主妇丈夫倡导的户外生活

When Harker got back home, Howard Jones was already cooking dinner, He greeted his dad and brothers, and made up an alibi for now to excuse his and Chloe's disappearance. But he will be truthful to his promise of telling them the truth once he settles his score with Victoria.

As his father cooked, Harker helped him in order to also converse with him. Alone.

There were just some questions that had come up on his mind after this accident. They were questions he always had, but never had the courage to ask in fear of disturbing the peace in this household.

"Dad…. I'm just wondering. Since we did tell you that the research was in Nebraska after all…." Harker started as he chopped some lettuce.

Howard Jones was humming as he cooked. He seemed to be in a very good mood. "Yeah, you did tell me that. What is it, Harker?"

"Well….. Nebraska seemed like a not so bad place. There are a lot of prairies there, with pretty interesting animals like bison and prairie dogs. I'm just wondering why you decided to move out."

Howard Jones stopped humming, and turned to him. "Why I moved out?"

"Yeah." Harker had hunches, but he wanted to hear it from his father directly.

Darkness seeped into his father's usually bright and amicable face. He didn't say anything for a long time. He had stopped stirring the beef stew he was cooking and it started to boil. Harker had to turn it off or else there would be no more stew and just overcooked beef.

As he turned it off, his father spoke:

"My parents…. They don't agree with most of my choices. Especially with what I wanted to pursue as a career." His Dad admitted.

"They didn't like that you were an artist?"

"Yes. They think it was useless. They wanted me to continue the family's farm business. Take care of all the 'manly' work of lifting bales of hay, milking cows, being tired and dirty from sunrise to sundown…. I couldn't take it anymore. So I ran away."

His father then added. "And there's my friends—"

But he closed his mouth as soon as he said it, and pretended to be busy with cooking.

"Your friends?" Harker asked.

"Nothing. I just got caught up with unpleasant folk, that's all." His dad said. "My parents' disapproval of me is the main reason. A distant relative helped me apply for a scholarship for art school. That's why I went on my way."

"And you've never seen them since?" Harker asked.

His dad chuckled nervously. "I did try to visit to tell them the news about my son, but they were the ones that never wanted to see me. Apparently they sold the farm now and stayed at a home for the aged. I don't know where exactly, and I didn't bother to ask."

Harker furrowed his brows. "You didn't like them very much."

"They never liked me very much. Even as their only child." Howard admitted. "I wasn't like how they expected. I was wimpy, I didn't like playing all the rowdy sports, and I can be quite sentimental at times."

"Not that I hate myself for that. Your mother liked those qualities about me." His father tried to stay positive. "Different strokes for different folks, as they say."

Harker wished he could easily know what his father had experienced. But just from his reactions alone, he could tell that he must have suffered a lot due to his parents'  toxic expectations of him.

But Harker really wanted to know what his 'friends' had to do with this. These 'unpleasant folk'.

He didn't want to use the hypnotizing skill on his own father. But Howard Jones was very secretive, and he was indeed a sensitive soul. Even the smallest things can stir a strong emotion in him. It must be the result of years in a traumatic household that expects him to perform several actions just to prove his 'masculinity'.

How can he get him to open up?

If only he had a journal just like his mom, or anything that could be a way to see through his past. Then he could truly get to know his Dad and the things that he keeps in the recesses of his delicate heart.

Especially things regarding G.G. Faust.

Even though he was not the one responsible for the zombie incident, there was still something undoubtedly off about him. It wasn't just the interest in the occult, or his resemblance to Roland.

There was also the fact that he had the Shard and knew about this 'An Xin'.

Harker had tried to read books on meditation to get into the subconscious and recall his dream. He truly wanted to remember what's so significant about the 'Dark Heart', but he couldn't. Maybe he needed to practice it more, as he truly was the type to have many things in his mind.

If G.G. Faust had the Shard, does that mean he's not human? What is he, then? If he wasn't human, does that mean that the Faust family wasn't too?

No, it was something specific to him. He was the black sheep after all, he was kicked out. It was possible that he gained the Shard after being disowned. Perhaps he found it somewhere, or a monster had given it to him.

He must learn the past to gain answers for the present. And these answers would dictate his own future.

He had 2 out of 13, and there's still 11 to go. Should he start asking Yan where to look for the rest? But he still has a lot to take care of, with Victoria's disappearance after all.

Speaking of Victoria….

Harker remembered that he actually knew someone connected to her, and may have answers to her whereabouts.

The next day at school, he attended one of Professor Seward's lectures. The lazy teacher always spoke in a monotone, and the whole class was close to falling asleep every time she had a class.

She would also answer questions absentmindedly, and even answer back with a question.

"Professor, why do filaments have to ratchet across the head of myosin molecules again?"

"Hm? Why wouldn't they?"

It was so frustrating that she easily became one of the least favorite professors in the school, and there had been a lot of complaints against her.

But Professor Seward never got fired, and that was because she was one of the best when it comes to research itself that puts the Stoker University at the top spot in terms of biochemistry and pharmaceuticals.

Harker decided to approach this woman to ask about her sister, not really expecting a decent answer. She probably has no idea or would tell him she doesn't hear from her anymore.

But instead, when he asked about Victoria, he got another question.

"Do you think my sister makes close friends more easily than I do?"