At first, Ita didn't know what to do with himself.
Being in Kiel's house already felt strange enough. But being included in everything they did? That felt even stranger.
It started with something simple.
"Get ready " Kiel said that morning, tossing a shirt at him. "We're going out."
"Out?" Ita repeated, confused.
"Yeah. Mom wants to go to the beach first. Then maybe the mall later."
Ita just stared at him.
The beach.
The mall.
Those were things he had only heard other kids talk about. Things he saw in pictures. Not something he had ever done with a family.
"I don't have to come " Ita said quickly, already stepping back. "It's okay. I can just stay here."
Kiel frowned like that was the strangest thing he'd ever heard.
"Why wouldn't you come?"
Before Ita could answer, Kiel's mom appeared at the doorway.
"Of course you're coming " she said with a warm smile. "We already packed extra snacks. You think we'd leave you behind?"
Ita opened his mouth to protest.
But the words didn't come out.
So he just nodded.
Quietly.
The beach was bright.
Too bright.
The sound of waves crashing against the shore made Ita's chest feel tight at first. People were laughing. Running. The wind was warm, carrying the smell of salt and food.
He stood a little behind Kiel's family, unsure where to put his hands, unsure where to look.
Everything felt unfamiliar.
Kiel noticed immediately.
"Come on" he said, grabbing Ita's wrist lightly and pulling him closer to the water. "You've never been here before, have you?"
Ita shook his head.
Kiel didn't laugh.
He just grinned and started telling him random stories, pointing at things, talking about how he once tripped and fell into the water, how his dad tried to build a sandcastle and failed miserably.
Kiel's mom handed Ita a drink like it was the most natural thing in the world.
His dad patted his shoulder and asked if he was enjoying the weather.
No one treated him like a guest.
They treated him like he belonged there.
At first, Ita stayed quiet. Stiff. Nervous.
But slowly…
His shoulders relaxed.
And then, without realizing it, he smiled.
A real one.
Small. But real.
The mall was even louder.
Crowded. Bright lights. The smell of food everywhere.
Ita walked beside them, still a little awkward, but not as tense as before. Kiel kept talking nonstop, dragging him from one store to another, making jokes about clothes that looked ridiculous.
At one point, Kiel's mom held up a shirt and said, "This would look nice on you, Ita."
He blinked, surprised.
"Me?"
"Of course" she said gently. "You should pick something you like."
No one had ever said something like that to him before.
He didn't know how to respond.
So he just nodded again, quietly.
By the time they reached the restaurant, Ita felt tired.
But it was a good kind of tired.
They sat around the table together, food placed between them, the sound of chatter filling the air. Kiel was telling another story, his dad interrupting with jokes, his mom laughing softly.
Ita listened.
Watched.
And for a moment, it felt like he was part of it.
Like he belonged at that table.
He held his drink with both hands, looking down at it as a small smile touched his lips.
He didn't notice the man standing across the street.
Watching.
Eyes sharp.
Smile thin.
The man stood still for a long time.
Ita's stepdad.
He had seen everything.
The laughter.
The food.
The way Ita sat with them like he was one of them.
His expression darkened slightly.
He turned away and pulled out his phone.
Back at home, the front door creaked open as Ita stepped inside.
He felt lighter.
The whole day played over and over in his head ,the sound of the waves, Kiel laughing, his mom handing him food, his dad joking around.
For the first time in a long while, Ita felt… happy.
He stepped into the living room.
And froze.
His mother was standing there.
Her face was different.
Cold.
Tight.
Her eyes locked onto him immediately.
Behind her, leaning casually against the wall, stood his stepdad.
Smiling.
That same gentle smile he used in front of other people.
The one that never reached his eyes.
Ita's chest tightened.
"You had fun?" his mother asked.
Her voice was calm.
Too calm.
Ita nodded slowly. "Yes…"
She crossed her arms.
"You forgot you already have a family?"
The words hit him like a slap.
"I didn't-" he started.
But she cut him off.
"Your father told me everything" she said sharply.
Ita's eyes flickered to his stepdad.
He was still smiling.
Still watching.
Like he was enjoying this.
"He said you were laughing with them " she continued. "Eating with them. Acting like they were your real parents."
"I wasn't " Ita said quickly, panic rising. "I just-"
"You're not grateful " she snapped. "We raised you. We feed you. And you go around pretending you belong somewhere else!??"
The happiness from earlier faded quickly.
Replaced by that familiar, sinking feeling in his chest.
His stepdad finally spoke, voice soft and calm.
"I just told her what I saw " he said gently. "I was worried about you."
He tilted his head slightly.
"That family isn't yours, Ita."
His smile widened just a little.
"You should remember where you belong."
Ita stood there, silent.
The warmth from the beach.
The laughter at the mall.
The kindness at the table.
It all felt so far away now.
And as he stood in that room, his mother staring at him, his stepdad smiling behind her,
He realized something.
The day had felt like a dream.
And now,
He was awake again.