Chapter 7

It was almost half-past eleven by the time we reached back. All of us were tried from the school trip and dreadful of the upcoming event. "Pup, are you all packed", Dad asked, once we made ourselves comfortable on the couch. " umm, Ya, umm, Ya I'm done", Rock replied, tirelessly closing his eyes. It was apparent he didn't get much sleep last night. Especially from the tired look and bags under his eyes. It's a miracle none of us noticed it ad the morning. Guess we all were a bit anxious about the enrollment.

"Can we watch a movie to relax", I asked quietly. "Ya, sure. There are still a couple of hours left. Let's change into something comfy first though", Dad said agreeing. Quickly, all of us went to our respective rooms and got changed into comfy clothes. Shortly, we were putting a movie to watch on the TV / Movie room. Did I mention earlier about the entertainment room in the FM? I haven't right! Well, the ground floor has one, just below the staircase. The room was actually meant to be a study but had already been reformed to be an entertainment room, thus, the reason for the basement to be remodelled into a study. The room is big enough to hold a 4 person couch, a love seat, and 2 bean bags, along with a 72" flat tv screen. I call it a movie room, cause that's what it serves the purpose of.

Once all of us were settled in, with Dad in the middle and both of us cuddling on either side, Rock put on Curious Case of Benjamin Button, one of his favourites. There were no words exchanged in the entire duration of the film; just enjoying the moment and the cuddles. In between the film, Dad had ordered Chinese for the lunch. Another of Rocks fav. Soon after lunch, the movie ended and it was time to say goodbye.

I don't care if people think it's dramatic, but for me saying Bye to Rock was like saying bye to a part of me. Throughout the time of my stay with them, I never really had to stay without even talking to him for such large periods. He is the one, in whom I confide, and to some extent, he too in me. I've shown him for the past week that I'm not much affected by the camp, but now that the time has come, here we are, me hiding in my bathroom, with a tear streaming down my face. "Angel, you in?", Rock asked, lightly knocking on the door. " Ya, I...umm... I will be out in a minute," I replied, wiping my cheeks and clearing my throat. But, alas, my voice broke and my ever-observant brother didn't miss it. "Doll, you are crying. Come on, open up. Let me in Angel.", Rock answered in a soft voice, now knocking a bit more urgently. " I'm not. Just give me a minute Rock. I will be out", I replied, deliberately trying to make my voice sound strong but of no use. "Champ, don't lie. Open the door. Don't make me get the key", Dad threatened, gently urging me to come out. After a quick splash of water to my face, I opened the door. I peeked up at both of them from my tear rimmed eyes, and in a flash, threw myself on Rock and just hugged him tightly. After a few moments of getting over the shock, he was hugging me even more close if that is possible. Dad soon joined, and we were having a group hug in front of the bathroom. No words were exchanged, none seemed to be needed, our silence was speaking louder than words.

I didn't know how much time had passed, minutes or maybe hours, but it was shorter than what I wanted, needed perhaps. Rock pulled out of the cuddle, " Sorry Angel, I need to go now.", he said, clearing his throat, tears brimming his eyes. I nodded and with a heavy heart parted from his embrace. "Hey, look at me. Didn't you yourself told me that I'm going to be a few hours away and just for a few days. And besides weren't you going to be too busy meeting cute boys to even think about me!", Rock said, eliciting a sad giggle to my tear stricken face.

Flashback a few days ago,

" Angel", Rock called, "Hmm," I made the noise of acknowledgement, looking over at him. "How much would you miss me when I'm gone?", he asked. " Not much. As you know, I would be busy going around places, meeting cute boys, strolling around, getting in a lot of mischievous yet fun activities and having time of my life, to even think about you!", I answered back without missing a beat. "Don't love me this much Angel, I won't be able to handle this much", he replied, cooking his eyes. Sarcasm was dripping from our words. We both stared at each other a minute and burst out laughing the next. After a minute or two, Rock asked "Cute boys, seriously? Is that a threat to prevent me from going", composing himself. "Maybe", I replied still giggling. " Idiota! But remember, I'm always a call away. No matter what. Okay?", Rocks said, in all seriousness. "Hmm, I know. Goddess, the way we are talking, feels like you are going to a war or something.", I told whilst cuddling to his side. " If only you knew", he mumbled, so quite, that for a second I thought I had just imagined it. "Hmm", I asked with a confused tone. "Nothing doll. I'm just saying we are not silly, and missing someone close to your heart is very normal, even if you are few moments apart." Rock said, wrapping me up in his warm embrace.

" You and me both knew, what I exactly meant.", I replied, wiping the tears and trying to get a hold of myself. "Come on Pup, we need to leave now", Dad said, gently pulling us out of the room. " Champ, come on, let us get this party popper out, and have some fun, Yeah!", Dad said, in his gravelly soothing voice, easing my emotions a bit. "Hey, I'm also fun", came Rock's offended reply almost instantly. I just giggled at both of there antics and went downstairs to bid Rock farewell. All of his necessities were packed and lay by the door. I volunteered to keep his things in the car, to give the father-son duo some alone time.

By the time I was done, both of them were parting from what looked like a very sentimental hug, the one neither wanted to let go off judging from their facial expressions. " Oh, before I forget, this is for you", Dad said, producing a brand new phone from his pants pocket. "Now, I know you don't like iPhones much, so Pup advice to get an Android instead. It is not the latest, but it does have good speakers and storage, your only preference in the phones. It's actually Pup's choice. ", he explained, putting the brand new black piece of technology in my hands. " Oh... I... Thank you", I muttered, feeling lost for words, with a starstruck face. Dad and Rock just gave me a heart-warming smile in return.

Shortly, Dad and Rock were on their way to the bus stop. The campsite was about two hours distance from the Blackwood Valley, and the bus stop about half an hour drive from home. The original plan was all of us going together, but I just cancelled last minute, no need for more drama.

So, that's it then. This is the first time I'm truly alone in the FM, or in general ever been, especially after... Not wanting to dwell onto my negative thoughts more, I made my way towards the attic library/reading room. My sovereignty. The attic was one of the first room that we completed. The lower shelves have my books while the higher one includes Dad's and Rock. All of us have mixed taste in reading, resulting in one enormous diverse collection.

I took a random book from the library and made myself comfortable in the hammock. The hammock was hanged such that it gave a nice view of the surrounding backyard, making sure the person sitting on the window seat doesn't hinder the scenery. And what scenery it is, the green of the forest soothes the mind, while the blue of the sky calms the eyes, and of course, the natures calm peaceful music. Once content with the atmosphere, I look down at the book I had chosen, which turns out is about the wolves. Hmm, it might be Dad's or Rock's, they both are into animals. Shrugging, I just opened the seemingly old looking though well-read book, with pages wrinkled and spine showing the telltale sign of wear and tear. One of my favourite kinds to read. I believe more the book been used, more knowledge it has to provide. Soon enough, I found myself diving into the world of letters and words, forgetting the emotional turmoil of mine and just finding serenity in them.