Lucas' shirt.
"What!" he exclaimed, "And you didn't tell me that, why?"
"You were already in detention, Claus. I can't risk you getting suspended for defending me."
"Don't bullshit me, Lucas," Claus said, wagging a finger in his twin's face, "I can't have spineless bullies jump my brother. Give me their names and I swear to God I'll gut them."
"I don't know who they are, alright?" Lucas shrugged, "But hey, no harm done. Lloyd you did fix it, right?"
I jumped slightly, fishing out the music box. "T-that's right. I got it right… right here."
Claus shook his head and stomped to the kitchen while Lucas took the box from my hand, eyeing the exterior, the new crank and everything.
"Wow," he said in an impressed voice, "Looks good as new!"
He turned the crank and listened. A smile drew on his face.
"It's… Thank you so much, Lloyd," he said, looking at me with happy eyes, "That's the only thing we have left from mom. I don't know what I would've done without it."
"Yeah, she was really beautiful," I said. Lucas' smile dropped, giving me a confused look. Claus poked his head out from the fridge, furrowing his eyebrows in the same confused fashion.
"The hell you're talking about?" Claus said, a stick of sliced carrot poking from his mouth. An awkward flush heated my face.
"I- I mean, she looks real pretty in the photos—"
"PHOTOS?" The twins cried out in unison. Wait, they didn't know?
"Hold on. You guys don't know about the pictures inside the box?" I asked, reaching for my notebook and taking out the pics I found and showed them to Lucas. He gasped, drawing his palms together and covered his mouth and nose. Claus scrambled to gawk at the photos from behind his twin's shoulder.
"H-holy crap," Claus breathed, "That's mom, Lucas."
Lucas only nodded.
"That's how mom looked like," Claus said softly, "I actually started to forget how she looked like!"
Lucas nodded again, looking a moment away from bursting into tears. Claus gently took the photos from my hands.
"Look, that's our old house. Check out Boney, he was so cute," he said, a smile tugging at his lips. He wiped at the corner of his eye, "Holy shit."
I smiled and cast down my gaze, allowing them some semblance of privacy. Listening to them reminisce about the photos was a little weird, since it was like hearing a single person talk to himself. Claus had a marginally higher pitch than Lucas, though. My thoughts were interrupted when four gangly arms wrapped me in a choking bear hug. The two twins spoke at once in my ears, their voices merged indistinctly.
"Oh, thank you thank you thank you—"
"We had no idea, man—"
"T-too tight. Can't breathe," I managed to get out, tapping one of their arms. They let me go, Claus was red in the nose and his eyes were a little bloodshot. Without the usual standoffish disposition, he looked like an exact copy of his twin at that moment, and the two had the same smile I saw on Hinawa's face in the photo. Claus set down the photographs next to the music box and winded it up, listening to the melody again. A second into the melody, the front door was abruptly swung open by a definitely drunk-looking Flint. He staggered forward, slamming the door behind him. Lucas recoiled and hid behind Claus, who shot his father a dirty scowl. Flint stopped, his drunken senses finally registered the tune played out by the music box. He turned livid.
"Shut… Shut that fuckin' music up!" he slurred incoherently, swinging a fist in the air, knocking his cowboy hat sideways. I withdrew behind Lucas, staring at him with wide eyes. Claus mirrored the resentful look on his father's face.
"Goddammit, you're fucking hammered again!" Claus yelled into his father's face. Flint's eyebrows knit together.
"Don't -hic-, you speak to yer father like that, you little… shit," Flint said slowly. Claus flashed his teeth in a snarl.
"You're no father of mine if you're getting plastered every other night, Flint!" he growled, approaching the man. Lucas looked on helplessly.
"Claus… Dad," he mouthed weakly, watching the two bicker. Their voices grew louder, and Flint looked an inch away from throttling Claus. I screwed my eyes shut and clenched my hands into tight fists, gritting my teeth.
"ENOUGH!" I screamed, startling even myself. The three of them flinched and whipped their eyes towards me. The music box had stopped playing, resulting in a deathly silence looming over our heads. Flint had a look of surprise behind the inebriated haze in his eyes.
"Kid? What're you doing here?" he asked. Lucas shifted his eyes between me and Flint.
"You know each other?" he asked. I ignored the question, levelling a reproachful look at Flint.
"You promised you were going to make it up for your kids, sir," I said, feeling my pulse thump heavily, "Y-you promised you'll be a better parent, too."
The look on Flint's face was lost.
"I… did," he said with a hollow voice. The twins looked thoroughly befuddled, since they obviously had no idea I encountered Flint before. I was beyond the point of caring anyway.
"I understand how you feel," I said reluctantly, "But you aren't being up to your word when you—"
"No, you don't understand how I feel," Flint yelled, smashing his fist into the nearby table, rattling the music box and knocking the photos to the floor. Claus jumped there and picked them up.
"Every second," Flint said, his voice slightly calmer, "Whenever I close my eyes. I can't get my wife's face out of my mind. I watched her die with my own eyes. AND YOU'RE SAYING YOU GODDAMN GET HOW I FEEL?"
I cowered back, feeling dread bristle the hairs on the back of my neck.
"I only drink so I could forget her," he gritted, "I don't want her smile to haunt me anymore. You won't understand that, kid."
"That's not fair," Claus said, giving his father a bitter smirk, "Lucas and I already forgot how she even looked like."
He picked up a photograph and showed it to his parent. Somehow, I knew it was the one showing Flint and Hinawa together.
"I knew a man I used to look up to," he said in a level voice, "This man was dependable and strong, not the sorry excuse of a drunkard I'm looking at right now."
Flint stared at the photo with huge eyes, surprised wrinkles appearing on his forehead, then closed his eyes and bowed his head in shame. Claus grabbed his father by the shoulders.
"Where is that man, dad?" he demanded. When Flint brought up his hands, I flinched back, totally expecting him to hit Claus. Instead, he wrapped his arms around his son's neck and pulled him into an embrace.
"I'm so sorry, son," Flint said shakily, "I let you boys down. I let Hinawa down."
A man reduced to tears is never an easy sight, I thought. Claus stood still for a moment. Even while standing stiff at his full height, Claus' forehead barely reached the man's shoulders. He slowly wrapping his own arms around his drunk father's frame, tapping his back.
"I'm sorry you had to see that," Lucas said at the doorstep. I brushed a foot back and forth on the ground, a bashful blush colored my cheeks.
"No, I should apologize for butting in you guys' personal matters," I said, before I looked up at Lucas with a panicked expression, "I-I won't tell anybody, though."
Lucas only chuckled, shaking his head a little.
"Of course, silly. But you didn't tell me how come you met my dad," he said with a quirked eyebrow.
"Oh, right. I got lost last night and he gave me a ride home."
"I see," He nodded before giving me a grateful smile.
"Thanks. You really helped me today," he said, "You fixed mom's keepsake and got dad back to his senses. I really appreciate what you did."
"Aw shucks, I didn't do anything," I said, rubbing the back of my head, "I got to go. Goodnight, Lucas."
"Okay, see you. Bye," he replied before closing the door behind him. I walked out, the brown labrador gave me a curious glance this time. I think this was the same pup from the pictures. It's strange how much he'd grown. How much the twins have grown since then.
"Time certainly flies, doesn't it, doggy?" I asked the dog, who only cocked his head and let out a confused whine. I gave him a smile and left the front lawn.
A/N: Of course I hadn't forgotten about this fanfic. I just... Had a bad case of procrastinationitis. It's a serious disease that needs to be cured... sometime later.
Anyway. Phew, that was a lot of drama in this chapter. O_O
Review Responses:
Guest:
Haha, I'm surprised you actually liked Ninten/Ana, since most people think it's canon, therefore by definition unoriginal or cliché. Glad you liked it nonetheless. :D
I think you need to understand where Flint is coming from, he's not ignoring his only remaining son out of spite, but some people have bad reactions to grief. I like to imagine Flint as being one of those people, and he had a lot of grieve about in the game. He's one of the saddest characters in the whole series imo.
Connor the speling pro:
I forgot everything about Taylor Series by the time I finished Calculus. XD I think it can be used to approximate analytic functions and solutions for differential equations, but eh. I didn't like it that much either. :P
Weeell... They are different stories with the same characters. (With a world difference in personalities, I mean look at Ness! XD) The similarities come from that, and possibly the same teens-with-PSI theme generally applicable to most Earthbound fanfics.
Flint did beat up Claus, and yeah few fanfics depict Flint as a good dad, which he wasn't really in the game. Berserker Tears are the worst.
Yeah, I think someone trying to break into your home is quite a rattling experience. Graphite has free electrons which makes it conductive, but it's about ten times weaker than copper. (If my memory didn't fail me)
StickOfTruth:
Cliché or not, Flint-as-a-bad-dad is really appealing. I mean, imagine an AU with Flint being an actually decent dad from the start. Doesn't compute, right? XD
Well, here's a spotlight-ish chapter for the twins. I think this isn't the end of their involvement, but they'll recede from the front for a bit.
Lloyd asked the same question, but was deflected with a snarky reply. Guess we won't know yet.
I don't know why I laughed so hard at "A Franklin badge on the inside of the bully's-" XD Well, pencil leads aren't as efficient as metal, but this is a fictional AU, so you could ignore how the bully didn't die. (Or how Lloyd drove the pencils into the electric sockets since come to think of it, American power sockets are narrow slits, unlike the UK ones, which are rectangular and big enough to accommodate a pencil)
Ana did tell Ninten she had a dream of him return the hat (He even had a goofy Peanuts-esque grin in the dream flashback) which was a fairly eye roll-worthy moment in the game. Can't say it wasn't endearing though.
Well, I quote myself again, "A prequel, it isn't." Although you must've figured it out by now. :P
South Park - I agree, the new format this season is a refreshing change of pace. And I agree again: PC Principal should meet a nasty, ignominious demise. He gets on my nerves every single time his ugly mug shows up. I haven't watched the latest episode yet, but the "Leslie" running gag was hilarious. Yeah, the Craig x Tweek shtick could've been worse. I mean, I've made a mistake and read some really harrowing stuff over at AO3. *Shudders* But yeah, a huge part of SP's unique appeal is that they actually respond to/parody real-life. I wasn't really surprised when they finally decided to parody their own fans, but it's definitely an original spin.