"How did she die?" She asked before she could stop herself.
The bouncing off his leg froze, the grip on his screwdriver tightened as his jaw clenched.
There is a short moment of silence between both the siblings.
"I was six, a few months after your birth, " he began, his eyes fixated on the game as if avoiding eye contact, "she came back from her trip from Helker, a day or two passed by. We were being informed of the sudden deaths of the members. Dad was really getting nervous about her, a week passed by and she was still active as ever,"
"It was Ludere season and she dropped me off at Divinus, to let me watch a match. It was in the middle of the night when Morgana came into my room and told me she was," he gulped, “Gone. Gone forever"
"I thought she was joking, but she wasn't someone who would normally come into someone's room and tell their mother is dead."
"I asked her about you. She paused, as if trying to tell it to me the best way possible. There really wasn't. Different words, same meaning."
"They integrated dad, he was on the suspects list. A few days later they informed us that it was the Sicariurs."
"Dad hadn't been home a few times, I woke up in the middle of the night. He wasn't there like mom. A father can't even play half of the role of the mother without complaining."
"That's why I lived with Sally's parents for a while. They comforted me. They all did. Dad moved into Divinus. We lived together."
"And that was when I found my love for inventing gadgets, like my dad. He taught me, gave me advice and tips. It was a great coping mechanism for the both of us,"
"Then, we found you." He smiled at her, not an actual smile more like a little tilt on his lips.
"One hundred and fifty points for Furvus!"
"Team Furvus wins!"
Loud cheers burst from the stands, kids and teens with black and silver paint on their faces yelled in triumphant, banners and flags whirling in the air.
All the team Vorkus scrunched their eyes shut and crouched down gripping the sides of their disks. Andrea stared in confusion, within a second their disks powered off, they fell all the way from up in the sky, a gust of wind was let out from underneath their disks as they dropped on their backs.
Unlike team Vorkus the Furvuses landed smoothly.
One of the eliminators from the team Vorkus held one of his teammates by the collar of their heather jacket and screamed at his face, the young boy just responded by looking down.
"Hey! Hey! Hey!" Garren rushed down. Andrea looked around, Aurella was no longer anywhere in sight.
She picked up Garren's coat, tool box and the disk he was repairing. She walked down near their fight making sure to keep distance. They were in a crowd screaming and yelling obscenities at each other.
"We won fair and square! you shitty Losers just can't come to accept your place!" One yelled.
Andrea noticed a lanky looking man enter the field with two bottles of wine bottles.
"Who wants victory wine!" He exclaimed, throwing his hands in the air.
He mumbled to himself as his face contorted into a frown and sat at the bottom of the bleachers watching the fight with amusement as he took a swig.
"Stop it! Stop it!" Garden yelled along with Sally and Callista.
Leo pulled out the young boy from the crowd and shoved him, giving the boy an opportunity to run away.
How sincere.
They were still arguing.
"What is this?!"
Morgana strolled into the field with Lauranda. Everyone froze, shifting away from each other.
"What kind of behavior is this?!" She scolded.
They all looked down in dishonor.
"Is this how you were taught to behave?"
"No ma'am," they mumbled.
"Sorry, I didn't catch that,"
"No ma'am"
"No ma'am what?!"
"This was not how we were taught how to behave!"
"Exactly, now apologize to each other"
They all mumbled apologies to each other and shook hands. Andrea knew they didn't mean a single word that came out of their mouths.
"Now if this kind of behavior repeats, I will not hesitate to suspend you from Ludere, if not your tasks or missions as well. You hear me!"
"Yes ma'am!"
"Good," she turned to Atlas with her hands on her hips, “and you! Do you think you’re setting a good example for these kids with bottles of wine,"
"This is not just wine Morgy darling, this is a victory wine. Would you like some?"
"No thank you! How many times do I have to tell you not to go around drinking does a single day pass by without you not drinking?"
"We all know that'll only happen once you learn how to shut that mouth of yours Morgy. You just talk too much, even I can't handle all your bantering. God sometimes I wonder whether it's the drinking or you," he retorted taking another swig making Morgana gasp.
Nathan and Jordan howled, "Darling Morgy just got roasted!"
She glared at the twins as they looked down and a curse mumbled from their lips.
"So does anyone want some victory wine?"
"No one wants that wine Atlas!"
"Alright more for me then!" He began skipping around the field, “Life is too short to give a shit about! Woah! Bum, bum, bum, bum!"
Morgana tried her best at ignoring him and turned her attention back to the players.
"You all smell putrid, get all of your sweaty arses in the showers! Now!"
They all fled to their shower stalls except Garren, Callista, and Sally.
"Hello Andrea," Morgana walked towards her, plastering a smile on her face.
She nodded back in acknowledgement. "Do you like Ludere?"
She nodded.
"Well that's great, so do you plan on playing it?"
"Why are you so eager for me to play it?"
"Well it's a tradition in your family, isn't Garren?"
"Keep telling that to yourself ma'am but not every Carson plays a game, some host it,"
"Well there is a free spot,"
"It's not free," Lauranda seethed.
Everyone looked at her in pity, except Andrea who just stared in confusion.
"Lauranda dear, he's gone. He's not.." Morgana trailed as she cupped her face. Lauranda pulled away.
"He's not gone, he'll come back…"
"Dear, you even know he won't. Deep inside you know he's gone for good,"
Lauranda was fuming, tears form at the corner of her eyes. "You don't know that," her voice was cracking, she pointed a finger at Morgana.
"I do. I know because ever since he left and never came back there was always this uncertainty in your eyes. Your tongue may lie, but eyes never will,"
Garren gestured her to come, she walked towards him and handed him his belongings.
"It was all his fault!" Lauranda pointed her finger at the dancing Atlas with his almost empty wine bottle, "you were all irresponsible enough to let that idiot lead the team when he can't even lead himself! He was the reason my fiancé died!"
"Lauranda! Don't say that! It wasn't his fault, he-"
"You're right, it wasn't his fault! It was you and your husband's fault! It was because of both of your carelessness,"
"Lauranda.." she glanced back at the four of them, who looking intently at the drama that unfolding before them, "we should discuss about this in somewhere more private,"
She led Lauranda out of the field. Garren placed the disk down on the ground,
"You ready? Okay, now step on it,"
She did as she was told the outer line of the disk glewd as a large gust of air shooting from the soles and caused her to hover.
"Steady, steady."
She began to elevate higher and higher.
"Yay!" She heard Callista shout.
Andrea looked around, she estimated that she was 150 meters high in the air. The wind billowed against her face, the adrenaline she felt was a fun high in that moment she felt so alive.
She looked down to see the three of them smiling and waving up at her.
The blue light dimmed, it turned off completely causing her to fall. Her hands grasped for a non-existing handle, she gripped the sides of the disks tightly. The gushing air races through her body, she sees the ground getting closer by the second.
Callista and Sally screamed. Garren walked around hoping to catch her, knowing he'll hurt himself along the process.
The muscles of her body went into a spasm causing discomfort, the vibration bringing shocks of pain down her head, back and elbows. She heard the wincing sound of a bone cracking, it wasn't hers.
Hissing in pain she rolled around to see Atlas groaning on the grass.
"Andrea!" She heard their voices as she pried her eyes open.
She gave an attempt to sit up until her whole body fell back not on the grass but on a robust pair of arms.