October 2nd, 3021
Nine-year-old Itus padded into the kitchen, drawn by the comforting sounds and smells of his mother cooking. Without a word, he wrapped his arms around Elara's leg, burying his face against her.
"Itus? What are you doing here?" Elara asked, surprised by his sudden appearance.
Itus mumbled something unintelligible into her leg, not ready to face the world just yet.
"Oh, is that so?" Elara replied, playing along.
When Itus mumbled again, Elara gently prodded, "Well, as interesting as that is, you are supposed to be outside with your father."
Itus groaned and held on tighter, reluctant to leave the safety of his mother's presence. Elara placed a comforting hand on his head, rubbing it softly before attempting to coax him away. But Itus remained steadfast, clinging to her like a lifeline.
"Sweetie, what's wrong?" Elara asked, concern coloring her voice.
Itus spoke lowly, but his words were still muffled against her leg.
"I can't hear you. Can you try that again?" Elara encouraged.
Finally, Itus pulled his face away from her leg, though he still refused to meet her eyes. "Dad's mad at me," he admitted quietly.
"Oh yeah, what did you do?" Elara probed gently.
Itus stomped his foot in frustration. "I didn't do anything!" he insisted.
"Yeah?"
"Yes!" Itus exclaimed. "He wanted me to do this stupid meditation, and I was trying really hard." He mumbled to himself, "It's not my fault that I kept getting distracted."
Elara hummed encouragingly, prompting Itus to continue.
"It's just that a spaceship flew overhead and it made me think of Selene and where she is," Itus explained. "And I lost focus and then Dad noticed. He started to yell, and..." His voice dropped to a lower volume. "I might have said some things back. But that's not important. The point is I did nothing wrong."
Elara considered his words carefully. "I see. Well, even if you didn't do anything wrong, maybe you should apologize for what you said. Extend an olive branch."
Itus broke away from Elara, looking at her with shock. "Apologize?!" he shouted. "If anyone should apologize, it should be him."
"Yeah, probably," Elara conceded. "But you know your dad would appreciate it if you did."
Itus rolled his eyes and sighed dramatically. "Yeah."
"You don't have to right now," Elara assured him. "You can cool off, but eventually, you should go and apologize."
Itus leaned against the counter next to the stove, arms crossed defensively. "Fine," he grumbled.
A moment of silence passed before Itus spoke again, his voice small and vulnerable. "It's just... he makes me feel so stupid."
"You're not stupid, Itus," Elara said firmly.
"Yeah, I know, but..." Itus trailed off, unable to articulate the complex emotions swirling inside him.
Elara turned to face her son, her eyes filled with love and understanding. "You're not stupid, and your father doesn't think so either. He just cares for you and wants what's best, which sometimes means he's a little harder on you."
"Well, I wish he didn't care if this is how he acts," Itus muttered bitterly.
Elara stopped cooking and turned towards Itus. She gently lifted his chin, forcing him to meet her gaze. "Itus, your father loves you. He would be so hurt if he heard you say that. You are an exceptional young boy, and you are going to do so much good in the world, but you are an idiot if you think that."
"Hey!" Itus protested, a hint of a smile tugging at his lips despite himself.
As Elara returned to the stove, Marcus appeared in the kitchen doorway. His eyes searched the room before landing on Itus.
"Itus, will you please come outside?" Marcus asked, his voice softer than before. "I promise I won't yell again."
Itus glanced at his mother, who gave him a subtle nod of encouragement. After a moment's hesitation, he nodded and moved to his father's side.
As they left the kitchen together, Itus cast one last look at Elara, drawing strength from her unwavering support. He took a deep breath and followed him back outside.
