The Prodigy Series

A groan escaped my lips as my eyes finally popped open.

What time is it? I thought, groaning again when I heard the noise of music playing from the room across mine. What are my sisters up to? After a while, the music died down, and I was allowed to drift into half sleep, only sighing in frustration when my phone rang all of a sudden.

Sitting up in the clothes I'd come back from school with, I bent over the bed to pick up my bag that was sitting at the foot of my bed. I unzipped it, quickly searching it for the device that was ringing. Finding my phone, I unlocked the screen before answering the call.

"Hello?" I muttered into the phone as I rubbed my eyes with my free hand in the semi-darkness. I'd laid down on my hand with my wristwatch when I'd sleep. I was presently having everything from pins and needles to a throbbing consistent pain.

I found myself trying to adjust my eyes to the darkness in the room. I hadn't put on the lights when I'd gotten home, leaving me to wake up late in the evening to an almost pitch black room — it was grey really, but I like to exaggerate.

After a while of squinting into the darkness, I bit my bottom lip, realizing whoever was at the other end hadn't replied.

"Hey! It's Felix. I'm sorry for not saying anything. I dialed your number then walked out for a bit—"

"I was napping. No worries," I yawned into my free hand out of tiredness.

"Oh, okay. Am I bothering you?"

A chuckle left my lips at the question. I'm not sure why I laughed. Maybe it's because he sounded genuinely worried for some reason. Or maybe that's just my mind playing tricks on me. It was adorable either way.

Don't give yourself away Ben.

I let out a cough at my thought, almost dropping my phone in the process. I steadied it against my ear, running a hand through my hair before speaking into the phone.

"You're not bothering me, trust me," I muttered, waiting for a reply. The other end was silent for a while until Felix muttered a small 'okay'.

"Anyway, I was calling to ask if you can send me your email address. I want to mail the digital version of the notes I showed you today to you so that you'll have a copy," he said as I got up from my bed. I hummed to let him know that I was still on the phone with him as I headed to turn the light switch on.

"I'll message my email address to you," I said as the white light from the bulb above drowned my messy room. My study table didn't have any sign of the brown table top. It was covered in everything from screws to figurines. Some of my clothes were littered about the place — mostly hanging from the semi-closed drawers for their dear life if I were, to be honest.

I turned towards the small TV set that I had on the left-hand side of my room. Frowning slightly, I noticed that the PlayStation CD area was open. My sisters must have watched something as I slept. I'm that much of a heavy sleeper.

"Oh, okay. I'll message you mine too," he muttered before hanging up. I removed the phone from its place my ear, before making to send my email address to him quickly. I had two, and I briefly had to think over whether I should send him the one I used for school or the one I used to talk to Aiyana, Ben, and Ji-Hun on Google hangouts.

Thinking about it, I sent my personal email instead of the one for school. He'd probably be linked to my Google+ profile when he added me to his contacts, but I didn't use it so much and I highly doubt there was anything embarrassing that I've uploaded.

FELIX:

I got it. Here's mine: FelixJamesMARVEL[at]Gmail.com.

6:39 PM.

I read the message, nodding my head at it before sending a reply.

ME:

That's great.

6:40 PM.

I dropped my phone on my bed before heading to my drawers to get a change of clothes. The clothes that I've been wearing were getting uncomfortable for two main reasons; one, because they weren't home clothes and two, they were getting uncomfortable since I'd been wearing them since I left the house at eight in the morning.

After changing into a pair of shorts and a loose top I headed back to my bed to pick my phone. I blinked, a little surprised to see that Felix had sent me a message after my last reply.

FELIX:

I've sent some of the doc.u.ments to you. Check them out when you can.

6:42 PM.

By the way, how are you doing?

6:50 PM.

I started down at the messages, wondering why Felix was asking me how I was doing. Was he trying to be polite? I wondered Orr a whirl whether I should answer them. It probably looked like so was ignoring him since the had been open as I wandered about my room and changed clothes.

My fingers started tapping against the keyboard soon after, but I kept pressing backspace, deleting everything I'd written to start afresh. I wasn't sure what to reply with, and I was stuck between sounding overly friendly and sounding too distant. I sighed, running a hand through my hair when I finally settled for a reply.

ME:

I'm doing fine I guess. I passed out on my bed when I got back home and I haven't done anything worth talking about.

6:53 PM.

I stared down at the reply, biting my bottom lip before deciding to send a follow-up message.

ME:

And you?

6:54 PM.

There has to be something wrong with me. I thought as I canceled the messaging app. Felix was probably just asking how I was doing to be nice. He might not even reply to my message.

FELIX:

I'm doing fine. I'm logged into a virtual world gaming site to collect daily points.

6:56 PM

I blinked in disbelief when I looked down to find the notification with Felix's message pop up on my screen.

He actually replied...

A wave of excitement started to overcome me. I started wondering if it was okay for me to reply. Would it seem like I'm being annoying if I asked about the game?

FELIX:

Hello? Are you there?

7:00 PM.

My face warmed up at the sight of the text when it popped up in my notifications. Was he trying to have a full on chat with me? If that's the case—

I'm calm.

I promise I'm calm. I mean, my mind isn't malfunctioning or anything.

Yeah, spot the sarcasm.

ME:

Yes. Yes, I am.

7:02 PM.

What game is it? I play a couple already but most of them are fantasy themed. Is yours fantasy themed as well?

7:03 PM.

I sent, a smile breaking on my lips when the typing icon appeared in the chat next to Felix's icon. I stared at it until a message popped up into the chat.

FELIX:

No. It's a regular virtual world game. Ever heard of Kaneva? I love it. Simon showed it to me.

7:03 PM.

So you play fantasy games?

7:04 PM.

ME:

Yeah.

7:05 PM.

FELIX:

Interesting...

7:06 PM.

And that's how we started talking about gaming platforms and forums. I felt relaxed, knowing that I didn't have to really think of what to say much since I loved talking about games. The fact Felix knew some of the things I didn't expect him to make me impressed, as well as make my stomach flutter. He was just as nerdy as I was — that's a relief.

"Ben! You've been in your room since you got home. There's dinner!" I heard youngest sister, Samantha shout from behind my room door as loud annoying knocks followed. I g.r.o.a.n.e.d, looking up from my screen to the door that was getting a pounding.

"Come on! Mum said I should come down with you!" She yelled, making me roll my eyes before getting up from my bed.

I made to send Felix a quick text to tell him that I had to leave.

ME:

I have to go for dinner. My sister might break my door.

7:42 PM

I partially complained to Felix. He sent me three laughing emojis one after the other.

FELIX:

Sure, go and eat. I'll be awake until one in the morning.

Typing...

You have a sister?

7:45 PM.

ME:

Sisters.

7:46 PM.

I corrected as another loud knock made me look up from my phone with a groan.

"I'm coming!" I yelled, closing the messaging app, dropping my phone on the bedside before scrambling towards my room door to unlock it.

"I'm out. Are you happy now?" I asked, throwing the door open to find Samantha giving me a smudged look. She rolled her eyes, pushing aside her braids before turning and walking away from me. I copied her action, sighing before heading down the stairs for dinner. Getting into the kitchen, I headed straight for the pot that was still sitting on the turned off the stove.

"There's almost nothing left," I complained, raising the lid of the pot before looking at my sisters who were eating at the table.

"Serves you right for coming down late," Chloe muttered, looking up from the phone she had in one hand before guiding the pasta dangling from her fork in her other hand to her mouth. I heard Samantha grumble about her food becoming cold under her breath, making me roll my eyes before I made to scoop up the pitiful amount of spaghetti they'd left for me.

My mum and dad were probably eating in their bedrooms, but they never let up go up to ours.

Leading by example my a.s.s.

I let my mind drift to what Felix had sent me as I went to sit at the dining table with my sisters. He'd said that he'll be awake till one in the morning.

Does that mean he'd be okay if I tried to message him after Dinner? I shook my head when I felt my c.h.e.s.t flutter at the thought. I don't want to seem like I'm trying to suck up to him. Maybe I'll text him tomorrow. Besides, I had to look at his designs this night and try out coding for them.

"Who were you talking to?"

I blinked, looking up to find Samantha staring straight at me. She was the youngest of the three of us at fourteen. Chloe was sixteen and I just turned seventeen a few months ago.

"What?" I asked, unsure of what she was referring to.

"Who were you talking to when I came to call you down for dinner? I figured you were sleeping, but you looked wide awake when you opened the door."

"And how does that prove that I was talking to anyone?" I asked, raising a brow at her. Chloe seemed to be interested in our conversation since she'd dropped her phone to watch the drama reality show playing right in front of her.

"I don't know. I thought it was maybe one of your friends, but you ditch them for food all the time."

Samantha didn't get to complete her sentence because Chloe burst out laughing, making Samantha look over at her with wide eyes.

"Hey, do you think Ben has a girlfriend or something?" Chloe laughed, picking her phone from the table's surface before brushing her braids out of her face. "It's probably one of his online gaming friends."

Samantha nodded, accepting Chloe's explanation. She looked up to Chloe — odd, seeing as she was giving her the respect Chloe was refusing to give me.

"Whatever," I mumbled after a while before shoving a forkful of pasta into my mouth. My face was warm, and I was a little bothered by their comments. Okay, Felix wasn't a 'girlfriend' or in a relationship with me for that matter, but Samantha was close — very close. It's like she had some disturbing sibling six sense.

Sisters. I thought as I chewed. What are you going to do with them?