Our Destiny

5. Broken rule

The sunbeams, partially obscured by clouds, streamed into the living room where George, Alexa, and Dino were sleeping. The girl lay cuddled up with her pet on one side of the couch, her legs hanging freely towards the ground, her body covered by a blanket. The dark-haired boy occupied the other side with his arms behind his head and legs drawn up. They were tired, utterly exhausted by everything that had been happening lately. Despite managing, none of them admitted they wanted it.

The apartment was enveloped in a pleasing silence, interrupted only by birds chirping and the rustle of trees outside the window. There was something incredibly soothing about it. The tranquility surrounding them became a refuge they didn't want to leave. An escape from the hustle and bustle of their lives. However, this beautiful, harmonious atmosphere faded into oblivion when a joyous boy burst into the living room, stumbling over his own feet. He first approached Dino, whom he gently petted and scratched behind the ear, prompting the four-legged friend to lick his cheek. Right after that, he woke up his siblings, who reluctantly sat up and looked at him with reproachful eyes. As usual, they had no desire to face the day and preferred to spend the entire morning in bed, but having a younger brother whose energy equaled that of ten made it quite challenging. Besides, they had plenty of chores to do before leaving the house.

Upon getting up, Alexa immediately made sandwiches for the trio with ham, cheese, cucumber, and tomato. After finishing their meal, Will loaded the dishes into the dishwasher and started catching up on Friday's homework, while the remaining two began cleaning the house, as they did every weekend. Activating the cleaning robot and the washing machine didn't take long, but apart from that, they had to dust the entire house and mop the floors, which always took them significantly more time. They ended by tidying up their own rooms, although their aversion to this task was so immense that they decided to forgo it. In this way, after less than two hours at home, everything was done, leaving only the garden. Mowing and planting new flowers were not the most exciting activities, but with the help of Will and Dino, it became much more enjoyable.

"Dino, give me back my shoe!" George's shout echoed from the house, followed by the sight of the four-legged creature dashing out with the boy's shoe clutched in its teeth. It carried it like a trophy, obtained after many attempts. Shortly after, the owner of the footwear rushed out of the house, hopping on one foot to avoid dirtying his sock, trying to retrieve his property. He finally managed to catch up to it, but as he did, the dog pulled away, knocking him so forcefully that he landed squarely on the wet and dirty grass. "Damn it! I'll turn you into pâté!" he said, looking at the dog warningly, to which it responded by turning its head slightly to the side with its black eyes fixed on him. Then it ran off again. Alexa watched the whole scene with considerable amusement, especially when Dino approached her and handed her George's shoe.

At fifteen o'clock, everyone was already washed up and ready to go out. Alex and Will were going to the nearby park with Dino and Katie, where there was also a playground they often visited with the boy. Meanwhile, George had plans to go into town with his classmates, which he unfortunately ran late for because he had to change after his scuffle with Dino. The brunette texted her friend, throwing a dark green jacket over her shoulders and slipping on matching-colored shoes. She grabbed her wallet and leash, attaching the end to the dog's collar, and then left the house with her younger brother. The journey to the park took them over thirty minutes, and just before its gate, they were greeted by a beautiful blonde dressed in light jeans and a short, red hoodie embroidered with a small rose on the right side. They exchanged greetings, then headed down one of the paths into the park, with Will starting to tell the blonde about what he managed to do in class yesterday. She listened attentively, smiling each time he spoke with such excitement that he was practically bouncing on the spot.

When they reached the center of the park, where the playground was located, the boy immediately ran towards it. He approached other children playing on the slide, with whom he was very familiar. In no time, they started playing tag, running around the entire playground and laughing loudly.