2298
Milky Way Galaxy
Planet Earth
Brooklyn, New York
Stone Brooke Apartment Complex, Apartment #1501

_________________________

Malyla silently trudged into the living room after having sat in the waiting room while Fletcher finished up with his last surgery.

He had taken her phone from her so the only thing she could do was study some of her textbooks. She knew it was inevitable, after all, she had started another fight and was prepared for whatever consequences that Fletcher deemed necessary.

Fletcher closed the door behind him, tossing his keys into the dish by the door and taking off his shoes one by one then slipped his feet into his gray slippers.

His eyes panned over to the kitchen and walked over. "Sammy, that smells good, what are you making?" He asked, greeting the young boy with a soft smile on his lips.

Sammy looked up at Fletcher with his brown eyes, a toothy grin on his freckled face, and his strawberry blonde hair hidden by a fancy chef hat. "Fletcher! I was trying my hand at some risotto with a twist, experimenting with other flavors. You'll love it!" He explained but then frowned. "Why are you back so early?"

Fletcher looked over at the couch to see Malyla who sat down on the couch. He sucked in a deep breath and lowered his voice. "Your sister got into another fight. I had to finish my last surgery before checking out and bringing her home." He explained a twinge of disappointment in his voice.

Sammy nodded, knowing fully well never to ask any questions about his sister getting into fights. "Oh, well, Mrs. Kim next door picked me up and brought me home. She insisted on staying until you got back but I assured her I'd be fine, and I promised her some of this risotto."

Fletcher was relieved that she had been so kind enough to bring Sammy home. "Remind me to thank her or else you'd be left behind at school for an extra hour and a half." He pushed off the counter.

He walked over to the couch and sat down. He leaned forward and rested his arms on his legs, lacing his fingers together and looking straight at Malyla. "Are you ready to explain what happened today?" He asked, breaking the silence in the room.

Malyla looked down at her lap, fiddling with her fingers. "Um . . . Cheyenne blamed Mom and Dad again for what happened. She said she'd be better than them and not make the same mistake they did - but they didn't make any mistake! It wasn't their fault -" She explained, her voice rushed as she paused twice.

Fletcher pinched the bridge of his nose and took a deep breath. "We've talked about this before. You can't allow what others say to get to you. Yes it may hurt and you may think differently, but you can't change everyone's mind about what they believe."

Malyla heard the disappointment in his voice and his eyes. "I know that. I can't help it. Their words hurt so much that I can't help but take them to heart. It's like an invisible knife stabbing at my heart every time I hear it." She further insisted, trying to show him her reasons.

"I'm not denying that. What I am saying is one day you have to not grow cold or harden your heart, but understand that what others think isn't the end of the world." Fletcher had always been worried about her anger issues.

Malyla ignored his words and continued. "I know it wasn't an error, there has to be the truth on what happened - It's so painful to live every day not knowing what happened!" She exclaimed, placing her hands on the couch beside her.

Fletcher reached his hand out and placed it on her shoulder. "You know you'll never get that. SERA won't be releasing any information other than what they've already released. You can't join SERA because of your actions." He said, trying to keep his voice calm.

Malyla groaned, falling back on the couch and lacing her fingers in her hair. "You don't think I know that? I live every day with regret over not keeping my feelings suppressed. I can only hope that one day I'll find out what happened, I just have to. You don't understand how that feels!" She snapped fire dancing in her eyes.

Fletcher knew that look all too well and he had to be careful about what he would say next. "I don't know how you feel, you're right about that. I can't possibly imagine what that's like to go through. But I can sympathize, I try to understand. You're not the only one hurting, Malyla, your brother is too."

Malyla glanced over at her brother who was enthralled with whatever he was cooking. "He was only three. He was too little to remember them. He didn't even know them that long before the died to grow attached to them like I did."

Fletcher looked back at Sammy, then turned back to Malyla. "He remembers. He might've been three, but he does have memories of them. You can't be passive about how your brother feels. He does better at holding things in and hiding his emotions than you. He's hurting. I see it on his face. He needs his sister to be there for him and be a good role model."

"I suppose you're right. I am supposed to be a role model. But I can't. That's a lot of responsibility I'm not ready for." Mayla shook her head, looking down at her feet.

Fletcher was pleased she was honest with him about not wanting to be a role model. "How so?" He inquired, wanting to hear it from her.

Malyla sighed heavily. "I'm lashing out and I know it's not right, and I keep doing it - I don't know. I feel so lost and confused - it's hard to put into words. I feel like I'm floating further and further away and no one can bring me back." She admitted, finally meeting his eyes after she spoke.

Fletcher nodded his head, listening to her speak. "I understand that. That is something you have got to work out. At the end of the day, I can't punish you for your feelings." He reminded her, offering her a smile.

Malyla looked up at him with soft eyes. She gently nibbled on her lip, her hands gripping her pants. "So, I'm not in trouble?" She asked hesitantly, not knowing if by saying that she'd get into more trouble.

"I didn't say that." Fletcher replied, standing up from the couch. "You are in trouble for letting your anger get the best of you and starting another fight. But your feelings about what has been are valid. I find it noble to try and defend their honor despite it not being the best course of actions nor was it right."

Malyla nodded. "Deal. Can Pedro and Adel still come over for a study sleepover? We've been planning this for weeks, especially with the test coming up and Adel said he'd give me my homework." She asked, feeling bad if she was the reason they couldn't.

Fletcher sighed softly, weighing his options since he had grounded her, but study time did help her and her friends. "You can still have your study sleepover, but I will be watching you like a hawk and you will tell them your grounded."

Malyla smiled brightly. She launched herself off the couch and wrapped her arms around Fletcher. "What trouble could I get into in the house? Besides, I gotta study and graduate to go into college, not Desert Sands Prep College, but maybe whichever will have me." She grinned and skipped off to her room to get her stuff together.

☀️🌑☀️

Hours later, Pedro and Adel were seated in the living room, their backpacks with sleeping bags beside the couch.

The two boys were gathered around the coffee table in the living room while Sammy and Fletcher loaded up the dishwasher with the dishes from supper.

Malyla spread out her homework and looked up at her two friends, biting her bottom lip and she looked down at her lap. "I'm sorry that I let my anger get the best of me and started another fight with Cheyenne."

Pedro looked up at met eyes with Malyla, he grinned his signature Cheshire grin. "It's fine. You shouldn't apologize to us, it's more or so Cheyenne you should apologize to." He jabbed his pencil at her from across the table.

"I'll apologize," It would be a huge blow to Malyla's dignity to apologize to Cheyenne, but she had to do it. "Maybe I'll give her a gift too, to show how sorry I am. I've gotta work on my anger issues and maybe I should try a different outlet." She sheepishly explained, scratching the side of her head.

Adel looked up from his algebra homework and tapped his pencil on the coffee table. "Is your therapist not working?" He asked, a bit hesitant since he knew she might still be an ember ready to set aflame again.

Malyla shook her head and sighed, leaning against the couch. "Not really, I don't think talking my way out of this is getting me anywhere. Maybe I should take up jiu-jitsu or something that doesn't hurt people." She mused, wondering if Fletcher would pay for that instead of therapy.

Fletcher caught the latter end of Malyla's words as he sat down on the chair across from the trio. "That's fine. As long as we can find an outlet for those words. I'll gladly pay for martial art lessons." He smiled, taking a sip of the coffee in his WORLD'S BEST DOCTOR mug. "And jiu-jitsu does teach self control and mastering your emotions."

Malyla's eyes brightened up as she shifted from her kneeling position to her legs criss crossed. "Really? Uh, thanks. Yeah, I'd love to do it." She was taken back, but a smile graced her lips nonetheless.

Pedro looked down at his homework and groaned. "Why do we still have homework? You'd think that one of our presidents would have abolished homework since it's just the teachers wanting to burden us." He huffed, resting his head on the coffee table.

Adel couldn't help but sigh, nodding his head in agreement. "It's useless. But it's something we gotta do unless you wanna get into trouble? Because that is what happened to Frank Danville and you can't use the excuse "my dog ate my homework", you don't own a dog."

Pedro sheepishly grinned and shrugged his shoulders. "I mean, I tried that once in the 5th grade. We fostered a dog for a week. But even with proof, no one believed me. He did eat my homework! He was a puppy, puppies chew on everything, even mom's favorite slippers!" He exclaimed, steadfastly.

Malyla covered her mouth with her hand as she yawned. "I believe you. I mean, you're not one not to do your homework. Honestly, out of the three of us, you always remember and do homework before us." She commented with a short laugh.

Pedro scratched the top of his head, giving his shoulders a nonchalant shrug. "I suppose. My parents want me to do well and get into a good college, I mean, that's what all parents want right? They want their kids to succeed in life and become model citizens." He sighed softly after speaking, feeling a sudden burden on his shoulders.

Adel reached over and placed his hand on Pedro's shoulder. "You're not alone. I suppose it's because we've come so far that parents have more expectations for their kids than previously. My parents want me to get into Desert Sands Prep College as one of the kids they accept yearly."

Malyla skeptically eyed Adel at his words. 'I've never heard that before,' She thought to herself before speaking. "That's why you take all those extracurriculars, you want them to notice you. Or, is it more or so your parents want them to notice you?"

Adel couldn't exactly say one way or another. "I don't know. I just know I gotta make 'em proud. I don't think I could handle any disappointment from them when they've done so much for me." He shuddered at the thought.

Malyla was beginning to realize she might have been very blessed not to have those types of pressures. "I know that whatever you do, I'll always be proud of you." She didn't know if that could bring them any comfort.

Adel grinned from ear to ear. "Thanks, Malyla. Now, let's get back to our homework. I would love to be done here soon so we can have a movie marathon of our favorite classic 1990s adventure movies!" He exclaimed, looking back down at his homework.

Pedro nodded his head and looked down at his homework, scribbling stuff down. "Yes! Nothing like dinosaurs and mummies to start us off, huh? Wanna go with the classic three trilogies of each movie?" He asked, glancing up at his friend.

Adel thought about it for a moment before adding. "Just the first two of the mummy movies, the third was awful. The timeline was very messy and the OG actress didn't return so that kinda killed it for me." He admitted, gathering his homework into a neat pile.

Malyla focused on her homework, one some math problems she had trouble with. "Now the question is, what are we going to do tomorrow? It's the weekend and I'm kinda grounded." She finally spoke up, glancing at Fletcher who seemed too engrossed in his magazine.

Pedro looked at Adel and thought about it. "Well, how about we go to the park? Nothing like nature and having fun, whatcha think, Fletcher?" He asked with a smile, hopefulness laced on his voice.

Fletcher set the newspaper on his lap and ruminate over it. "We can do that. I'm sure Sammy would love to see-saw with me like he did when he was younger." He smiled at the fond memory.

Sammy, from the kitchen, heard what they said, although it was slightly muffled. "The park? Yes! I'd love to see-saw with you, Fletcher! Then can we go on the merry-go-round?" He asked, his eyes brightly shining.

Fletcher chuckled and nodded, turning his head towards the kitchen. "Yes, we can." He agreed, hearing Sammy exclaim a soft yes made his smile grow. He turned back to Malyla. "As long as you leave your phone here." He added, knowing she would possibly have a hard time departing with it.

Malyla wasn't one to leave her phone, mostly because of her games and her daily login streak, but she could sacrifice it for a day. She could always use her saved-up login tickets to catch missed days. "Fine. I can do that. Besides, it's been a while since we've been to the park."

Pedro recalled the last time they had gone to the park was . . . when Malyla and Sammy's parents were still alive. Seven years. "Yeah, well, we will have a fun time. Maybe we can get ice cream? I heard the old ice cream truck is back to making rounds again." He grinned from ear to ear.

Fletcher looked up from his newspaper once again. "Old man Daniel? He's finally back at home I assume. I remember him giving me ice cream as a boy," He mused, pausing for a moment. "He always loved the late 20th century and the early 21st century, "good times,'' he said. Even if he wasn't alive then." He chuckled at the memory.

Pedro couldn't recall ever having met the ice cream man. "This will be my first time getting ice cream from a truck! I have tried many times but I was never able to accomplish the goal, until now!" He declared, holding his fisted hand in the air and bringing it down in front of him.

Fletcher smiled softly as he peeked up from the newspaper. "You've never had ice cream from a truck? Oh, you are in for an experience. I would have loved to experience ice cream trucks in their prime, even with the sketchy history." He knew he couldn't relive the past.

Malyla recalled how sometimes the ice cream trucks were used by kidnappers, but most of the time they were trustworthy, now they were rare and had to go through many hoops to make it happen.

"That's the thrill of it." She teased, with a laugh, followed by her two friends laughing along with her.

Sammy walked over and sat down on the couch beside Fletcher. He ran his fingers over the raised shining sun on the cover of the golden book with a beautiful elven-esque design. He hadn't gotten a chance to look at it the day prior when he took it home from the library.

He wasn't anticipating that the librarian would just allow him to take the book and keep it without checking to see if it was in the database. It was strange. And that wasn't the only thing, a golden crystal in the middle of the sun stood out the longer he looked at it, he swore it wasn't there before.

Now that he thought about it more, there was something odd about it. He had tried to open the book but nothing worked and he ended up getting sidetracked. That seemed to happen a lot when the book was in his hands.

He couldn't place why, he just knew there was a reason he had the book. He knew it made him sound crazy, and he was even beginning to think he was losing it. All logic said this was impossible, but he wasn't one to use a lot of logic, heck, he didn't remember the last time he had.

He suddenly snapped out of his trance-like state and looked up at his sister and her friends who were speaking to him. "Huh? Oh, um, sorry, I didn't hear you." He apologized, finding it odd how he hadn't heard a single thing while looking at the book.

Malyla rolled her eyes and crossed her arms over her chest. "We were asking about that book you were so interested in that you couldn't hear us." She asked, not realizing that was something that he never did since he was an attentive listener.

Sammy blinked a few times and then shook his head. "Oh, uh, I got it at the library. It seemed to have been calling my name, like drawing me to it -" He paused and shook his head, seeing their confused faces. "I know that sounds silly now I said it out loud."

Adel furrowed his brows and looked at Malyla who shrugged her shoulders. "It's not silly. I find it cute ~" He cooed in a sing/song voice and a grin growing on his lips.

Sammy frowned, clearly annoyed by what Adel had just said. "Ugh," He huffed, crossing his arms which in turn made him look ten times as cute as before. "Get back to your homework, you haven't even got half of it done yet."

Pedro stuck his tongue out at Sammy, hearing a muffled snort from both Malyla and Adel. "Okay, Mr. Bossy, where is your homework?" He quipped, putting his hands on his lips, and gave a matter-of-fact smile.

Sammy returned the matter-of-factly smile and crossed his arms. "I already did it." After he said those words, the trio fell silent and went back to their homework.

He stole another glance at the book, he could only imagine what adventure it was about to open up.

🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑☀️🌑

A/N:
Alrightie, my peps, the next two chapters will be our groups meeting Luna and Solana! Then they will be off to Planet Celestine and that is when our journey into space begins and when we meet more extraterrestrial characters!

Chapter Talk:
Can you guess what movies the kids were talking about?
Well, none other than Jurassic Park 1, 2, & 3 and The Mummy 1 & 2, (1997 & 1999) which happen to be some of my favorite 90s movies.
(I have more but I could go on for hours)

Thanks for reading!