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Summer has finally come to a close, as the school year started for many children. Some were happy, some groaned loudly, but regardless of how you feel that won’t stop Government Mandated Education.
But there is one exception, and that is Sunny. Halley opted to not put Sunny in Pre-School, much to the behest of Yamaha, but here he was, sitting in the middle of the living room bored and alone.
…
…
And Sunny hated every second of it. He couldn’t help but wonder what Pre-School was like, wonder how Kel and Aubrey were doing, and wonder if Mari and Henry were doing well in class.
‘... I miss everyone.’ And now the loneliness settled in, and being alone is something he could not stand in any regard. He had to do something to take his mind off of it and fast.
…
…
‘Mom will know what to do.’
We’ll check up on him later, for now let’s turn our attention to a certain Daycare Center…
‘Does this… no not there.’ As a young blonde haired boy was currently putting together a small puzzle of a teddy bear, ‘Maybe this one… no it doesn’t fit either. Ugh! Why is it all brown!’
Needless to say, he was struggling with this small visual challenge. But he was determined not to give up! He’d already come this far, and no one is going to stand in his way–
“That one doesn’t go there.” Nevermind someone is standing in his way. And that someone is a rogue Aubrey. “It goes… hmm… here.” The boy decided to humor her and try to put the piece where she pointed.
… It worked. She’s a flipping hero. “Thank you…”
“No problem!” And with a bright and happy smile, Aubrey knelt down beside him, “Want me to help you?”
A small part of the boy didn’t want help. He had his pride on the line, dang it! He wanted to prove that he could do it. But he had to swallow his 4 year old pride, “Yes please.”
Aubrey gave a kind smile, and with their powers combined, they managed to finish the puzzle in record time. “We did it!” She did a little cheer as the boy nodded.
“Yeah.” The victory was short lived however, as Aubrey gently took his hand.
“Well come on! Before lessons start, let’s do something else–”
“Ahem.” At least that's what she wanted, but the advisor stood over them, “Not before you clean up that puzzle.”
…
…
“After we clean up the puzzle.”
…
One clean up later, the pair opted to go to the bookshelf to read some books.
…
…
“Ugh.” And Aubrey was quickly bored, “I don’t like these books.”
“Why not?” The boy asked, picking up a book about flowers of all things.
“I just don’t like reading by myself. It’s a lot more fun if I have my friends with me.”
“... Friends?”
“Yeah!” The boredom quickly left Aubrey’s system as she started gushing about her friends. From Mari, all the way to Henry and Kel… which only left one person, “And then there’s Sunny. Honestly he’s super confusing.”
“What do you mean?”
“Well… he’s just weird. Sometimes he’s super quiet and likes to just lay there and do nothing, but other times he does… well he does so much.”
“Like what?”
“So many things! He does jobs for money, cleans the park for more money, he reads books with waaay too many big words… but he’s really good at it too! He somehow makes reading fun, even if I’m not really reading, just listening.”
“Oh wow–”
“He also likes to draw, he’s really good at games, and he has a tendency to nap at random places.”
“Really–”
“Not to mention he has these two random pieces of hair that… stick out for some reason? No one knows why it’s like that…”
Oooookay we’re gonna be here for a while.
…
Five minutes… yes I mean that, five minutes later, Aubrey has finished gushing about Sunny. Going from his habits, his weird physical quirks, even to his extensive knowledge of the Star Wars franchise. And honestly… the boy was impressed by how much she had to tell about Sunny.
“He seems really nice.” Was all the boy had to say after her five minute spiel.
“He is! Everyone is, even Kel and his annoyingness.”
“Is that even a wor–”
“You should come meet them!”
“H-Huh?” Nervously, the boy started to fidget, “Bu-but… buh wha?”
“Is something wrong?”
“But… but we’re not friends. I don’t even know your name!”
“... Oh right. That’s true.” Aubrey said, before swiftly stretching her hand out, “Then I’m Aubrey.”
“... Basil?”
“There. Now that we know each other’s names, we’re friends now!”
Something about this whole interaction rubbed Basil the wrong way. Just telling each other your names was enough to get friends? Was it that simple the whole time?!
“I… we are?”
“Yeah! That’s all it took for Sunny and everyone to be my friend. So now you’re our friend. You don’t have a choice.”
Now normally Basil would be concerned and afraid if someone were to basically force him into friendship… but he doesn’t have any friends “I… Okay!”
Or rather… he used to not have friends.
…
“Aubrey, there you are-- Oh whose this?”
"Hi Mom! This is my new friend, Basil."
Clementine smiled, swelling with pride that her daughter made a friend all on her own. "Well nice to meet you Basil."
“Mom, can we see Sunny and Kel?”
“Well Henry and Mari are still in big kid school, Kel on the other hand might be at his home by the time we get there. Oh and Sunny went with Halley to run errands so he might be a little while before he gets back.”
“Er… erra…”
“They went to the store.” Clementine simplified, before pointing to her minivan, “They should be back in an hour or so.”
“Yup, so guess we gotta go and wait for them. Come on Basil.”
“W-Wait." Basil meanwhile, had reservations getting into her friend's van. He never had a friend before, aren't they rushing things a bit?!
“Now Aubrey, calm down. Shouldn't he wait for his mom or dad?"
"Oh, right. Sorry Ba-- What's wrong?"
"I..." Basil shuffled uncomfortably, "I don't have any."
"... Oh." Well Clementine had no idea how to progress this conversation.
"I live with my Grandma, but she's at work so I don--"
"Excuse me. Basil Natura?"
'Natura?' Hearing that last name gave Clementine pause as a tan woman walked up to the trio.
"That's me, who are you?"
"My name is Polly. Polly Casia. I was called in by your Grandma, Holly Harmonia to take care of you while she's at work."
The mention of his grandmother's name put Basil at ease, "Nice to meet you Ms. Po--"
"Now hold on a minute." But Clementine wasn't so believing, so she pulled out a phone and dialed her number.
"Mom what are you--"
"Hush, mommy's on the phone."
*Bzz* *Click*
"Wassup girl?"
"Hey. Has Holly sent a..." Clementine gave Polly a once over, "A teenager? Young Adult? I dunno someone young named Polly Casia to pick up her grandkid?"
"Dunno, ask her yourself. Oi! Ms. Holly!"
The sounds of a phone being passed around was heard through the call, until... "Yes Clementine?" An elderly voice was heard--
"Hi Grandma!"
"Oh Basil! How was your first day of school honey?!"
"It was good, did some stuff."
Ms. Holly let out a laugh at the simplicity of Basil's answer, "Well I'd love to hear more about it. Ms. Polly is going to be taking care of you while I'm at work okay? She's been recommended to me by one of my best workers. So be nice to her, or else I'll be cutting your flower fund."
Hearing his precious flower fund might be cut shot a dagger through his heart, "I-I won't Grandma!"
"That's what I like to hear. Oh and Clem, thank you for calling me for confirming this. I understand how concerning it might have been for a stranger to show up asking for a kid to ride with them. Even if they drop my name."
"You don't even know the half of it. Anyway I'll get out of your hair. Oh and Halley."
"Yeah?"
"We gotta have a talk later."
"Got it. See ya."
*Click*
"Well, guess that settles that." Clementine said with a clap, "Anyway it's time for us to head on home."
"But I wanted to introduce Basil to everyone!" Aubrey panicked, her plan of adding more friends to the group was falling apart at the seams.
"Oh don't worry about that." But Clementine wasn't too perturbed, "Things have ways of working out."
Aubrey had no idea what her cryptic statement meant “Oh. Okay.” But she letherself be lifted up by her mother’s hands.
“Well don’t sound too excited to hang out with your Mom.” Clementine muttered, adjusting her rear view mirror, “Now… first things first.”
“What’s wrong Mom?”
“Seat Belts.”
Seat belts… the constricting torture device of the modern man. “But Mooooom, why do I need a seat belt?”
“To make sure you don’t get hurt, and to make sure I don’t get arrested.” But in an act of childlike defiance, Aubrey started to wiggle in her seat. “Now hold still ya little wiggle worm, or else I won’t take you to see Sunny and Kel.”
She stopped wiggling, “You wouldn’t…”
“I’m the one driving, I make the rules.”
*Click*
“There, was that so hard?”
“Yes.”
“Well that’s too bad, I don’t want to get a ticket.” With the necessary safety protocol down pat, Clementine got into the car and put on her own seatbelt. “Now let’s go.”
“Can we stop at McDolands?”
“Aubrey. You just ate. And Halley’s making dinner, dinner that's honestly… well… I can’t really say her cooking is better than McDolands.”
…
*Meanwhile Somewhere Else*
“BAPTHEW!”
“Bless you Halley dear.”
“Thanks Mrs. Holly. I just felt… a disturbance.”
“Oh? Like what?”
“Like someone just insulted the daughter of a retired chef’s cooking ability.”
“Aah I see… then it couldn’t be you, dear.”
“And what is THAT supposed to mean?!”
“It means, Sunny has a better chance at being a better cook at his young age than you do.” Mrs. Holly quipped, “I was there when you tried making a cake from the box. It had clear instructions on the back of the box, and yet you still messed it up.”
“I was 10 when that happened, first off. Second, I’m leagues better!”
“I’ll believe it when I taste it deary…”
Realizing she wasn’t winning this conversation, Halley stood up. “Well speaking of Sunny, I need to pick him up from Pop’s place. If I’m too late then he’ll be a miniature version of him.”
“Is that a bad thing?”
“Of course it is! He’s MY son, if he’s gonna grow up to be a mini version of someone it’s going to be me dang it!”
“After seeing what you were like as a teenager, I shudder to see that.”
“Hey. He’ll be an awesome teenager. You’ll see, you’ll all see!”
“Uh huh. Anyway, go pick him up.”
…
“Man Henry… Math was the wor–”
*BEEP* *BEEP*
“Get in you two.” Halley said, looming out the window.
“Mom?”
“I just so happened to be passing by and figured I might as well drive you kids home.” Halley commented, “But don’t expect this. Walking home builds strong character and strong leg muscles.” ‘And saves gas money.’
Confused but not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, Mari entered the Mom Van™ with Henry in tow.
“*Snore*.” To see a napping Sunny strapped to his car seat.
“Sunny? Why is he here?”
“Huh? Oh right. Well that little pile of slumbering adorableness came with me to run errands. But he’s tired so he be sleeping.”
He do be sleeping alright, and seeing a peaceful slumbering Sunny is too cute to be fatal for the faint of heart. It’s taking all of Mari’s willpower to not loudly squee at the sight of her adorable brother.
“Thank you for giving us a ride Mrs. Suzuki.”
“Oh Henry please, calling me Mrs. Suzuki will give me more gray hairs than I need.”
…
…
“I can feel you looking at my hair searching for gray hairs there, son.”
“S-Sorry!”
“Well by my calculations the other kids should be back from Daycare, so it’s best we don’t keep them wai–”
“Ahem!” Halley looked to her left to see a police officer standing right beside her, “I hope you weren’t thinking of flooring it in a school zone ma’am."
“... No officer I wasn’t.”
“That’s what I like to hear.” He muttered before looking at Henry and Mari, “Have a good rest of your day kids.”
“Yes officer.” The police officer left, leaving a dejected Halley to stoop in her sadness.
“S-So… it’s best we don’t keep them waiting.”
And with that, she gently placed her foot on the gas, going 20 miles per hour the way home.
…
*Click* *Creeeak*
“Oh welcome home Halley!”
…
…
“Clem. When I say ‘My House is Your House’ I didn’t mean for you to break in whenever you felt like it.” Halley muttered, throwing her bag onto the couch with little concern and care.
“Oh like you haven’t done that when we were kids.” Clementine said, downing a can of cola.
“Yeah but that was in the dead of night, you all broke into my house in broad daylight.”
“Potato Potahto, Halley.”
“Mom? Who is she?”
Halley followed Mari's pointer finger, which was pointed at Polly, "Oh her, she's the babysitter of this bundle of blonde down here. Polly and Basil right?"
"Y-Yeah?"
Halley gave the stuttering Basil a reassuring wink, "Don't worry, Ms. Holly filled me in." But like clockwork, hearing his grandma's name put him at ease, "Now if you can also put in a good word and have your grandma give me a raise, I'd appreciate it."
“Y-Yes ma’am.”
“Daw, how precious!” Halley cooed before looking at her kids, “If you all want you can play in the park.”
“Really–”
“But remember, be back at 5:00.”
“Alri–”
“Hold on a minute ma’am.” Henry said, gesturing to the slumbering Sunny on Mari’s back, “What about Sunny?”
“Oh just lay him down on the grass. He’s like a mix between a cat and a plant, a nap in the Sun will do him some good.” She said, shooing them away, “Now git, I got some catching up to do.”
“W-Well alright then. Guess I should go pick up Kel from our house.”
The group of 4 and a sleeping Sunny made their way out the door, leaving Halley alone with the 2 other women.
“So… you two know how to make a casserole?”
"I do, I can get started on it." And just like that, Polly made herself scarce into the kitchen, leaving Clementine and Halley in the living room alone.
"Man, she can drive and cook? She doesn't look older than 16." Halley commented, "Maybe I should enlist her babysitting services when those two kids Sunny helped can't make it--"
"Halley."
"Right... so what did you want to talk about?"
…
‘Well this group is… certainly something.’ Basil thought, staring at the enigma that is this friend group.
Mari and Henry are the trademarked Big Sibling Duo. Making sure the two rowdy kids, Kel and Aubrey, don’t kill each other with their play fighting. That aspect of it he understood… what absolutely confused him however, was Sunny.
So far he hasn’t at all been like the entity Aubrey described him as. Now granted he only met Sunny for half an hour, however he’s been asleep for that whole half hour. To put it absolutely bluntly… he didn’t understand Sunny.
Where was the endless kindness? Where were the physical quirks? Was Aubrey just viewing him through rose tinted lenses?
No. No one can gush about someone for 5 whole minutes just because they saw them through ‘Rose Tinted Lenses’. So then what was it?
‘Why did Aub–’ But before he could finish his internal question… a lone Monarch Butterfly fluttered through the air. ‘A Monarch Butterfly? In Washington?’ While not an impossibility, a Monarch Butterfly in the Pacific Northwest Region is a rarity. Especially after the Summer Months are coming to an end. ‘But why is it here?’
“Hey Kel! That’s mine!”
“No way it’s mine!”
Basil was too enthralled by the sight of the butterfly to pay attention to the action going on behind him. Watching it flutter hypnotically through the air as it’s trying to find a place to land. Basil initially turned his sights to the pair of milkweeds a little ways away on the grass… but to his confusion it didn’t go anywhere near those flowers. ‘Weird… I read that Monarch Butterflies liked milkweeds’.
But it eventually found its landing zone, and as it started its descent it landed gingerly… onto Sunny’s nose. ‘H-Huh?’ Basil’s four year old mind has been blown for the 50th time today, confused as to why the butterfly ignored its favorite flower and chose to land on Sunny’s nose. This was a bizarre event! An absolute anomaly!
…
…
‘I have to take a picture.’ With his goal in mind, Basil dug into his backpack and pulled out a little disposable camera. Moving as carefully as he could he lined up the shot… and with the press of a button…
*Click*
Captured the moment. “Mmph.” And just like that, Sunny started to stir awake. Jostling the butterfly off of its perch causing it to fly away, “Mmm… what time is it?”
“Welcome to the land of the awake Little Brother.” Mari greeted before checking her little watch, “And iiiiiits 4:30.”
“Oh. Okay.” He sat up, did a light stretch and looked to his left, “Who this?”
“Oh right! Sunny, this is Basil, a new friend of mine I met at Daycare!” Aubrey introduced, causing the boy to shyly wave.
“Oh. Hi.” But Sunny is still a little out of it, still got the Nap Time Lag™ in him. “What did I miss?”
“We–”
“You should have seen it, it was… it was so weird!” Interrupting Aubrey, Basil’s eyes lit up as he waved his disposable camera around, “A monarch butterfly showed up and landed on you! And those are rare here!”
“Oh really?”
“Yeah! Especially now since Summer is over they should be flying by to the south! Speaking of, did you know that Monarch Butterflies fly down south to avoid the cold of winter?”
“No.”
“They fly to Mexico! And during the four to five months they’re there the forests and flower fields become bright orange from all the butterflies that are there. And then–”
Many minutes passed and Basil is still ranting and raving about… well a bizarre string of topics that would lose just about anybody.
From the migratory patterns of Monarch Butterflies, to the favorite flowers of said Monarch Butterflies, to flowers in general, to prices of Mulch in Fix It. Basically topics that made most of the gang’s heads spin.
Except Sunny. He was retaining every bit of information and chiming in when need be. A gesture that Basil was shocked at, but appreciated greatly. But as Basil started to wind down from his long talk, he internally wondered how long he’s been ta–
“There you all are, you’re 10 minutes late.”
Oh, guess he’s been talking for 40 minutes.
…
…
Oh he’s been talking for 40 minutes. “M-Ms. Halley I--”
“Bah don’t worry about it kiddo.” Halley said, “Being 10 minutes late isn’t a big deal, we only really came out here looking for you because dinner is done and we got bored.”
“But still–”
“I'm hungry.” Luckily Sunny was there to quell Basil’s nervousness with just a simple declaration.
“That’s my little fatso.”
“And what is that supposed to mean?!” Sunny exclaimed with a pout, “Just because I like food doesn’t mean I’m fat!”
“Oh yeah?” Halley gave Sunny’s stomach a quick poke, “Then what’s this?”
“Aah! Hey!”
“Feels like a large abundance of pudge here. Pudge pudge pudge.”
“I-It’s a normal amount of puhudge!” Sunny’s wiggles and giggles only made Halley want to poke more and more.
“You suuuure? Maybe I should keep poking to make sure.”
“No!” With his fight or flight senses kicking in, Sunny bolted to the safest place he could think of… which was behind Clementine, “Protect me.”
“Ooh, yeesh. Dang Halley, your own kid is asking me to protect him from you. How does that make you feel?”
Halley gasped and gripped her chest in dramatic fashion, “S-Sunny! Y-You don’t mean that do you?”
“Yes.” He said with a stick of the tongue.
“Oh noooooo!” Halley then collapsed onto her knees, fake crying, “How will I ever recover? My son hates me!!”
“I want cookies.” Sunny however saw through her ruse and offered up an ultimatum. Cookies.
“Deal.” Halley got off of the floor and dusted herself off. She saw an easy fat joke with Sunny asking for cookies but she’s done enough of that. “You lot come too, Polly made a lot so you better eat.”
“Kay Mom.” As Mari and everyone else stood up to follow along. “You coming too, Basil?”
“Huh? Oh, yeah I’m coming.” Basil then got off the ground and followed close behind, his focus directly on Sunny.
‘I see now, why she talked about him so much.’