What a tiring day! I didn't realize how hard it could be to organize a small welcome party.
I guess it's all sorted out, though. We met the new person; we welcomed him—Kit! He's quite a mystery, him and his eyes. Wait, were they red or ruby? Ruby! No, red. Ugh, I can't decide.
Oww! Is that a spider? Come here, little one. I grab it, please let me sleep, let's keep you down gently.
Speaking of spiders—what was Rem doing there? He sure likes to eavesdrop! I can't even tell anyone about the secret. Does Miss Mary know it? Probably.
Wow, already 11 p.m. (yawns). I should rest! Tomorrow will be a great day.
MORNING:
What a bad day! Why is the dining room a mess? Why are these guys fighting over some cereal? Where is Miss Mary?
The room falls silent. Miss Mary is here! She's pushing Kit's wheelchair. They enter the room, and Kit waves at me with a smile. Wow! Until yesterday, he wasn't talking to anyone; at least he is waving at me now.
"Kids, please don't fight over some cereal; check the drawer, we have plenty more."
"Sarah, don't play with your food, darling!"
"And Erebus! Erebus!"
"Uhh, yes?"
"Keep your mind on the table and try not to doze away in your thoughts, sweetie."
"I got it, Miss Mary!"
Damn, she really startled me. Her voice is like a boombox.
"Where is Rem, kids? I haven't seen him since… um, that incident yesterday."
"Miss Mary, Rem is still in his bed. I tried to wake him up, but he just wouldn't budge."
"What? Rem never does that. He is always on time and controls the kids."
"Thank you, Sarah, for telling me."
"Okie-dokie!"
Miss Mary walks out of the room. Yeah, she went to check on Rem. But why is he not coming down today? He is always babbling about being the oldest and maintaining order. Did he really take yesterday's incident to heart?
Guess I will first finish my cereal. (Crunch, crunch). Coconut and chocolate cereal—did they make this in heaven?
I see the wheels of Kit's wheelchair rolling toward my side of the dining table.
"Can I sit here, Erebus?"
Sophie chews on her cereal. "I mean, you can't actually stand there."
"Sophie, what are you saying!"
"No, I didn't mean it that way!"
"No! No, it's okay," Kit chuckles. "That was actually funny for some reason."
"Kit, you have to try this heavenly stuff. This is 'choconut.' Mix it with milk and a little bit of salt."
"Salt?"
"Oh yeah! Believe in my discovery and be my guest."
"Sure thing!
"Wait, I'll get you a bowl."
Sarah is playing with her food, Max has fallen asleep at the dining table, and Lily is in her own world arranging her cereal. Grabbing the cold handle of the cabinet—bowl, bowl, where are you? Found it. I grab the bowl and go back.
Oh, those two. Miss Mary has found Rem and is talking to him. The reflection in the window gives you a lot of information.
They finally enter the dining room five minutes after my peeking—not peeking, information gathering—was over.
She silently whispers in his ear, "Go sit down now and have some breakfast."
His face is pale, and he has dark circles under his eyes. He slowly walks toward the dining table in my direction; he always had a strong smell. This time, it lingers after he swiftly goes past me and sits beside Sarah. His eyes are down, looking at the fine print on the table cover. It isn't hard to notice that everyone is staring at him.
"Hey Rem, are you okay? You look a little down today."
He is scratching the surface of the tablecloth when he takes a spoon from the cup.
"It's nothing, just a slight fever."
Max wakes from his slumber and leans toward Rem. He lifts his hand and places it on Rem's forehead. "Your temperature seems to be fine. Are you feeling really cold, or are you shivering?"
"I just have a slight ache in my whole body and maybe a little cold."
"I will give him the proper medicine after he has his breakfast, so no need to worry," Miss Mary interjects. "Today, he won't be attending Lemus. I will send a note to the principal."
"What is a Lemus?"Kits speak insn excited voice.
Sarah suddenly stops biting her favorite spoon.
"You don't know what a Lemus is?" The question comes like an arrow. Kit's posture becomes bent; his face tries to avoid our eyes.
Miss Mary rests her head on her palm and smiles. "I envy you, Kit. The curiosity you have and the questions you ask."
"Really? Isn't not knowing a bad thing?"
"Not wanting to know is a bad thing, but always having something to ask… that's an art." She slowly approaches us, her sweet vanilla perfume gentle, just like her. She raises both hands and pats our heads. "Remember that, okay? So today, we will be doing the 'activity of questioning'."
"What do you mean by that?"
"Everyone of you, except Rem, can ask any question to me or to your friends. About clouds, about stars, about each other, anything. Let's mark this day as 'Questioning Day'."
"Ma'am, why are the clouds white?"
"Why is the grass so green?"
"How does that microwave work?"
"Why is Max so lazy?"
"Hey!"
Everyone starts to take questioning seriously. On the other hand, Rem has finished his bowl of cereal. That was his last spoonful. Suddenly, his gaze shifts from the ground toward Kit.
Kit is smiling the whole time. I never knew he could smile this much. Rem gazes at Kit for a second, and his expression changes from relaxed to a piercing, angry glare.
I hear the sound of a chair shifting; Rem finally gets up from his spot. His gaze is on the floor now, his eyes dim for some reason. He collects his plate and starts walking toward the washbasin.
Why am I staring at him? His movements—it's like he is losing his balance.
Rem suddenly collapses on the floor after a few steps.
"Rem!!!!"