Well… to put it simply…
I just told them that I somehow entered a dead person's body.
Who was none other than Helena's husband—Elias.
The silence was heavy.
I checked the time—6:25 PM.
So I was out for roughly fifteen minutes… which matches the amount of time I must've spent in his body.
"So, you're saying you went inside the photo… and entered my dad's body?" Ruby broke the silence.
I gave her the smallest nod, meeting her confused eyes.
Now that I look back… Elias was right. Ruby really did look like Helena.
Blonde hair that shimmered under golden sunlight. A small frame, always paired with that feisty look on her face.
Though her personality—definitely like the devil herself.
But her eyes… her eyes were Elias's.
"Elias took the photo secretly… and that day, we were definitely going for a check-up.
And Elias, he always said he was an amazing photographer because I looked pretty in every photo he took…"
Helena's voice was soft as she spoke, her eyes finally lifting off the ground and meeting mine.
"You couldn't have known that. No one could've. But then… how?"
Nobody had an answer. Not even me.
I had already tried touching the same photo again—nothing.
None of the others reacted either.
I sat still for once, hands clasped together.
Would they think I'm weird?
Would Helena regret taking me in?
I squeezed my eyes shut for a moment…But then– "Does your head still hurt?"
Helena asked gently, her eyes full of concern.
"…Not really."
Finally, Leon stopped pacing around the room and spoke.
"We have no clue what happened. And whatever it was, it didn't happen again… Let's leave it at that for now."
His tone was flat, but not cold.
Earlier, He actually looked more paranoid, even more than me for some reason…
"Now that the idiot's up and fine, I'm going to do my homework," Ruby said, already pulling out her books.
"I should also start cooking dinner… How about steak with baked potatoes?" Helena said, tying on her apron.
"Sounds great to me. I'll wash and peel the potatoes for you," Leon added.
My throat bobbed, but no words came out.
It took me a second to realize—
They knew what was on my mind.
And this was their way of making me feel better.
Because what just happened… couldn't really be explained. Or fixed.
I finally let out a breath—somewhere between a sigh and a laugh.
"Well, looks like Rubes needs her brother's help with homework, huh?"
"Oh please," she rolled her eyes. "I already mastered the concept you taught me yesterday."
Said it like she'd won a medal or something.
And just like that, the evening passed by casually…
None of us brought it up again.
Except for Helena quietly passing me a painkiller.
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
Later that night…
I couldn't fall asleep.
Of course I couldn't.
I entered someone's body.
Didn't have control over it, but I could hear all his inner thoughts.
See through his eyes.
Feel all the emotions like they were mine.
I turned to my left side—hair falling over from the top—and nearly jumped out of my skin.
White eyes and a smile peeking through them.
Scared the absolute shit out of me.
"Holy shit—!" I panicked, banging my head against the top of the bunk.
What a pleasant night.
"Hahaha—God, I love annoying you so much," Ruby giggled, climbing down.
"I swear I'll make you regret it someday, Rubes…" I hissed through my teeth, still holding my head.
"Yeah, yeah," she said, then plopped onto the corner of my bed.
"Can't sleep?"
Her voice softened. Concern sat behind her words, quiet and tucked away.
"…No," I muttered, leaning back against the wall.
She crawled in and leaned against it beside me.
There was a pause.
"Did you really… enter my dad's body?" she asked hesitantly, fingers gripping the blanket.
I didn't look at her. I couldn't.
"…That's what it felt like to me. I was sharing his vision. Watching everything through him…"
She didn't respond immediately.
I stole a glance at her.
She looked… lost in thought.
Then I felt her lean into my shoulder, resting against me as she murmured—
"Well, lucky me. My brother might be a superhero for all I know."
My eyes widened a little.
A small smile tugged at my lips.
"So tell me, what did you think of my dad? You must've heard dozens of things while you were in his head, right?"
Big curious eyes. Mischievous smile. Classic Ruby.
She didn't think I was weird.
Neither did Helena. Or Leon.
I smirked.
"Hah. Your personality's definitely from him. His thoughts were as chaotic as your speech, you know?"
That earned me a smack on the arm.
But then—she brushed the same spot lightly. The scar.
The one I got during the thief incident.
"You got this one because of me…" she said quietly. A flicker of guilt hiding in her voice.
"Not really. I just had the worst luck that day… slipped up like an idiot," I muttered, a little embarrassed.
But was it really just bad luck?
If I hadn't gotten hurt that night… would I have met Helena and Ruby like this?
Helena invited me home to treat the cut.
But what if—
"So you're saying it was bad luck that brought you here?"
Her voice cut through my thoughts.
I blinked.
Ruby looked… hurt?
"What? No—That's not what I meant. It just came out the wrong way."
That's when it clicked.
She was thinking the same thing I was.
If I didn't get injured that night…, would I be here now?
I fumbled for words, before scratching my head out of frustration.
Screw it. I let out a heavy sigh–
"…Rubes, this is the best thing that's ever happened in my life." That made her lift her head up.
"Everything that led to this—I'd live through it all again just to get here.
Even if some of it felt worse than hell," I said, staring straight into her brown eyes.
After a pause, Ruby finally muttered— "Idiot…"
Then she yanked the blanket over me.
"Hey—what gives?"
"Shut up."
I don't know how long we kept talking after that.
Eventually, Ruby's head slipped from my shoulder and landed on my lap.
She'd fallen asleep.
I tucked her hair behind her ear, taking one last glance at her peaceful face.
Then I draped a blanket over her, and quietly climbed into the empty bunk above.
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
"See? You were worried for nothing."
Leon flinched, almost dropping his cigar.
"Y-you didn't sleep?" he said in a low voice.
"Well, figured I could use some ginger honey tea on a cold night like this," Helena said, stirring her tea calmly.
"But who would've thought I'd catch a detective eavesdropping on a conversation between kids?"
"I was just... wondering if they'd fallen asleep," he said, gathering all the confidence he could muster.
"Then why do you look like you got caught red-handed?" Helena chuckled softly.
The ever-composed Leon was now flustered.
After fumbling for words a few times, he let out a heavy breath and plopped onto the couch beside her.
She poured him a cup as well.
Leon took a sip before speaking—
"Sister, are you okay?"
It was so direct that Helena paused midair before bringing her cup to her lips.
"Been a while since you called me that," she said with a faint smile.
"Just felt like it today."
Helena set her cup down with a soft clink.
She let her body sink deeper into the couch, eyes drifting up to the ceiling.
"I won't lie... I do feel a little off. But I'm fine," she said.
There was a small silence before she added,
"It's just... I remembered him. The way Alex spoke—word for word—it was Elias."
She paused, meeting Leon's gaze.
"That's why I believed Alex right away."
A pained smile tugged at her lips.
Leon looked at her for a second, his eyes softening.
"Sister—"
"But that doesn't have anything to do with Alex," she cut him off gently.
When Leon faced her fully, her eyes were back—the stubborn yet endlessly gentle eyes he'd always known.
"Rather," she said with a light laugh, "it kind of felt nice, you know? The way Alex said it... it was almost like Elias himself speaking through him.
Maybe he really was in his head, reading his thoughts."
She tucked a strand of hair behind her ear.
"But now... all I really care about is Ruby and Alex being okay," Helena whispered.
"I just hope tonight didn't take too much of a toll on Alex—mentally or physically."
For a second, words failed Leon.
He just stared at her—his sister, who always stayed strong.
Who always looked at the bright side, no matter how much it hurt.
Who carried no regrets.
Finally, he let out a long sigh — "You're really impossible."
But Helena didn't respond.
She was lost in thought...
Her clasped hands tightened further.
And in a low, almost broken voice, she whispered — "Leon, you won't tell them, right?"
She met his gaze with a broken smile.
The face Helena was making — it made his heart sink.
"I don't know, Helena. I don't want to... but I don't know what to do either."
He stood and walked toward the window, lighting another cigarette.
But after a minute, he turned back — his face determined.
"But I'll do everything I can. I'll protect him."
Top of Form
Bottom of Form
Helena finally let her hands loose, and passed a fragile smile– "…please do"
But then, his voice dropped low—
"Still... you need to be careful, Helena. I won't be back for two, maybe three months after this."
He walked over, gently placing his hand over hers.
"Take care of yourself... and Ruby. And Alex."
"Of course."
"whatever it was today, I don't think it would cause harm to you or Ruby if it were to happen again, but I can't say the same for Alex."
Helena didn't reply.
She instead gave a light squeeze back.
Just as the silence started settling again—
"Helena... have you been taking your meds?"
His voice was light, but the worry behind it wasn't hidden.
"...Yeah."
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
I woke up to Helena's cheerful call—
"Good morning, kids! Breakfast time!"
"Yes, Mum, I'm up!" I rasped back, my voice hoarse.
"Me too..." Ruby's voice followed mine, equally groggy.
For months, I had been waking up earlier than Ruby.
Yeah, sorry—can't handle the Devil first thing in the morning.
Since she was up too, I needed to hurry out of the room.
I scrambled to get up—but then,
THUD.
My vision spun and a sharp ache ran through my body.
Right.
I was on the top bunk now, not my usual lower one.
"Shit..." I hissed under my breath.
"What happe—" THUD.
Another loud crash.
Ruby had smacked her head into the bunk above.
Helena appeared at the door, a spatula in hand and an apron tied around her waist.
She leaned casually against the frame, raising a brow.
"Okay, so—who hurt who, and where?" she asked.
Later, at the breakfast table—
"Hahaha—so, because you two switched beds, one fell off and the other hit her head?"
Helena was laughing so hard she had to wipe away tears.
Meanwhile, Ruby sat stiffly, radiating a murderous aura.
Yeah... better not approach her first today.
I stole a glance at her.
Her eyes practically screamed:
'I'll kill you.'
Yup.
I could feel the chills.
Well, normally I would be doing the cleaning alone,
But—" Geez! Did you and uncle Leon even touch a thing ?"
Ruby said, brushing the dust of a few books.
"umm…maybe one box?" I said, scratching the back of my neck awkwardly.
"So, the photo album thing was just a trick because Uncle didn't want to do the work, huh?"
Ruby muttered, clenching her fists and grinding her teeth.
"Hey! Do it properly! Don't just sit there—clean it up!" she snapped at me.
"Rubes, I fell off the bed just this morning remember? My back's still killing me!" I grumbled, not moving a muscle from the stool.
"that's your problem, not mine. Ugh why did the holidays had to start from today…"
she groaned in frustration.
Yeah, Mum...
I would've preferred doing this alone.
"Hey, is this my dad's camera?"
Her voice cut through my thoughts.
I looked up—and there she was, holding the same camera I saw yesterday.
"Yeah, that's what Uncle Leon said," I replied.
She examined it, a soft expression crossing her face.
"Do you think there might be more pics in this?"
"If there's a memory card in there, then yeah,"
I said, gesturing for her to hand it over.
I tried opening the memory card slot—stuck.
Any more force and it might break.
But looking at the camera's condition, I figured I could probably get it working.
Still—
"Rubes, let's first ask Mum about this, okay?"
"Yeah... Now get back to cleaning again!"
And just like that, the soft expression vanished.
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
After three hours of extreme misery,
I dropped onto the couch like a sack of bricks.
I shut my eyes for a second, letting the exhaustion sink in—
when suddenly a cold sting hit my cheek.
I jolted up, my hand flying to my face.
"No sleeping. We need to open the café in an hour,"
Helena said, hovering behind the couch.
She tossed a chilled can of soda into my lap, then plopped down beside me.
"Yeah... I was just resting my eyes. And my back,"
I grumbled, popping the can open.
I took a sip, savoring the tangy, citrusy taste.
"Orange?"
"Isn't it your favorite?" she asked, her chin resting lazily on her arms.
"Yeah... it is," I muttered, drinking a little slower now.
The air felt light and comforting, filled with the aroma of coffee and baked sweets.
"Oh, and Ruby told me about the camera.
Too bad it won't work though," Helena said, adjusting her crooked apron as she stood up.
"If that's the problem, you don't have to worry. I can fix it,"
I said, downing the last sip of my drink.
"Really...? How?" she asked, raising a brow.
I just passed her a smug look and said—
"Just leave it up to me."
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
The rest of the day passed the usual way.
The three of us handled the café together.
"Ruby! Two Electric Moonshakes, please!"
A man shouted from the far table.
"Yes, mister..." she replied back, deadpan.
Why the attitude?
Because I was the one who came up with that drink.
One night, with the moonlight spilling across the kitchen counter,
I had been experimenting with syrups.
"You definitely look like a crazy scientist straight out of a movie,"
Ruby had said, watching me mix different flavors.
That was when I finally found the perfect blend—
a vibrant purple drink filled with the pulp of three different berries,
and just the right amount of lemon soda to balance it.
Helena immediately approved it.
Even Ruby—who's usually my harshest critic—ended up complimenting it.
"And the name of this legendary drink shall be... Electric Moonshake!"
I declared proudly.
Ruby looked like she was about to puke.
Even Helena had a hesitant smile across her face.
But they still went along with it.
Now, three months later,
it's the café's best-selling drink.
Honestly, it's hilarious how even adults order it.
Maybe I should have gone with Helena's suggestion—Berry's Zest,
or Ruby's idea—Purple Lemonade.
But oh well.
It's selling, isn't it?
— ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ — ✦ —
Finally, night came.
Helena had retired to her room.
Ruby was asleep on the top bunk.
And now—
I could finally put my mechanics lessons to the test
with this camera.