Two years ago, Henry and Adelia adopted Hafen, Stark, and Matteo, and they became known as The Fisher Family. Last night, however, Henry and Adelia were mercilessly killed and burnt into nothingness. Left alone again as orphans, what will Hafen, Matteo, and Stark do? What will be their fate?
Currently, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo noticed Pepe in the distance.
Pepe approached them from the unrecognizable path. A bandage wrapped around his body, covering the wounds on his chest. He also carried three bags. He handed his brothers a bag each and explained, "Here. These are potatoes from The Orphanage."
Stark grabbed his bag, and he shook it with a frown in his face. He felt it with his hands and remarked, "So light that it feels empty."
Pepe nervously laughed and scratched the back of his head. A drop of sweat trickled down his temple. "I did get hungry on the way here, so I ate some of it," he admitted.
Stark frowned. He opened his bag and pulled out a bitten, little piece of potato. With a look of disappointment, he turned the bag upside down. Then, he shook it, and nothing else fell out. He gave Pepe an intimidating glare as thanks. "What kind of prank are you pulling," he angrily interrogated.
"Sorry! I had a lot in my mind, and I got carried away," Pepe apologized with a stutter.
Hafen chuckled and mocked Stark, "That's funny."
Stark puffed up his cheeks. "An apology is not enough," he grumbled.
"Well, I was hungry. When I had already finished one, I couldn't help myself to eat from yours, too, Stark. Two full bags of potatoes," Pepe boldly confessed.
Hafen stopped chuckling and became serious. "Hold on. What do you mean by two full bags," he queried with narrowing eyes.
Pepe, still scratching the back of his head, revealed, "I also ate from your bag, Hafen. My bad."
Hafen quickly opened his bag and checked inside. His eyes widened. He glared at Pepe and muttered, "You left me none." He gritted his teeth.
Stark clenched his fist.
Embarrassed, Pepe looked down and rubbed his stomach. "I can grab some more," he offered and shrugged. He rose his head and flinched.
Hafen and Stark scowled at him.
Pepe blinked and queried, "I can get you some more. Why are you, two, so upset?"
Stark and Hafen simultaneously expressed, "You ate our food! Our parents are gone, and our home was burned down! We have nothing!" They menacingly approached him.
"Again, sorry," Pepe apologized and stepped back.
Suddenly, there was a sound of a potato being eaten.
Hafen and Stark halted and turned around.
Matteo happily munched on his potatoes.
Stark furrowed his eyebrows, and his mouth parted open. "Matteo, do you have some," he questioned.
With a mouth full, Matteo nodded and replied, "My bag is full of yummy potatoes." He smiled and urged, "I understand Pepe's predicament. He was hungry, so he had to eat two bags. It's not his fault. These are simply delicious!"
Pepe sighed in relief and praised, "Matteo, you're a lifesaver. Thank you!"
Matteo chuckled and chewed.
Dumbfounded and frustrated, Stark remarked, "I'm starving out here." His stomach rumbled.
Matteo finished his potato and grabbed another one. He stared at it for a moment and asked, "Would you like a bite?"
Stark's mouth formed a circle, and drool fell out. "Will you share with us," he threateningly inquired.
Matteo nodded.
Hafen and Stark, hesitant, turned towards each other and exchanged looks. They gulped and accepted his offer by approaching him.
Matteo's shoulders tensed up, and he reluctantly handed his potato to his brothers. At the last second, he ate the potato in front of them. Having second thoughts, he hugged his bag full of potatoes.
Furious, Hafen demanded to know, "Matteo! Why did you eat the potato?" His mouth remained agape.
"I changed my mind. These potatoes are mine," Matteo declared with a huff. He grabbed another potato and ate it. "I do not mind sharing, but both of you would eat them all if I did," he alleged.
Stark groaned out of frustration.
Pepe sighed. Due to similar past experiences, he knew what would happen next. He stood there and watched them fight over potatoes.
Hafen lunged towards Matteo and yelled, "You weren't supposed to do that!"
Hafen and Matteo rolled around in the dirt and wrestled for the bag.
Stark growled and attempted to pry Matteo's bag from him. He grasped it and sneered.
At the same time, Hafen pulled Matteo and slammed him to the other side.
As a result, Stark tripped forward and fell on top of Hafen. He landed on his face and let go.
Hafen released Matteo.
Matteo stood up with his bag of potatoes. He ran deep into the depths of the forest.
"Come back," Stark demanded.
Hafen clenched his teeth.
Hafen and Stark pursued Matteo through the forest. They were determined to steal his potatoes.
Matteo laughed as his brothers chased him. He was faster than them, so they never reached him.
Pepe followed them. Passing Hafen and Stark, he dashed towards Matteo and grabbed his wrist. He skidded to a stop.
Matteo frowned. "These potatoes are mine! Let go," he pleaded.
Hafen and Stark caught up.
"Stop fighting," Pepe ordered.
Stark panted and insisted, "Matteo should share his potatoes."
Exhausted, Hafen leaned against a giant root.
Pepe stretched his arm out towards Hafen and Stark. "There's more potatoes at The Orphanage," he suggested.
Hafen and Stark looked at him with a curious and surprised expression.
Matteo calmed down and stopped struggling.
Pepe elaborated, "You, three, could join the orphans and live there."
"Are you serious," Stark queried.
Pepe nodded with purpose. He let go of Matteo.
Hafen crossed his arms and sought to know, "Are you trying to take us back to The Orphanage? I hated living in that place."
In their last time, everyone in The Orphanage considered each other siblings as they were cared for by one person, Ursa. Even so, their lives were full of suffering. Starving without a proper shelter, they struggled to survive.
Pepe rubbed his chin and assured, "The Orphanage was renovated. We have a new place to stay, now. It's been a while since everyone has seen you."
"We have nowhere else to go," Matteo, intrigued, commented.
"Let's go," Stark urged.
Hafen sighed and relented, "Alright."
Soon, Pepe, Hafen, Stark, and Matteo walked on the path to The Orphanage.
Stark solemnly asked, "Do you think there is a way to bring mom and dad back?"
"I wish there was," Hafen responded.
Stark looked up at the canopy and proclaimed, "We'll find a way."
Matteo spat out a potato from his mouth. He picked it up and inquired, "How?"
"We will go to the outside world and find one," Stark declared.
Hafen scoffed and retorted, "You're being ridiculous. There's no such thing as reviving the dead. There's also the danger lurking beyond."
Pepe, behind them, listened to their conversation.
"We'll do it, and then, we'll travel the outside world with them," Stark claimed.
Matteo wondered and asked, "How can we revive mom and dad?"
"It's not possible, Matteo. Though, Stark has a point," Hafen remarked. He stared ahead and sternly added, "Even though it's dangerous, the outside world will hold some sort of clue or answer about the cloaked figures. That black fire was not normal. The house was burned into nothing. No ash or evidence of it ever existing."
Matteo's mouth downturned, and he queried, "What kind of mysteries do you think the outside world holds?"
"I don't know, but there's one thing we know for certain. We'll confront and defeat the evil cloaked figures," Stark announced and grinned.
Hafen nodded and affirmed, "They are the bad guys."
In the meantime, Pepe was deep in thought. How far was their resolve? He reminisced his own conversations with Cassandra.
"The outside world is filled with corruption and hazards. It's not for the weak-willed," Cassandra reminded in his mind.
Pepe shuddered and shook his head. He did not want his brothers to be involved in the problems of the outside world. Still, he vowed in a whisper, "I'll pave a path for them." At that moment, he squinted and snapped back. Looking around, he informed, "We're close. Let's hurry."
Stark, Matteo, and Hafen quickened their pace.
As they head back to The Orphanage, what awaits them? What kind of renovations did it get? How will the other orphans treat them?