System, I'm Sick...Again!

Vin (15)

"Aldrich, Vin, you're here. Come in, come in." Gerald lead the two to his office. He made Aldrich relax on a chair.

"Now Aldrich, close your eyes, relax your body and empty your mind. Just listen to my voice.

As the session is happening, Chaim is watching on the other side of the room.

{Is there a hypnosis power in your store-search thingy?}

[As I've said, you can buy anything in our store.]

{I'm gonna check on that. It would be a breeze doing these tasks if I can just hypnotize people to do things for me.}

Chaim continued watching the session.

{I thought he's gonna use a pocket watch and ask Aldrich to stare at it. That's what they do in movies.}

[...]

After almost an hour, Aldrich opened his eyes and looked at Vin with a lot of emotions in his eyes.

There was joy, sadness, guilt and a few more that Chaim could't decipher.

"Vin..."

"Dad!"

Just as Aldrich was about to say something, Jeremiah bursts into the room. He looked around in shock as he saw familiar faces.

"Vin? Aldrich? What are you guys doing here?" He asked with curiosity.

Before Vin could answer, Gerald some first.

"Jeremiah! What do you think you're doing barging into my office like that?! Where are your manners young man?!"

Chaim could see Jeremiah's joy diminishing from his eyes, like a deflating balloon.

"I just want to tell you that I got the highest score on our test." Jeremiah said, but with less enthusiasm, unlike his excited shout before.

"I expect that you perfected it, and am I right?" Gerald sternly asked.

With that question, the last bit of joy in Jeremiah was lost.

"N-no, I...I have three mistakes, but I'm still the highest in our class." He said with his head down.

"Three mistakes? What? Did you thought that you're so smart that you didn't study for your test?"

'Huh, that's why.'

{Are you sure I can't just murder him? Because I have a hundred and one ways to make murder look like a suicide or an accident.}

[What book did you read that from?]

{...camouflaged murder the one hundred and one edition.}

[Why, Chaim? Why?]

{It had a pretty cover! Plus, I might need it someday, like right now when I'm itching to stab this animal with an icicle.}

[No, just no.]

{Fine. You're no fun. Just like Axy when I suggested to try them to see if they really work.}

[I don't understand why he still worked for you when you're like that.]

{I'm irresistible.}

[Irresistible to kill.]

When Aldrich came out of his somewhat dazed state, he saw what was happening to Jeremiah and stood up to defend him.

"Uncle Gerald, I think there's a better way to do this other than scolding your son for having three mistakes on a test."He said as he came between the two.