The doorbell rang.
Cain immediately jumped out of his chair, shot the homework on his desk one last resentful finger, and then dashed down two flights of stairs and through one corridor.
Quickly he reached the door, where Emmett, the tall, white-haired family butler was already waiting for him with a big, colorful carton in his hands.
A small smile adorned Emmett's lips.
"Looking at how fast you ran here I assume this is for you, young sir?" Emmett asked teasingly, chuckling heartily.
"Is this mockery I hear? But yes, that should be for me." Cain answered and poked out his tongue sheepishly.
"I wouldn't dare young sir," Emmett replied, winking mischievously. "Now allow me to carry this up to your room."
"Thanks, Emmett, I'll pay the kitchen a quick visit in the meantime," Cain said, his stomach growling in agreement.
"Excellent idea young sir." Emmett nodded.
When Cain entered the dining room a few minutes later, he noticed two of his three siblings sitting at the long table.
They both shared the same iconic golden-blond hair and azure-blue eyes their parents were known for - recognised, as some might say, the signature Stargazer look.
A hint of surprise flashed through the eyes of his older sister before a welcoming smile spread on her face, painting a stark contrast to the looks of disdain his little brother kept shooting at him from behind his handheld screen.
"Hey, Cain! Why don't you dine with us this evening? Mom and Dad would surely be happy about that," His sister said with silent pleading in her azure eyes.
"I don't know Elena, I don't think I'll have the time today. The hottest game on the market just arrived and I don't wanna fall behind." Cain excused himself with a forced smile.
"Just sit with us this one time, roach! It's been ages!" His brother spat, his dislike for Cain dripping from his voice like toxic tar.
"Don't talk to your brother that way Nox!" Elena said angrily, shooting deadly glances over the ivory table.
"Brother? Sure..." Nox started but Cain interrupted him. "Where is our esteemed young lord? Is he still at that boarding school?"
"Yes he's still at the academy, we'll call him after dinner so if you want to stay with us, you could talk to him for a bit." Elena offered.
"Well, send him my regards. I'll pass. Now if you'll excuse me, I have things I need to attend to." Cain rejected her proposal.
"Alright then Cain, I'll see you around I guess," Elena mumbled, visibly disappointed.
Without another word, Cain left the dining room and continued on his way to the kitchen.
'Why did I even go this way? I should've known they'd be there! Damn it!'
Clenching his fists in frustration, he walked up to the kitchen staff and ordered a small meal, which he asked to be delivered to his room.
As he made his way back up to his room, staying as far away from the dining room as possible, Cain thought about the latest addition to his collection.
'With the recent breakthroughs in VR technology, this game should be on a whole different level! I'm so excited to finally try it out! I'm still mad I didn't get to be a beta tester though...'
He sighed.
'Well, whatever, at least I found an excuse to skip dinner today. It's not every day that- Argh! Damn it!'
Not paying attention to where he was going, Cain had stubbed his toe on a small table in the corridor leading to his room.
'Stupid table, watch where you're going! Damn that hurts!' His vision blurred and his eyes felt hot.
'This is exactly what was missing from my day, great!'
Cain hobbled his way to his room and collapsed onto his bed immediately.
'Just gimme a break for heaven's sake.' He thought while burying his face in one of his cushions.
'Whatever, let's just try out the new game and get my mind off this crap.'
Happily surprised he noticed Emmett had already set up and plugged in the new console for him.
'Gotta thank that guy sometime. He's the best!'
He grabbed the helmet and promptly skipped through all the warning notices and safety briefings.
'Don't use it for too long, take breaks, blah blah. Just let me play already!'
Finally, the helmet lit up and the logo of the hottest game on the market appeared before his eyes.
'New Eden here I come!'