A Genius No Less

It's been a year since we started living in the Webber's estate and I still haven't gotten myself used to the luxurious lifestyle. Everywhere I look, there are servants, cleaning the already shiny place. The house is spacious that driving a trike is possible although the large, expensive vases at the corners won't be safe to drive around.

Besides, they have a wide lawn and a garden at the back perfect for my intention. Both are impeccably maintained by a horticulturist. Trees sway and flowers bloom everywhere while birds chirp at my window every day. Although we're still at the city, we're a little far from the bustling noise. Everything is perfect!

I know mom told me to get daddy's favor but I haven't seen a chance to do so. The man is always busy, going to different countries with his private jet. I heard he's a doctor, a special kind of doctor. In fact, he owns the biggest hospital in the city and has a separate laboratory for his medical research.

Dr. Webber is a known man in medicine. His face regularly shows in both TV and magazines. My mom's a nurse so maybe that's how they met before. They move in the same circle but I wonder why mom isn't as rich as Louise. That's not a problem now though coz we're already a family. Thus, we're rich as well.

I roll to my back and close my eyes, enjoying the smell of flowers surrounding me. I might get reprimanded for lying on the grass but I just can't help myself. I like the cool breeze and sweet smell of flowers here. The giant trees create a canopy to the entire garden. Its branches cast shadows over my face, allowing the sunlight to flicker through in rays.

Another shadow hovers over me which makes me snap my eyes open. Annalouie's fat cheeks appear at my line of sight, his green eyes are like the grass and the trees I love to look at. They're cool, calming and mesmerizing. I frown, shoving his face away before sitting up.

Annalouie drops to his bum from the force of my push, clutching a sketchbook close to his chest. Out of the thousand toys he has, the sketchbook seems the most important to him because he carries it everywhere he goes. I'm both curious and annoyed. What could he be drawing in there?

"Why do you sleep here?" He asks, staring at me with his chin tucked to his chest, reminding me of a tiger on the prowl behind the bushes.

I've seen how sad he became after being ignored before and I kind of liked it. That's why, since then, I've been ignoring him the best way I can. Although when were in front of other people, I'm the friendliest and warmest big brother a little brother can ever ask for.

I plop to the grass once again, ignoring him and return to playing with my toys. Annalouie copies my position, plopping on to his stomach as well before opening his sketchbook. When he raises his eyes up to me, I quickly avert my gaze and resume playing.

A long moment later, I can't take the silence anymore. I raise my head to look up to him again only to be surprised that he's staring hard at me, unblinking. His nose and chin are both dotted with sweat while his lips are curled inwardly. His left wrist rapidly flicks to different directions over his sketchbook.

"What are you doing?"

He blinks as if startled by my question before looking down at his book. I peer at it, too, and gasp at what he's drawn there. It's me! Although there's no color to his drawing, it looks full of life. He's drawn me perfectly that I feel like I'm looking myself in the mirror.

"Let me see!" I pull the sketchbook from under his arms and examine his drawing more closely.

He's really good and his drawings are so cool. They look almost the same as the original. I can't even perfect drawing a stick man myself! How can he do this? He's just seven, isn't he? I look at him and catch him staring again. His cheeks are puffing and reddening as if he's embarrassed.

Without asking his permission, I flip the pages to see if there are more of his drawings. There are a lot of them, in fact. Animals. Flowers. People mostly I don't recognize. Some were colored, most were not. There are drawings I can't determine what they are no matter how I turn the book around.

There are also faces he's drawn but are recklessly covered with black crayon as if he hated the finish product and decided to just destroy it altogether. The last three pages are drawings of my mom, dad and lastly, his recent finish product of me. That moment, a resounding engine pulls up at the garage.

We both jerk our heads together, looking towards the direction of the sound. It's our parents! I quickly flip the page to where he drew Louise, tear it off from the spring before getting up and rush back to the house. I'm sure daddy would be happy with me if he sees this!

I feel Annalouie following behind me but I ignore him and use the back door to get into the house, running excitedly towards the living room. Just in time, the front door opens and our parents enter. I jump into my mothers arms, kiss her cheek before going to Louise to give him the same greeting.

When the man bends down to offer me his cheek, I kiss it before showing him the drawing. "Look, dad! I drew this for you!"

"O-oh!" He frowns at the drawing, glances briefly to Annalouie behind before smiling at me. "It's very good! It really looks like me. Isn't it, sweetheart?"

"Oh, let me see!" Mom takes the drawing from my hand and examines it, nodding and smiling before looking intently at me.

I know that look. It's the look that intimidates me so much that I feel like peeing on my pants. Mommy's trying to gauge my expression whether or not I'm telling the truth. I feel nervous but stand firmly despite my knees trembling a little. After a long stretch of silence, mommy smiles and breathes out a sigh.

"This is wonderful!" She gushes before giving the drawing back to me. "A drawing like that is made by a genius, no less!"

"Thanks." I say and smile to show my dimples at them, receiving both their praises through pats to my head before giving Annalouie a smug smile.

"Annalouie, aren't you going to greet us?" Louise says to his son.

"Hi, dad W-welcome back." Annalouie obliges while looking down his feet.

I frown and look at him contemptuously. Up until now, I never heard him call my mom mommy. It's as though he's telling us that he can't accept mommy into the family. But whatever. I won't let him throw us away from this house! We will live here forever!

"Annalouie, let's go back outside and play." I tell him, draping my arm over his shoulders before looking up to the adults in front of us. "May we be excused, mom, dad?"

"Of course, Axel. Please, take care of your brother."

"I will, dad." I smile at him sweetly before pulling Annalouie towards the back door with my arms still wrapped around him.

I smirk down at Annalouie, my mischievous blue eyes meeting his oblivious mossy orbs. Once we step outside though, I quickly drop the pretentious smile and so is my arm around him. I stop walking, turn to him abruptly and glare.

"I don't care if you don't like my mom or if you hate me. Rebel all you want but I'll make sure we won't leave this house!" I push the drawing back to his chest which he quickly catches before it drops.

"Um... I d-don't..."

"Shut up!" I hiss at him, cutting his words off in an instant before turning away and march back to my toys left at the garden.

Since that day, I notice Annalouie seems to have gotten used to me ignoring him. He still follows me around with his sketchbook under his arm. Whenever I snub him, he would only smile. It irritates me so much as if he's mocking me. I don't know what he has that easily upsets me. He just gets into my nerves.

Thus, I change tactic. From ignoring him, I started messing with his playtime instead. I accidentally destroy Annalouie's toys, especially his Lego, so he'd start all over again. It's not like they're built beautifully though. His robots look like clumps of plastic put together. They're such an eye sore.

When he plays in the sandbox, I'd bury his toys deep under so he'd spend the entire day digging them out. I enjoy watching his face turning red, sweat dotting his nose and chin, and his cheeks puffing out from exertion. He's fat so he needs to shed it through sweating. He should even thank me for helping him out.

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