As the shadow of the Kingdom loomed, six-year-old Ashley had her own problems. On a Tuesday, Ashley woke up at sunrise. Arielle, sleeping in the upper bunk, woke up at the same time as Ashley.
"Good morning, Ashley," Arielle said, climbing down from the bed.
"Good morning..." Ashley mumbled sleepily, rubbing her eyes as she sat up.
The sisters walked to the bathroom together, chatting quietly as they washed up.
When they arrived at the dining table, Grandpa Patrick had already finished preparing breakfast. They were having eggs, crispy bacon, white bread slices with butter, and peanut butter.
"Good morning," said Patrick, smiling warmly as he greeted the girls.
"Good morning, Grandpa," said the girls and they began eating, still drowsy from their sleep.
In the middle of her meal, Arielle left the table to wake Nathan. Shortly after, "Pang! Pang! Pang!" The sound of Nathan's hurried footsteps echoed through the house as he rushed to the bathroom. Arielle leisurely came back to the dining table and continued eating.
"Good morning, Nathan," Ashley greeted her eldest brother, as Nathan came down from the second floor.
"Good morning," said Nathan as he rushed to the table and quickly ate his breakfast. Following their meal, the family headed out. Patrick mounted his horse and rode to his clinic, with Harold riding on his own horse and following behind. The three siblings walked to school together.
Braving the biting morning wind, they slipped their hands into their jackets for warmth. The cram school, situated inside a local mall, was just a short walk from their neighborhood, located in the opposite direction of the downtown area. Late in March, flowers began to burst out in blossom in the area. As the children strolled through the residential area, they passed by well-manicured lawns and vibrant flower gardens, which their neighbors tended with care, creating a serene scenery. As usual, the energetic Arielle walked in the front with Nathan and Ashley trailing closely behind.
"Hey Ashley, how was school yesterday? Did you make any new friends?" Arielle asked her younger sister. Unlike their former countryside public school, this cram school focused on rigorous exam preparation, drilling exam materials into its students. So, it was not as fun as going to a countryside public school that Nathan and Arielle had attended.
"Same as usual, the teachers are mean; they don’t allow us to talk at all. So, I still haven’t made any friends." said Ashley, as she took out her hand and held onto Nathan's.
"Me too. I also couldn’t talk much and couldn’t make any friends." Arielle said, nodding in agreement. "Everyone gets picked up by their parents as soon as classes end."
"I miss Mom and Dad." Ashley said somberly. Touched by Ashley's comment, the siblings then walked to school in silence.
The school occupied a space spanning two storefronts in the mall. There were several restaurants in the mall too, including McRonald's where they got breakfast from last time. Upon arrival, they parted ways, each heading to their respective classrooms. All other children came with their maids, butlers or parents. No one minded a group of three children coming to school on their own. However, the siblings couldn’t help but to be reminded of their parents.
Ashley walked into the classroom alone, her eyes scanning the room as she took her seat in her assigned desk. The girl seated to Ashley's right was already there. "Hello, good morning." Ashley said to her, offering a friendly smile.
"Don’t talk to me! My mom told me not to talk to boys!" The girl suddenly exclaimed, her voice rising in a near-shout.
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Ashley had her hair cut short for her field work, so she was mistaken as a boy. Startled by the girl's exaggerated outburst, Ashley's eyes dropped; she looked down into her own desk and kept herself quiet in recluse.
As the clock ticked closer to 7:30 am, children and their guardians began to storm into the school. Many of them had eaten breakfast at one of the mall's restaurants, a more expensive option compared to a home-cooked meal. As Ashley watched, the children exchanged warm goodbyes with their caretakers or parents before taking their seats.
The next four hours blurred together in a relentless cycle of memorization, dictation, and mock exams. For Ashley, there was never enough time to finish each of her assignments, making the experience feel even shorter than the actual time. Lunch time started at 11:30am, providing a much needed break for the students. Ashley took her lunch box and went to the cafeteria to meet up with Nathan and Arielle. Nearly all the other children were accompanied by their caretakers or mothers during lunch, a stark contrast to the siblings.
After scanning the cafeteria, the siblings claimed an empty table, sat down together, and began their meal.
"How was class?" Nathan asked after they finished eating.
"They were very difficult." Arielle answered in frustration. "I got many questions wrong."
"Same here." Nathan said, swiftly returning to his studies as he pulled out a book, with Arielle followed suit. Ashley's desire to play was short-lived, as she watched her siblings and reluctantly pulled out her own books, joining the study session with a downtrodden expression.
At 12:00 pm, classes resumed. This morning’s class was English; now, they had Mathematics. It was again a cycle of memorization and doing mock exams.
As the clock struck 4:00 pm, the final bell rang, marking the end of the school day and sending the classroom into a flurry of activity. Almost instantly, the once-quiet room transformed into a bustling space as parents and caretakers swiftly arrived, whisking their children away in mere minutes.
Amidst the sudden emptiness, Ashley remained seated, a lone figure in the now-deserted classroom.
"Ashley, time to go." the teacher said in a commanding tone after checking the student handbook. She did not remember Ashley's name.
Ashley didn’t respond, her gaze fixated on her desk.
"Ashley, what’s wrong?" the teacher asked again, this time softly as she noticed something amiss.
"I want mom and dad to come pick me up." Ashley said, puckering her lips.
"Alright, let’s go look for your parents," the teacher said gently. "Let’s go."
"I want them to come pick me up." Ashley said, refusing to move.
Growing concerned, Nathan and Arielle hurried to Ashley’s classroom together. As Nathan and Arielle entered, the teacher's gaze met theirs, and with a brief, knowing exchange of glances, she discreetly left the classroom, allowing the siblings to take over.
"What’s wrong, Ashley?" Nathan asked softly as he knelt beside Ashley, looking at her.
"I want mom and dad to pick me up." Ashley said somberly, her voice began to tremble.
"Mom and dad are not here anymore." Nathan said, sadly, withstanding the ache in his own chest. "They cannot pick us up."
"Nathan, you took mom and dad away. Give them back!" Ashley pushed Nathan away in a sudden outburst of frustration. "I worked so hard! Why isn’t mom here to praise me?"
Nathan fell and sat on the ground from the push, his face contorted in guilt. Arielle, who was watching from the side, gently took Ashley’s hands after she pushed Nathan away. However, she did not know what to say. Nathan also sat there without saying anything.
After a moment, Nathan broke the ice. "Arielle, do you remember what Dad said? He said that one day he and mom would be gone."
"They’ll always be with us, in here," Arielle said, her voice filled with conviction, as she placed a hand over her heart.
Nathan's eyes met Ashley's, and with a gentle touch, he guided her left hand to his heart, whispering, "Ashley, Dad's right here, inside me."
Echoing Nathan's gesture, Arielle took Ashley's right hand and rested it on her own heart, her voice filled with emotion as she said, "And mom is here in me."
As Ashley gazed up at her siblings through tear-stained eyes, she saw fleeting glimpses of her parents - Jonathan's gentle spirit in Nathan's dark hair, and Ana's strong presence in Arielle's golden hair. Ashley's body shook as she leapt up, flinging her arms around Nathan and Arielle, and releasing a heart-wrenching wail, "Mom...Dad...!"
Ashley's sobs subsided as she nestled into Nathan and Arielle's warm snuggle. Then, Arielle offered a gentle smile and suggested, "Shall we head home now, Ashley?"
With a quiet nod, Ashley agreed, "Okay," as she shouldered her backpack, her eyes still red from crying.
With her left hand held by Nathan and right hand held by Arielle, Ashley walked home calmly with a sense of comfort and security enveloping her. As they walked, the warm afternoon sun cast a gentle glow over the vibrant flower gardens of their neighbors, where a few blooms had already burst forth.
"Look! That egg like flower is beautiful!" Ashley exclaimed, tugging on Nathan's and Arielle's hands.
"That's Sego Lily, Ashley." Nathan smiled as he taught Ashley about the flower, utilizing his botanical knowledge.