Chapter Twelve

Caroline was satisfied with the books Cole brought back with him. However, she still managed to finish them in the blink of an eye… Cole had gotten used to his sister’s inhuman-like ability so he was no longer surprised. The person who was most surprised though was George.

“She’s done with them already?” George was taken aback when Cole returned the books to him.

“I’m afraid so, she said the books were nice, but she wonders…do you have anything more difficult?” Coke finished his question in almost a whisper because he himself thought his sister was being a bit too much. He even began to suspect if his sister was still human.

How can there be such a difference in talent between both of them when they shared the same Roberts Family blood? He must be adopted. The absurd question caught George off guard. It was already crazy that the books were finished in a day, but the person still asked for something harder? Those books were already the hardest he had!

This friend of Cole’s seemed to be more formidable than he initially thought. George straightened his body, and with a calm expression on his face, he put his arms around Cole, adding, “Cole, don’t hide from your senior. Tell me who is this friend of yours? You must introduce her to me.”

“Senior, it’s not that I don’t want to, but she doesn’t want to reveal her identity at the moment. I promise the moment she feels comfortable to do so, you’ll be the first person to know.” Cole said.

Geniuses tended to have their eccentricities; George understood that much.

He didn’t force Cole to reveal more but helped him as much as he could by finding him more books. Before Cole left, he said, “Cole, I’ll be frank. If your friend needs a job, tell her to come to me. I’ll have a good post waiting for her.”

Cole was overjoyed. He nodded earnestly, “Thank you, I’ll be sure to tell her that.” Cole rushed back to the hospital eager to tell Caroline the good news.

“Sis, why don’t you come work for my senior’s company when you’re feeling better? The benefits offered are not bad, and we can work alongside each other.” Cole suggested enthusiastically. He was looking forward to their future. They were going to be colleagues and with their combined salaries, things were finally going to look up.

Caroline replied as she packed her overnight bag, “I don’t intend to commit to a 9 to 5 job.”

Cole was bewildered, he asked, “Then what do you intend to do?”

“Alright, that’s everything. Let’s go home.” Caroline said in lieu of an explanation. She lifted her bag and headed towards the exit.

Cole quickly helped her carry the rest and the both of them took a bus ride home. After several days of recovery, Caroline was feeling much better. On the bus, Cole said happily, “Sis, to celebrate your discharge from the hospital, dad bought a whole chicken this morning to make chicken stew for us to enjoy. Caroline smiled, thinking about her uncle’s cooking.

She wasn’t much of an eater but she would end up eating a bigger portion than usual whenever her uncle cooked. This was because his cooking reminded her of home….

Caroline leaned her head on the window pane, the glass was icy to the touch; a stark contrast to the warmth in jear heart. If not for her uncle and Cole’s support, her past few years would have been hell. They provided her with a semblance of family and even though they didn’t have much material-wise, they had each other.

Now that she recovered her memory, she promised herself she would repay their kindness. Caroline decided to start earning money and she wasn’t lacking in means for that. And none involved a 9 to 5 job. It was not that she looked down on Cole’s senior, but it was just that she had something better in mind. After passing many stations, the bus finally reached their residential area.

They alighted the bus and headed straight home. Their residential area housed the city’s bottom feeders like cheap foreign labors, the practically homeless, abandoned seniors as well as the infirmed….

People whose everyday life was a struggle. For these people, life was not enjoyment but an uphill battle. Furthermore, living in the area cowed the residents spirits. Gradually, they stopped pushing themselves as they surrendered to the reality that they believed would be the rest of their lives.

“Cole, our immediate objective is to find a new place to live, we can’t live here anymore.” Caroline said suddenly.

Cole looked at Caroline strangely, trying to see if he heard her wrong. He finally replied, “But we don’t have the money…”

“Leave that to me. We must locate a new place to live soon because this place is not suitable for an aspiring young man like yourself. It is also harmful to uncle’s health,” Caroline explained when they spotted a gathered group of people several feet in front of them.

A harsh sounding voice emitted from within the group, “Told you to start packing, didn’t I? Or you want us to do the packing for you?”

Cole wore a mask of worry as he said, “What’s happening, why are there so many people in front of our house?”

Caroline ran forward and fought her way through the crowd. She saw her uncle locked in a confrontation with their landlord. It wasn’t really a confrontation because John, due to his peaceful nature, merely stood there as the landlord yelled to his face. When the landlord stopped to take his breath, he said weakly, “How can you ask us to move out suddenly? It’s not like we didn’t pay your rent.”

“Old man,keep your mouth clean and don’t accuse me of things I didn’t do, I said I’ll return your filthy money after your move! Today, you must empty this house!” The landlord pushed across John and started throwing their stuff out the door.

“Stop, please stop!” John moved forward to stop the landlord but the landlord shoved him away with a hard push. He faltered for a few steps before knocking into one of the dining table’s corners, sending the whole table and the pot of chicken stew crashing to the floor.