"What?" she glared at him when she opened the door.

His eyes widened before he laughed loudly. He even had to bend down, holding his stomach. She looked so funny with her long uncombed hair fluffed like a lion and her face was full of sleep lines. 

She wanted to close the door and headed back to the bedroom to continue her sleep but he blocked it with his hand. Then, he gave her a signal to wait for a second while he tried to stop his laughter.

She crossed her arms and tapped her foot impatiently. She was still sleepy and wanted to sleep. She needed to sleep!

He finally was able to stop his laughter, as long as he did not look at her face and her hair. He coughed to cover the grin and pulled her toward inside the house. Instead of pus.h.i.+ng her toward the bedroom and let her continue her sleep like she wanted to, he pushed her into the bathroom and closed the door tightly.

"Wash that sleep away and your teeth too," he told her with a chuckle.

He then returned to sit on the rattan chair. But, after a few seconds, he changed his mind and went to the kitchen. In order to keep Ryn awake, he had to do something.

He brewed her a mug of coffee.

He was rewarded with a slight smile when she saw the coffee and sipped it in pleasure. He crossed his arms and grinned, watching her enjoying the coffee and seeing how the black liquid revived her into half a human being. 

Then, they headed toward the hut where the others were waiting for their breakfast. Ryn again did not wear new clothes. She just wore the clothes she wore to sleep, knowing the breakfast would turn into another food fight. They all loved having their breakfast together because later on, they would have fun with their favourite game.

However, this time, the atmosphere was a bit gloomy. Everyone sat on their chair quietly. When Ryn and Andy arrived, some of them stood up and went to Ryn, trying to pull her to sit next to them. But, Ryn declined politely. She prefered to sit at her usual seat.

Andy just let them do whatever they wanted. He was just the leader, not their father. He sat on his usual chair at the head of the table and reached for a slice of bread.

Unlike the others, he looked casual and calm. The others, despite no longer were in their childhood, were trying not to cry. Of course, some, especially the females, were already sobbing at the thought of their Catherine leaving them. 

When would they be able to see her again? Would they only be able to see her on the television or magazines? But those were not the real her. The Ryn in from of them was the real Catherine.

Ryn smiled as she reached for her food as well. She chatted with them, rea.s.suring them that she would never forget about them and would try to come back as often as she could. She even giggled while wiping the tears of a sobbing girl.

Unlike usual, there was no food fight today. No one even started to throw anything at anyone. No one had the mood to do so. 

All of them, except for Andy, was too sad to even think of doing anything.

The breakfast ended in a solemn atmosphere. 

Andy accompanied Ryn on her way back to the cottage. Andy did not allow the rest to follow them. He did not want them to make Ryn's mood worse than now. He knew she was already sad at the thought of leaving them and going back to the real world, her real world. So in order to make her 'forget' the feeling even for a while, he would do whatever he needed to make her feel better.

"So, what do you plan to do once you reach home? Start to work?" he asked casually as he sat on the rattan chair, watching her packing her bag. "Shouldn't you shower first before you start packing?"

"Shut up!"

He chuckled.

She went into the bathroom to have a quick shower, then came out in a set of clean clothes. She went out to hang the wet towel under the tree.

"Don't forget to keep it once it is dry. I've washed it," she told him when she entered the house back

"Of course. I have to clean everything here once you leave," he shrugged.

She stuck her tongue out to him and checked the room in case she left something. Once she was satisfied, she went back to the front and sat facing Andy on the rattan chair. She patted the handles and sighed heavily.

"Already missing here?" he teased when he saw her unwilling expression.

"I'm not sure," she sighed again. She closed her eyes and took a deep breath. In just a few more hours she would return to her home and automatically her real world as a model. The next day her work would start and she would get busier and busier.

"Don't worry. Everything will be okay," he took her right hand and patted it gently. He always saw her as his little sister and wanted her to be happy. Although they rarely met since they knew each other a few years ago, they always talked on the phone. He hated reading the messages and she needed to hear his voice to gather her courage especially when she could not talk about it with her hippy mother.

"I hope so," she mumbled.

"So... have you decided?" he asked suddenly when she was about to gather her emotion and say goodbye calmly.

Her big eyes blinked at him in puzzle.

He smiled. 

"Have you decided about his feeling?" he asked again. This time making his question clear.

She gulped. Her face changed.

Should she answer this question?

But she was not ready yet to face this question!