The Serophim Breach (The Serophim Breach Series) Read Online Free Page B

his father about breeding hybrid fruits, watering schedules, soil additives that would bring their farm into its own. For a month he had worked at breakneck speed, showing them different aeration techniques, ways to speed plant growth and increase fruit size, trying to get their fervor to match his own. But recently, everything about Brandon had slowed down. And only last week he had started calling his father “Gary.”
    Kai just shrugged. “I’ll talk to him about it.”
    They watched from the truck as their father headed into the terminal, then Kai pulled out into the street. Once he had woven through the tourist busses and taxicabs that choked the road, he pulled off onto a side street that would lead them back to the highway while avoiding the worst of Honolulu traffic. He took a deep breath, letting the airport tension go, and thought about how to start the conversation with his brother. He glanced to his right and saw that Brandon had fallen asleep.
    Shaking his head, he wondered how they had ended up in such an awkward relationship. At twenty-six, Kai was the oldest of the four siblings, and closest in age to Brandon. His younger brother and sister, still teenagers, had been very young when their mother left; they had almost no memories of their family as anything other than the way it was now. But Kai and Brandon had spent a good part of their childhood with both parents around, and so experienced the same grief at their mother’s departure. They had shared a close bond throughout their childhood.
    That was part of the reason Kai had chosen to stay in Hawaii after finishing high school, rather than take advantage of the baseball scholarships offered to him by several decent universities on the mainland. He couldn’t bring himself to leave his siblings behind, especially Brandon, who was just beginning high school. So he had played for the University of Hawaii for a year and lived at home, until a torn ligament left him benched for his sophomore year. He had ended up dropping out of school and working full-time on the farm.
    Kai knew in the back of his mind that Brandon would have done the same thing if their dad hadn’t found the acceptance letter from Purdue and announced it at the dinner table. Although his father had been grateful for the extra help at the farm, he had clearly been disappointed when Kai turned down the opportunities on the mainland. He vividly remembered the look on his father’s face as he stuck Brandon’s acceptance letter to the refrigerator.
    The first year away, his brother had called weekly and visited as often as they could afford to bring him out. But as he spent more time at school, he called less and was soon spending summer vacations with friends who had homes nearby rather than returning to the island. After a while, the family had adapted to his absence, and everyone had naturally assumed he would remain on the mainland to start his career. When Kai found out Brandon was moving home after graduation, he was surprised to feel nervous and a little resentful.
    For the first month or so of Brandon being home, the family worked hard to keep up with his enthusiasm, maintained a cheerful demeanor, and ignored the undercurrent of tension at the dinner table. But as time wore on and Brandon’s energy waned, dinners got quieter, and they stopped trying to converse as they worked outside. In recent weeks, Brandon had even stopped joining them at the table and spent most of his time sleeping upstairs.
    The deterioration of Brandon’s mood had affected their father most. It was almost painful to watch him try to converse with his son; he would clear his throat and shift uncomfortably, looking for new topics to pique Brandon’s interest, all the while trying to hide the hurt and confusion in his eyes. Kai, on the other hand, simply ignored his brother and went about his days as he had before. But with his father out of town, now was the perfect time to hash things out and try to get them