Leave Me Alone, Big Brothers! [BL]-Chapter 172: Blue Valley

For a month, Nathan and Nael were busy preparing for their final exam. It was incredibly quiet inside the Salazar mansion. Usually, the house was full of noise and drama, but Alexander had changed the rules.

He wanted his younger brothers, the twins Nathan and Nael, to focus entirely. He ordered the staff and the other brothers to stay silent. No one was allowed to disturb their study time.

Nathan and Nael tried their best to stay focused. They immersed themselves in their books and notes. To stay calm and motivated, they relied on Zane and Hale.

Zane spent most of his time in the library with Nathan. Whenever Nathan felt frustrated or tired, Zane’s quiet presence helped him keep working.

Nael had a similar arrangement with Hale. Hale was very organized. He created detailed study guides for both of them and made sure they followed a strict daily schedule.

Even though Alexander tried to hide the mansion’s problems, the twins noticed small changes. They sometimes heard Alexander and Malvin arguing about something.

They saw Leo looking exhausted and stressed. However, Nathan and Nael decided not to ask any questions. They wanted to finish their exams first.

When the final exams ended, everyone felt a huge sense of relief. Nael was the most excited. He immediately started talking about the camping trip Alexander had promised them.

Nael wanted the whole family to go. He wanted everyone to be together to celebrate.

But the good mood didn’t last long. Alexander came to them with bad news. He told the family that he couldn’t find Dante or Natasha. They had disappeared. All their phones were turned off, and none of them knew where they were.

Nael was very sad. He sat on his bed, surrounded by his camping bags, staring at the floor. He just wanted everyone to be there.

"It’s just a three-day camp," Nathan said, standing in the doorway of Nael’s room. "We’ll be fine without them."

Nael shook his head. "I wanted them to come. They should be here with us."

But he knew there was nothing he could do about it. He was just sad and worried. Where were they?

But at least Nathan agreed to go without being forced. Nael insisted that Zane and Hale come along too. Thankfully, both of them agreed happily.

Alexander agreed, as long as the twins stayed under control.

Without Nael realizing it, Antonio chose the location. It was a very remote area near a place called Blue Valley. The forest there was thick and old, and there was a fast-moving river with very clear water.

When they arrived, Nathan was annoyed to see that Antonio was already there. The old man was sitting on the porch of a sturdy wooden cabin in the middle of a clearing.

Nathan didn’t like being around the old man, just like his other brothers, but Nael didn’t mind. Even though Nael was a little afraid of his grandfather, he liked the idea of the "whole" family being in one place.

The camp was large. Antonio stayed in the comfortable cabin. The rest of the group set up tents along the riverbank.

In the morning, Antonio would sit on his porch and watch his grandsons come out of their tents. He didn’t speak. He just watched them with a cold, judgmental look. But nobody knew what exactly was on his mind.

Alexander, who usually spent every minute on his phone or tablet, had to stop working. There was no signal there. He spent his time doing physical work, like setting up a large tent with Huan.

Antonio noticed that Nathan seemed very happy. Usually, Nathan was grumpy, but out in the woods with Zane, he had a lot of energy. Ironically, the boy seemed to be enjoying the trip more than Nael, even though the trip was Nael’s idea.

Nathan, Nael, Zane, and Hale shared a large tent with separate sections. Alexander and Huan shared the second tent. Leo stayed in a small tent by himself because he wanted to be alone. Malvin and Roger shared a tent near the fire pit.

In the evenings, they sat around a big bonfire. They cooked steaks and sausages on an iron grill. They ate outside on logs and enjoyed the nature around them.

It wasn’t "rough" camping. The cabin had plenty of food, water, and even a generator if they needed electricity. It was just a time for the family to get away from the city.

Most of the time, the trip was peaceful. Sometimes Zane and Lucas would argue about small things, like how to build the fire or who was the better cook, but it wasn’t serious. Nathan would act as the mediator.

Nael and Hale spent a lot of time preparing the food. Hale was very careful. He organized all the ingredients and tools perfectly so that Nael wouldn’t get stressed.

Alexander watched the couples closely. He saw Nathan and Zane sitting by the water, and Nael and Hale working together. He didn’t say anything about their relationships. He just wanted everyone to stay peaceful for now.

During the day, they played in the river. The water was freezing, but they challenged each other to see who could swim the longest. They tried fishing for a few hours, but they didn’t catch anything, so they went back to swimming.

On the evening of the second day, something strange happened. As the sun went down, the river water started to look red.

"What is that?" asked Nael, feeling uneasy.

"Maybe some animal is dying," said Alexander, trying to stay calm. But he told everyone to get out of the water and return to the tents.

Nathan stared at the river. The water still looked red in some parts. He was curious about what it was. He wanted to track the source, but he held himself back.

Zane grabbed Nathan’s hand, as if he could read the boy’s mind.

"It was strange," said Nathan.

"Maybe your brother is right. It could be an animal dying somewhere," Zane said soothingly.

"Dying animals wouldn’t make that much blood, right? Unless something is eating them."

Zane smiled. "Don’t overthink it."

"How can I not think about it? It’s just weird."