The doorbell rang, and the sound of it echoed all across the house. His father, who was an adamant job helping around in the kitchen, stuck his head and shouted, “Magnus, could you get the door.”

“Okay,” Magnus shouted back as he paused his holo show and got up from the couch. He walked passed the kitchen on his way to the door, and saw his parents arguing.

“Why don’t you be a dear, sweetie, and go watch the holo with Magnus, huh?” his mother asked. Her long silky smooth black hair was tied in a bun, and her amber eyes were filled with irritation and exasperation.

“I am only trying to help,” his father said as he held up his calloused hands up in surrounder. “You can’t blame a man for wanting to make up for lost time. I don’t get to come home much thanks to those dogs working me to the bone.”

His father stood at a grand height of 2 meters with those military boots adding even some more; he was a well-built man with lean and compact muscles. His skin tone was the same as his son, caramel, and he also had long black hair, except it was braided like that of a pony’s.

He was sporting a light stubble on his strong jawline and in between his full upper lips and wide nose. His onyx colored eyes were filled with amusement as his much more petite and delicate wife took a spoon to him to chase him out of the kitchen as she shouted after him. “This is the second dish you ruined, Anata wa bukiyōdesu! Anata wa kuso ttare….”(You clumsy oaf! You shit addled...”

‘And his mother wonders where he got that bad habit of cursing in Japanese,’ Magnus thought in amusement.

His father caught up to him as he got to the door, “It seems like us gentlemen are resigned to the couch and menial labor, aye?”

Magnus snorted at his father’s flippant attitude, “I am a fair hand in the kitchen, but you, old man. Ha! It like you have been cursed by the universe not to be allowed near the kitchen!”

His father feigned a hurt look as he placed his hand at his heart, “My son, do you know how deeply your words cut?”

Magnus wanted to pat him on the back, but since he couldn’t reach hit he patted him on the arm, “I’m sorry, old man, did I say you were terrible?” He asked as he plastered on an apologetic look. “Well, I meant you are god damn awful in the kitchen!”

Before they could continue on with their back and forth clowning, Codex spoke up from the door pad holo. “The both of you are truly like father and son,” she said as her virtual head sadly shook its head.

“Who’s at the door,” Magnus asked, as he ignored Codex and her disappointed remark.

“Yes,” Codex replied, “It’s your guest.”

“Well, come, let him in,” Magnus’s father said.

Then Codex did so, on the other side of the door, standing on the front porch was Magnus’s grandpa. Even though he was in his late sixties, he looked healthy and prime. He stood at his full height of 2 meters, was fit as an athlete, and suffered no ailments.

Though that does not mean age did not catch up to him, his bronze skin was lined with age, his hair was near to grey, and he had on a pair of glasses to help with his failing eyesight.

Once his eyes locked on to his grandson, Clade Wilson’s face light up into a smile. “Ohh, if it isn’t my young little man!” He said as he bear-hugged his grandson.

Magnus returned the hug, best to pay back it back, or he will keep you at it all day. But what caught Magnus’s attention was the woman at the side of his grandpa, “Who is she?” he asked, cutting to the chase right away.

‘This meeting likes strangely familiar,’ Magnus thought as he looked the red-headed woman up and down. ‘Am I having deja vu?’

Before his grandpa could give a response, the woman cut in, “The name’s Avril kid,” the woman replied with a grin on her face. Then she smacked his grandpa on the back and added, “I’m your grandpa’s friend.”

“Urgh,” Magnus said as he faked vomiting, “You’re his girlfriend.”

His grandpa turned to face her and shrugged, “I told you he was a clever little bugger. Hahaha!”

Then his father messed up his hair, and Magnus turned to look up at him. He had his thick eyebrows arched, which was the only thing that indicated his mirth, but right now, he was trying to be serious. “Magnus, don’t be rude, okay.”

“But…” Magnus said, wanting to voice how icky it was, but his father got down on his knees and faced him fully.

“How old are you,” his father asked.

“I’m ten,” Magnus replied as he squared his shoulders, showing how proud he was of his age.

“Well, there will come a time when you have your own girlfriend, and you won’t find it disgusting.”

“No, I won’t,” Magnus shouted, appalled at the very idea of that.

“Trust me, you will,” his father stated as he got up from the floor. “Go help your mother set up the dishes,” he added, concluding the discussion at that as he turned to hug his father and greet Avril amiably.

‘Did I not have this conversation before with my father?’ Magnus asked himself as he looked back.

--------------------------------------------

The five of them sat around the table with numerous dishes set out before them, and the cornerstone of it all was the turkey at the center.

“You have truly outdone yourself this thanksgiving, dear,” his father said to his mother as he piled food onto his plate.

His mother sniffled like some highborn woman and said, “Well, it was no thanks to you, that for sure!”

Avril chuckled, “Clade told me how bad Damien was in the kitchen. I thought he was joking.”

“His father has the truth of it,” his mother said with playful deadly seriousness.

“Yea, dad is cursed!” Magnus added, cutting himself into the conversation that got a good round of laughter from his grandfather.

“Alright, alright,” his dad said. “Easy up on me folk, okay?!”

From there, they small, little family carried on with their merriment, conversations, and playful banters.

However, midway into the meal things took a turn for the strange.

“Aunt Avril,” Magnus said in a worried tone. “You are bleeding!”

“Oh, am I?” Avril asked as she placed her thumb at the edges of her lips, which were indeed bleeding.

“Yes,” Magnus replied as he nodded his head worriedly.

“It is alright, sunny boy,” Avril said as she smiled for Magnus. “This sometimes happens when you get your lips pierced.”

Magnus looked around; nobody seemed to be worried at all, so he nodded his head and said, “Okay.” Then he got back to his meal, putting that worry out of his head.

Yet when he got back up from food, his gaze landed on his father, “Dad!” he shouted.

“Yes, Magnus?” he answered back, putting down his drink and turning to face him.

“Your bleeding from your nose,” he cried out as he pointed with his finger.

“Oh, am I?” his father said as he wiped at his nose, drawing blood away.

“Ye-...” Wasn’t that the same question that Avril asked him as he paused mid-stride. That got him a little exasperated, so he replied. “Of course, can’t you see it yourself!”

“It’s alright, kiddo,” his father said, “It must be the heat.”

Magnus spun around to face each person seated on the table in turn, just to get one person on his side, but nobody seems to find anything amiss.

“Magnus,” his mother pronounce. “If your father says he is alright, then he is alright. Now sit down and stop throwing your chair back.”

Magnus looked down at his upturned chair; he must have tipped it over in his shock and didn’t realize it.

Nevertheless, Magnus did as he was told and picked up his chair and seated himself. If the adults say there is nothing wrong, then there is nothing wrong.

They know best!

But then the most baffling thought struck him, ‘aren’t I’m an adult too?’

‘What?!’ Magnus asked himself. He looked down at his small delicate hands and his short legs. ‘I’m not an adult!’ he stated to himself hesitantly, which he had no clue why he hesitated at all. Isn’t this supposed to be clear cut?

However, before he could put any thought into this conundrum, his grandpa’s voice interrupted his turbid thought.

“So how is school?” his grandfather asked, trying to make light conversation with his grandson.

“Boring,” Magnus replied as he lifted his head from his bowed state. “I know all the matters and I…,” but then he paused mid-sentence.

“You have gotta be shitting me,” Magnus declared.

“Language!” his mother stated in all total crossness.

But Magnus didn’t even give her the pleasure of even turning around and apologizing because there was something more serious at hand.

While only a small trickle of blood seeped through Avril’s mouth and his father only bleed a small amount from his nose. His grandfather, on the other hand, was bleeding a small rivulet from both ears.

“Do none of you see that nothing is wrong,” Magnus stated to the room at large.

“It is alright, Magnus,” his mother responded back with.

Magnus wheeled around to face her, and shouted, “How is it alright…” then his hot-blooded anger of justice evaporated like a puff of smoke when he saw his mother.

She was bleeding from both eyes, and it streamed down her face in jet flows.

Magnus took a hesitant step back and quaked, “I’m going to call the ambulance, alright?”

Then he took off running and shouting, not waiting for a response, “Codex, CODEX, C-O-D-E-X!” but there was no response.

He had no time for this; his new Auntie, his grandpa, his dad, and his mother were all bleeding out. Hence he made a straight beeline to their house systems. With no Codex here, he will have to do it manually.

Once he made it to the nearest datapad in the house, which had communication capability, he dialed 9-1-1.

“No, no, no!” Magnus shouted as the stupid thing just stayed on the dialing tone. He smacked it around a couple of times, and he knew that it would make no difference, but he just wanted to vent his anger on the darn thing.

Magnus options were now limited; the only thing he could do was run around in the streets like a mad man, calling for help. Still, if that was it, he would gladly do it to save his family.

Without putting on a coat, or even some shoes for that matter, he ran to the front door, but blocking his way was all four of his family members with their backs turned to him.

“What are you guys doing up?” Magnus shouted at them, his worry now reaching far greater height. “Go sit down! I will go call for help.”

“It’s alright,” his mother said as all four of them slowly turned around to face him like some long forgotten and disused machines.

The sight that Magnus gazed upon burned into his mind like some horror reel and made his skin crawling in terror and panic.

All four of them were bleeding profusely from the respected area that they were from before, and they sported full-blown manic smiles that showed all their teeth.

But what caught his eyes the most where their eyes, it was a black void of nothingness that was drawn in by some asylum patient.

Magnus had nothing to say; he was far gone into soul shock state and an unquestionable number of different degrees of fear.

Even so, he didn’t need to say anything because his family members assume that role for him.

“But do you know what is not alright?” Avril asked as she craned her head in an abnormal fashion--taking up the role of continuing on from were Magnus’s mother left off at.

“You have abandoned us,” Magnus’s grandfather uttered as he took a step forward.

“You have forgotten about us,” Magnus’s father declared as he too took a step forward.

“And you have left us behind,” Magnus’s mother proclaimed, finish off the mantra and closing the distance in that strange mannequin like fashion.

Once all of them stood right before him within hand’s reach, that finally got him out of his stupor of irrational hysteria. He took a faltering step back unconsciously, and in doing so, he tripped over his own feet, causing him to fall onto his rear end.

Yet it did not register in his mind to flee or do something. All that escaped his mouth was, “this... ai- ain't... real!”

Be that as it may, his family members didn’t care for his interjection as they piled over him used their hands to cover his mouth, nose, and eyes swallowing him into complete darkness and all the while repeating their slogan.

“You abandoned us, forgotten about us, and left us behind! You abandoned us, forgotten about us, and left us behind! You abandoned us, forgotten about us, and left us behind!”

Then Magnus knew no more!

--------------------------------------------

In the middle of the night back at the orphanage, Magnus woke up panting like a dying man and shivering all over as a frenzied wildness coursed through his veins.

Sweat glistened down his face and soaked his bedsheets. He wiped back his hair, which was drenched to the core and glanced around where he was like some terrifying beast.

“Magnus, are you alright?” Codex, who was his ever constant watcher asked in a concerned tone.

Magnus finally got his breathing under control, and his racing heart, which was pounding away against his rib cage just a few moments ago, finally started to calm down once he saw that he was only at his bed in the orphanage.

Magnus took in a deep, calming breath to calm his jitters and shake off the adrenaline pouring through his body.

“Yea, I am okay,” Magnus replied, not wanting to get Codex fretting about him.

“Yeah, I don’t think so,” Codex said as she added a bit of an edge to her voice. “You woke up like you were scared out of your mind, and you kept on muttering; this ain’t real, in your sleep. So, do you want to tell me again that everything is fine and dandy?”

“Fine,” Magnus said, he knew he couldn’t get anything under Codex’s nose, but he had to try. “I had another nightmare, okay! Let’s just leave things at that.”

“Do you want to tell me about it,” Codex inquired as all the hard edge was gone and replaced with smooth comfort and caring.

“NO!” Magnus pronounced a bit too loud, he knew he shouldn’t be rude or angry at Codex, but his emotions were a jumble of mess.

“It is the middle of the night, let’s speak of it tomorrow or some other day.” Magnus added, ‘or maybe never.’

“Okay,” Codex said sighing in resignation, “Sleep tight!”

However, whatever Magnus tried he couldn’t fall asleep again. His nightmare gnawed at him as he twisted and turned in his bed, his constant movement even nearly woke up his bed mate.

That is when Magnus gave up, he knew he would not be getting any more sleep tonight.

“Codex,” Magnus said tentatively, unsure if she would respond back since he was impudent and abrupt with her only a few moments ago.

“Yes,” Codex said not countering back with the cheek he deserved, but tenderness only.

Seeing that Codex was acting like the better man or more accurately, the better woman… or is it woman A.I.?

Magnus saw no point in wasting his time or her time especially, so he got to the bottom of his concerns. “Do you think I have forgotten about my family or cast them aside?”

“Which family do you mean?” Codex posed.

“What other family would I be talking about,” Magnus answer back feeling a bit peeved.

“Don’t you have two families?” Codex put forth, keeping her calm serene tone.

“What are you even going on about?” Magnus demanded as frustrating seeped into his tone. “I am trying to be serious with you, Codex. I am talking about the one and only family that I have!”

“Well, here I thought you had two,” Codex stated. “Your family on Earth and the one here on Pandora-- the Bluebird Orphanage!”

“I…” Magnus had no words to say to that, the only thing he could do was gaze around the dormitory and look at each person in turn, sleeping soundly way.

“I never taught of it like that,” Magnus whispered.

He did care for all of them deeply, but he never wanted to admit it to himself and speak those words out loud. The chance of losing them like he lost his family and friends back on Earth is there and it weighs heavy on him.

Thus, it was his assumption if he did concede the point, he would suffer the grief and misery if ever the orphanage closes down.

“To answer your question,” Codex said, maintained her argument. “Did you forget about your family back on Earth? No! But you did bury the memory of them, and locked it away out of reach? Yes! You never gave them a second thought because of the pain of doing so hurts.”

Magnus laid back on his bed and looking upwards as he used the back of his hand to cover his forehead. He had been candidly put to silence thanks to Codex’s words that cut to the core of the matter.

“Except what you need to know is that; even if the memory of them hurts, nevertheless they are good memories that make up who you are!”

Magnus chuckled except it was not a thing of mirth but of heartache, “Where do you get all that sage wiseness?”

“From reading a lot,” Codex replied in a stale tone.

Now that got a good round of laughter out of Magnus filled with levity.