When Eli got home from work, he instantly frowned at the oppressive, heavy tension vibrating inside his house. He found his mother sitting motionless in the living room. She looked deeply sad, her shoulders slumped, and she didn't even lift her head to welcome him home. It was completely out of character. Oddly, the house was entirely devoid of Belle's or Neon's usual voices. A sudden, sharp panic seized his chest. Without even bothering to shed his heavy trench coat, Eli turned and bolted up the stairs to the second floor.
[What's wrong with this idiotic son of mine? Didn't he see me sitting right here? He didn't even bother to greet me?] Jojie questioned mentally, her eyes tracking his frantic ascent with a mixture of annoyance and bewilderment. From downstairs, she could hear the rapid, heavy thuds of his boots as he began knocking urgently on the bedroom doors. [What on earth is he panicking for?]
