Arriving home they were greeted by police tape surrounding Lou’s house.

Guess the investigation is still going on?” Lou stated as he went closer to get a better view and see what was happening.

“Don’t know if you can stay at your place util the police finish their work and remove the tape. You can stay at my place if you want?”

“Thanks”

On their way to Ko’s place, Lou’s phone begun to ring. Answering the call, it was his father.

“Son where are you?” his father asked concern and worried.

“I am with Ko going to his place. He lives nearby!”

“Wait where you are, and I’ll come get you!” his father stated firmly. “Your father is worried about you!”

“I understand father!” Lou replied before ending the call.

“My father is coming to pick me up and want us to wait here!”

“That’s fine, lets sit on that tree trunk as we wait!” Ko stated as he pointed at a tree trunk nearby, still in view of the road.

Following Ko, Lou sat down on the tree trunk as they waited in silence. Lou didn’t want to have a conversation and was glad that Ko didn’t try to start one. Looking at his phone, he begun to look up information on the criminal and other things that could be happening. Like G.I.T. had told him there was no information on the criminal but information on how the city was dealing with it. One of these was that those who can’t scream were required to stay in groups with at least two people who were able to scream and banned from travelling anywhere during nighttime. ‘Well this is going to suck’ Lou though to himself before he noticed that his father had texted him. It read, ‘be at your location in a few minutes, this is the car I am in’ before a picture of the car was sent. Replaying that he understood, Lou showed the image of the car to Ko so that he could assist in keeping an eye out for the car.

“Is that the car?” Ko asked before taking a more detailed look at the photo. “It is!”

Getting up Lou was about to make his way to the car when Ko pulled his back.

“I’ll come with you encase that ends up not being your father!”

“Fine with me!” Loy stated as he pulled his arm away before making their way to the car. Getting closer Lou saw that it was his father’s butler in the driver's seat. Lou had only seen him a few times, but the butler’s appearance and aura was something that gets stuck in your mind.

“Hello young master, glad that you are safe. Your father is sleeping at the moment from stress ad worry!” the butler said kindly.

“Hi sir, thank you for coming to get me!” Lou stated before opening the back door and climbing in. he was slightly surprised when Ko hopped in after him.

“Young master who is this young man?”

“I can answer for myself!” Ko stated, rudely. “I am Lou’s friend. Who are you?”

“What’s with that attitude?” Lou snapped back, pissed that Ko dared to talk rudely to someone his family cared about.

“Don’t worry young master, anyone would be suspicious after someone looking like your mother tried to kidnap you!” the butler stated. “I am young master’s father butler and have been with the family for many years. My duty is to care for and protect my master and his family!”

“Fine” Lou muttered back, annoyed his father’s butler was defending Ko.

The ride took them towards what his father’s butler said was there new safe house and that his mother was waiting inside for him. With Ko sitting near him, Lou couldn’t feel rested or comfortable. He wanted him gone sooner than later.

“Hope we get there soon!” Lou muttered, unable to hide his annoyance and exhaustion.

“Don’t worry young master, we will be there in twenty minutes!” his father stated caringly.

Looking out of the window Lou saw that they were surrounded by massive fields and in the distance, he thought that he saw wheat fields.

“So is the safe house kind of rural?” Lou asked, confused on why they would be out here this far away from anything.

“Yes, young master. Both of your parents have decided that a rural safe house would be the best option for many reasons including the fact it would have fresh air and peaceful compared to your home, and I do have to agree with them!”

“Cant wait to see it them; I sure can do with some peace!” Lou replied, slightly hopeful that he wouldn’t have to deal with the restrictions out here.

“Is it secure though” Ko buttered in.

“Oh yes, its extremely secure to protect my master and his family!” his father’s butler stated mater-of-factly.

“Ko, could you shut up if you going to have that attitude!” Lou stated more pissed, wishing he could kick him out.

“Fine!” Ko replied, clearly annoyed before looking outside of his window.

Sighing in annoyance Lou rested his head against his window, wishing to be at the safe house now and to never see Ko again for a long time.

“We have arrived young master!”

Looking up, there in front of them was a large two-story house with a strange looking roof. The roof was pointed in some areas but flat in others. The house stood out like a sore thumb against the area around it and wasn’t like what Lou had expected. He thought it would have been a farmhouse or something similar at least. Around it there was a large, beautiful garden filled with different colours blooming in harmony. As the car came to a stop, Lou got out to take the scene in more. Despite the house being an eyesore, everything else was amazing and made Lou feel calm. The air smelt sweet and fresh. Things that he hadn’t felt in a very long time.

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“Think I’m going to enjoy living in this place, its so peaceful!” Lou stated, feeling relieved.

“Sure but it doesn’t appear secure at all!” Ko stated annoyed.

“That’s because they are hidden with another layer of protection as well!” his father’s butler stated proudly.

Lou watched in silence as his father went to the passenger’s side door and helped his father out. His father looked extremely exhausted and fragile. Going to him, Lou hugged him lightly not wanting to add any more stress.

“I am glad you are safe son. I couldn’t help but worry about you!” Lou’s father stated weakly, barely above a whisper.

“You don’t have to worry now father!” Lou replied, hugging his father tighter before moving to the side so that he could be assisted inside.

“You will see your mother soon!”

“Of course father, I’ll go see her once I know you are resting and feeling better!”

As the doors opened, Lou was amazed by the sight. The inside appeared grand but also has a country feel. There was a large chandelier above the entrance room, a mixture of photographs throughout the entrance hallway and a shoe and coat rack near the front door. Following his father’s butler they passed many doors before reaching the sunroom, it would be nice to see the night sky through it. There Lou’s father was carefully placed into a chair before being handed a remote for the large television on the wall.

“Young master, your mother is resting in your parents’ room. Your friend can wait here till you return!”

‘Shit I forgot about him’ Lou thought as he looked carefully about him to see that Ko was sanding some distance behind him, close to the hall leading to the entrance. For some reason Lou felt that Ko was observing and studying him, it gave him the creeps.

“I think that’s a good idea!” Lou quickly stated as he begun to follow his father’s butler out of the room and down another hallway. Once they were a good distance away where it was unlikely for someone to eardrop, Lou sighed and felt greatly relieved.

“Young master tell me what do you think about your new friend?” his father’s butler asked kindly.

“Well at the start before the kidnapping attempt and getting attacked by the criminal we didn’t really know each other, and I didn’t really plan to. He was just someone who made a group to drop off fellow students. But now I don’t really like him. For some reason he made me feel suffocated and stress out, I just don’t want to be near him!” Lou stated concluding his thoughts on the matter of Ko.

“So you don’t want to be near him because he makes you feel unsafe?”

“Yes, I don’t feel safe near him!” Lou replied, agreeing fully.

“I’ll drop him home soon and will talk with your father about the situation!” his father’s butler stated confidently. “Everything shall be delt with young master!”

“Thank you, sir!” Lou stated, feeling more relieved that he might not have to deal with Ko anymore nor see him.

Reaching a door, they stopped for a moment before his father’s butler knocked on the door.

“Come in!” came a weak female voice, Lou’s mother.

Opening the door, the room was dimly lit, and the air smelt of lavender. In the large bed laid his mother, looking much weaker than Lou thought possible. She looked extremely sickly and unwell.

“Hello mother, I have returned safely!” Lou stated calmly.

“Honey is that you?” his mother said weakly. “Come closer!”

Moving closer Lou sat on a chair that was beside the bed and held one of his mother’s hands tightly.

“Yes mother, it is me, Lou!” Please don’t worry about me and get well soon!”

“I....I will honey, I promise!” his mother said as they hugged each other.

“I shall leave now so that you can rest”.

“Please visit again, honey?”

“I’ll visit you again after dinner!”

“Thank you honey, see you them!”

Leaving the room, Lou followed his father’s butler back to the sunroom in silence. It was decided that Ko would be taken home now so that everyone would rest after an exhausting day.

Reaching the room, Ko was standing against a wall clearly annoyed about something. Lou couldn’t help but wonder if his father said something or if that how Ko usually was.

“It’s time that you head home now!” Lou stated as confidently as he could.

“Can’t I just wait here for a while longer?” Ko asked, not truing to hide his annoyance.

“No!” Lou blurted out rudely. “I need to focus on my parents and not have to split my attention, ok!”

“Fine I’ll see you at school when it starts back up again!’” Ko responded.

“Ok, bye!”

Once Ko was making his way down the hallway with his father butler, Lou felt happy.

“Glad that he is gone now!”

“Son I’m not a fan of your friend!” his father said calmly.

“I don’t really consider us friends; he makes me feel stressed!”

“If you feel that you can’t deal with him at school, I can have you enrol at a different school!”

“Thanks father!”

“Do you want to see your room?”

“Sure father, just give me the directions. I want you to stay here and rest. I hope you and mother gets better soon!”

Lou’s father begun to ramble in his pocket before pulling out a piece of paper. Taking it, the paper turned out to be a map which presented each floor and what each room was.

“Son, take that and use it to find your way around, I have an extra set for myself and your mother!” his father stated happily.

“Thank you, father!” Lou said, hugging his father tightly before leaving the room.

Walking through different hallways before finally reaching the staircase to the second floor. Finally locating his room, Lou stood at the door not sure what he would see. The map had shown that his room was broken up into five parts. They were listed as the bedroom, bathroom, clothing room, study room and what appeared to be a balcony area or something similar. Taking a deep breath Lou slowly opened the room, to be greeted by a large bed with a canopy. The bed was a dark red colour and had bit of a royal fill. At the end of the bed sat a wooden chest where Lou suspect that he could store stuff in. Moving in Lou bent down and felt the carpet, it was silky soft. ‘Can’t wait until I can just lie on it’ Lou thought excitedly. Using the map, Lou decided to start at the closet room first. Openign the door that would lead to the bathroom, he opened it. The bathroom was a good size and fully white in colour. It contained a sink, toilet and a combined bath and shower. Looking into a container that was resting in a corner beside the bath Lou saw that it held different bath salts, bodywash, shampoos and conditioners. Leaving the room Lou closed the door and headed to the next door which was the study. Opening the door, the room was a lot smaller than the bathroom but fitted everything needed for such a room. It had a desk with a computer facing a window and had study books sitting on wall shelves. There were many different subjects, many Lou had seen and others he couldn’t read the titles of.

The next room Lou went to was the clothing room, it was like a short hallway with many different shelves. On these shelves were clothing based on the seasons, accessories, shoes, and a section with professional and party clothing. ‘This is a bit too much, but they should last long since I grow slowly’ Lou thought, closing the door. Standing in front of the last door, Lou opened it and was greeted by the sweet and delightful smell of flowers blooming and the freshness of the outside world. Moving forwards Lou realised that this wasn’t a balcony but one of the flat roofs.

“This is actually cool!” Lou said to himself excitedly before peeking over the edges. Heading back inside Lou started to fill the tiredness settle in. yawning, Lou made his way into the clothing room before grabbing a pair of pyjamas. Heading into the bathroom Lou got changed and did his teeth before looking at the mirror, he looked more tired than he thought. Heading back into his bedroom Lou climbed under his blankets before drifting off in the welcoming embrace of his soft bed.