The Hunters (Alexander’s story)

I went inside and slumped on the couch.

”Go and make yourself a sandwich. A jug of lemonade is in the refrigerator. After that, take your bath. Then, we can talk. ” Mum said and went to her room.

I went into the kitchen to make an egg sandwich. I took a glass cup and filled it with lemonade from a glass jug in the refrigerator. As I ate, I wondered how how Id tell my mum about my expulsion. She would probably yell at me and ground me for a month. After eating, I went to my bedroom. Oh Ive really missed here so much. It feels good having a room to yourself after sharing a room with twenty people. I removed my clothes and went into my bathroom to have my morning bath.

I joined my mum outside, just at the front of the house. She was sitting on a plastic chair and one was beside her. The morning breeze blew about. I could hear cars and pedestrians walking outside.

”Come sit, Alex. ” Mum gestured at the chair beside her. I sat down.

”Ah, it feels good to talk to you after about two months. Now I want you to tell me all that happened in school don leave any details. ” She said.

I sighed inwardly. We usually do this whenever I came home for holiday. I usually love the moment as I would share everything I experienced in school—whether good or bad. But now, Im about to tell her about my expulsion. Thats really bad.

”Um….mum, before anything read this. ” I hesitantly gave her the envelope. I had painted the EXPULSION LETTER with my pen. I looked at my hands as she opened the envelope. She brought out the letter and started reading.

Her eyes widened. ”What? You are expelled? ” I nodded. ”You are expelled because you snuck out of school? So you always sneak out of school? ”

”No mum, I don . I only did that to save my life. ”

”You snuck out because of the fire? Darling, no one was harmed. ”

”No one died because the fire was meant to kill me and Darrin. ”

”What are you talking about? Darrin is okay. ”

”Thats because he snuck out with me. ”

”So Darrin is expelled also? ”

”Um…yes. ”

”I can believe this. You got yourself and Darrin expelled. ”

”Mum… ”

”And it says here you have been sneaking out before. Alexander, what is going on with you? ”

”Mum, please listen. ” My mum now thinks Im a bad boy. ”I can do explain. ”

She folded her arms. ”Ok, Im listening. ”

I sighed. ”I had a dream about the fire and it killed me and Darrin. Just us, no one else. I woke up and got scared. I got Darrin to sneak out with me. And then the fire happened. When we were about to go in back, we got caught by Antonio and he reported us to Principal Matt. Principal Matt didn let us explain. He just gave us out expulsion letter and told us to leave. ” I hoped she would believe me and not think I cooked up the whole thing.

She thought for some minutes, which seemed like hours to me. Finally she spoke. ”Oh Alex, it was just a dream. ”

”Mum, a fire broke like in my dream. If we had stayed, we would have died. ”

”But did you have to sneak out? ”

”I dunno. I got scared to stay in the school, so. ” Mum sighed deeply. ”Mum, I haven been sneaking out. Ive always being good and I always obey the rules and… ” I started crying. Mum was the closest person to my heart. I don know what Id do if takes me for a bad child.

She patted my back. ”Hey don cry. I understand you were scared and made a mistake. But maybe it was a good thing you snuck. Maybe your dream would have come true. Alex, I know you are good child. ”

”Im sorry mum. ”

”Shhh. Its okay. ” She hugged me and wiped my tears with her palm. ”Hey, stop crying. You will ruin your puppy eyes if you keep crying. ”(see, even mum says my eyes are puppy like, so don look at weirdly whenever I say I have puppy eyes, ok?) ”Lets forget about this. I will enroll you into another school. ”

”Ok mum. But please make it a day school. Im sucked up with boarding school. ”

”Ok if you say so. ”

”Thanks mum. ”

”You are welcome. You can go inside now. ”

I skipped happily to my room. I loved my mum so much. She was so understanding, loving, caring, supportive and considerate(if you were in my situation, how do you think your mum would react?) I wondered how my dad would have reacted—if he was alive.

Ive only seen my dad in a picture. I look a lot like him. I inherited my brown eyes and pointed nose. I inherited brown eyes from my mum. Everything about me is brown so I thats my favorite color.

I went to my room and took my phone from my drawer. I always charge my phone, one hundred percent before leaving for school, so I won have to worry about charging it whenever I come back from school. I switched it on and opened my chats. Darrin had sent a message, ”Hi. ” He was online, so I replied back and we began chatting.

********

The next day after my usual morning routine, I had my breakfast by 9:47am. I sat down on the couch and switched on the TV.

My mum came in to the living room at the moment, prepared for work. She was wearing a black suit on a pink button shirt with black skirt and black high heels. A black handbag was hung on her arm. Her black long hair was nearly done and she had some make-ups on her face. I could smell her perfume.

”Ok Alex, Im off to work. There is a can of baked beans in the refrigerator. You can make some salad to eat with it. Make sure you water the flowers. Be a good boy ok? ” She said, twirling her car keys on her index finger.

”Ok mum mum, bye. ” I waved at her. She went out to the driveway. I heard her start the car and drive out.

I went to the garden tools store and took the watering can. I filled it with water and started watering the flowers.

The backyard ground was covered with carpet grass, surrounded by a wooden fence. On the right and left side, the flowers were planted there. We had four kinds of flowers, two on either side of the fence—sunflowers, tulips, roses, and hibiscus.

After watering, I went in and continued watching.

Being home alone was dead boring. It reminded of the Home Alone movie. Would I be able to set traps if thieves wanna try to break in? I doubt so.

I got tired of watching TV, so I played some games on my phone. But I also got tired of doing that. What else can I do? I got some novels in my room. I could read them. I went to my room and took a novel.

I had barely read up to seven pages when I got tired of reading. Its not that the novel is boring. Its just that I don like reading too much. What else can I do?

I sighed and looked at the time. It was 12:28pm. Its too early for a siesta but what else do you think I can do? A siesta would be okay.

I closed the curtains, switched on the ceiling fan and laid on my bed.

************

I was standing on the middle of my room, all of a sudden. I looked around. I saw the moon outside from my window. It was night. I looked at my wall clock it was 12midnight.

Ok, what happened? Did I sleep for that long? I looked at my bed, and I saw myself sleeping on it.

I think I know whats happening. Im having another dream. Why? I pinched my cheek, hoping I would wake up, but it did nothing. Guess I have to see whats gonna happen.

Fog started entering into my room from the door and ice started forming on my furnitures. The fog was really much around the doorway. I couldn feel the cold—which was a relief—but I knew the room must be really cold because of the ice. More fog entered and more ice formed.

The other me shivered and got up. He looked around. ”What the? ” He shivered again.

I was startled when I heard a familiar voice. ”Ha! If it isn Alexander, the Hunter. ” I saw a shadow inside the fog at the doorway.

”Who…who is that? ” The other me asked.

The person came out and I was shocked. Was this my imagination or is this reality?

The other me said, shaking, either because of the cold or fear or both. ”Mabel? ”