12 Chapter 12 ** Chapter 12 : He Remembered ** Isabelle Pearson found it strange . " Why do you guys keep calling him ' Chip ' ? That's a weird name for a gorilla . He's gotta be at least three or four pounds ... " I looked straight at Hayden Hughes . For a moment , he seemed lost , his gaze flickering . He cleared his throat , as if trying to hide something , and put some vegetables in Isabelle's bowl . " Eat up . These are your favorite . " " Hayden , you still haven't told me . Why do you and Aubrey both call the little gorilla ' Chip ' ? " " Because ... " Hayden suddenly looked at me , his expression complicated . I decided to just put her out of her misery . " Because - he's a chimp off the old block . " Isabelle let out a long " Ohhhhh , " then burst out laughing . " Haha , so it's a dad joke ! Hayden , you knew that one too ? " " Yeah , " Hayden replied dismissively , then put more food in her bowl . " You like this , too . " Throughout the rest of the meal , Hayden's mind was somewhere else . He kept glancing at me . But every time I looked up to meet his eyes , he'd flinch away as if he'd been burned . The moment I went back to my food , his gaze would land on my face again , as if he were studying me , or maybe trying to confirm something . * I have a bad feeling about this . * After dinner , Julian Coleman chatted up Mr. and Mrs. Hughes like they were old friends . They asked the usual questions : how much he made , how big his house was , when he was heading to the Europa Continent . We'd rehearsed our story , and he answered everything smoothly , handling it like a pro . Isabelle sat properly on the couch , watching TV without saying a word . I brought her some fruit and gave her shoulder a reassuring pat before heading to the kitchen to help Mrs. Webb with the dishes . " You can take a rest , " Mrs. Webb said , shooing me away . " Don't get your hands dirty . Go take a walk in the garden . " She pushed me out , so I had no choice but to head for the garden . The second I stepped outside , I was hit with the thick , acrid smell of smoke . 1/2 Chapter 13 My throat instantly tickled , and I started coughing , a violent , uncontrollable fit . Hayden grabbed my arm to steady me " Are you okay ? " I shook my head . isabelle's inside watching TV . She's . * cough , cough * . isn't she shy around new people ... Moough " you should go keep her company . Hayden wart back inglide . But the returned almost immediately gone for less than a minute . 14 presmet a glass of warm water into my hand . " Here , drink this . " Twat coughing so hard I couldn't breathe , and tears blurred my vision until I couldn't see a thing didn't have time to think , I just tilted my head back and chugged the entire glass of water , which finally managed to suppress the cough . The water was wärm . Axt too hot , not too cold . t was the exact temperature I was used to . Audrey , your VOKOR 78 was just the smoke . I'm fine now . " coughing had left faint tear tracks at the corners of my eyes . ied my best to look calm , gently wiping them away with my fingertips . " I heard that if you're planning on hawing kids , you should quit smoking at least six months beforehand . If you and Isabelle have any plans , you should probably quit soon , " may say anything . just spod there , watching me . now while ' Of course , if you two just want to enjoy your time together , that's fine too . Isabelle's still young she can afford to have fun for a few more years . " Prayers agressor wat onreadable , and when he finally spoke , his words had nothing to do with what I'd saud " utray you wice it was damaged from crying when you were a kid , wasn't it ? frequently in belief . He did you Did Mr Hughes tell you ? " meytum duvalroward hund , his Adania apple botting . I think I'm starting to remember " Chapter