Chapter 9 Missing Mom

Roy blinked. He looked from one member of the Marksmite family to the next, getting a feel of their expressions. Singe covered his mouth with his robotic hand, barely covering up the contemplative frown. Celia stared at Albert, her face as unreadable as a blank sheet of paper. Roy hesitated for a solid minute before speaking to her cousin.

"What do you mean she's gone?" Roy asked. He spoke slowly, afraid of Albert lashing out and tearing his face into ribbon-like shreds.

Albert sniffled, the sound wet like a lake. "I mean she's gone! I woke up this morning and she was missing! Poof, right into thin air!"

Admittedly, this did pique Roy's curiosity just a tad. He thought about what he saw of Alicia the day before. If there was one positive trait that he could assign to her, it would be that she seemed to care for her son. Sure, the ways in which she cared for him did involve her yelling at Roy like he was the spawn of the devil, but that was beside the point. The care and love were most certainly present. Why then would Alicia abandon Albert?

She probably didn't, Roy thought. Maybe she just went out to buy some groceries. When he voiced this thought, however, the whole family sent him raised eyebrows, with Albert having the highest eyebrow of all.

"She would have told me if she went out," he said. He wiped his eyes with a handkerchief that he pulled from his pocket. "Mommy always tells me where she's going."

"Hmm," Roy said, biting down on his lip as he did. "Good point. Hard to argue with that."

Ruby sat down on next to him on her bed. "Don't panic," she said, her voice as soothing as a lullaby. "Your mom will probably turn up eventually."

Albert blew his nose into the handkerchief. "But what if she doesn't? What if something horrible happened to her?" His breathing sped up, leaning dangerously close to hyperventilation territory.

Singe removed his hand from his mouth and spoke up. "The odds of that happening are extremely low. Especially in a town like this."

Albert stood up. "Still. It's unlike her to just leave me all by myself." He wiped his eyes. "She takes care of me. She would go to the moon if it meant I would be happy."

Roy snickered. "And here I'm left with a dad who just offers us a few kingdoms."

Celia, who had been mostly silent for most of the scene, sighed. "Well, until she shows up, we'll make sure to keep an eye out for her."

Albert swallowed his tears. "I hope so." He buried his face in his hands, hiding his damp face and providing his rapid breathing with a shield from prying eyes. Not that there were many prying eyes in Ruby's bedroom, but that was beside the point.

Speaking of Ruby, Roy's eyes couldn't help but be drawn to her. She possessed the furrowed brow that was symptomatic of concern. However, the dip in her frown and the dullness in her eyes displayed a very strong sense of apathy. At first, Roy was confused as to why she would experience apathy toward the plight of her nephew. That was, until he recalled the outright nasty behavior he had subjected to everyone.

"Oh, what am I going to do?" Albert wailed. He sounded so helpless, like a chick with a broken wing. "How will I get by without Mommy?"

Roy furrowed his brow. Even with the rancid behavior he had displayed yesterday being taken into account, Roy couldn't help but feel a little sorry for the guy Sure, he was a spoiled, pompous brat, but he was a spoiled, pompous brat in need of help. Sure, would it cost everyone a lot of emotional comfort to take him under their wings? Possibly. Again, referring to the scene that played out the night before granted everyone concrete evidence that that could be the case. But that didn't change the fact that Albert was alone, frightened, and motherless for the time being. Whether the Marksmites liked it or not, helping out Albert was the right thing to do.

"Hey guys?" Roy said to Ruby, Singe, and Celia. "Can I talk to you for a second? In private?"

The Marksmites, despite their surprise, followed Roy to Celia's room on the opposite side of the house. Once he was certain they were out of Alert's earshot, Roy let out a breath.

"Okay," He started. While most the times he would barge through a conversation headfirst, this time he made sure to speak slowly, thoughtfully. "Not that it's any of my business…" then again, it really wasn't his business when the Marksmites had him make the original decision of welcoming Albert and Alicia into their home. Maybe that was why Roy felt more comfortable talking so plainly to them now. "But maybe we should help Albert out."

"What do you mean?" Singe asked.

"Well….maybe, until we find out exactly where Alicia went, he can stay in the house.

Ruby hesitated. She looked at Singe and Celia, her face wavering between disgust, fright, and uncertainty. Finally, she settled on disgust when she turned back to Roy.

"I'm willing to go to the police to report Alicia missing," she said. "But beyond that, nothing else."

Roy pressed his lips into a firm line. Okay. Clearly, convincing her otherwise would take a little time. "But he has nowhere else to go…"

"He can stay at the hotel," she said. "It's a lot less crowded there than in here. Besides, I'm sure Albert would be more…comfortable there." She sent a concerned glance toward Singe and Celia. This look did not get past Roy, and neither did her desire to keep her family safe. This inspired him to put extra thought and care into his next round of words.

"You don't know that. Perhaps letting Albert stay with you guys could…you know…help him warm up to….different species?"

Ruby squinted at Roy. "And who are you to make such a decision for my family?"

Roy's heart sank. Dang. It seems I'm only a voice in this room when it's convenient. He looked at Celia. "Well, no one…"

"Exactly." Ruby gently placed her hand on Roy's left cheek. "Look, I appreciate your concern. But I have to think about the good of my family." Roy opened his mouth to speak, but was silenced by Ruby saying "immediate family."

Roy's heart sank even deeper. So her mind was made up. Darn it.

Or maybe not darn it. Roy recalled the things that Bowser had told him last night regarding Albert and Alicia. He decided that now was as good a time as ever to bring that conversation to light.

"But don't you think there might be more to Albert than what appears at first glance?" No one answered, so he continued speaking. "We don't know his intent. There might be a deeper reason for why he acted the way he acted. And if you kick him to the curb, you'll never find out what that reason is." He gestured to Singe, knowing full well that the move he was about to take was a gutsy one. "I mean, look at Singe. He had a deeper reason for leaving you."

Ruby gawked. "Roy…" Her expression shifted more times in the following few seconds that they would over the course of an ordinary day. One minute she was offended, then understanding, then angry as heck.

Celia, on the other hand, stepped to stand beside Roy. "He's right," she said softly. "We need to give Albert a chance."

That was all she said. No points to back up her argument were present. However, the tone she used was ladened with all sorts of emotions. Sure, she sounded a little fearful, like the things that Albert did the night before were fresh in her mind. But she also sounded a little compassionate. She was, after all, someone who valued family.

Ruby gawked at her daughter. "Celia…" She slowly turned to Singe. "What do you have to say about this?"

Singe's eyes darted between Roy and Celia and Ruby. "I…think they make some good points."

"Yeah!" Celia said. "Besides, Albert is still family."

Ruby sent a serious look toward Celia. "The blood of the covenant is thicker than the water of the wound."

"True. But we shouldn't ignore the water of the womb." She stepped closer to her mom. "Maybe Roy is right. Maybe there's something there that were not seeing." She stood up straight and tall. "Besides, from a moral standpoint, I think it's the right thing to do. Albert's mom is missing and he's stuck in a strange town. We need to help him."

Ruby was silent for a few seconds. The words and viewpoints from all parties present made the weight of the atmosphere heavy. It didn't take long for that weight to cause Ruby to cave.

"You're right." She walked out of Celia's bedroom and into her own, where Albert still sat in a blubbery mess. "Albert, honey, why don't you stay with us until we find your mom?"

Albert blinked. "Uhh…sure."