Leo and his companions stayed in the lobby for a few more minutes, discussing the nial stuff that they had noticed in their absence. However it was Penny let out a loud yawn that Adam decided to say
"How about we head ho for today. We all have to get ready for school in a week, right?"
The ntion of school drew the resentful glares from Luna and Leo who were less than enthused while Greg and Morgan felt incredibly awkward. Unlike the others they were grown n, going to school with a bunch of teenagers was less than ideal. Especially in Morgans case who was technically a Police Detective.
Morgans eyes widened in realization as it just occured to him that he really was gone for 3 months and his vacation was only supposed to last a month, maybe two if he pushed it.
Pulling out his phone, he turned it back on to see over one hundred missed calls and text ssages. Not only had his workplace been calling him, so had his brother! They all probably thought he was dead or MIA due to what happened in the city.
Morgan’s hand trembled slightly as he stared at the screen, the sheer number of missed calls and unread ssages making his stomach twist. He exhaled slowly and pressed the power button to silence the notifications. The others were still chatting behind him, but their voices faded into a dull hum as he tapped on his brother’s contact.
The phone rang once.
"...Morgan?!"
The voice on the other end cracked with panic, raw and urgent. "Morgan, is that really you?!"
Morgan blinked, frozen for a heartbeat. Then a small breath escaped him, half a laugh, half a sigh of relief. He hadn’t realized how much he needed to hear that voice. "Yeah... it’s , Jamie."
Silence followed, the kind that seed to stretch between heartbeats. Then Jamie’s voice ca again, quieter this ti, shaking slightly. "Good. That way I can kill you myself."
Morgan winced and rubbed the back of his neck. "...Yeah, I figured that was coming." He could almost feel the heat of his brother’s indignation through the speaker.
"Three months, Morgan. You vanished for three months! The departnt thought you were gone, and I—" Jamie cut himself off, taking a breath. "You better have one hell of an explanation."
"I do," Morgan said softly. "But it’s better if I explain when I see you."
Jamie didn’t reply imdiately. When he finally did, his tone had cooled, but only a little. "Have you called your boss yet?"
Morgan let out a short laugh. "Not yet. You were my first call."
There was a pause, then a faint, smug chuckle ca through the line.
"Ha. At least my big brother’s got so of his priorities straight," Jamie said, followed by an exaggerated fake cough. "Make sure I’m not the last person you call though, alright?"
Morgan smiled, unable to help himself. "Yeah... I’ll get right on that."
"So when are you coming ho?"
Morgan hesitated. His mouth opened, but no words ca out. The silence stretched long enough for Jamie to notice.
"You are coming ho, right?" Jamie pressed, his voice tight with concern.
Morgan ran a hand through his hair. "Not yet. I’m going to be staying with so friends for a bit."
There was a sharp sound of movent on the other end, followed by a low growl. "What sort of friends could they be if they kidnapped my big brother for three months without a word?"
Morgan froze, unsure how to respond. "It’s... complicated," he began carefully. "What happened is a bit difficult to explain."
Jamie’s tone dropped, all warmth gone. "Does this have sothing to do with that bitch?"
Morgan’s jaw tightened. "Don’t call Lily that."
"I’ll call it like I see it!" Jamie snapped. "She treats you like shit, Morgan. I don’t see why you carry that stupid guilt toward such a selfish bitch!"
Morgan’s grip on the phone trembled. "Because of , she lost her mom..." he said quietly, voice low but firm.
Jamie didn’t hesitate. "And we lost our dad. It’s not her fault that Dad died, so why should she get to bla you?"
Morgan drew in a slow breath and let it out in a sigh of resignation. "I’m not talking about this anymore. For now, I’ll be staying at the old dormhouse where I used to train."
Jamie’s frustration was obvious, but at the ntion of the dormhouse, his tone suddenly shifted. "Wait—does that an you’re going to see Greg? You’re finally coming to terms with the fact that you’re attracted to him~?"
Morgan’s face flushed with irritation. "I’m hanging up now."
"Oh co on, I’m just say—"
The line cut off with a sharp click.
Morgan stared at the phone for a mont, his expression caught between exasperation and reluctant amusent. He slipped the device back into his pocket and muttered under his breath, "Still the sa annoying brat..."
As he turned back toward the others, Leo caught his expression. "Everything alright?"
Morgan forced a small, tired smile. "Yeah. Just family stuff."
Greg hearing Morgan talk about family made Greg frown slightly. However he still showed so concern.
"So how is she? She say she was gonna kill you?"
"That pretty much sums it up." Morgan remarked with a shrug. There was no way in hell that he would tell him of all people the other things Jamie had said.
Lily hearing Greg’s wording tilted her head. She thought that Morgan had a brother, not a sister. Or was it that he had a girlfriend? No, judging based on what she had heard from Morgan recently, there was practically no chance that he had a relationship with anyone.
Greg shot Lily a sidelong glance as he quietly prayed that Jamie wouldn’t show up at the dormhouse. Otherwise there was a pretty good chance there would be a bloodbath.
Sensing sothing was off with the atmosphere, Rachel decided to try and lighten the mood by remarking loudly
"So now that we have co back after 3 months, what are the odds that our lovely little ho is still standing~?"
Leo let out a sigh as he pinched the bridge of his nose.
"Can we please not say stuff like that?"
Luna cracked her knuckles as she followed up saying "It’s okay Leo. If it’s not standing anymore, we can have Rachel build it again. By herself..."
Rachel felt a trickle of cold sweat drip down her back. She imdiately began to regret speaking up.
and my big mouth.
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