The Calling (DrTrollinski & Zhai)

[DrTrollinski]

He quickly reached out and knocked her hand away, grinning shyly. "God, Mia." He laughed a little to try and wash the shyness and embarrassment away. God, it was clear that he hadn't been very discreet about things up until now, wasn't it? Oh well. Loud and proud, right? In this situation... Not so much. Wow. The tricks that you could discover once you got to around the right age sure did know how to screw you over, didn't they?


His laugh only showed the embarrassment even more. God, it was getting really hot in here all of a sudden. He must have looked like a freshly-picked strawberry right about now. How humiliating. He just got shown up by his own sister - How the hell did she find out? He was praying that she wasn't peering under the door at him while he was busy 'showering'. Maybe it was time to go for the proud approach, or maybe the factual, maybe both.


"It's normal." He said, defensively. "Plus, if Jen knows, I bet she'll be diving right on top of me even sooner, just you wait and see." He gave a dirty grin and then went back into his normal position of lying on the bed and looking up at the ceiling. "Don't think that I don't know what girls can do as an alternative, I'm not stupid." He paused. "And no... I've never watched a video of it." He said quickly, god, that was going to be the next joke. There was a reason that he kept his desk at an angle so that no one could see what was on his screen if they walked in through the bedroom door, but he was never going to admit that. "I bet you've done it, so stop trying to play the 'good little sister' act." He smirked. "How do you even... You know, know? You been spying on me under the door?" He asked. Ah, now he'd really turned this around. The visual of that alone was disturbing enough to think about, let alone it actually happening.

 

[Zhai]

"Ugh!" Mia laughed loudly, her hand reaching to grab over her heart just as Mrs. Greene ritualistically does when she's surprised by something. Her body fell back on the bed and she rolled around grabbing over her heart dramatically, groaning in mock pain. "Carl! You think I just sit outside your bathroom door listening to you?!"


Her body erected, her smile still wide on her face, as she looked at her brother with humor but seriousness. Sit outside the door listening? To Carl's groaning and moaning up until the finale?! "I don't need to listen to you! One time was enough and if you weren't so damn loud, then I wouldn't know in the first place." Mia elbowed her brother's side and laughed again, the low sound he made that one time several months ago.


"And no! I haven't done whatever you've seen on your computer or television. None of that is real, Carl." Mia's face flushed and she actually felt light headed at the rush of blood that created a fierce heat on her face, as if her skin was going to melt away. Mia kept her smile and humored composure, leaving her place on the bed and pacing the room. "And if you sleep with Jen, it better not be while I'm home! I don't want to hear that!"


Mia smiled again, feeling confident her face was back to normal and turning to look for her brother's reaction at the potential of his date with Jen.


It pleased her to be able to joke with Carl, even during this stressful and parent-less time. She was pleased he still remembered Jen, and potentially could still have a normal and eventful date in the near future.

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. If you don't want to listen to it, then you can leave the house." He grinned. "Go and sleep in dad's car, or something. We're not getting out of the house for you, I can assure you of that." He smirked and then lied back and shut his eyes, smiling a little. "Ah, well... We'll just have to wait and see, won't we?" He asked, chuckling a little under his breath. He was still thinking about his parents, but being able to have a joke with Mia - even if it was an incredibly dirty one - made him feel quite a bit better. He enjoyed having a joke with her - it had been the same way for most of their lives. When they were five years old, it was innocent jokes that only children their age could find funny. When they were eight, it was jokes that them and their parents found funny. By the time they were twelve, they could make jokes that the majority of people found funny.


What could be a better way to go, right?


".. So... Seeing as there's so much going on... What do you want to do? I don't think you should worry about it too much, Sis. Do you want to... Watch TV? Or... I don't know, try and make cookies like we did when we were little, remember? Flour, eggs, sugar, rosemary, oregano, chocolate, milk, water, pepper, mustard. All that good stuff?" He laughed a little and then slowly sat up on the edge of his bed. "If we do that, let's try and do it right this time, eh?" He asked, and then slowly rose to his feet.


"If we're going to do anything, do you mind if I take a shower first?" He asked, giving yet another sick grin. That was a joke, and that was all he intended it to be in reference to their little... conversation.

 

[Zhai]

The last time Carl and the kitchen were allowed to make contact - outside of him getting already made food - it ended in a mass of smoke, the fire alarm, and Mother thinking Carl had died in a fire. Also, the cookies were so burnt Mrs. Greene had to throw out the pan because she couldn't get the cookies from the pan's surface. Father soon brought an entire new set of stainless steel appliances and nonstick cookware to avoid another mishap.


Mia considered cooking with Carl but this time she would probably take the lead. At least the last time she cooked the family wasn't nervously standing around the kitchen. Mia even thought Father had a fire extinguisher nearby just in case.


During her consideration of what she wanted to do to pass time, Mia heard Carl's comment about showering. Her nose wrinkled but she smiled nonetheless at her brother's crude suggestion. "You do that." In passing, Mia's fist softly pushed her brother's forehead, and she left the room, waving goodbye and wishing her brother luck with his shower.


Out in the hallway, Mrs. Greene was still busying herself. It was very late and typically she didn't clean past seven, but there she was, wiping down doorknobs, dusting and polishing the banister, and dusting the tops of hung photos. Mia gently touched Nan's shoulder, and they made eye contact; seeing the hurt in the old woman's eyes, Mia couldn't help but force a small smile for her, asking her to get some rest.


The old woman patted Mia's hand, folded the dust rag into her apron, and went downstairs. Nan slept in a separate guest house located just behind the pool in the backyard; it was against Mother's better judgement, as she wanted Mrs. Greene to stay in the house, but the old woman wanted her space, and Father had the guest house built for her.


Mia peeked into Carl's room again, "No shower?" She smiled again, teasing her brother's open secret.

 

[DrTrollinski]

".. Heh, no." He chuckled. "No such luck. I'll save that for later when everyone's asleep, okay?" He grinned a little and then walked out with her and looked around, and then saw Mrs Greene still rushing about and doing everything that she could to keep herself busy. It made him a little sad when he saw her disappear down the stairs, but what could he do? There wasn't really anything he could do that would make her feel better, was there? Oh well, it'd all sort itself out eventually.


"I'm only going to do that so you don't watch me under the door, you know? I wouldn't want to scare you, little sister." He grinned as he reached up and ruffled her hair with his hand, laughing as he did so. "So, what are we gonna' do? We going to go into the kitchen and cook up a storm? I promise you I'm better at cooking now. You just need to trust me and keep an eye on me, just in case I forget to turn something off and end up setting something on fire." He laughed a little and then patted her on her shoulder.

 

[Zhai]

Mia feigned disgust again at her brother's outwardly sexual implications, her tongue sticking out and her nose scrunching up again; she fixed her hair, bringing back the thick mass into a pony tail. Jeez, if Mother were here she'd probably faint on the spot at this sight. God forbid Mia's bare neck attracted a horde of men to the front door, Mother would probably color is black and glue her hair over her skin so it never showed again.


"I think we'd better just stick to maybe..no bake?" More humor with Carl couldn't be bad, and Mia relished the exchange between them; being twins was more than being regular siblings. They had just talked about everything from their parents missing to sex to burning down the house, and it wasn't strange.


"Oh, I'll be back. You start downstairs. Don't...just don't even touch the oven." Her fingers stabbed at the air towards her brother, her voice dropping into an amused, but serious warning. Mia hoped that Carl would seriously consider it, even if he wanted to just preheat the oven but not touch anything at all.


Leaving him and sprinting the short distance to her room, she leaned against the barely closed door and invited herself in. On her bed she went through her sheets, blankets and pillows - nothing. Then it was on to her pack from yesterday, pulling out books, papers, and other miscellaneous things - not here. Finally, she felt down the pockets of yesterday's pants - yes. Standing in the deep recesses of her closet, she executed her plan.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Heh, you can't stop me from doing anything, now that you know all the dirty little secrets you... pervert." He said with a smirk as he gave her a playful push to her shoulder. "Don't worry, I'll get things all set up, and I'll make sure I wash my hands, too." He winked and grinned at her, and then turned away to make his way downstairs and into the kitchen. He was tempted to make some sort of sexual joke to her about why she was going into her room, but he saw that she got embarrassed by that earlier, and although she'd been plenty enough intrusive on his private life, he figured that he wasn't going to be a bully of an older brother, especially over that.


Once he got to the kitchen he went straight to the cupboards and began to cycle through Alexandra's cookery books. There were dozens in there, and he didn't even know his ass from his ankle when it came to looking at this sort of stuff, but he guessed anything with a sweet-looking name was going to be where he found the recipes for nice and simple chocolate chip cookies. He looked over the counter briefly while he was digging through the books, and saw that the counter was wiped clean and there was only the necessary stuff on there, such as the sugar, tea, and coffee jars. Father hated it when the milk was left out on the counter, so you could count on him to make sure that the milk was in the fridge at all times, even if it wasn't being poured.


"Let's see... Dessert Recipes..." He muttered to himself as he pulled the book out and set it on the counter, flicking it open and then going through all the pages until he got to the 'Chocolate Chip Cookies' page. He read over it briefly and then reached over to the oven. "Preheat the oven at one-seventy..." He slowly turned the dial, and then began looking over the ingredients. Okay. Easy enough. He started to dig through the cupboards, grabbing hold of all of the necessary things and putting them on the counter.


Plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, salt, unsalted butter (which he got from the fridge), dark brown soft sugar, caster sugar, vanilla extract, one egg, and and a bag of chocolate chips. Finally, he got out a baking tray and some baking paper, and they were mostly all good to go. Over a couple of minutes, he grabbed the electric scales, and all of the appropriate mixing bowls, alongside a couple of wooden spoons. It seemed like they were all good to go, but they could go back and get anything they needed if they'd missed out.


Now, it was time to wait for Mia.

 

[Zhai]

"Awesome." The phone call was quick - as quick but thorough as possible - and Mia stuffed her phone under her pillow. Okay, so that was done. Easy. She quickly left her room, double stepped down the stairs, and slide around the corner into the dining room. Taking a chair at the counter of the breakfast nook, she leaned against the cool marble surface, folded her arms, and watched Carl.


"I'm just here to supervise and judge. Please continue." Mia smiled, her hand lifting in a signal for her brother to continue. In all honesty, Mia hated baking and more or less enjoy general cooking; Mrs. Greene and her had a disagreement - that was still going, by the way - on the differences between cooking and baking. Mrs. Greene believed anything done in the kitchen was considered cooking. If Carl knew something like that he'd probably tell the World he 'cooks' the best sandwich! It was still an ensuing and amusing disagreement between Nan and herself, and she relished the little moments like that with the old woman.


Mia's eyes crept around her shoulder, looking through the sheer curtains on the opposite side of the kitchen. It was already dark outside and the small quantity of streets lights in the cul de sac were already dim but growing brighter as natural light retreated with the Sun. Across the ocean of dark pavement, Marcus's house had just a few lights on. Still no car in the driveway. She caught a glimpse of the boy's shadow lingering in the downstairs window, the curtains shifting, and then his disappearance.


Even his parents still haven't come home and Mia could guess that he wasn't making sexual jokes or thinking about baking at a time like this. He was more alone in his home than they were in theirs, and Mia almost opted for inviting him over. Carl and Marcus were both testosterone pumped teenage boys, and she couldn't see how it would end well. Marcus was constantly trying to coax her into his house and Carl was obviously against it, so inviting him into her house wasn't the better idea.


Advising against it Mia, turned back around and continued observing Carl, waiting for his mistakes so she could abruptly jump in and correct him. With love and humor, of course.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Well, if it isn't my favorite sister, back at my side." He said. "Miss me already?" He asked in addition, alongside a grin. He started to sift the flour, the bicarb, and the salt into one bowl after weighing it all out. 250g of flour, and half a teaspoon of bicarb and salt. Wow, if it was this easy, why had he never tried before? He was going to make sure that he and Mia could tuck into the best cookies ever before the night was up. He knew that he could make these really great if he followed the recipe.


He needed to go and use the bathroom, though, and depending on how long this was going to take, he wasn't sure on how strong his body would be. It might not have been his bladder that was giving him trouble this time, but... He was definitely a lot stronger in this field. He was certain that he could hold it until he was done here - This wouldn't take more than an hour or two, he was certain of that.


Next up, he shoved the unsalted butter into a sauce pan and then whacked the heat on on the stove. He melted the butter down until there was nothing solid, and it was starting to get hot, and then poured it into the other bowl alongside the caster sugar and brown sugar, and then he started beating the three ingredients together. He said to mix them until they were 'well-blended' - How in the fuck was he supposed to know what 'well-blended' looked like for these three things? He didn't have a clue, but he was just going to keep going until there were no noticeable lumps of any items. Thanks to his gym membership, this didn't tire his arm too much at all. God, he felt like such a little kid, only one that (hopefully) wasn't going to nearly set the house on fire again. It was awesome to be back making cookies.


The mere ingredients reminded him of years ago during the winter months when Mrs. Green would make them a huge plate of chocolate chip cookies and then give them to them while they sat by the fire with two glasses of cold milk. It was amazing. Sitting there, arm in arm, watching TV, and drinking cold milk and warm cookies - What could ever be better than that? It actually made Carl smile, thinking about how much more 'directly' closer he and Mia were when they were younger - sure, they had their sibling fights and arguments, but that didn't stop anything. They'd still hug each other on the couch or before they went to bed. They still did that now, sometimes, but now it was a lot more casual.


Once it was all smoothed out, he beat one egg yolk, and one whole egg into the mixture, alongside the vanilla flavoring. Now he had to mix this until it was 'smooth and creamy' - Great, more stuff that he didn't know how to judge. Oh well, he'd know if he did something wrong if the cookies turned out to taste like shit once they came out of the oven - he was sure that wasn't going to happen, though, no way.


"So, sis... Am I Gordon Ramsay yet?" He asked, continuing to rapidly mix it all together, the bowl tilted over just a little bit so he could do it easier. He grinned at her to show that it was just a joke.

 

[Zhai]

Mia sucked in a breath every time Carl moved, expecting the worse. Knowing she should have faith in her brother she tried to breath through the next couple of minutes, it seemed like time had slowed and it was more likely Carl was going to mess up. She was expecting an explosion of flour, dropping of bowls, pouring too much or pouring the wrong thing; it was just a disaster in her mind, but it wasn't like that in reality. Mia had to personally congratulate Carl and give his skills an A for improvement, but she'd never say that to his face. Quietly watching from the sidelines, she kept quiet and merely smiled at her brother's searching looks toward her. In the end, when she could tell he was judging the mixture's consistency, she almost burst out laughing. Something went wrong and she couldn't tell what it was either. The mixture looked like cake mix from here and Mia was tempted to tell her brother to whip out the cupcake pan to save his creation.


"More like Chef Boyarde." She laughed and gave her brother a thumbs up, encouraging him to continue.


A light rapping sound caught Mia's attention, her head swiveling around to look out the window by the table. It was still empty outside and their parents' cars were still in place. There was no mystery car or headlights pulling away from the curb, not even a suspicious van dropping off a ransom. Mia crept from the depth of the stool until her feet touched the warm stone of the floor, and she quietly - even more quiet than she already was with bare feet - walked toward the front door. Before opening it, her eyes looked down the hall for some reason. Maybe Mrs. Greene was coming back into the house and knocked because she forgot her key - no, Mrs. Greene never forgot the key.


Mia stood at the front door, standing there in its presence and waiting for a second sign of something. Another knock. A door bell ring. Even the handle jiggling. Through the door's glass center she could see a lingering shadow, was sure they could see her own outline from their side. Slowly leaning forward and grasping the handle, Mia pushed down on it until the click signaled the bolt had given away. Opening the door, she exhaled in relief and invited in the guest.


"You're right on time. Chef Carl was just about to burn his cookies." Mia pulled out a chair for Jen, who had already come into the kitchen with a wide smile and bright eyes. Sitting beside Jen, Mia could smell the hints and giveaways of a girl gotten freshened up; her hair that was normally straight had been lightly curled; her cheeks had a make up blush on them, her eyelashes had been darkened and their was a pinkish gloss on her normally pale lips. She had on a necklace, bracelet, and even a little thumb ring; her attire was much the same, primped and girlish. Mia was almost too impressed with Jen and could only think back to her brother's crude sexual comments.


Mia smiled and turned back to observe her brother, "Please continue Chef."

 

[DrTrollinski]

He froze when he saw Jenna walk in. My god. She looked beautiful. He may not have got his private time in the shower tonight, but... This was going to be far better than that - he doubted she'd be staying over for the night, and even if she was, Carl wasn't really sure what he'd do with her. I mean, come on, he may have been a ladykiller in personality, but realistically? No such luck. He knew next to nothing about what to do with such an amazing looking girl, he wouldn't know the first thing about hanging out with her or impressing her or--


Carl. For fuck's sake. Shut up and relax.


He played off his anxiousness in the most cool way he could manage and gently smiled at her, putting the wooden spoon down in the bowl. He turned and looked at her, gulping before speaking. God, this was much different, especially when he was in person. In class, it felt easier, but in person like this, all casual and this late at night? No way. It felt so odd, but he couldn't let that faze him.


"Jenna--.. What a surprise..." He said.


"I'm surprised, too. I didn't expect to walk in on Hell's Kitchen." She smirked at him. Wow, at least their humor sort of fit together like two square bricks. Carl chuckled a little, but he was taken aback when she came up and gave him a hug. He gave a wide-eyed look at Mia for a split-second, but then quickly put his arms around Jen, too, rubbing her back with one hand. The hug went on a little bit longer than it should have, but that was teen chemistry, of course. It was just getting to the point where their heads were beginning to rest on each other's shoulders, but Jenna realized the awkward silence and slowly pulled away. "It's great to see you sooner than we planned." She smiled. Carl nodded in agreement and turned back to the counter, but still looked at her.


"Oh, yeah, definitely." He said. "How's your weekend been so far?"


"Slow." She said simply as she sat down at the kitchen table and then laughed a little. "Biology homework, Math homework, English homework..." She sighed. "Same for you, I guess?"


"Yeah, right." He chuckled as he looked down at the mixture.


That didn't look right.


"I'll get it all done tomorrow, I assure you... We need wait for our parents to get back first..." He sighed. "I've just realized why this looks so disgusting... I haven't put the flour in." He laughed as he picked up the bowl containing the flour, bicarb, and salt, and then began sifting it into the bowl. Ah, once this was all mixed in it was going to look a lot better. "How are your parents? And your little brother?"


"They're good, thank you... Conner's six in a few months."


"Ahah, we'll have to throw him a little birthday party. I'll do the cooking, of course." He turned and winked at her and grinned, followed by turning back to the bowl


Jenna rolled her eyes, smiled, and then looked up at Mia. "What about you, Mia? How's your weekend been?" She asked.

 

[Zhai]

Inside, Mia was laughing to the point of pain and tears - on the outside she was working very hard not to let her inner self come out. The smile on her face was so wide when Carl hugged Jen that Mia's cheeks began to sting with pain. It was refreshing to see Carl like this, from earlier he was all talk and now he looked like he'd been punched in the throat.


Mia watched them exchange pleasantries, only sitting back in her seat and plainly smiling at the scene. If Mother were here she'd probably interrogate Jen, warn Carl about women, tell Mia to keep an eye on Jen, and warn Father to tell Carl not to get 'those thoughts' and to control his urges. Whatever they may be. Mia instead relished - as sad as it was - the silence of the house without her parents interrupting this moment.


Calling Jen had been something for Carl, her big brother, and she wanted him to also take advantage of this. If he couldn't make the date, then the date would come to him. Mrs. Greene was asleep and out of the house, so that was one less parental and judging eye. Mrs. Greene had a lot to say about dating and it was the last thing Mia needed to hear with Jen here.


Thinking back on the conversation with Jen earlier, Mia remembered the girl not sounding alarmed or like she was distressed. Mia asked if her parents were home, and Jen replied positively, asking why wouldn't they be? So Jen's parents hadn't gone missing. Strange.


Mia hears Jen's direction at her, and snaps out of her thoughts, "Oh me? I've got to pee. Will you excuse me?" Mia smiled at Jen, who returned her grimace with an understanding nod. Mia slide from the stool and rushed out of the kitchen, by passing the downstairs bathroom and rushing upstairs instead. Mia closed herself in her bathroom.

 

[DrTrollinski]

Jen watched her rush out and then looked back over to Carl, smiling. She watched how he continuously beat the mixture like it was nobody's business. She could only help but feel that Carl seemed to be the 'stronger one' out of the two siblings. Both physically and... Well, not mentally, but based on appearance, yeah. She knew that Carl had an issue with anger because of how he sometimes flipped out at Elementary School. He didn't really do it at school anymore, but she still remembered the days that he'd go mad, get sent to the principal's office, get shouted at for ten minutes straight, and then collapse into his father's arms in tears whenever he arrived after being called to the school.


Fun times, right?


"Do you still go to the gym, Carl?" She asked. Carl was a little surprised by suddenly hearing her voice, but then nodded as he started pouring in the chocolate chips, right into the now dough-like mixture.


"Yep, sometimes. A few times a week, if not that, then at least two." He said.


"I was planning on joining the gym soon, to be honest..."


"For what?"


".. I'm just... I'm getting fat." She said, Carl frowned, but it was a frown of amusement. Jen was the complete opposite of getting fat. It looked like she lost more weight every time you saw her. He slowly turned and looked at her, shaking his head while smiling.


"That's a joke, right? You're not getting fat! Not at all. You look great tonight... You don't need to join the gym, okay? You're fine the way you are, I promise." He smiled. Oh, wow. He actually just had a bit of a normal conversation with her, as opposed to shitting a brick when he even thought of talking to her. Speaking of that, one thing sprung to his mind. How the hell was he going to go to the bathroom now that Jen was here? That'd be plain romantic, wouldn't it? 'Oh, please excuse me while I go and take a shit.'





Yeah, fair enough. He'd say something like that to Mia just to gross her out, or something, but to Jenna? God no. She'd run out screaming if he said that. He was going to have to wait until she left later on. If she left later on. He didn't know why she wouldn't - He was trying to get the sex-desire thoughts out of his head, that wasn't what she was here for. But... He did have condoms in his nightstand drawer, that he used for... other things. I'm sure that she'd--


Carl. Shut up.





".. Thanks, Carl..." She murmured shyly under her breath. She didn't really seem convinced, but it looked like she appreciated the comment. It just sprung to mind that she'd never actually met their mom and dad, which was awkward. She was hoping they wouldn't just suddenly walk in through the door, because that would be a mood-kill.


Carl was making smaller cookies, so he put one tablespoon of cookie dough into all different places on the baking tray. Seeing as it had the baking paper, nothing was going to be getting stuck to the ovenware, which was all good. Wow. He'd made a masterpiece. How many cookies was he going to have once this was done? Twenty-five? No, not that many. Fifteen to twenty, at least. He wondered why Mia left so abruptly, too, and sort of avoided Jen's question entirely. Oh well.

 

[Zhai]

Mia was sat by the railing in the hallway, listening to the soft echo of their voices floating from the kitchen up into the empty space. It was amusing listening to them converse and Mia felt like she should do some twinergy type mind controlling to help Carl through this. He sounded worse in front of Jen than she expected, being that he talked that big game mere hours earlier and now here he was tripping over his tongue. At some points, Mia's hand rose and quietly smacked her forehead.


For instance, Carl's asking what she needed the gym for - no, Carl! Mia slapped her forehead when she heard that and leaned her face between the railings. Mentally she replayed what Carl should have said, like offering to go to the gym with her - not asking why. Then that always brings the gaining weight statement and then guys always freeze on that.


Carl's save wasn't good enough and Mia could barely hear Jen's almost mouse-silent response to him, suggesting either she was offended or didn't believe him. Typical, Carl, come on now! You live with a girl! How many times had Mia commented on gaining weight and dismissed Carl's 'oh, you look fine'? She would have thought he learned by now.


Mia was still awaiting a conversation to start or the smell of burning cookies to float through the house, when she deduced that the conversation had died downstairs. Save it or not to save it? It was Carl's date and Mia decided to stay upstairs, eaves dropping on their conversation and mentally replaying what her brother should and shouldn't say. She was amused with this and when Jen left, she would have more to stab at her brother with.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"So, Carl... What did you get up to today?" She asked, Carl gulped. He couldn't really lie to her.


"Uh..." He murmured as he leaned over and slotted the baking tray into the oven, and then slammed the oven shut. "I've actually just been at home. Didn't really get up to much... We've been waiting for our parents to get back." He smiled and then walked over to sit opposite her on the tiny little kitchen he rested his hands in front of him. She gave him a confused smile and shook her head a little.


"They've been out all day...? Where are they?"


"I... Well, we don't know... They just sort of... vanished." He chuckled. She smiled, but still looked kind of surprised.


"Vanished? Have you called them?" She asked.


"We've tried everything, Jenna... They're not answering, and... Believe it or not, they're not the only ones on the Cul De Sac that have vanished, you know." He smiled. "Let's not talk about that, though, I'm sure it's all fine... I'm sure they'll be back home tomorrow." He said, and then there was a long silence. He couldn't help but notice that Jenna looked a little... I don't know, upset, maybe? He wasn't going to leave her sitting there in silence, though. ".. Jenna, is--.. Is everything alright?"


"Hm...? Oh--.." She paused and took a deep breath. "Don't worry... I'm sure it wouldn't interest you." She said, oh, come on, now.


"No, no... Please. Go ahead. I've got all night." He smiled kindly at her. She finally flashed a bit more of a genuine smile back - He just hoped it wouldn't be depressing. She did look a little upset, and she'd sort of looked like that since she got here. She just seemed to get progressively worse. He was all ears, though.


And then she slowly reached out and took one of his hands.


Oh. God.





He could feel himself sweating for a moment, but he discreetly took a deep breath to calm himself.


"It's... It's a few things, actually." She sighed. ".. My dad's been really sick, and he has been for a while now, and--.. I still think I should go to the gym..." She said, sheepishly. ".. What you said was really sweet, and it means a lot, but people at school... Well, they don't think the same, from what I've heard." She said, looking up at him. And she brought up the gym again. Okay, it looks like Carl didn't even have a choice here - If he said 'There's several gyms in town that you can join', that would just ruin everything.


"Well... As for the gym, if you wanted to, you could always sign up for the one I go to. Membership's not that expensive, it's nearby, but--.. Wait. Do you live close?"


"I live about fifteen minutes away from here." She smiled. She looked more lively, but still... Sad. Perhaps the whole 'her dad was sick' thing was actually real. He'd have to make sure that he spoke to her about that.


"That's great! I could call you or text you whenever I plan to head down there, and we could... I don't know. Meet up somewhere nearby and walk down there? I don't usually stay for more than an hour or two, but it's up to you."


".. I'd like that, Carl... Thank you." She said, but quietly once again. She looked down at her hand in his and smiled once again. Carl... Well, Carl was holding her hand back, and not just leaving his own one loose. That'd be really awkward. Of course he squeezed it back, as surprise and shocked as he was.


"Also... Your dad...? Has he been to see a doctor at all?"


"No, no... He hasn't... He's lost a lot of weight, hasn't got much energy... He gets bad headaches quite a lot, too."


"I'm no doctor, Jen... but... I think you should ask him go get that checked out. It's probably nothing, might be some sort of stomach bug, or something like that... but I'd get him just to go and see a doctor, okay? Are you sure you're okay, though?" He asked. "You can talk to me about anything... I'm all ears." He added, hoping that it would go down well with her. He got a smile back and she squeezed his hand a little more, and he simply started to run his thumb over the top of his hand.


"I'm happier than I have been, now that I'm here, I mean."


"Me too." He chuckled a little, and for a few moments they locked eyes. ".. I hope you're gonna' join us for milk and cookies. The cookies might end up tasting like ass, but if they're right, I think they'll go down a treat, don't you? Give you the energy to get that homework done." He joked, winking at her. She laughed a little as well and looked down at the table for a few seconds.


"Of course I will, Carl... I'd love to." She said. Carl was pleased by that news - he knew himself that things weren't going well, but it looked like they'd started to open up to each other, and now they were holding hands and talking normally, joking about, and so on. He was worried about her dad, though. He'd never met him, but still. He was worried. She said at first that her parents were fine, but now... Now she admitted it, and she looked like she meant it. That look in her eyes sort of said it.

 

[Zhai]

Upstairs, Mia was stills straining to listen to the conversation, noticing that the volume had not only dropped but the direction of it shifted entirely. What the hell?! Uncomfortably, she shifted, feeling her behind go numb and tingle from sitting in the same spot. Her hands wrap around banister's bars, her eyes peeking down into the open foyer - stair case, foyer, small peek of the formal living room; she'd have to go to the other side to at least get a peek into the kitchen.


Mia shifted again, quietly rolling onto her knees and then onto her feet. Very quietly she wide stepped from one side of the hall to the other and then back down, peeking through the banister's bars. Damn it. Can't see anything from here, either! Mia mentally groaned and complained, finally concluding she would have to return downstairs.


Mia wide stepped back to the other side of the house, flushed the toilet she hadn't used, loudly closed the bathroom door, and audibly stepped back down the stairs, announcing her steps on purpose just in case they were in any compromising positions.


The light fragrance of something baked was the first thing Mia met in the kitchen, not a little vacant. Moving further into the kitchen, she catches Carl and Jen sat in the kitchen nook at the smaller table. Under the centered light over there they look like a couple have dinner in an Italian restaurant and their hands are linked. Mia pretends she didn't see anything, choosing to focus on the cookies.


"Jeez Carl, I think you're already burning them and they're barely brown!" Mia joked, laughing a little to herself and peeking into the oven.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Hey, we've already discussed this. I'm Chef Ramsay Junior, alright?" He laughed, his hand still holding Jenna's own. He's completely forgotten about it, and now he didn't really care too much. If Mia made an effort of pointing it out, he'd realize and probably dart his hand away, as would Jenna.


"They smell good so far, so maybe they won't 'taste like ass'." Jenna laughed as she quoted Carl. Carl chuckled along with her.


"Yeah, maybe not... See Missus Amazing here, though?" He nodded towards Mia. "She seems to be under the impression that I'm a bad cook. I don't know where she got that from." He said the last part in a very sarcastic tone, laughed a little, and then turned and winked at Mia to show he meant no offence.


"Aha... Sibling banter is great, isn't it?" Jenna chuckled. "Connor's always like that with me... He's so young, but he's got a great sense of humor." She explained. "I'm sure he'd love you two, in that case." She gave a friendly smile and laughed under her breath.

 

[Zhai]

"I think if I had a sister I wouldn't have to worry about a brother burning down the house...potentially." Mia returns her brother's wink-of-no-harm-done and continues staring into the glass of the oven, noticing the balls of dough had flattened out now and were beginning to actually take a cookie-like form. Straightening again, rubbing the small of her back and turning in a small circle, Mia couldn't help but notice the exchange between Carl and Jen. It was just like a romance movie or something, and she smiled as the audience. Feel awkward again, she stretched and excused herself from the kitchen.


At the front door she exchanged her house loafers for her slippers, looking out of the door's distorted glass center into the street. No one out there. The streets light look brighter than they were before and when Mia opens the front door, she confirms her own assumption. Every street light is fully lit now like the voltage of the bulbs was turned up too high. The door is pulled close behind her as she leaves the porch, swiftly walks down the pathway, and stands on the sidewalk; it's so quiet out here.


Mia turns to walk towards where she'd left Buttons and the closer she got, the more she realized the silence was not a good sign. The little dog wasn't rushing back and forth against the gate, there wasn't the sound of his labored breathing, and he wasn't barking. The lights still weren't turned on in the house and the gate was closed, but not locked, as Mia's hand barely touched it and the door slowly swung open. "Buttons?" Mia quietly called out, knowing the dog should hear her; there wasn't a place for him to go but the front yard and that wasn't very large.


Walking further onto the property, Mia's eyes searched the dark ground of the yard for the little dog, expecting him to crawl out of a hole he'd maybe dug or spring from the rose bushes against the house. Nothing. She stayed on the stone path towards the house, stepped up enough onto the porch to peek under the porch swing and seeing nothing, stepped back down. Mia followed the stone path towards the side of the house, seeing another larger gate. Unlocked and ajar. Her hand pushed against the rough wood, seeing deep and unpenetrated darkness on the other side.


"Buttons?" A little louder that time, Mia called the dog. From the darkness, there was his little bark. The jingling of his tags on his collar started low but were soon loud as the little dog ran from the darkness and circled at Mia's feet. "What are you doing back there?" Mia bent over, picked up the dog, and cuddled his writhing, excited body against her, trying to avoid his tongue's consistent attempts to lick her face. Turning away to leave, Mia's shoulder was clasped by something cold, heavy, and tight; her head turned whipped around to see a hand squeezing her shoulder and the hand's owner. The man from before.


Up close, he was as he'd looked like from afar - bald, short, bulky, and angry looking. His hand squeezed tighter and turned Mia around to face him, his mouth pressed into a hard expression and his eyes searching around, as if he was frantic about something. "Do you feel it? Do you feel it? I saw you with that guy and you threw up. You felt something. I feel it too. Don't follow the path. Don't do it." His voice is deep but raspy, as if his voice is dry and failing. Mia's eyes were so wide she felt like she could practically see everything in front of her, below her, above her, and on the sides; her chest was heaving quickly as she drew in small, shallows breaths; her mouth was slightly open, speechless.


What feeling? - Did he mean that gut feeling she still couldn't describe that was so overwhelming she threw up? How did he see that? How did he know that? Mia still couldn't speak, focused on this guy's crazed expression and trying to keep Buttons from wiggling from her grasp. The man finally released her shoulder, his hands bringing his jacket together around him as if were were freezing even though it was rather warm outside; his eyes continued searching the distance, looking behind him, and then again in front. Mia watched in silence as he left her there and exited the yard, walking so quickly down the path she could have sworn he was going to break into a run any moment.


When he disappeared around the corner Mia exhaled deeply and drew in more breaths, trying to calm herself. Button's was finally still in her arms, probably watching her have a panic attack. After several moments, Mia felt confident that she didn't look like she'd been scared half to death and walked back to her house.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Oh, yeah. I know." Carl laughed as he flicked through the photos on his phone. He and Jen were both leaned forward, the tops of their heads pushing against each other. They were both staring down at the phone as Carl flicked through the pictures on there - Jen was having the time of her life right now, and she was a lot happier than she seemed earlier on, which made Carl feel a lot better about himself. He was glad that he'd managed to cheer her up - it all started with her showing him a picture of her little brother, pulling a really cheeky grin right up at the camera. He was a sweet little kid, on first glance, and he sort of reminded Carl of himself when he was younger. Medium-length and shaggy dark brown hair, the little mischievous face. D'aww. He was too cute, though. "Check this one out, I got this one in Biology." He grinned as he flicked onto the photo. It was a photo of the teacher yawning, but it was so perfectly taken, because you could literally see right down his throat, and he looked like he was screaming in agony.


Jen burst out into laughter and quickly covered her mouth. She found most of Carl's pictures hilarious so far. Carl was really glad that this night had turned around, because his confidence had really begun to shine, and now they were talking like they were best friends.


"That's great, Carl... If you're good at anything, it's photography." She laughed a little, something popped into Carl's head and he started laughing almost instantly as he went back to his photo gallery.


"Oh my god. Tell me you've seen the picture of that big teacher, the one who left... It's a picture where he bent over, and his ass pretty much fell right out of his pants." He laughed wildly, and she soon joined in but shook her head, telling him through all of her laughter that she hadn't seen it. God, that picture went around school like wildfire, and it was even printed off and stuck to numerous walls throughout the school and library. Carl honestly felt a bit sorry for the guy - he transferred to another school after it happened.


Regardless. Hilarious. He got the picture sent to his phone while they were all working, and he burst out into laughter as soon as they saw it - he ended up getting a detention for it, but it was worth every minute. He went through every picture until he saw the thumbnail of pale asscheeks, and he was nearly crying with laughter as he got it up and put it down in front of her. She instantly started doing the same, laughing and near enough crying at the mere sight of it. The teacher was obese (yep, kids can be dicks sometimes), and he forgot to wear a belt that morning. He bent over to pick something up, and he showed a full moon to the whole class. It was an innocent mistake that could have happened to anyone, but it was him.


It was a shame. The teacher was actually a really nice guy.


"Oh my god!" She squealed in hilarity, quickly wiping the tears from her eyes. It was a bit mean that they were all still laughing at this, but it wasn't doing anyone any harm. After he got the picture, Carl didn't spread it around any further. He just showed Mia, and that was it. He didn't send it to anyone, or anything like that. He knew he'd get into one boatload of trouble if he started doing that, just like everyone else did. Plus, this was all discreet banter. It wasn't like they were going around and showing it to everyone in the streets.


The cookies were almost done, too. Ten more minutes, and he could get up and take them out of the oven. He heard Mia come back in via the front door just as everything started to calm down. Their cheeks were still wet, and their lips still had grins smacked onto them, but they weren't screaming the house down with laughter anymore. He took a moment to inspect Jen - she really did dress up well for tonight, which proved that Carl must have meant at least something to her. Hell, if he didn't, why would she even be here?


"Hey, Mia!? Is that you, or is there a break-in?!" He called out as he heard the front door close, a grin still strapped to his face.

 

[Zhai]

Mia stood at the front door, taking in a few deep breaths. Normal. Totally normal. She took a finalized breath, an assertive one that cleared her head mostly; the corners of her lips pulled into a believable smile and she bent down to place Buttons on the floor. The dog's little body went rigid as he sniffed the air, inspected the floor, and then he was off - his little paws carrying him towards the noise and smell in the kitchen, but it was hard for Mia to tell if her was running or gliding because of his long fur on his sides down to the floor. He kind of looked like a little black space ship.


Turning to lock the door, she peeked out through the door's center again. Nothing. No shadow. No weird bald guy. No parents. Marcus's house was still lit on the lower part but she didn't see his shadow lingering in the window or his curtains pulling back as he looked out on the street. Leaving the foyer, Mia still continued looking around. Waiting for the unexpected, as she'd received the most unexpected surprise earlier. Inside there was no one creeping around the formal areas, walking from the back of the staircase, or running around the upstairs hallways.


Back in the kitchen, Mia put on her smile again; Jen had a massive grin on her face and Carl's was no less. It was like walking in on a newly married couple, all smiles and rainbows wherever they went; the new wife watching her new husband ruin dinner in their new house. And Buttons was their new dog, as his small size and swiftness allowed him to run circles through the kitchen and finally back to Mia. She bent to pick up the light dog, now accepting his little kisses.


She lingered away from the open oven, caressing the silky fur of the small dog, "I think the Ghost closed the door too hard. She's such a pain." Mia poked fun with her brother, remembering back on their conversation about his Ghost girlfriend and her stalking rage.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Ghost, what?" Jen asked, still smiling as she reached up and linked her hands under her chin. Carl was doing his best not to go red. God damn it, Mia. Why did you bring that up?! Alright, Carl, just play it cool... It's fine. It's just a joke, and it didn't matter to Jen, did it? Oh well. He could play this one off just fine, no trouble. No trouble at all. He took a deep breath, smiled at Mia while giving her a squinted look, and then looked back to the beautiful girl that was sat opposite him.


"Oh, it's nothing... The foyer of the house has had a ghostly presence since... Well, since forever." He said, with a serious face. Jen's smile instantly faltered and she looked at him with wide but intrigued eyes.


"Really...?" She asked quietly.


"No." Carl replied, giving a wide grin. She rolled her eyes and laughed as she reached across the table and slapped him on his arm. Carl lied back in his chair laughing - he couldn't believe that she actually fell for that. This was going to be one hell of an entertaining relationship if things went well. He reached across and patted her hand that was rested on the table and then slowly rose up and went over to the oven, slipping on some oven gloves. "It's nothing, Jen... Just an inside joke, that's all." He chuckled. "This house isn't haunted. I promise." He looked over his shoulder at her and smirked a little, and then bent over and opened the oven up. He was instantly hit by the wonderful fresh and hot aroma of chocolate chip cookies, freshly baked. They looked good, too.


Damn. He'd actually done something right in the kitchen for once!


He carefully gripped the tray and then dragged it out, and then set it down atop the stove whilst retrieving the cooling rack and a spatula from the cupboards and drawers. He carefully began to scrape each one off of the paper, and then put them down on the cooling rack, one after the other. All good stuff.


"Smells good, Carl." Jen smiled at him. "Who was it that told you that you were a bad cook, huh?" She asked.


"Everyone... I was bad when I was seven, but not now." He chuckled.


"Why? What happened when you were seven?"


"Oh, nothing much, I just nearly burnt the house down, that's all." He said sarcastically but playfully. Jen rolled her eyes and facepalmed, laughing a little. Carl kept a warm smile glued to his face, and once all the cookies were on the cooling rack, he slowly turned to Jen and then looked at the dog in her arms. "Okay, so... Where did that dog come from? You know mom would freak out if she saw that." He smirked.

 

[Zhai]

"He didn't mean that." Mia covered Button's ears and angled her body, pretending to shield him from Carl's words. "Buttons was lonely in this yard. So I took him. The owners aren't back yet." Mia emphasized the dog's name just to poke fun at her brother. The half lie she told her brother was believable enough and she kept her composure during it. There wasn't a break in her voice or a pause in her flow, so if she believed her lie - Carl believed it. There was no way in Hell she was telling her brother what happened; not about the creepy bald guy, not about him being here, and definitely not about him grabbing here. Carl would be on the next Murder Express and out there looking for that guy. Plus, Mia didn't know what that guy was capable of. He seemed crazy enough to kill but he didn't kill her, just said some weird truthful things he shouldn't have known about, rattled her up good, and left. At least he didn't take Buttons or maybe she interrupted his plan to take the dog.


Mia continued to cuddle the dog close to her, moving past her brother and still pretending to protect Buttons from Carl, as if he were going to make an attempt at the small dog. In the kitchen, closer to the cooling rack of cookies. This close - they smelled really good, better smelling than she expected. She couldn't admit that to Carl; his head would swell, burst, and still have enough ego boost to grow back!


"Let's see.." Mia let Buttons go, hearing the dog scurry out of the kitchen and somewhere towards the foyer. She washed her hands and came back, inspecting the rack; picking on up, she brought it close to her face. Mia's eyes investigated the cookie, acting as a food critic humorously toward her brother, "The edges are too brown." She said, trying to sound as serious as possible, her smile saying other wise as she indirectly taunted her brother.


Mia nibbled the edge of the cookie, "It's too crispy." Again, she suppressed a smile, working hard not to let the amusement show in her face but probably failing miserable at it. Again she looked at the cookie and finally took a confident bite; chewing for several moments and looking around, making 'hmm's and 'ahh's as she turned around to leaned against the counter.


"Carl," Mia started, swallowing her chewed cookie and looking at the rest in her hand, "These taste like shit." Mia smiled wide, that familiar pain tickling her spread cheeks as she took another bite of his cookie.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"Get fucked." He quickly jumped up and ran to the cooling rack, seeming a little worried. God, this would be a huge embarrassment if they were awful. He swept one cookie up and took a huge bite of it, chewing it slowly and closing his eyes. There was nothing wrong with it, and it was then that he knew that she was just trying to mess with him. Jenna was laughing as soon as he sprung up from his chair as if he was stopping a diamond from hitting the floor. "Oh, ha-ha." He said, and then gently pushed her shoulder as he shoved the rest of his cookie into his mouth and then walked over to the fridge, pulling out a large bottle of milk and three glasses from one of the cupboards.


"Cookies and milk, eh?" Jenna asked, smiling warmly at him. Carl turned and nodded.


"Yep. And those cookies are extra-damn-perfect." He grinned. "Missus Perfect here doesn't know what she's talking about, alright?" He turned and winked at Mia, and then went back to the glasses. He poured three large glasses of cold milk and slid one to Mia, and then took out three small plates from the lower cupboard and divided the cookies between each one, but left four on the rack. "I'll leave four for you to take home to Connor, alright? I hope he likes them." He smiled.


"Aw, that's really sweet of you... I'm sure he will. Thank you." She said. Carl smiled proudly and then slid a plate to Mia, while leaning over to her.


"I hope you choke on them." He whispered into her ear with a grin, so she knew that he was joking right away. After that, he swept up his and Jen's plates and carried them back to the table, setting one down in front of her, and then one down in front of his seat. He went and got the cold glasses of milk and put them down in the corresponding places. "Right, Jen... Be the judge. Will these cookies make Connor throw up, or will he like them?" He asked.


She picked one up from her plate and popped it into her mouth, chewing on it, followed by washing it down with some of the milk and then smiling at him. "Yeah, I think he'll be a fan." She laughed a little. Carl smiled and ate another whole cookie and took a few gulps of milk before turning back to Mia, grinning teasingly.


"Mia. That dog better not shit in my room, or we've got our main course sorted out, capiche?" He said.

 

[Zhai]

“After you.” Mia said calmly, also with a wide and devious grin, at her brother’s snide remark in her ear. Carl and Mia were close enough that wishing a little harm on one another wasn’t a true death wish. They could hope the other one choked, tripped, fell, rolled, broke a leg, or even slipped in the shower – and it was all in good fun. Mia remembered when Carl told her to break a leg during piano recitals, and at some point between walking to the piano across the stage, the wood floor gave out; Mia hadn’t broken her leg, but she’d sprained her ankle. Carl admitted he felt like a dick about it but Mia didn’t feel ill towards him, knowing it was all innocent, non-black magic type fun. Mia did the same for Carl once, telling him not to the door hit him on the way out when she kicked him out of her room once. Carl was so concerned with trying to taunt her that he actually ran into the door and busted his lip. Up to this Mia still thought about it and laughed in its memory.


Mia watches Carl and Jen, the interaction between the priceless. She thought about taking a secret video or something, to preserve this moment. There might be more of them in the future from how this is going, and she supposed she’d catch a moment then. Too bad Mom and Dad weren’t here to see this, to witness their son growing up; Mom would probably be questioning to Jen to death and Father would idly standing by, admiring. He was a silent admirer. Their parents weren’t here to put a curfew on how long Jen could stay and in her mind, Mia played a mental scene of Mother urging Carl to wrap this up since it was late, and Father offering to drive Jen home. None of that was happening because their parents weren’t here.


Mia’s head bowed at the thought of their absence, going into day two in just a few hours; and she thought of their plan from earlier. Wait. Call the police. Escape Foster Care.


When she heard Carl refer to the dog, her head whipped up and she smiled small, “I think your door is open, too.” She teased, leaving the kitchen and running upstairs, quietly calling the dog. Buttons are sat at the top of the stairs, his little head resting on his smaller paws, staring down the stairs. “Buttons?” He whined and jumped up, running away to Carl’s room.


“Do you want to poop in Carl’s room?” Mia said loud enough for her voice to carry down the stairs and into the kitchen.

 

[DrTrollinski]

"I swear to god, Mia! If that dog shits in my room, I'll shit on you, alright?!" He yelled, chuckling loudly thereafter. Jen laughed along with him and then settled back down, drinking down some of the milk and eating the last of her cookies.


"Thank you so much for having me here, Carl." She smiled, Carl huffed and shook his head, smiling.


"It's my pleasure, honestly." He said, she smiled and then looked down at her little wristwatch and then took a deep breath.


"I really should start thinking about leaving..." She said.


"Are you sure? You're more than welcome to stay." He offered, she thought about it and then shook her head.


"I would, but I don't want to worry anyone at home, and my parents are going out tomorrow and I need to look after Connor." She explained. "Some other time, maybe?" She asked, Carl nodded almost instantly.


"Of course... Would you like me to walk you back?" He asked. She smiled warmly and nodded.


"That would be nice." She said, and then brushed herself down to get ready to leave. Carl sis invite her to stay, but she clearly wanted to get home before it got too late.