That morning, the atmosphere in the house, especially the dining room, becomes awkward when they gather for breakfast with no word spoken among them. 

Since the house is quite small and almost every room is connected, it somehow makes everyone living inside more alienated as if it were a mansion of solitude.

The main room is a large-sized one, filled with silence even though it’s completely full-furnished. 

In the middle of the room lies a big dining table and its chair for four people, surrounded by support beams each on four corners of the table. 

Then next to it, a kitchen merges with the dining room with every kind of utensil hanging on the wall. The room is linked to the living room right in front of the door. It’s pretty convenient for anyone to drop by and instantly chill as if it’s their own house.

Too bad now it’s being filled with a bad-tempered silence amongst them.

A white-haired old man with a skinny body sits calmly. His short white beard gently goes up and down as he eats the meal slowly. At the same time, Nikola keeps glancing at his youngsters on both sides of the table emitting a scent of hatred. 

On the left side, Zack is still giving a death glare to the girl in front of him while keeps on checking his messy dark brown hair.

Good thing the bleeding has stopped, so with that Zack shouldn't hold any grudge toward her right?

Or at least, that’s the theory…

The fact is, he’s been giving a death stare toward Aura on the other side of the table and hasn't touched his food from the moment he sat down a few minutes ago.

Poor Nikola for witnessing his household crumbled apart in hostile silence.

The only thing that maintains the entire house to be a bit lively, is the TV that is turned on in the next room only separated by a wide arch.

As usual, it shows the morning news that for some reason become a commodity that everybody needs in this day and age.

[A total of 267 people were killed during The Amethyst Tower's Heist incident last night.] 

[Amongst them, two hundred officers from both joined forces of Local Enforcers and Central Enforcers securing the tower were brutally murdered during the scene.]

[The investigation team has yet to find the culprit of the mass homicide since the security footage was severely corrupted, however, the team has some lead about the culprit.]

[According to its modus operandi,  each one of the victim's faces is skinned thoroughly to the skull. Leaving one of the most notorious outlaws in the list, as the name implies, Skullface.]

[The Enforcers are still on the search for his whereabouts and those related to other accomplices. The estimated damage including the devastated infrastructure and the helicopter owned by...] 

“Is it too much to ask for a peaceful normal life?”

Zack who is quite engrossed suddenly shifts his attention to Aura upon her saying it. Throwing a cynical stare with his droopy eyes.

“…Says the one who choose violence since woke up.”

“Are you talking to someone?”

"Who knows."

As she noticed a killing intent from the gloomy-faced Zack, Aura raises her eyebrow for a moment. The black-haired girl continues eating her meal nonchalantly while shrugging out of guilt.

“Did something happen?” Seeing the awkward situation makes Nikola curious about them.

“Umm… nothing.” Aura quickly answers after taking another bite of her meal.

“Ain’t got any feelin’ of guilt didn’t ya?!"

 The food in her mouth almost jumped out of its place hearing him raise his voice out of the blue.

“At least be thankful, okay? Otherwise, you won’t have breakfast!”

Zack let out a sigh as he feels his head going to crack every time Aura starts barking.

“Hey, old fart, give her some lesson would ya? She ain’t got any manner of the maiden.”

“Excuse me?! How come you talk so careless-”

“Ah, I see… It is quite troublesome indeed.” The old man replied to Zack with a little nod.

“Why don’t we dump her after this? Trash ain’t gonna do any shit by itself.”

“ARE YOU TWO EVEN LISTENING?!”

“Of course, my dear”

“No.”

Receiving those answers only makes Aura more heated in anger, seeing her dad smiling gently while Zack gives her a cold poker face. 

As if a volcano was about to erupt, those two men added more explosives to make it more apocalyptic and aesthetically pleasing.

What a combo!

“Don’t be so rude, Aura. He just woke up. People need time to come to their senses.”

“Dad, stop spoiling him! It’s annoying.”

“No, actually you’re the spoiled brat, moron.”

“Huh?”

“Don’t huh me. I’m the one that always runs errands here. But how about ya? Layin’ on the couch, doing nothin’, just waitin’ for me to come back, yeah?”

“Hey! You should be grateful that I worked my ass coming to your room just to drag a huge pile of lazy ass trash outta that place!”

“No one told ya to do it, idiot.”

“Yeah, I know! But at least show me some- Hmph?! “

“Shut up.” Zack shoves his remaining meal into Aura’s wide-opened mouth without a second thought. “I’ve had enough.”

“Whsdaa?! Hdw adkk yrep sdbakf?! Pfftt- Koff! Koff!“

“Don’t talk while your mouth is full, dumbass. Ain’t pops teach you a thing about that?”

Zack stands up after he finished his breakfast and quickly leaves the dining table behind with Aura coughing and choking over herself. Feeling absolute defeat, she let out a long sigh while grumpily chewing down the meal he stuffed in before.

“What you gonna do? Going to sleep again?”

Spontaneously she asks sarcastically the moment she finishes swallowing the last chunk of the food.

“Well yeah… since you suddenly ruined my damn dream-“

“Well then!”

“Eh?”

BAAM!

Loud noise spreads inside the house the moment Aura pulls the back of Zack’s jacket and slams his body to the floor. Leaving a powerful mental shock for the young man as he is about to take steps into the staircases.

“That’s hurt… What was that for, moron!?”

“You’re not going anywhere but outside!”

“Huh? So now you’re kickin’ me out from the damn house?”

“That’s not… Arghh…” Aura stomps her feet out of anger trying to communicate and connect with the least preferred person to talk to. “You know… what day it is, right??”

“Yeah… Monday, ain’t it?”

Slowly Aura inhales the fresh air as she can feel her head boiling, “You know what time is it, right Zaaack??”

“Well… it’s for morning sleep.”

“IT’S THE DAY FOR FOOD DISTRIBUTION, YOU RETARDED IDIOTIC SLEEPYHEAD!”

“Ack!”

Without any hesitation, Aura pulls the hood when Zack casually walks away to the steps next to him. Making the ingested food almost jumps back to the soil where it came from before when he hit the floor hard.

“Get it now? So no matter what you have-“

“Ain’t happenin’… not me.”

“Gosh… How many times do I have to say it, you’re the only one that can pick it up right now!”

“Whatever…” He begins yawning and takes a glance at the clock on the wall before closing both eyes. “But lemme take a quick nap, wouldcha?”

“Not a chance!”

“Guh!”

Once again, the meal inside his body is about to file an “Ingested Food Abuse” to the courts when suddenly Aura punches his stomach. Without any guilt, the girl grabs his hood and starts dragging Zack’s body all over the floor toward the main door. Like a useless ragdoll, his body helplessly obey everything Aura did to him, standing him straight before pushing him hard.

“Alright, and don’t forget it’s for 3 people, okay? Three people!”

“I know…” Zack replied without any sign of life.

“Last time you only take it for yourself! So, don’t you dare to forget our share!”

“It’s not that big of the deal, wasn’t it?”

The young man scratches his nape as he said it and successfully invites Aura’s death stare. His droopy eyes almost jump out of their place because of the sudden pressure.

“What if, I don’t get any? Ain’t gonna cut my way through the winding lines, you know.”

“Just use some of your money or something from your savings like usual! Don’t ask me every single thing about your problem!”

“Easy for you to say…”

“And don’t get into fighting again, idiot! I won’t help treat your wound if that happens.” Adds Aura the moment Zack is about to open the door, making him hisses at her.

“Yeah, yeah. Quit yapping already.”

As soon as the door opens, he steps out of the house. The gentle breeze from the outside enters and leaves behind the cold presence of the young man.

For a moment, Aura is looking at where he stood before in quiet.

I meant it, idiot...

I really do...