The Boy (a Brahms fanfic)

Rule #4

Olivia's P. O. V.

I took off my earphones. Mom and Dad are still blaming each other for what happened. I looked on my left, Adam's eyes are still glued on to his Nintendo.

"I told you to stick to what this goddamn GPS says before, Arnold!" Mom pointed at her mobile phone.

"I know, I know! But I'm the Father of this family! If I say that we stick to following this map then we stick to it!" Dad angrily replied.

Mom rolled her eyes. "Yeah right. That's why we're in the middle of nowhere right now."

"We are not lost yet, just as long as there's a road we could drive on." Dad gripped the steering wheel.

Mom sighed in reply.

Yet. We're not lost yet.

I just wish that this is just another one of my hallucinations. I just don't want to see my parents argue. But I've been used to them ever since they started to fight each other in our house. Ever since they started to drift apart from each other, like, they never even once loved each other before.

"Hey" Adam whispered.

I looked at him from my window. "What?"

"Where do you think we're heading to?"

I really have no idea what to reply to that, so I just shrugged.

Last week, Mom announced to us that we need to take a break, from, I don't know, everything? But she didn't tell us where or why are we even going on a vacation. Dad agreed to it, I just really hope that this so called 'vacation' will not be the reason for Mom and Dad to get divorced.

I was taken aback from reality when I heard Mom call my name.

"Are you guys okay over there?" Mom asked in a concern tone.

I nodded.

"Are we there yet?" Adam asked.

"Soon, honey. We're gonna be there soon." Then I saw Dad looked at Mom.

While staring at the tall beautiful trees we're passing by, I suddenly said, "Is this for me? I mean, this whole trip. Did Dr. Curtis tell you that a trip with my whole family will cure me?"

I heard Mom sighed.

"Yes, Livy. But your Dad and I were the ones who gave him the idea. He said that it will lessen your hallucinations if all of us spend a couple of days together, away from the city." Mom explained.

"You didn't even ask my opinion to this." I said with my head down.

"If we did, would you agree?" asked Dad.

I was silent. No, I certainly wont agree. This vacation won't lessen anything if Mom and Dad would always be acting like children and fight like a cat and a dog. I'd rather spend my days in my room, listening to every word that my home-school teacher would say, and lastly, watch some old cartoon tv shows with Adam.

I shook my head in reply.

"See? All we want is for you to see the world outside your room. I mean, isn't it great to see these big old trees, Livy?" Dad pointed the trees that's been entertaining me the whole time.

Green. So much green. Then I imagined what would it be like to be underneath those thick trunks.

"Peaceful, huh?" Dad continued.

Suddenly, I wondered for a moment. We haven't seen and passed by any motels, shops or gasoline stations, for the pass twenty minutes.

"Where are even going to, Dad?" I asked.

Mom replied instead. "We're supposed to be in an old inn that your Uncle Pete own, twenty-four minutes ago. But your Father here, must've took the wrong turn earlier."

"Now, Pete is my cousin. I've been to that inn too many times before. I know the way there by heart." Dad said.

"What's an inn?" Adam asked, still playing a game.

"It's a place where we will stay for a couple of days." Dad replied to Adam, not tearing off his eyes on the road.

"It's more of like a pub, Adam. I'm sure that's what Dad meant." I said

"A pub? Isn't that for adults only?" Adam asked again.

Mom quickly replied, "They no longer run the business, Adam. Your Uncle Pete offered us to use it since his whole family migrated to Amsterdam."

"Cool." Was all Adam managed to say.

Then, up their in the sky. I saw black smoke from afar.

"Is that smoke?" I asked myself

"What were you saying, Livy?" Mom asked.

"Look outside the window! There's black smoke!" I touched the transparent window, pointing my index finger at the smoke.

Then all of them, except Dad, looked in unison.