3 - In a Stranger's Home

The dining room was a simple area without many decorations. It was practical, to the point where someone would think they'd never had any visitors. Hurriedly, the boy set up the table, pulling out and putting down plates and cutlery. He pulled out some tall stools from inside the table, higher than his head, and he and the girl were seated at the smooth, long, white table.

The woman walked towards the wall and reached into a small compartment. She pulled out the extravagant meal from that warm little whole in the wall, and placed it on the table.

There was juicy meat, well-seasoned and tender, on a shallow dish. From a small white bowl resting on the dish, the boy poured a thick, savory sauce, made from thickened meat broth.

"We recently got another package of artificial meat, and this package was of rather fine quality," mother explained in both languages. "I wasn't expecting guests, so there's not much, but do eat well. I wouldn't want to waste those precious efforts."

As she spoke, the little girl took a bite into it and suddenly hurled. The little boy jumped right off his chair and led her away to the bathroom.

"Are you alright?" The boy asked the girl from outside the bathroom door, worried.

"Yes, I'm-" She hurled again, before coughing and becoming quiet. "...I'll be fine, so please leave me and enjoy the rest of your meal.

He returned quietly; a bit sullen. "I should've asked about her allergies and her diet. Mother, what do you think?"

"No worries, dear. I should've realized earlier. The children only eat vegetables. Please put away those dishes while I make a salad," she instructed, as she left to another room to get their pre-prepared meals.

The little boy cleaned up very quickly, putting the plates and the meat onto the little compartments of the wall, that quickly sealed up without a trace. He then went back to the bathroom to check up again on the girl.

He knocked softly on the door, and she quickly opened it, almost hitting him in the face. She looked shaken, and incredibly thin and pale. Stammering, the boy asked how she was.

"H- hey, umm, are you okay? We got something else for you, but if you can't eat that, we'll switch it for whatever you want," the boy said softly, with a worried expression.

The girl silently started walking back to the dining room, and the boy followed her awkwardly. They were already halfway there before she blinked and snapped out of her trance-like state.

"O- oh, that's okay. Vegetables are… fine," the girl replied quietly, blinking back to her memories. "…But how can you speak to me?" They arrived at the dining room, and the boy stopped, frozen, at the entrance.

"It's because my mother-"

"It's because of innovation," mother cut in, smiling while leaning over the two. "Even if the village hasn't developed much, we've been creating for a very long time. In fact, I already saw you coming before you met him, my son. Of course, we can talk about this over dinner, so let's return now, if you're ready?"

So, they walked back, with mother walking between the two, smiling without anything sincere. The family pair seemed very comfortable, despite differences. The boy was calm, from his experience talking with people, while the tall woman was calm with indifference to the situation. The girl, though, was incredibly pale. After all, she was in a stranger's house, and she had no idea where they were. She may be a kid, but she wasn't raised without awareness. Unease jumped around in her chest as they approached the kitchen. Anxious as she was, in her head was but a simple thought: What's for dinner?