Chapter 8: Like Father Like Son

|8:36 am|

The daylight had come, and the fiery glow of the sun radiated through the uncovered window extensively, shining down on the two Pierce siblings that lay on the couch together.

Jackson clutched onto his sister tightly and enclosed her body against him and the couch, sleeping soundlessly next to her with his head resting comfortably beside hers.

Allison was engulfed entirely beneath her brother's body, and her face was buried in his neck with her left arm tucked underneath his.

The house was eerily quiet, as the twins were sound asleep in their bedroom along with Bruno, taking advantage of not having to attend school due to the long weekend.

At the sound of the birds singing melodiously outside, Jackson's eyes opened leisurely, and he came face to face with a sleeping Allison.

He quickly assessed his surroundings and only then realized that they had fallen asleep in the living room last night.

His gaze drifted back onto Allison who lay next to him in tranquility. Her cold cheek was pressed up against his neck, and her long hair was messily sprawled across her own face, hiding her facial features beneath.

Jackson unknowingly smiled to himself at the peaceful sight of his sister, then stealthily lifted his right arm off of her tiny frame and onto her hair to brush it off of her face.

He tenderly combed her brown hair backward with his fingers to clearly reveal her delicate face deep in slumber. She had on a relaxed expression with her lips slightly parted, and she seemed so unscathed as if she hadn't faced any troubling events in her lifetime.

Jackson silently admired her for a few moments longer, then stood up from his position on the couch, carefully untangling himself from her, and made sure to place a cushion below her head to elevate it properly and comfortably.

Allison stirred around in her sleep due to Jackson's movements and nestled against the cushion acquiescently as she repositioned her body unconsciously.

Jackson stood just before the couch lingeringly, and stared down at Allison once more, before making his way into the kitchen, while stretching his arms upwards.

A yawn escaped his lips as he started the kettle to prepare two cups of coffee for both him and Allison, assuming she would wake up soon enough.

In the midst of this, he peered through the kitchen window at another beautifully bright day, and ruffled his messy hair with his right hand in an effort to make it appear less unruly, but achieved quite the opposite outcome.

The sun was shining flamboyantly outside, and the cherry blossom trees danced gracefully in the morning breeze, creating a magnificent view of their small neighbourhood.

Without any conscious control, Jackson caught himself genuinely smiling at the beauty of the world he seldom found, for an indeterminable reason.

He pondered the purpose behind his baffling happiness, and recapped the events of last night with his sister; where he had poured his guilty emotions all out, and Allison had still accepted him and treated him the same.

Such a thing seemed incredible to Jackson, as he felt grateful that she hadn't held his rash mistake against him. Instead, she had patiently and kindly empathized with him and alleviated his guilty conscience. Her support and perspective aided in repairing his ruthless thoughts about himself and his wrongdoing, and this left Jackson completely astonished.

As he delved deeper into his train of thoughts, the distinct sound of the electric kettle emerged, jerking Jackson away from his rumination and awoke Allison in the process.

While Jackson prepared two cups of coffee, Allison gradually shifted around in her reclined position, and took notice of her vicinity, feeling the abrasive seams of the couch cushion pressing against the right side of her cheek.

She heard the sound of metal clashing, paired with the pleasant voice of a person humming a nostalgic tune that easily overpowered everything else in her mind.

Deciding to identify the rather alluring voice, Allison sat upright onto the couch and started rubbing her eyes to force them to completely open.

Once she had removed her hands from her face, she was met with a cheerful Jackson holding a coffee cup in each hand, fittingly equipped with a gaping smile.

He hovered over her sweetly and asked in his gentle voice. "Coffee?"

Without any hesitation, Allison smiled delightedly, breathing in the captivating scent, and wholeheartedly accepted the coffee from her brother, keeping a tenacious hold on the cup between both of her hands.

"Thanks," Allison replied verbally, temporarily closing her eyes in satisfaction, as Jackson nodded in response, and gaily sat down beside her on the couch with his own steaming cup of coffee in his hand.

After opening her eyes, she closely examined the strangely blissful expression on her brother's face, and inaudibly wondered the meaning behind it.

"You seem to be in a good mood," she commented punctiliously, raising a keen eyebrow at Jackson who casually took a sip of coffee right next to her.

Subsequently, he set the cup on the table in front of them cautiously and spoke in affirmation. "I am."

At his vague response, Allison tilted her head slightly to get him to explain more in detail, but seeing as he failed to notice her intent, she further questioned in curiosity. "Why?"

Jackson took in an optimistic breath and finally turned his head to the right to meet his sister's inquisitive eyes.

"Because," he began energetically, a hopeful beam tugging at his lips. "Today is a new day, and I have a feeling it will be a good one."

Allison stared back at him in disbelief, and couldn't help but let a small laugh escape from her lips as she witnessed her brother's unusually sanguine behaviour.

"Are you feeling okay, Jackson?" She asked in moderate concern, after watching his smile stay oddly stagnant.

"I'm feeling great!" He exclaimed, worrying Allison even more at his cheerful tone. "We get a day off from school today, tomorrow I'll break up with Rebecca, and everything will be okay."

Before getting to enjoy her coffee, Allison paused in her tracks, and quickly set down her cup beside Jackson's, then eyed her brother intensely. "You're happy about breaking up with someone?"

"I'm happy about you not being angry with me," he confessed finally, as Allison scrunched her eyebrows in confusion, while he elaborated on his view. "I played with your friend's feelings; maybe not intentionally but...it was wrong of me to do."

Allison now raised both eyebrows in realization at his revelation, and then reached to place a reassuring hand on his left shoulder. "I could never be mad at you...especially for something that was accidental."

"I'm just glad you don't see me any different," he voiced truthfully, as Allison smiled.

As the two siblings looked at each other in mutual understanding, the sound of two rambunctious twins trotting down the stairs transpired, along with Bruno's paws that pitter-pattered against the hardwood floor.

Jackson and Allison both turned away from each other and saw Jocelyn and Alex merrily running over to them, alongside Bruno.

"Jackie!" Jocelyn shouted joyously, lunging onto her older brother, as Jackson fervently embraced her in his arms.

"Alli!" Alex exclaimed as well, hugging his older sister in reciprocation, as Bruno also leaped onto the couch, barking excitedly.

"Hey, buddy," Jackson greeted, running a loving hand down his furry back, as his tail kept wagging vivaciously.

"Good morning everyone," Allison said with a laugh at the end, ruffling Alex's hair teasingly, as Jocelyn made her way over to her older sister as well, resting under her left arm and her twin brother on her right. "Did you two sleep okay?"

Jocelyn nodded, as Alex cried aloud in a childish manner. "I'm hungry!"

Jackson shook his head and chuckled at his younger brother's blunt personality, then ushered Bruno out into the backyard to do his business.

"Well, then I'll get started on breakfast," Allison volunteered, jumping upwards to march into the kitchen. "Any preferences?"

She swayed around shortly to view the twins sitting on the couch and waited for them to put forth a suggestion.

In unison, they both answered with wide smiles outstretched on their faces. "Pancakes!"

Allison laughed to herself at their eager response and started whipping up the batter, as Jackson returned to the living room to retrieve the two cups of coffee sitting on the table in solitude.

He walked over to Allison, and presented it to her once again with a bodacious smile, as she welcomed it into her right hand gratefully, partnered with a pleased expression on her face.

As Allison began constructing breakfast for the twins with a cup of coffee in one hand, Jackson started pouring Bruno's food into his bowl, and the twins remained ravenous on the couch.

All seemed right and just, especially with an eerily blissful atmosphere that loitered the Pierce household.

But the anomalous situation provoked a certain inevitable disturbance, as Jocelyn constructed a rather plain question that overbearingly struck a dagger laced with guilt through the eldest siblings' abdomen. "Did mother leave?"

Jackson and Allison directed their eyes onto each other habitually as the words slipped their younger sister's mouth with such little effort, and so much innocence.

Allison focused her stare onto her older brother's calming eyes and managed to tactfully reply with a reassuring lie followed after. "Yes. She had to go back to work early."

Jackson sighed silently at the difficult circumstance with his back facing the twins, and gave Allison a heartening nod, before departing the kitchen to let Bruno inside.

"Do you know when she will come again? I wanted to watch a movie with her."

This time, Alex was the one to pry further, as both Jackson and Allison grew shocked by his hopeful inquiry, feeling incredibly sympathetic for him.

After letting Bruno inside the house, and watching him make a mad-dash towards his food, Jackson approached his younger brother and stood just before him with a small smile across his face.

"I don't know, buddy," he started, placing a gentle hand on his left shoulder, and glimpsed at Jocelyn for a short while to witness her usually gleaming eyes lose their light, along with Alex's noticeable frown. "But I'm sure she would love to watch a movie with you whenever she returns."

Allison bit her tongue as she turned the stove on, and blinked back her tears due to her younger brother's complete shift in attitude.

He had always been pessimistic when it came to their familial situation, but today was the first time that he had shown any signs of hopefulness; but yet again, he was left with nothing but disappointment...they always were.

Jocelyn took notice of her twin brother's apparent sadness and voiced in compassion. "I'll watch a movie with you, Alex." She forced an optimistic grin, as Alex smiled faintly at his sister's efforts to cheer him up.

"Thanks, Joce," he replied quietly, now focusing his attention on the tv remote left negligently between the couch cushions.

Jackson ran a brotherly hand through Alex's hair, then lightly touched Jocelyn's arm in silent gratitude, before making his way towards Allison.

As the sound of cartoon voices on the tv drowned out the nagging feeling of sadness now penetrating the Pierce household, Jackson stood beside Allison, and kindly offered his assistance. "Do you need any help making breakfast?"

Allison held a big spatula in her left hand with her coffee mug in the other and turned to give Jackson an assuring smile after flipping a pancake. "I'm okay, thanks."

Jackson nodded in comprehension and then announced his itinerary for the next half an hour. "I'm going to go take a shower then...if that's okay with you."

Allison let out a small laugh at her brother's weirdly fragmentized sentence and raised a teasing eyebrow, confused by his amusing behaviour. "O-kay?"

"Okay," Jackson repeated loudly in affirmation, a boyish grin hanging on his lips, as he stumbled backward to make his way upstairs, gaining another pleasurable chuckle from Allison.

She watched as he finally made his way upstairs after lingering his gaze on her for a few seconds longer, and then shook her head with a small smile.

-

"Do you two want more?" Allison questioned, eyeing the twins who sat on the barstools comfortably, actively scarfing down two platefuls of pancakes.

Jocelyn shook her head in satisfaction with bulging cheeks, trying to successfully chew the fluffy pancake in her mouth, as Alex nodded desirously, also silenced by the amount of food that remained in his mouth.

Allison laughed at her younger siblings' youthful appeal and slid another plate full of pancakes across the counter towards Alex.

"Well then, I'm going to go see if Jackson wants some pancakes," she announced, clapping her hands together to blow away the remaining flour left on her hands from creating the batter. "And don't eat too much."

She gave a slightly stern look towards Alex in warning, who flashed her a lopsided grin from his seat, and then marched up the stairs in the direction of Jackson's room.

As she made her way through the condensed hall, the engrossing sunlight creeping in from the small window across shone upon her amiable face.

Without thinking, she barged into his bedroom and began articulating casually. "Jackson, the pancakes are ready; would you like some?"

However, she was brought to an immediate halt when she viewed her older brother sitting at his desk with his head in his hands, as the dampness from his shower expanded his hair and hid the corners of his face.

He stood up instantly, and met his sister's concerned eyes, as she stood in his doorframe in utter confusion.

"What's wrong?" She asked firmly, stepping forwards to approach him, as Jackson breathed out an enervated sigh, and tediously gestured to the various papers sprawled upon his desk with his left hand, while anxiously stroking his hair with his right one.

Allison pried her eyes away from her older brother's stressed state and approximated the desk that revealed piles of horrendously unpaid bills that neared their payment due date.

Her eyes widened at the immense numbers she saw, and she bit her bottom lip in distress. "How much do we have in the account?"

She faced her brother once more, who had lost all hope in his eyes and was now leaning against his desk hysterically.

"Not a lot," he said bluntly while shaking his head. "What with all the supplies we got for Bruno, the school uniforms we had to purchase, and the $450 lost to mother, we only have a couple hundred, and that won't even cover the car insurance."

Allison took in a deep breath, and ran a worrisome hand upon her forehead, finding it hard to swallow due to the dominating circumstance. "B-but that's okay, right?" She stuttered briefly, trying to regain her composure, as Jackson looked up at her exhaustively in an effort to dissect her unconvincing attempt at providing reassurance. "We can always use my child support, right? We collected a lot in the savings account-''

"No," Jackson interrupted abruptly, standing straight, as Allison tilted her head in a probing manner. "No that's for you to use, to help advance your future."

"Jackson, I won't have a future if we don't pay the bills on time," she argued in response, as he only shook his head stubbornly. "This is the only way."

"No, Allison," he countered, stepping towards her to gently meet her eyes, then held on a pensive expression. "We're getting paid later this week...that won't nearly be enough time to submit the payment before its due date, and by then, more bills will be piling up-''

"Which is why we should use what we have of my child support," Allison reasoned once more, trying to deal with the situation logically, but Jackson dismissed it altogether, refusing to waste her acquired money.

"Or..." he trailed off, gaining a chancy idea. "Maybe I could ask Henry for an advance paycheque; that way we'd get a few more hundreds in order to pay the bills on time."

"But that's not guaranteed Jackson, and that will only mess up our future payments, as you'd only get less on your next cheque," Allison contended, placing a disagreeing hand on her right hip.

"It's worth a try, Allison." Jackson softened his facial expression and smiled faintly. "I don't want to use your rightful money if we don't necessarily have to."

Allison huffed at her brother's stubborn behaviour, but nonetheless, gave in to his plea, and finally nodded in accordance, now letting her right arm fall loosely beside her.

As he always did in stressful situations, Jackson cracked a lighthearted joke in an attempt to release the thick tension in the small room. "Well, I guess the one good thing our father ever did was pay off the house before having us." He then muttered shortly after with a brief scoff. "Who knows what we'd do if we had to pay a hefty mortgage."

"Sell the house," Allison stated blankly, staring into Jackson's dire eyes. "We'd have to sell the house."

Although the house bore many haunting memories for the Pierce children, it was also a place in which they grew up that held indisputable sentimental value. Parting with the house would only mean parting with the idiosyncratic childhood that shaped them into who they were; the good parts and the bad.

As severely damaged as they were by the house's previous occupants, both of them could not deny that they just weren't ready to move on or let go of the gratuitous evil that once existed within the home, and forced them to mature earlier than one could ever anticipate.

Then, as a segue out of their continuously conflicting thoughts, the loud chimes of the doorbell rang from below, compelling the two siblings away from the topic they were discussing.

As usual, at the sound of an unexpected visitor, Allison and Jackson's heartbeat increased, and they were both overcome by fear, hundreds of unpleasant scenarios floating in their heads.

"Alex! Jocelyn! Don't answer the door!" Allison shouted loudly, as she and Jackson quickly ran down the stairs in paranoia.

Once they reached the last step, both of them were relieved to find the twins and Bruno sitting on the couch watching television.

Allison sighed heavily as she made eye contact with her younger siblings, and Jackson's heartbeat stabilized at the sight of the twins left unscathed.

"Who's at the door?" Jocelyn spoke innocently, completely oblivious to the mentally profound panic her older siblings had undergone.

"I don't know," Jackson replied after gaining his composure back and made his way towards the front door.

Allison followed behind vigilantly, curious as to who had appeared so unexpectedly at their doorstep.

The eldest Pierce son opened the door mindfully, revealing a tall man standing impatiently outside, dangling a red leash and a collar in his right hand in a formidable manner.

He had short brown hair with a stubble above his mouth, and his eyes showed signs of aggravation.

"Can I help you?" Jackson voiced at last, after inspecting his rugged appearance, determined to decipher the reason behind this stranger's unwanted presence.

The man raised a daunting eyebrow and spoke in a gruff tone. "Is this 87 Elmwood Avenue?" Jackson nodded slowly in response to his question, his eyes trailing towards his right hand where the end of the leash he was holding clashed against the metal dog tag on the collar, while the strange man continued his surmise. "I believe you have my dog."

At the uncalled-for declaration, Jackson let out a baffling sound, followed by a look of disbelief, as Allison's eyes widened in discomposure.

"What?" Alex said aloud from the living room, overhearing everything, as Jocelyn instantly wrapped her arms tightly around Bruno who lay beside her on the couch.

The man ignored The Pierce's frantic reactions and went on emotionlessly. "Medium-sized dog, yellow shaggy hair?" Jackson blinked tempestuously, overwhelmed by the untimely predicament. "He ran away over a month ago, and I had placed missing flyers, but no one had seen him." Allison had completely drowned out his words, deeply saddened by the unsettling dilemma, as he continued to explain the situation on hand. "I kept a Facebook post up in case anyone came across a dog that appeared to be him, and last night a local neighbor reported that she had spotted a similar-looking dog residing in this house."

Jackson kept the door only slightly ajar to restrict the man from looking past him to view Bruno and the twins in the living room and started to rationally postulate defensively. "W-wait a minute," he stammered, struggling to maintain his authoritative temperament, as Allison started breathing heavily once again, leaning on the kitchen counter beside her for support. "How can we be sure it is your dog? Do you have any proof? Any ownership papers?"

The eldest Pierce sibling now spoke confidently, hopeful that the man had no record of ever owning Bruno, and was simply a swindler.

Fearing the outcome, the twins held Bruno back on the couch, as he now tried to make a run towards the door, and the unfamiliar male standing on the porch flashed Jackson a nasty glare, threatening to showcase his truculent side.

"I didn't bring any goddamn proof of ownership, kid," he spat hostilely, losing his restraint, as he approached Jackson in warning. "Now give me my dog back, or I will call the police."

At the mere mention of the police, Allison's instincts kicked in, and she stood up straight, lunging herself fearlessly into their heated conversation, noticing her brother's tense expression, and the firm grip he had on the doorknob.

"There's no need to involve the police," she spoke calmly, trying to diffuse the vehement situation, and grabbed a hold of Jackson's left arm, pulling him away from the unpredictable stranger. "I'm sure we can settle this misunderstanding like civilized people-''

"There is no misunderstanding," the man interrupted rudely, raising his voice angrily. "You stole my dog, and now you refuse to give him back."

"We didn't steal your dog," Jackson disputed, rolling his eyes at his infuriating conduct, and falsely spewed allegations.

The twins attentively listened to the argument between their brother and the harrowing man, while struggling to detain Bruno who was overly excited to greet the unknown visitor.

Alas, Bruno overpowered the twins' combined strength, and pranced towards the front door, getting blocked by Jackson and Allison standing in front of him.

The twins followed him in a hurried manner, as the man caught sight of his lost companion hiding behind Jackson's leg.

"Charlie!" He exclaimed cheerfully, as the shaggy-haired dog let out a friendly bark, still trapped behind Jackson. "Charlie! Over here, boy!"

Finally, the four-legged creature pushed past Jackson, responding to his initial name and owner, and ran towards the man, leaping towards him in pure excitement with his tail whipping back and forth rapidly.

The man embraced the dog lovingly, as the twins watched their intimate interaction in bitterness, and Allison and Jackson shared a look of dismay with each other.

"Charlie, I missed you so much!" He cried in happiness, a complete change in his previously irritable manner, as he slipped the collar around his furry neck, attaching the leash to it with ease.

"His name is Bruno!" Alex yelled in rage, unable to control his actions, as he made a daring move towards the unacquainted visitor, but Jackson speedily drew him back, enduring his younger brother's grieving attempts at breaking out of his grasp.

"Bruno, don't leave," Jocelyn spoke shakily, tears flowing down her cheeks, as Allison swung her arm around her younger sister comfortingly, unable to deny the painful truth herself.

"I told you he is my dog," the man said austerely, holding the leash tightly in his right hand, with Charlie standing obliviously beside him. "You're lucky I'm not pressing charges."

He walked off the porch steps without giving anyone a chance to speak or say goodbye to their beloved pet, and disappeared around the street corner, taking Bruno and The Pierce's only chance of happiness with him.

Jackson fought the urge to break down and cry for the sake of his siblings and slammed the door shut aggressively, outraged by the wretched incident that played out so early in the day, depriving him of Bruno who he had gotten incredibly attached to, and who had represented hope for his insufferable life.

"I hate everything!" Alex screamed childishly, taking after his older brother's short-temper, with uncontrollable tears upon his cheeks, and ran upstairs quickly before Jackson could even stop him.

Jocelyn watched her twin brother's emotional outburst and shook her head in agony. "Why does everyone leave?"

"Jocelyn-'' Allison called out, reaching out to try and console her, but the youngest Pierce daughter only cried, and followed after Alex in intense sorrow.

As the sound of a door shutting violently in clear anger was heard upstairs, Allison sat down on the barstool haggardly, with her face in her hands, not knowing how to deal with the difficult situation.

Jackson viewed his sister's upset state and gallantly placed a soothing hand on Allison's back, trying not to crumble down himself.

Allison looked up at his tender touch, and met his caring eyes that masked his true despair, then sprung upwards and onto him for mental support, burying herself vulnerably within his chest, while trying to fight back tears.

Jackson held her tightly against him, resting his chin just above her head, and closed his eyes in exhaustion, letting the warmth of her touch bring his mind to ease.

-

It had been roughly an hour after Bruno's departure, and The Pierce's household was completely silent, the reality of it all, obnoxiously creeping its way in.

The twins remained locked up in their room, devastated by another loved one leaving them, and both refused to come out, drowning themselves in their own confined solitude.

Allison and Jackson had tried to speak to them many times, but they requested to be left alone, not wanting to engage in any conversation due to their companion's absence.

There wasn't a thing anyone could do or say to alleviate the pain that the twins felt.

Unfortunately, the anguish was inevitable, and only time alone could heal their wounds.

It seemed that happiness was never fully within reach for the Pierce's, for they had to fight for it; and sadly, they always lost the battle.

The sun's piercing rays hit their peak outside, and the cool breeze picked up a little bit, causing the loose tree branches to bash against the kitchen window noisily, breaking Allison away from her mental torment.

She was in the middle of preparing a coffee for Jackson who sat sulkily at the front of the house, lost in his treacherous thoughts. She hoped another cup of caffeine would calm him down, and maybe help him stop thinking about Bruno leaving.

As she waited for the water to boil, she looked around the empty room, recalling the day that she and Jackson had brought Bruno home with them. He was so happy and carefree and just wanted to be loved; just as all the Pierce's did.

In some ways, he was a lot like them. However, Allison thought that Bruno had had it much worse. For instance, he was lost and all alone, with nowhere to call home, and no one to turn to.

While the Pierce siblings had each other, Bruno had absolutely no one, and it made Allison wonder what would have happened to her if she didn't have her siblings to lean on.

She let out a melancholic sigh, remembering her initial hesitancy to welcome him into their home due to their financial state.

Although her plan to remain distant towards him never fell through, as it didn't take long for her to fall in love with him.

He made her happy.

He made Jackson happy.

He made the twins happy.

What more could she ever ask for than happiness for her siblings and herself?

With Bruno's sole presence, for the first time in a long time, it seemed that hope had returned once more in the Pierce household, flourishing more and more each day.

But now, with Bruno gone, it felt like the whole house had crumbled down into millions of pieces, and the horrible feeling of despair had reappeared within their desecrated souls.

As the kettle clicked, indicating that the water had reached its boiling point, Allison began pouring it into a cup absentmindedly. She put in a bit of cream into the liquid, and began mixing it around with a teaspoon.

As she did so, her phone had beeped for what felt like the hundredth time today, and she groaned in exasperation, seeing the same name pop up on the phone screen persistently.

Ethan had been constantly texting and calling to try and reach her, although all of his efforts went unreciprocated, as Allison was in no mood to talk.

She truly didn't feel like conversing with him at the moment, as the day was going horribly already, and Ethan's continuous notifications only made it worse.

Finally surpassing her limits, she turned off her phone and placed it back on the counter, making her way towards the front door with the finished cup of coffee in her right hand.

Stepping outside of the house, she saw Jackson sitting on the porch steps in misery, playing around with Bruno's collar in his right hand, too consumed by his ceaseless thoughts to notice her presence.

He seemed so unlike himself, and that worried Allison.

Jackson was always the one to cheer others up and make jokes to create a lighthearted atmosphere; and for this reason, Allison couldn't bear to watch him suffer alone from afar anymore.

She conjured up her most convincing smile, and approached him at last, hovering over him to present the cup in her hand, reciting an irrefutable offer. "Coffee?" Her long hair draped over her face as she looked down at her brother's gloomy face.

Effortlessly, Jackson reflexed into a gentle smile, and took the cup of coffee from her in gratitude, noticing the familiar exchange.

"Thank you."

Allison widened her smile as a response, and sat down beside him on the cement steps, taking in the beautiful view of their evocative neighbourhood.

The sun highlighted the houses on the street so charmingly, and the increasing wind swayed the cherry blossom trees in such an elegant manner.

Not much had changed in the past seventeen years, except for the old neighbour's moving out, and the new ones moving in.

It seemed as though their neighbourhood was immutable, or would always be perceived in the same way for the Pierce's.

"Are the twins still in their room?" Jackson asked, interrupting the poignant silence, and faced his sister.

Allison nodded slowly in verification, listening to Jackson let out a weary sigh, before taking a sip of his coffee.

"Aren't you going to eat something?" Allison questioned compassionately. "You

haven't had breakfast."

Jackson shook his head expressionlessly and then mumbled feebly. "Not hungry."

A moment of silence passed by, as the eldest Pierce daughter found herself not knowing what to say, especially after witnessing her brother's pitifully dispirited state.

"I was wrong about today," Jackson started, verbalizing his arduous thoughts aloud, as he remembered his prediction early this morning, and placed the coffee cup to the right of him, startling Allison slightly at his abrupt sentence. "Turns out it's not a good day after all."

She noticed his unsteady voice and began to suggest optimistically, hoping to cheer her brother up. "Maybe it was for the best." Shrugging shortly, she turned her head to the right to meet Jackson's strained eyes. "We couldn't provide Bruno with as much as we wanted to, financially. Maybe...maybe he'll have a better life with his original owner."

Jackson directed his eyes her way and held an intense gaze upon his sister, trying to analyze every single detail on her face, silently admiring her maturity exhibited through her wise words.

While staring at her eminently, he said in acknowledgment. "I know."

Now his eyes had involuntarily drifted away from Allison, and he looked ahead, masking his vulnerability as he confessed truthfully. "I just miss him."

Allison watched her brother reveal his emotions, and spoke in accordance. "Me too."

She then slowly leaned her head rightwards, and rested it on Jackson's shoulder, as the two stared plaintively ahead at their inactive neighbourhood.