Bryce woke up to an empty bed. It took him seconds to realize that he had indeed slept on his own and that Hera had slept somewhere else. Had he gotten so used to her to the point that he could no longer sleep if she wasn't anywhere close to him? At home, their bedrooms were only a few seconds away from each other, but here, he didn't even know which room she had slept in or how to locate her.
He had stayed up all night in hopes that he could at least get a glimpse of her before going to sleep, but he didn't. It was almost like she had disappeared into thin air right after dinner. He didn't like this at all. Ever since they came here, he hadn't had the chance to talk or even spend time with her. Hopefully, they get everything done and dusted with so that they can both return back home together. He missed snuggling up on her lap, and what's worse is that he missed having her all to himself.
He wouldn't want to call this trip a bad one because Hera's family had welcomed him so warmly and shown him a lot of love and kindness. It was the first time in ages that he didn't feel out of place and actually enjoyed the company of other people that weren't his family. He was a bit skeptical about how they would treat him if he came here with her, but all his worries flew out the window when he saw how nicely they treated him.
It would've been a bit hard not to get attached. They were good people. No wonder Hera acts the way she does. She was raised in a loving environment, unlike him.
Rolling out of bed, he threw on one of his shirts and made his way outside the room. There, he scanned every bit of the environment to see if he could at least get a glimpse of Hera around the premise. The whole place was bubbling as everyone tried to set up stuff and put things away in place for the festivities at hand. He couldn't believe it, but then again, he was in church for the first time after his mother's death, so what's stranger than that?
"Good morning, big brother." The voice of Christina pulled him out of his wandering thoughts. He brought his face to hers and was welcomed by her charming smile.
Looking down, he saw King wagging his tail from behind her. Even his dog had abandoned him and taken a new owner in just a short while of their visit. Talk about animals and their loyalty. King had ditched him the minute he walked into Christina's arms and to think that it was his dog. Traitor!
"Good morning, Christina." He touched her hair affectionately. She was grown up yet it felt like she was his little sister. Her radiated nothing but innocence at such an age. "Did you sleep well?"