Chapter 01
1023 Words
A young individual with black hair focused his attention on an imposing white metal gate in front of him while manipulating his mobile device. After completing his tasks on the device, he carefully collected it and put it in his pocket. Then, he proceeded to grab the gate's handle and applied the necessary force to open it, allowing his entry. Upon entering the property, he promptly took charge of pushing the gate again, skillfully closing it.
After closing the gate, the individual turned his attention to the surrounding area, where he spotted a vehicle parked in the garage, clothing neatly arranged on the clothesline, a meticulously trimmed lawn, and a garden that appeared to have been recently watered, with delicate water droplets adorning the rose petals.
Showing a slight state of perplexity, the young man continued his walk until he stopped in front of the imposing entrance door of the residence. After giving one last look at the parked vehicle, he promptly took the doorknob in his hands and, with a firm motion, turned it, allowing for the immediate opening of the door. Upon entering the premises, he carefully closed it behind him, turning his attention forward upon hearing a female voice calling him.
"Uncle Ethan!" exclaimed a young girl with long red hair as she approached him at high speed.
The little child reached the young man and wrapped her legs in an affectionate hug. With gentleness, he knelt down, embraced the child in his arms, and carefully lifted her up.
"Hello princess, how have you been?" asked the young man calmly and composedly.
"I am well, but I miss you," replied the young girl with a melancholic expression.
"But we saw each other last Friday," the young man said, displaying a discreet smile.
"Nevertheless..." expressed the little girl, maintaining the melancholic expression from before. "But now we can enjoy a moment of fun."
"Alice, your uncle has just returned from school and is undoubtedly exhausted."
Upon hearing these words, the young man directed his gaze towards the direction of the voice and saw a woman with long red hair coming down the stairs. She approached the young man and stopped in front of him.
"Is your late arrival a recurring thing?" asked the woman with red hair.
"No, today I accompanied Fernanda to the ice cream shop," replied the young man.
"Fernanda?" asked the red-haired woman, showing a slight state of curiosity. "Your girlfriend?"
"No, she's a friend of mine," answered the young man.
"You have friends? That's a discovery for me..."
"But that's not relevant, Kamilla... By the way, I noticed that my mother's vehicle is parked in the garage. Where is she?" asked the young man.
Before having a chance to respond, a noise coming from the kitchen caught the young man's attention. He gave one last look to the red-haired woman before heading towards the source of the sound. Upon reaching the entrance of the kitchen, he found his mother busy preparing dinner, an unusual sight to witness since she usually came home late or occasionally didn't return due to work demands. The woman, with black hair, who was immersed in the task, paused her work upon noticing her son's presence.
"Son, what a pleasure to see you here," she said, with a warm smile. "I can tell you might be hungry, but would it be possible to wait a little longer until everything is ready?"
"I'm fine, I'm not hungry at the moment," replied Ethan, matching the smile.
"It seems like something out of the ordinary must have happened," pondered the young man.
Ethan kept this thought in his mind but was promptly interrupted by the presence of his niece, who was resting in his arms, attentively observing the situation at hand.
"Uncle, I was wondering if we could start playing now?" asked the niece.
"Alice, what did I tell you?" exclaimed Kamilla.
"Dear Alice, let me rest briefly and take a shower before we continue. After dinner, I promise we'll have a dedicated fun time together. Do you agree with that?" Ethan said, kneeling down to put Alice on the ground.
"Certainly," replied the young girl, expressing her agreement with a charming smile.
"I notice that you tend to be quite indulgent with her, don't you?" commented Kamilla.
"I understand. As an uncle, I understand that it's part of my role to play that affectionate role," replied Ethan, emitting a slight laugh.
"Are you absolutely sure you don't want to eat at this moment?"
"No, I'll choose to wait until dinner is ready."
”Kamilla, my dear, would you be able to assist me in preparing the sauce?" asked the young man's mother.
"Of course," agreed the redhead.
The red-haired woman entered the kitchen, followed by Alice. Meanwhile, Ethan made a quick turn and returned to the living room, going up the stairs until he reached his bedroom. Once inside, he placed his backpack on the bed and grabbed a towel from the rack, heading towards the bathroom located in front of his room.
After freshening up, Ethan returned to his room with the towel securely wrapped around his waist. In an organized manner, he discarded his school uniform in the appropriate container for dirty clothes and, with discernment, chose a pair of blue jeans shorts, a black printed shirt, and a pair of red sneakers with black details, all carefully selected from his wardrobe.
After completing the dressing process, he neatly placed the towel back on the holder and took his seat at the desk next to the bed. He turned on the computer and, during the startup phase, promptly responded to the call he received on his mobile device. Ethan answered the phone call, reading the message sent by his friend Fernanda. After a brief reply, he put his cellphone on silent mode and refocused on the task at hand.
Shortly after the successful startup of the computer, he entered his password and logged into the game "Ragnarok," an entertainment activity regularly enjoyed after school hours. Later, Ethan decided to end the game session and redirected himself to his favorite social media platform, "Instabook."
- Writer
