Thermophile

Six: Brother

LEIB

"You're stalling. Tell me already." She demanded, annoyance evident in her tone.

A sort-off flash caught my eyes, automatically pulling them to that direction. "Shit." I couldn't stop my mouth from uttering the expletive. A freaking spark blazed for half a second just beside my sister's head. Maybe it was my eyes playing tricks on me, maybe it was something else.

She sighed, "Fine, don't tell me, but don't curse me for asking for help."

Why would she ask about a microorganism when she wasn't even interested? I told her anyway, though.

"A Strain 121 is a unicellular heat loving bacteria-they are called thermophiles-well, it's the general term for those types of bacteria that prefers to live in temperatures considered warm or hot." I went for an apple in the fridge and then went back to take a seat on the kitchen chair.

"In a Geogemma barossii's case-strain 121-" by the shape of her mouth when she turned to me I knew she was going to ask if that was a person I was talking about.

"It is classified as an extremophile. You know, "extreme". According to scientists, this bacterium can live up to one-hundred twenty-one to one-hundred thirty degrees Celsius, hence the name."

I watched as she grabbed the handle of the casserole to steady it while she poured the other ingredients. The metal handle of a heating casserole! "So it loves heat. Does it ever get destroyed, like can it really take that amount of heat without burning any of its parts?" She leaned on the refrigerator, the kitchen island in between us.

"No," I answered immediately, I crossed my legs and leaned back to the chair to appear at ease, but the truth was I was spooked. "Because some of the cell components of these types of organisms possesses particular properties than that of the normal-temperature thriving ones. It was said that the reason these organisms survive in such drastic conditions was the high guanine-cytosine content, though it was later then taken back."

Kat moved to check the food.

"In the recent studies, it showed that there was no correlation between the content of the genome and the environmental growth of this microorganism. So it still remains a mystery."

My sister seemed deep in thought, but I couldn't help but ask questions regarding her disappearance. "Kat, did you notice anything weird about or around you lately?"

She looked at me funny. "Like what?"

"Anything."

"Nothing." But she sounded like she wasn't sure if it was really nothing.

"Kids, we're home." Called Mom from the living room.

Mom entered the kitchen hauling a large bag "Hi," Immediate she went to her and gave my sister a kiss on her cheek. "How was school?" She asked her, keeping her arms around Kat.

I know Mom got a lot of questions and she was holding herself back from asking because the psychiatrist advised her to do so. Now, whenever she could, she would be around Kat, asking her trivial questions. Her constant hugs and kisses always given to my sister.

"Fine," Kat mumbled while she eyed me.

Got it, mouth sealed. I stood up, walked to Mom and hugged her.

"I'll go help Dad fix whatever he had brought home to fix." With that, I walked out.

I found Dad taking out grocery bags. "No take home work today?" I asked lifting two, one in each arms.

"Nope, closed the shop early." After he closed the compartment door, instead of lifting the bags, he went and popped the hood of my car. "Your engine could use a cleaning." He said, still peering in.