(Author's note: The dialogues in telepathy are italicized.)

  It's perfectly normal for May to walk the streets this early in the morning, holding two large bags full of groceries and consumer goods, heading towards her workplace—the Lanes' house. As a housekeeper, she is accustomed to being called suddenly to their aid at any time. Today, even though she is on vacation, it's totally fine. May smiles with a little more effort than usual. It's fine. It must be an important occasion.

  May arrives at the gate. Mary and Anna are waiting there with different expressions on their faces.

  "Here you are, my dear!" Mary beams, taking a bag from May. "Did you bring everything I asked?"

  "Yes, ma'am." May follows her hurriedly inside. "Is it for someone? A guest?"

  After these words, all the following conversation is in telepathy, as May is also a dominant.

  "Not a guest, May," Mary answers joyfully. "It's my third son, Gabriel. He just returned home yesterday and is still sleeping. He must be tired. You will see him soon."

  May pauses for a moment, unsure of the news she just received.

  "You got it right, sis," Anna comes up beside her, crossing her arms. "Though you have never met him."

  "Never met?" May drops the bag in her hand and turns to look at Anna with wide eyes. "I didn't even know he existed! I have been here for five years and have never heard or seen anything related to him. How come?"

  Anna shrugs.

  "I know what you are thinking," Mary explains while busily roaming around the kitchen preparing breakfast. "We, uh... have some personal reasons. But now that Gab has come back home, I hope you guys can welcome him, be nice to him, and help him adjust. OK?"

  "Yeah, sure!" May agrees.

  "I would be more careful around him if I were you, sis," Anna transmits her thoughts to May secretly behind her mother's back.

  "What's wrong? Is he not your brother?" May wonders.

  "He is, but he's also many other things," Anna gives May a meaningful look. "I'll tell you more later. But mark my words, you'd better stay away from him, and Clara should, too. You know what my ability is. So trust me."

  While May feels her head spin from the sudden influx of information, Jason walks by the hall, one hand fixing his long coat, the other holding his briefcase. The sight of him immediately makes May forget everything else for a moment, and her face turns red.

  "Oh, hi May!" Jason greets her politely. "Sorry for troubling you during your vacation."

  "Morning, Jay." May smiles at him shyly. "It's nothing. My mom and I are home bored anyway."

  Anna chuckles with a know-it-all look on her face, saying nothing.

  "Are you leaving already? What about breakfast?" Mary calls as Jason hastily heads out.

  "I've got to go, mom. I have an early shift today."

  Mary sighs. The next person to come down is Kyle.

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  "Hey mom, hey May. Anna, sup!"

  The young policeman lightheartedly waltzes through the hall. His messy bed hair and minimal outfit don't hide his handsome features.

  "Come now, be more upright. You are a civil servant."

  Daniel clears his throat and shows up behind Kyle, looking like a true noble in his black suit, ready to give some public speeches today.

  "Don't be such an old geezer and come here!" Mary waves her husband and son towards the bar table, where the delicious aroma of hot soup is spreading.

  The morning gathering is already lively with voices and laughter when Gabriel appears.

  He approaches so quietly that no one notices him at first. Then they see him standing by the door, hesitating, as if unsure whether he should interrupt the atmosphere. A faint, silly smile remains on his face.

  "Gab, are you up? Come here! Join us!"

  Mary encourages him to come closer. Hearing her call, May focuses more on the mysterious young master. His looks make her a little surprised, then confused. He's not bad looking, but doesn't look like his family at all. The other Lanes siblings share their father's brilliant golden hair and blue eyes, while Mary has glossy light brown hair and eyes. But this young man, Gabriel, has pitch black hair and gray eyes. He also wears dark baggy jeans which cover almost all his slender build.

  Upon hearing Mary's beckoning, Gabriel comes in shyly like a teenage boy on his first day at a new school. Seeing him makes May's heart soften. She doesn't know what happened between them. This boy looks harmless enough.

  "Good morning, Dad, Mom, Kay, An, and..."

  Gabriel carefully greets each one. Anna turns away when he calls her name. Daniel and Kyle nod back shortly. Mary smiles gently and introduces:

  "This is May, our housekeeper. She and her mother, Clara, are both part of our family."

  "Nice to meet you, young master," May comes forward with her professional greeting. "Can I call you Gabriel?"

  Gabriel startles a bit, being addressed like that for the first time. He takes her hand clumsily.

  "Just Gab is ok. Nice to meet you, too, Ms. May."

  "Oh no, please just call me May."

  May immediately notices Gabriel's unusually rough, calloused hands, but she doesn't let it show. It's her job to respect the Lanes' privacy.

  Suddenly, Anna stands up and walks out, just leaving a thought to others who can receive it:

  "I'm going. Bye!"

  "An! Say bye to your brother properly!"

  Mary calls after Anna, but she doesn't listen.

  Gabriel catches a cold breeze when his younger sister walks by, not even looking at him. The atmosphere starts becoming awkward.

  A brief silence, then Kyle prepares to slip away next.

  "R... right! I should get going, too! I forgot to do some documentation work."

  Kyle pats Gabriel's shoulder, smiles fleetingly, then vanishes in the air with his teleportation.

  Gabriel smiles awkwardly, feeling so embarrassed now.

  "Those kids are really... Don't worry, honey. They just need a little time to warm up to you."

  Mary leads him to the table, seated next to Daniel, kindly reassuring him.

  "That's right. They haven't seen you for so long. Of course they would feel strange. You can take a rest these days, or walk around the neighborhood for some fresh air. May and Clara will help with anything you need."

  Daniel tells him warmly. May nods her head eagerly. Seeing their thoughtfulness, Gabriel smiles weakly.

  "I get it. Thank you."

  After a few more exchanges, Daniel and Mary leave together to attend a public event in the city. The house becomes quiet and empty, with only May and Gabriel left.

  "Do you want something to drink?" May asks to break the ice.

  "It's ok, thanks... May." Gabriel responds, eating his soup which has gone cold. "This is delicious! My mom's cooking is still top-notch. Did you have some?"

  May looks at him, a little surprised.

  "We usually don't eat with the house's owner's family. We are here to serve whatever you need."

  "Is that so?" Gabriel looks even more surprised than her. "Back then, we didn't have housekeepers, so I didn't know."

  "Well, now you do." May smiles at him kindly. "So tell me whatever you need."

  "Thank you. Then..." Gabriel speaks softly. "Can you sit here and eat with me? It's kind of... hard to eat alone, you know."

  May ponders for a short while, then brings a new plate to sit next to him.

  "Alright. Let's eat together."

  In the spacious dining room, they start talking comfortably with each other.

  "My mom is also a housekeeper here. Her name is Clara. She can't hear or speak, and she's a recessive."

  May talks about her mother, who is off from work today since they are still on vacation.

  "Really? I can't wait to meet her," Gabriel replies. "I'm a recessive, too."

  "So you are! I had a guess, since you only use your voice. But... are you really?"

  May is surprised again.

  "I know, right? I'm not like my family at all," Gabriel says, smiling sadly.

  "That's not what I mean..." May quickly explains. "I don't mean it in a bad way, OK?"

  "Yeah, that's OK! Haha," Gabriel laughs. Their voices fill the big house, making it feel less lonely.