Chapter 71 - Unexpected Encounter

After the moment with Annie, Prime left her alone in her room to explore the place. Though he wasn't sure of her emotional state at that moment, the subtle smile that appeared on Annie's lips when Prime left was a good sign that she would probably be okay.

As he left Annie's room, Prime could hear Ema's excited voice echoing down the hallway. It showed how thrilled the girl was to have her own room. Prime had no idea how the two girls had been living up to that point. Even at the orphanage, the director seemed to have little information about their past.

From what Prime had been told, it seemed that both had run away from home after suffering abuse from their parents. The mere thought made Prime's "blood" boil, though he didn't have "blood" to begin with. Even though Prime's initial goal was to find new companions for whatever the world had in store for him.

Still, Prime felt a strong desire to take care of both girls, perhaps because he too had been an orphan in his "former life" Prime understood to some extent what it was like to have no one to rely on, especially in such delicate cases as Annie and Ema's. Honestly, Prime was at a loss for what his next steps should be.

Prime had to admit that this was the first time he found himself in the position of caring for children. Sara had always been independent since they met, and instead of Prime taking care of Sara, they both supported each other while sharing the same body. With these thoughts in mind, Prime entered the living room and found Sara sitting on a couch, absorbed in her phone.

"Remind me not to let you get addicted to that" Prime commented, jokingly, as he sat down in front of Sara.

"Relax, I hardly get addicted to anything, doubt this will be any different" Sara replied, rolling her eyes.

Prime had bought that phone for Sara just a few days ago, after noticing how much effort she put into her schoolwork when she participated with Ned, Peter, and Gwen. Since then, Sara used it whenever she had time. Even though Sara claimed otherwise, Prime was sure it wasn't normal for someone to spend almost two hours straight with their phone in hand without considering themselves addicted.

"If you say so" Prime replied, shrugging.

As he said these words, Prime opened the notebook in front of him with the intention of starting his work. However, just before that could happen, Sara's words interrupted him.

"For now, let's put my "phone addiction" aside" Sara commented, making air quotes with her hands.

"When exactly do you plan on telling them? You know you can't hide this forever, right?"

Listening to these words, Prime raised his gaze and met Sara's. There was no way he didn't understand what she was referring to.

"I... haven't found the right moment to tell them yet, but it'll be soon" Prime replied, sighing.

Listening to Prime's words, Sara just raised an eyebrow, finding them quite odd, even for him, to say those words.

"You know there's no "perfect moment" to reveal that you're, technically, an alien, right?"

Prime wouldn't deny Sara's words, or rather he couldn't. Although he knew he should tell them as soon as possible to avoid future problems, Prime, or rather, Ryan, was afraid of what the girls' reaction would be after hearing it. Would they be scared? Would they be horrified? These thoughts left Prime relatively anxious.

Even though it had been for a short time, Prime had grown attached to Annie and Ema. Even though they weren't his real daughters, he already considered them part of his family - a family he never had the opportunity to have.

As these thoughts passed through Prime's mind, a call on his phone caught his attention. As he spoke, Sara noticed Prime's smile growing wider and wider. He had clearly completely forgotten about the conversation they had just had. Seconds later, Prime hung up the phone still with his smile on his face and turned to Sara.

"The car I bought finally arrived. I'm going out with Annie and Ema. Want to come along?"

Sara just raised her eyebrows as she looked at Prime, wondering exactly when he had found time to buy a car.

"No, thanks. You guys go ahead. Try to find a good moment to tell them while you're at it" Sara said with a mischievous smile on her face.

Prime's previously smiling expression turned almost instantly serious, which made Sara laugh. As he sighed, Prime began to move away, heading towards the girls' room. Although he couldn't stay far away from Sara, the place he was going with the girls wasn't too far: just a local restaurant, nothing too glamorous to make the girls uncomfortable.

Although Prime expected some resistance from the girls, he was surprised when both of them quickly agreed. After that, he led the girls to the underground parking lot of the apartment where his car was parked.

As soon as he saw it, Prime's eyes simply lit up with what he saw: a white Bentley Continental GTC, exactly as he had requested. Of course, the two girls behind Prime weren't much different; after all, that was a car they had only seen in movies or on television.

"Wow, what a beautiful car" commented Ema.

Annie, beside Ema, could only nod her head. She didn't know the price of the car, but she was sure it was a sum she could never gather in her entire life.

"Although it was already beautiful on the website, it's even more impressive in person than I expected. Let's get in, kids" Prime said with a smile as he opened the back door of the car.

Truth be told, this car was completely out of Prime's reality in his previous life. That's why, now that he had the chance, he wanted to buy it to experience a bit of what life as a rich person is like.

As the girls got into the car, Prime moved to the front and soon followed suit, entering the vehicle. In a few minutes, Prime and the girls were driving through the streets, observing the landscapes outside as they headed towards their destination. As they progressed, Prime noticed that, minutes after they departed, Annie started looking around as if she were anxious about something.

"Annie, is something wrong?" Prime asked, looking at Annie through the rearview mirror.

Upon hearing Prime's words, Annie looked at him and, after a few seconds of silence, shook her head. Although he found it strange, Prime decided to ignore it for now.

***

Perhaps this was the first time Annie felt truly happy, maybe even happy to be alive. The man, whom Annie wasn't expecting anything from, was treating her in a way she had never experienced before.

First, he hugged her, ensuring that everything would be okay, and now they were in a diner, sharing meals and conversations like a real family would, something Annie had always longed for. Her sister, Ema, who meant everything to Annie, also seemed happy as she talked with him. Although this should have made Annie content, for some reason, she felt uneasy.

The man made funny jokes, and no matter what they asked for, he always provided. If it were the Annie of a few days ago, she would have found this situation utterly absurd. But now, she realized that her concepts of normalcy and happiness were expanding, evolving along with this new experience.

After having fun and sharing a meal together, Annie, Ema, and their new "father" were now outside the place. The man stepped away, saying he would buy ice cream for both of them. Although Annie found this somewhat childish, she couldn't deny the man's words. And it was while waiting that she heard that voice.

"You two..." The voice echoed softly, interrupting the cheerful atmosphere.

Although she didn't know who was in front of her at that moment, Annie knew that voice. It was etched deep in her soul, and just hearing it made her heart race and her body start to tremble. Annie simply couldn't look up. For some reason, it reminded her of what it was like when she was younger.

"I'm sure you and Anissa, or whatever, I don't remember the other one's name, but if she's with you, she must be the other daughter I had with that woman... just thinking about it makes me angry. After you two left, that bitch left me behind. I'll take you back, maybe that will knock some sense into her fucking head and make her come back"

Annie couldn't speak; her words felt stuck, her voice choked by emotion. All she could do was squeeze her sister's hand tightly, seeking support in that moment.

(I... don't want to go... Daddy, please, help me) Annie thought in her deepest thoughts, silently pleading for support.

"May I know what you want with my daughters?"

Although she was overcome with fear just seconds ago, upon hearing that voice, Annie felt her body relax almost instantly. Before her, a pair of broad backs, which seemed capable of protecting her from anything, suddenly appeared.

Before Annie or Ema even realized it, they were both enveloped in a hug with the man they now considered as their father, almost automatically. His mere presence made them feel secure for the first time.