By Zephyria At some point, Tennessee had officially acquired a status similar to the fiancé of the eldest son of the Dexley family. Since they had known each other since Amber’s adoption and were now lovers, no one found it strange that Tennessee visited the house in Michigan even when they weren’t there.
Tennessee watched Cody and Annie run around in famous animation costumes. It was Halloween.
It was the kind of event celebrated in houses with children; in truth, Tennessee was someone who had forgotten such days existed for years. He naturally expected to forget it this year as well, but a few days ago, Amber had suddenly said:
‘If you’re not too busy, could you spend a few days in Michigan?’
‘I can. Why?’
‘Elizabeth and David are going on a trip. We could get a babysitter, but I think they want me to be there for a day.’
‘Sure.’
And so, Tennessee ended up as a babysitter, a role he never imagined for himself.
If Amber had heard, he would have remarked, “Just because you’re sitting in front of a baby doesn’t mean you’re babysitting,” but Amber was too busy with actual babysitting.
Amber had given a serious lecture that there are specific times in a year when children get truly excited.
Christmas, 2. Birthdays, 3. Halloween, 4. Other people’s birthdays.
In other words, according to Amber’s logic, it was a great day, ranking third out of 365 days. For Tennessee, it was hard to understand.
‘They’re middle schoolers, and they’re still going trick-or-treating?’
Annie, who was listening nearby, looked genuinely appalled by Tennessee’s question. Expressing the contempt of a pubescent middle schooler, Annie gave this answer:
‘Tennessee, what does age matter when they’re giving out candy and chocolate?’
And then, leaving the bewildered Tennessee behind, Annie dashed off with her boyfriend.
“Tennessee, I’m heading out!”
Cody, dressed exactly like a character from a famous animation Tennessee had seen here and there, waved his hand. Tennessee waved back in response. Despite the half-hearted greeting, Cody’s female friends of the same age squealed with delight.
Once Cody and Annie left in small groups with their friends, the three-story mansion suddenly became eerily quiet.
Tennessee’s ears still felt ringing from the children’s laughter. He spread his documents on the table. It wasn’t urgent, but there was work to be done. He didn’t like wasting spare time. However, Amber was still bustling about as if he had plenty to do.
“What are you doing?”
Amber only came inside after confirming that the porch lights, the mummy models filling the garden, the moving skeletons, and the cackling witches were all functioning.
“The neighborhood kids will be here soon.”
…Ah, right.
Tennessee neatly closed his documents.
Morgan (7 years old, student) looked at the lavish decorations in the garden with a pounding heart. A skeleton moved with a scary sound, and a witch bolted upright with a strange flash of lightning.
“Kyaa!” Harley screamed beside him, and Morgan also screamed “Kyaa!” while giggling. After circling from the end of the road, their baskets had accumulated quite a few treats. Skipping the houses with lights off and visiting one by one, Morgan and the children eventually arrived at a large three-story house.
The children chattered among themselves about who got more of which chocolate, or if they had more or less than last year. Morgan, who had been waiting while rummaging through his candy, reached out once the other children quieted down. It was Morgan’s turn to ring the doorbell.
Ding-dong. Not long after pressing it, footsteps were heard. What kind of chocolate would he get this time? He noticed there weren’t many Twix earlier. He wanted that.
Until the door clicked open, Morgan couldn’t contain his heart, which was swelling with anticipation.
“….”
And then, Morgan froze upon seeing the strange, cool-looking man standing before him. Huh?
A tremor of shock went through the pupils of the children, who had expected Elizabeth and David.
After a brief, awkward silence, the children looked at each other and shouted.
“Tr… Trick or treat….”
However, perhaps because the mood had been broken, the words didn’t come out as cheerfully as before. Hesitantly, the children hid behind their mothers or their respective friends. The man leaning against the door just stared at them with an inscrutable gaze.
“Uh….”
The parents of the children were equally flustered. Were the porch lights off? No, they weren’t.
After a second passed, filled with their various thoughts, a single word flowed from the lips of the indifferent-looking handsome man.
“Trick.”
And then, a dark ice age arrived, more severe than a Siberian cold wave.
As the children looked at each other on the verge of tears—
“I said, trick.”
He drove the point home.
Roaaar— Heeheehee! Unaware of the children’s feelings, the Halloween decorations in the garden went wild. With flashing lights, a decoration mimicking a tortured person twisted its body, and chaos ensued.
After about two minutes that felt like an eternity, one child finally burst into the tears they had been holding back.
“Waaaaah!”
“Tennessee? Why are you making the kids cry?”
Just as the other young children were about to follow suit and wail, someone appeared from behind the man. Unlike the man who came out first, this person was holding three full candy baskets. Seeing the tearful children and the man leaning leisurely against the door, he seemed to grasp the situation immediately.
“Haha, this guy made you cry. Sorry, kids.”
Handfuls of candy fell from his large hands.
“What did you do to make the kids cry?”
“Nothing.”
“If you did nothing, why are the kids crying?”
“I wonder.”
The man chided him while giving out not one, but two handfuls of candy and chocolate. When it was his turn, Morgan opened his candy basket.
Receiving the shower of treats, Morgan looked up at the two men. He remembered that cool gaze from when the door first opened. It had frozen him, like seeing a lion crouching and preparing to pounce on its prey, but seeing the two men talking back and forth now, it seemed that sensation had been a mistake. Even now, wasn’t he smiling softly? I was scared for nothing, Morgan thought, and descended from the porch with a thank-you.
As the children all received their candy and turned away, the door closed softly. Even then, their voices could be heard murmuring.
“Trick? You just said ‘trick’? Hahaha! No wonder they cried.”
“It was a joke.”
“Hahaha!”
Yes, it must have been a mistake.
Even to young Morgan, the voices of the two sounded kind, soft, and…
Ordinary.
What happened with Megan that day?
After Tennessee left the gun behind and disappeared, Amber chewed his lip anxiously. How long had it been since he followed Megan inside? Perhaps because the tension had eased, a sudden wave of drowsiness washed over him. However, snapping awake, Amber gripped the gun and scanned the surroundings.
“Is it loaded?”
“Yes.”
“Give it here, before you blow your head off.”
Amber twisted his body to avoid Megan’s reaching hand. It was a clear message that he would not give it up. Megan was appalled. There was nothing more foolish than putting a gun in a child’s hand. Megan clicked her tongue, not knowing what Tennessee had been thinking when he gave him such a thing.
“Do you even know how to fire that?”
“I’ll find out if I try.”
At the cheeky answer, Megan let out a sigh of disbelief. Does he think I’m feeding and housing him for my own pleasure?
Megan’s mood began to sour.
“Did Tennessee teach you how to shoot?”
“Yes.”
Sitting with his knees up, Amber nodded. Amber glanced once more at the clock, which he felt he had looked at a hundred and fifty times today alone.
“Tennessee taught you how to kill? What a great teacher. As expected of a murderer like Tennessee.”
Amber’s gaze, which had been on the clock, returned to Megan. Amber stared blankly and then turned his head away, as if he wouldn’t even bother dealing with her. The one who got irritated by the lack of a reaction was Megan, who was quite an adult.
“The probability of you blowing your own head off is higher than the probability of you defending yourself with that gun.”
At those words, the eyes of the child, which had been brimming with anger, instead sank into a calmer state.
Aha, I see. Having noticed the child’s weakness, Megan changed her target.
“Tennessee probably gave you the gun knowing that, because he’s a human who doesn’t have a single speck of responsibility.”
Amber lowered his gaze as if trying to suppress his anger, but he couldn’t completely avoid Megan’s eyes. Megan continued to fuel the fire with a smirk. She was a truly childish adult.
“Didn’t you feel it while being with him? Even now, he leaves you with me. No morality, no responsibility; all he has is the thought of how to kill someone efficiently.”
“Don’t talk about him like that!”
At the sharp response, Megan was busy laughing out loud. She was not a good person. Why did Tennessee associate with someone like this?
If Tennessee had been there, he would have dismissed her by saying, “She’s not a friend or anything,” but unfortunately, Tennessee wasn’t there, and Amber chewed his lip again. The taste of blood filled his mouth.
“Are you angry because I spoke badly of Tennessee? But isn’t it true?”
Despite how she seemed, Megan had no real malice. She was just wickedly mischievous and a different type of twisted human than Tennessee.
“You need to know what you need to know. Think about what else Tennessee taught you besides giving you a gun. Does giving you a single gun and throwing you into the desert alone make him a savior?”
“Stop it.”
“I bet he didn’t even teach you properly. Do you know how to release the safety? How to load it? You probably don’t even know how to fire it, do you?”
“I do.”
“As if! Puhaha! Then shoot it. I’ll bet 50 dollars that you can’t—”
…Bang!
“Shit!”
Megan jumped up and shouted from the searing pain. Fortunately, it wasn’t a direct hit, but there was a huge scratch on the wall, and the bullet had grazed her. Megan calmed her racing heart. That damn brat…!
“…I told you I could shoot.”
“Stupid, this is why you shouldn’t give guns to kids!”
Cursing, Megan skillfully snatched the gun before Amber could resist and removed the magazine. She didn’t forget to throw it carelessly at Amber’s feet.
“Yeah, fuck, Tennessee taught you well. What would have happened if I hadn’t dodged?!”
Thanks to her long experience as a mercenary, she had moved instinctively, which was a relief. Otherwise, she would have suffered a gunshot wound. The mere thought of relying on painkillers to dig out a bullet with her own hands in a place like this was irritating.
Fuck, that hurts.
There was a long scratch over the tattoo on her arm. Though she was fuming, Megan knew she had provoked him, so she didn’t shout any more insults about Tennessee.
“This is why kids should be kept far away from guns.”
Amber glared at Megan, curling his lip in dissatisfaction.
Megan threatened that she would definitely tell Tennessee. Amber took a sharp breath and then let out a soft sigh.
Come to think of it, he didn’t think Tennessee would be very angry.
…In fact, he’d probably say he did a good job.
And then, for the hundred and fifty-second time, Amber stared at the clock. He missed him.
Amber Alert side story, End