Mike thought for a moment and his expression softened. He realized he had no reason to be offended; they were from different planets, after all. The fact that they spoke the same language was amazing, making communication easier.
He couldn't imagine the difficulties they would have faced if they spoke different languages. How would he have understood them? How would he have learned crucial information about himself?
Even Djuma, who he thought would be exceptional considering the information he gathered on his planet, Earth, proved to be more like an AI, claiming he had never heard certain words before.
Mike took a deep breath to calm himself. He needed to explain to them, to share his knowledge with the Anthropters. After all, they were willing to help him, and he needed their assistance to uncover the truth about the past and his destiny.
"Rain is... something that pours down from the sky," he began, his hands gesturing upwards as if to demonstrate the direction of the rain.
"A fluid that you drink to survive," he continued, mimicking the action of drinking from an imaginary cup.
Only then did the Anthropters' eyes widen in realization. "It's Omi; that's what we call it here," Miram replied, a smile spreading across her face.
"It pours here often during its season," Cat added. "We and our crops survive on it too."
"Wow, I can't believe this," Mike muttered under his breath. "This is really crazy!"
He turned to Garo, his eyes seeking a respite from the overwhelming conversation. "I'm tired already, let's go," he said.
"Follow me, my Jyuran," Garo said, her voice soft. She led Mike and Miram toward a passageway at the corner of the cavern, the entrance Cat had used earlier when she first appeared.
****
A loud, piercing honk shattered the silence, jolting Rachael out of her thoughts. She sprang up from the chair in Mike's room and rushed toward the window to verify the source of the sound.
She glanced downstairs through the window and the sight that greeted her was unmistakable - her parents' car was parked outside, a clear indication that they had returned home.
"My parents are back!" she exclaimed. She dashed toward Mike's bed, where Stefan was lying, and a look of concern crossed her face.
"Just sleep, don't talk or answer any questions. Don't even make a sound, not even a breath," she warned as she covered him with a blanket.
"Are you kidding me? I shouldn't breathe too?" Stefan grumbled. "Don't you think you're expecting too much?"
Rachael rolled her eyes. "Whatever, just turn your head to the other side so my parents won't see your face," she hissed.
She advanced toward the door and suddenly turned back, her gaze meeting Stefan's. "Hope you know my brother doesn't snore?" she said.
Stefan, who was already sitting up, let out a disappointed sigh. "I snore, I'm sorry. I can't help it, you know... inherited skill," he said.
"Must you crack jokes in every situation?" Rachael berated, her tone stern. "Can you please, be serious for once?"
However, Stefan shook his head sideways, a mischievous glint in his eye. "That's not possible; I'm alive thanks to my humor; I can't survive without it," he replied nonchalantly.
"You can never kill my star," he added, giving her a lopsided grin that only seemed to infuriate her further.
"Just make sure to stay awake," Rachael hissed in disgust. "And please, try as much as possible not to put us in hot soup, okay?"
She grasped the door's hand and sighed. "Your snore is yours to deal with. I'll kill you if I hear a single croak from you."
"This is much more difficult than I imagined," Stefan muttered under his breath as he watched Rachael exit the room.
He laid down on Mike's bed, covering himself with the blanket as he steeled himself for the challenge ahead.
Rachael ran downstairs to meet her parents, who were already out of their SUV. "Welcome, how's… your day?" she greeted, faking a smile to conceal her nervousness.
Mrs. Smith's eyes scanned Rachael's face as she advanced toward the front door. "You look strangely happy, Rachael. What's the occasion?" she asked.
"Nothing, just happy you're home early," Rachael said.
"Early? I thought we were exceptionally late today," Mr. Smith chimed in, glancing at his wristwatch. "It's 9:10 p.m. already, aren't we late?"
Mrs. Smith stopped on her track and stared at Rachael, her eyes narrowing slightly as she searched for any signs of deception. Rachael, sensing her mother's scrutiny, quickly averted her face.
"You sly brat, have you done something wrong?" Mrs. Smith's voice rose.
"Nothing, I didn't do anything," Rachael shook her head frantically, her voice trembling as she denied any wrongdoing.
Mrs. Smith's gaze remained fixed on her for a moment before she stepped into the house. "Where's your brother?" she asked.
"Ummm... sleeping, of course," Rachael replied, her voice dropping to a whisper.
Mrs. Smith's eyes narrowed again. She knew her daughter well enough to recognize the signs of deception on her face.
"Something is definitely wrong, I can feel it," she said as she turned to head upstairs.
Meanwhile, Stefan, who was lying in Mike's bed, sensed the arrival of Mrs. Smith in the room and clutched his eyes shut, fear gripping his heart.
He grasped the edge of the blanket tightly, his knuckles white with fright as he held his breath, hoping to remain undetected.
Mrs. Smith entered the room and she approached the bed where Stefan lay. She sat down on the edge, staring passionately at whom she assumed to be her son.
Rachael and Mr. Smith arrived shortly after, taking slow steps into the room.
"My love, I'm sorry I haven't been a good mother to you for the past few days," Mrs. Smith began her hand gently patting Stefan's curly hair, a gesture that seemed to belie her words.
"I can feel that there's been a gap between us, a distance I caused by neglecting my kids," she continued, her eyes fixed on Stefan's back.
Rachael's gaze drifted to the ceiling. "Dammit, I wonder how she would react if she learned her son is no longer on this planet," she muttered under her breath.
"Mom, let him be!" She turned protective when she spotted her hand on Stefan's head. "He said he doesn't want to be disturbed!" She stepped forward as if to intervene but halted as soon as Mrs. Smith swiveled around to meet her gaze.
"Have he eaten?" she inquired, ignoring Rachael's tantrum.
"Yes, Mom," Rachael replied, nodding fervently. "Stefan brought a box of pizza a few hours ago, we all ate it before he… departed."
Mrs. Smith's gaze lingered on Rachael's face for a long while. Then, she turned back to Stefan. "However, something still feels wrong," she said, her nose twitching slightly as she sniffed the air around him.
"It smells strange too," she added, seemingly suspicious.
Mr. Smith, who was standing beside the door chuckled slightly. "Is something wrong, darling?" he asked. "Does your son smells like your best food?"
Mrs. Smith glared but ignored his jest. "Something strange is going on here," she replied, yet uncertain.
Stefan, who could no longer control his anxiety, sneezed out loud, the sound explosive in the tense atmosphere. Rachael's heartbeat immediately began to race with fear.
"It's over, I'm done for," she muttered under her breath.