Hexus

}28{ Enigma

[1:57AM, November 14, UTC ±00:00]

“This would’ve been a lot harder if we lost the car.”
“Good for you, James. Your precious car is perfect.”

The compact MPV was parked some distance away, and Folasade didn’t need to look to know that Mum was glaring. Dad’s nonchalant tone was completely out of place in their situation. They were standing in the street at 2 AM, in safety thermal blankets thrown over their pyjamas, staring at fire service men as they doused the raging inferno that had once been their house.

“So,” Oliver said dryly, “It finally happened.”

Alison cringed. She stood back from the rest of them, though Folasade could not blame her. Being anywhere close to Mum when she was this angry was a health risk, especially when you were the cause of the problem. Folasade was finding it hard to care about their arguing parents or the concerned onlookers or the police officers asking questions. She was too tired for all this. She glanced briefly at Brian, who was sleeping soundly as Oliver carried him on his back.

Lucky bastard.

“I already said I’m sorry,” Alison whined.
“Your apology would not reverse the damage,” Oliver said.
“How did this happen anyway?” Folasade said, turning away from one of the neighbour’s kids who was recording the scene on his phone.
“I had a bad dream,” Alison said quietly.
“Fantastic.” Oliver muttered.
“It’s not my fault,” Alison said. “I didn’t know I was doing it, it just happened.”
“You almost killed us,” Oliver said. “Maybe Dad should have given you your own room downstairs like you wanted, so you could die by yourself.”
“Tayo,” Folasade said with a warning tone.

Oliver hissed and looked back towards their parents, who were standing a few meters away, talking to the officers. Mum stormed off and got into the car, while Dad stopped to talk with someone who looked to be the chief of the fire brigade. After a brief discussion, he nodded and went after Mum. The car started up and reversed from the chaotic scene, turned and drove towards the children. Folasade stepped away from the path of car as it came to a stop beside them. Alison went in quietly, clearly trying to avoid eye contact with anyone. Oliver placed Brian in the back seat before climbing in. Folasade stood, looking over the top of the vehicle, at the charred remains of the house as the firemen brought the blaze under control.

“Don’t worry. We’ll be okay,” Dad said, giving her a pitying look.
“Yeah,” she replied sourly. “It’s not like this is ruining my life or anything.”
“Don’t be like that. And I can tell you, Swansea is a great place.”
“Swansea? We’re going to Swansea? Can’t we just move into a hotel or something?”
“We can’t afford a hotel for long. The house in Swansea’s great, and best of all, it’s free. It would be just for a while, until we can afford another place here. Besides, your grandmother has been dying to meet you.”
“Well, I’m not,” she said. “And I’m sure I could go the rest of my life.”

He seemed stunned for a moment, and then he shook his head, sighing.

“Just…get in the car.”

}----------{

Folasade woke up with a start. Something was pressed against her shoulder, and it took a few seconds for her eyes to adjust to the darkness and recognise Alison’s head. The sky was still as black as when she had last been awake, so she couldn’t tell if five minutes or several hours had passed. The car had stopped, and from what she could see, they were beside a farm. Dad wasn’t in the car, but she got a glance at the time on the dashboard. 6:31. The only sounds were the light snores of her fellow occupants and the rumble of the engine. She looked right, found Oliver fully alert and staring out of the window.