//------------------------------// // Chapter 3: A Pleasant Morning & The Truth Revealed // Story: A Tale of a Loving Sister // by GoebelTron //------------------------------// The solar rays of the sun shone through the window as the sun rose to make another pleasant day. Sunset started to awaken from the sunlight and began to stretch her arms and felt something wrapped around her waist. She looked down and uncovered the blanket over Chase hugging her belly firmly. She smiled warmly and rubbed his shoulder. “Chase. It’s time to wake up, buddy,” Sunset said smoothly. Chase made some kind of cute grunting noise and stretched his arms and yawned. Then he rubbed his eyes and leaned on Sunset’s belly. “Hi, sweetie. Did you sleep well?” Sunset asked. “Uh-huh. Thanks for letting me sleep with you,” Chase said. Sunset kissed his forehead. “You’re welcome, Chase,” Sunset replied. “Let’s go downstairs and get some breakfast. Would French toast be okay?” Chase nodded and then Sunset picked him up from under his armpits and carried him downstairs. After arriving in the kitchen and placing Chase on his feet so that he can sit down on a chair, Sunset started to mix the eggs and milk together to make the French toast. Then, she started to heat up the griddle and made several pieces of French toast for herself and Chase. She also made some scrambled eggs and bacon, so that they could have some protein. “Chase, you like your eggs scrambled, right?” she asked. “Yes, thank you,” Chase replied. Sunset was finished with cooking breakfast and brought the food to the table, along with some orange juice for Chase and some fresh brewed coffee for herself. They now sat together and enjoyed their breakfast together. After breakfast was done and when Sunset finished cleaning up the dishes, she took Chase upstairs for a nice, warm bath. When they arrived in the bathroom, Sunset turned on both faucets for warm water and filled the water with bubbles. Then, she helped Chase take off his clothes, and she began to tickle his belly and armpits, and Chase started giggling. “Oh, no! I can’t take it anymore! Somebody make him stop laughing!” Sunset said sarcastically, then she stopped tickling him and checked the water. It felt warm and was ready for Chase to play. “Okay, in you go,” Sunset said as she lifted him up and lowered him into the bathtub and turned off the faucet. “How about you play with these toys right here and I’ll think about what we should do today?” Sunset asked. “Okay,” Chase said happily. Sunset tenderly kissed Chase on the forehead and he took the bath toys and pretended to be a giant sea monster attacking military boats. Sunset walked out of the room and then started to find out what she and Chase should do today. Until she got an idea, she thought about something Chase might enjoy. ‘I just hope they like him. He was very shy and timid last night,’ Sunset thought to herself. Four minutes later... “SUNSET, I’M READY TO BE WASHED!” Chased yelled out. “Okay! I’ll be right there!” Sunset replied. Sunset came back in her clothes from yesterday and kneeled down towards his level. “Ready?” Sunset asked the boy. Chase nodded, then she used some water and slowly and gently poured the water on top of his head to get his hair wet. Then she took some shampoo and squirt some on her hands and scrubbed his hair with her fingernails, then she wet his hair again to rinse the soap. Then, she took a loofa and squirted some body wash onto it and started to rub the loofa all over Chase’s arms, legs, chest, belly, back, feet, and rubbed his neck. Then, Chase dunked into the water and rinsed the soap off him. After Sunset unplugged the drain and gently lifted Chase out of the bathtub, she took a towel and gently helped him dry off and gave him his clothes that were from yesterday. Chase put his clothes on and went to the sink to brush his teeth. ‘She almost reminds me of my mommy and daddy when they gave me a bath, tucked me in bed and fed me food,’ he thought to himself. ‘I miss my mommy and daddy.’ He started having tears in his eyes. After Sunset came downstairs to get ready for the day, she heard and saw Chase curled up into a ball crying on the couch. Sunset sat next to him and wrapped him in her arms and pressed his head on her chest. “What’s wrong, Chase?” Sunset asked. “I m-m-miss my m-mommy and d-daddy,” he replied. Sunset was worried. “Don’t worry. We’ll find them,” she said calmly. “No. That’s not what I meant.” Chase said clearly. “The truth is... my parents are dead.” Sunset gasped. “Oh... how did this happen?” Chase leaned closer and replied, “They were killed in a car crash. After their funeral, my Aunt Estella blamed me for it and has been beating me, threatening me, and forcing me to work all day... and... n-n-never l-l-lets me... have a-a-a-any f-fr-fri-friends t-to... PLAY WITH!” “Aww.... poor baby,” Sunset said, as she shushed him and gave him a warm hug. “While you were taking your bath, I was thinking about you coming with me to meet my friends. They’re really nice people, like me. I’m sure they’ll love to meet you.” Chase nodded and smiled warmly at her. Sunset sent a text to her friends and asked if they could meet her later today. They all replied with yeses. Sunset stood up and gently grabbed Chase’s hand as they walked outside with Chase putting his jacket on. Then, they left Sunset’s apartment and walked downtown together.