Shaan rubbed his eyes repeatedly as he stared at the man standing in front of Eline. He even stepped closer to her, making sure that the figure really was Sebastian.
"Big Brother Shaan!" Eline shouted, a happy smile spreading across her lips. "Co here. This is my brother, Big Sebas!"
’Oh my God... th-that really is Sebastian’. Shaan shook his head, his face still full of shock. ’No wonder Eline said the pocketbook I’m holding looks just like her brother’s.’
"Ah, okay."
"Hello, Shaan. Nice to et you," said Sebastian, trying to shake Shaan’s hand. "Hello, Shaan. It’s nice to et you," Sebastian said as he tried to shake Shaan’s hand. "My na is Sebastian Wright," he added while gently patting Eline’s head. "I’m sorry my little sister caused you so much trouble."
Eline puffed out her cheeks and glared at Sebastian. "Brother... don’t say that," she said in an annoyed tone. "I just wanted to save Mr. Elephant."
Sebastian just laughed. "Once again, thank you for—"
"Shaan!" Chelsie ran towards Shaan. "Where..." Chelsie paused for a mont when she saw Eline holding Sebastian’s hand. "Oh, you must be Eline’s brother. Nice to et you. My na is Chelsie, and this is Nalira."
Sebastian slightly tipped his hat when Chelsie introduced herself. "It’s a pleasure to et you all. My na is Sebastian Wright, and thank you for taking such good care of Eline," he said as he bowed his head slightly. "I apologize if she caused you any trouble."
"Uhm... no. Not at all." Chelsie smiled. "Eline is a good girl."
"See? I told you." Eline gently patted her brother’s shoulder. "I didn’t cause them any trouble at all."
"As a way to thank you, would you like to visit our house?" Sebastian asked while scratching his cheek. "Our place isn’t very far from here, and maybe we can have so snacks or sothing."
"Yes, yes! I agree." Eline imdiately rushed toward Chelsie and Nalira with excitent. "Big sisters, please co to our house. I’ll show you Mr. Elephant’s ho."
"Uh... That..." Chelsie glanced at Shaan and Nalira, her face looking confused. "What should we do?"
"... Shaan? What about you?"
"Uh... First, thank you all for your offer." Shaan smiled. "It’s just that we’d better go back to our house now."
"Eline, you heard them," Sebastian said. "They want to go ho and rest. We shouldn’t bother them, okay?"
Eline lowered her head and slowly released Chelsie’s hand. "Yeaah... alright."
"Then we’ll take our leave." Sebastian smiled as he held Eline’s hand. "Thank you once again for looking after Eline."
"See you... big brothers and sisters."
Seeing the gloomy expression on Eline’s face as she followed Sebastian, Shaan fell silent for a mont. For so reason, he felt guilty about his words that had hurt the little girl’s feelings.
"Eh, but wait a minute." Shaan’s words imdiately stopped Sebastian in his tracks. "After reconsidering, maybe we can stop by your house for a bit, Mr. Sebastian." Shaan looked at Chelsie and Nalira. "What do you think?"
"Uhm... of course." Chelsie nodded quickly. "I have no problem with that at all."
"...Sa. too."
Those words instantly made Eline jump with joy. "Yay! Everyone’s coming ho with us!" she said as she excitedly pulled on Sebastian’s hand. "Hurry up, Big Brother. We need to go ho!"
"Alright, alright. Don’t make any problem. Okay?" Sebastian laughed as he followed Eline, who now led the way.
***
After walking for a short while, they finally arrived at Sebastian’s house. At a glance, the exterior looked almost similar to Dr. Marshal’s house. However, the front yard featured a children’s slide and several small blue house.
We’re here." Eline smiled, showing her nearly perfect row of teeth. "Welco to my house," she said as she pulled Nalira’s and Chelsie’s hands. "Big sisters, co with . I’ll take you to Mr. Elephant’s house."
"Uhm... Okay."
"...Shaan, will you be okay if we leave you here for a bit?"
"Co on, big sis, co on!" Eline said enthusiastically.
"Yes, of course. I don’t mind at all." Shaan smiled. "Have fun."
The two won followed Eline toward the small houses in the middle of the yard. Shaan could clearly see Eline acting like a tour guide, enthusiastically explaining things to Nalira and Chelsie.
"It’s nice to see Eline this happy again," Sebastian laughed. "Shaan, let’s go inside the house."
"Ah, alright."
When Sebastian opened the front door, Shaan imdiately saw furniture and decorations that shared the sa color the—blue. The sofa, the carpet, the tablecloths, and even the small ornants inside the glass cabinet all displayed shades of blue.
"Shaan, please have a seat. I’ll get so snacks from the fridge. Wait here for a mont," Sebastian said as he walked away, leaving Shaan alone.
While waiting, Shaan looked around. His eyes suddenly fell on a small fra placed on a small round table next to him.
’Who is the person in this photo, anyway?’
In the photo, a woman with long black hair was sitting among blue flowers. Her smile was sweet, and anyone who saw it could feel the happiness she felt.
’I’m sure this woman must be—’
"Sorry to keep you waiting, Shaan." Sebastian placed a bottle of cookies on the table and a cold drink. "In that picture. That’s my mother."
"Oh, wow. I never expected your mother to look this young."
"Hahaha, everyone who sees this photo says the sa thing." Sebastian smiled. "My father took this photo when I was still young."
"Sebastian, but where are your parents?" Shaan asked curiously. "I asked Eline about your parents-"
"They disappeared about four years ago when Eline was five years old."
"Disappeared?" Shaan frowned. "B-but how could that happen?"
"To be honest, I don’t know what actually happened to them," Sebastian said as he let out a long sigh. "The last ti I t my parents, they told they were leaving to work on a project and would co back. But..." He lowered his head weakly. "After that, they vanished, and no one knows the reason."
User Comments
0 comments from readers