Narrator POV 

“The retreat is tomorrow aren’t you excited!” Jackson had his hands at his shoulders and they were flapping like a seal, he always looked like that whenever he was delighted.

“Are you done packing yet?”

“Do you think there will really be bears?”

“Are there even bears in Korea?”

“Did you find a place for the twins and Mase?”

“Do you think we can just take the twins and Mason with us?”

“I mean they’re obedient, and it’s only for 2D1N.”

“No, no, maybe, no, no, no.”

Jackson stopped blabbing and stared at Ally in awe, “I swear you must be the only person on earth who answers my questions.”

Allyson gave him two thumps up, “It’s the only way to shut you up.”

Jackson pouted and trailed after Ally quietly, both of them were sulking, one because she didn’t know what to do with her brothers, the other because he didn’t have her attention. They finished the rest of the way home in silence, when they were in front of their house Ally asked, “You coming over again?”

Jackson gave her a dramatic eye roll, “Did you even need to ask?”

Allyson shrugged and inserted the key into the keyhole, to her surprise the door was unlocked, her brows furled right away, she was positive that she had locked the door, she would never forget something important like this.

“What’s wrong?” Jackson asked when he noticed the mood shift.

She shook her head, “Nothing… it’s probably just a mis-…”

“Young Lady, get in the house right now... alone.”

Both of them looked at each other.

Their home Allyson mouthed. 

And they don’t sound happy… I thought their trip didn’t end until a month later.

Jackson gave her hand an encouraging squeeze, “I’ll be right next door if you need me.”

Ally was reluctant to let him go but she knew that if she made her parents wait any longer whatever punishment lying ahead will come at her two times worse.

She carefully poked her head through the doorway and took off her shoes, “Umma, Appa, your home early...” Allyson attempted to sound cheerful but it all faded when she saw both parents in the living room with stern expressions. Her brothers were on the other couch looking scared out of their wits.

“Noona we tried to-…”

“QUIET!” their mother’s tone made the brothers cower and it even shook Ally herself, she couldn’t ever remember her parents being this angry… maybe except when Kevin ran away.

“Ha! So this is true, at first when they told me I thought they were lying, but seeing what your wearing,” her mother looked at her with disgust, “How. Could. You.”

Oh… Allyson thought, so they found out already, “Umma…” she tried to explain.

“DON’T CALL ME UMMA!” her mother lashed out, “FROM NOW ON, YOU! ALL OF YOU!” she pointed at Mase and the twins, “ALL YOU WILL DO IS BETRAY ME WHEN YOU’RE OLD, YOU THINK YOUR WINGS ARE STRONGER SO YOU CAN FLY AWAY. DON’T EVER CALL ME UMMA AGAIN!”

“Honey, now that’s a bit over-…” Ally’s dad tried to stop her mom but she just shook him off not hearing any of it.

“I showered you with all the goods in the word, we aren’t rich but still I made sure, ever since you were young that you got everything a girl needed and this is how you repay me? You’ve been lying to us for who knows how long and then when we’re gone you sell everything for money? What do you even use the money for? Perhaps you’re also planning on running away?”

Ally realised that her mother didn’t know about Kevin’s crisis so she decided to just keep her mom in the dark, “Umma… stop please and listen,” Ally pleade