anwhile, at the Old Pierson Residence...
Old Mrs. Pierson clasped her hands excitedly as she gazed at the class picture hanging on the wall. Her eyes twinkled as Butler Hubert instructed the helpers to position it at the right angle.
"Perfect!" Butler Hubert gave a thumbs-up, nodding at the helpers. "Great work."
The helpers smiled back at him and glanced toward the Old Madam. A look of satisfaction bead on their faces before they quietly walked away.
"Madam," Butler Hubert called, shifting his attention to the Old Madam. "Is this okay now?"
Old Mrs. Pierson nodded, her eyes still on the photo. The gleam in her eyes slowly turned moist until she was teary. Before she knew it, tears were already falling down her wrinkled cheeks.
As if Butler Hubert anticipated this, he quickly pulled out a white handkerchief. She took it while he watched her wipe the corner of her eyes. While all of this was happening, Butler Hubert turned his head toward the entrance upon hearing Allison’s voice.
Butler Hubert offered Allison a subtle smile and took a step back to give them space. Still, he stayed nearby, just in case the Old Madam started bawling.
"Grandma," Allison sweetly draped her arm around Old Mrs. Pierson, leaning her head on her shoulder. Snapping her eyes to the chaotic class picture on the wall, her eyes softened as her lips curled up. "Aren’t they lovely, Grandma?"
Old Mrs. Pierson nodded, trying her best to hold back the tears that threatened to escape her eyes. "It is... lovely. My Renren didn’t have a normal school life because of his health conditions, but... I’m glad to see him wear a school uniform at least once."
"He looked so happy," she added softly, unable to look away from the photo. "They all look so happy."
Allison nodded, her eyes also on the photo. "They do, Grandma."
"Thank you, my dear." Old Mrs. Pierson tilted her head toward Allison while the latter flashed her a smile. "For bringing this to ."
"Slater ntioned that Zoren didn’t have any class pictures, so I thought this would do," said Allison. "I’m glad you liked it, Grandma."
The two of them nodded at each other in approval before returning their gaze to the portrait.
The class picture they were talking about wasn’t even a formal class photo. It was from the reunion they had. The photo was chaotic, with only a few people smiling at the cara. Their eyes scanned the annoyed look on Atlas, who was side-eyeing Hugo. After all, Hugo had his arm over Atlas’s shoulder and his other arm draped over another of his friends.
Next to them were Dean and Jonathan glaring at each other. Just one look, and it was clear that whatever they were saying when the photo was taken had made each other’s blood boil. But what made them stand out was the hand holding a heart shape between them—Ray. There was also Nina smiling awkwardly while Lily struck a kissy pose to her side. Ginnie was sticking her tongue out while head locking Max.
Then, Penny and Zoren, at the back, right in the middle, held their arms to make one big heart. Right beside them were Slater and Benjamin, looking at them in disbelief, their hands forming the letter C—an incomplete heart.
It was a chaotic "class" photo — which actually wasn’t a class photo. But it was a photo that ward the Old Madam’s heart.
"I hope they’re enjoying their trip," Old Mrs. Pierson whispered with a smile.
*****
[Back to Pierson Castle]
"Ick!" Lily froze in place as she looked around cautiously. "He’s not in here, right?"
Ginnie laughed. "Didn’t you see Mark take the black panther away?"
"I know, but anything can happen!" Lily complained before facing Penny with puppy eyes. "Penny, are you sure your pet doesn’t bite?"
"Of course not..."
"Unless she asked him to," Zoren chid in, causing Penny to trail off and Lily to beco even more anxious.
When they ca out earlier, they hadn’t realized there was a panther around. Even Penny had forgotten that little detail. After all, for Penny, Renny wasn’t a wild animal. For her, Renny was a big, gentle giant. But then again, many of them weren’t used to having a panther around — who was?
"Kyahh!! Now I’m getting even more scared!" Lily scread and started stress-eating, making Nina a bit concerned.
"Uh, Lily..." Nina clasped her hands together, watching Lily breathe in and out heavily after stuffing her mouth with cookies.
"It’s okay, she’ll be fine," said Ginnie to Nina, waving dismissively. "She’ll co around soon."
Nina’s smile twitched at Ginnie’s nonchalance. "Even though I know Lily’s gonna be fine, that’s kind of an, Ginnie."
"Lily, if you’re scared of sothing, face it!" Penny encouraged her friend, for so reason, appearing beside Lily to tap her shoulder. "Don’t worry. Blacky is actually very kind... and this cookie is very nice too. See? Blacky is helping you eat more."
This ti, Nina was rendered speechless, while Ginnie’s face contorted.
"Penny, at least say that without stuffing your face with cookies!" Ginnie exclaid, but Penny just continued helping Lily eat.
anwhile, the boys’ side, which was just beside the won, was quieter. The boys were Benjamin, Zoren, Atlas, Max, and Finn. Slater wasn’t there, saying he wanted to rest for a bit and take a shower. However, he had told them he would join later.
As for the others...
"Oh, now that I think of it, where’s Allen?" Benjamin asked, scanning the faces around. "Why hasn’t he co?"
"He said he wanted to stay around town to buy so stuff for his... poor girlfriend," answered Atlas, making Benjamin scrunch up his nose.
’For so reason, I think I know why he called Allen’s girlfriend pitiful,’ Benjamin thought but decided to keep that to himself.
"Now that you brought that up, where’s that blockhead?" Max intoned, earning a death glare from Atlas. He laughed awkwardly and raised his hand. "I’m not bullying your brother, Atlas. If anything, the chances of Hugo being the bully are high. So, don’t give that look."
"My brother might be a blockhead, but keep your thoughts private," Atlas said flatly.
Private? Didn’t Atlas know that everyone knows Hugo has muscles in his brain?!
"So, where is he?" Max cleared his throat, looking back at Atlas and then at everyone. "You don’t know where he is?"
Suddenly, Mark’s voice was heard, making everyone turn their heads toward his approaching figure. "The Second Brother is resting; after all, he didn’t get any last night."
"Huh?" Everyone furrowed their brows. Even the girls looked at Mark in confusion.
"How is that possible?" asked Ginnie. "He left right after dropping the shopping bags last night."
Benjamin also nodded. "And he didn’t co to the bar with us last night."
"Well." Mark let out a shallow breath, smiling in confusion, knowing what Hugo did last night would render them speechless. It rendered Mark speechless, after all. "Second Brother didn’t see the boat Butler Lee sent to pick you up in case you wanted to go back. So, he... swam from the town to the island."
Everyone’s thought bubble went from this "..." to this "!!!???"
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