Chapter 18 - Nathan
*Sound of door knob*
“Wha- “ I was ready to stab the person standing in front of me when I saw who it was. I quickly hid the scissors before he could see me pointing it at him in a stabbing position.
“What are you doing here?” Victor turned his head when he heard my voice, I already hid the pair of scissors behind my back by this time. Victor didn’t have a disgusted expression nor does he have an angry face, he was…solemn.
“It’s dirty here.” Is that why he was looking around? Victor came from work as he was still wearing a suit, is that the only reason he came here? To ask me to clean the place?
“No shit Sherlock.” I rolled my eyes and said. Thanks for stating the obvious.
“Why?” He looked at me and asked a dumb question befitting a dumbass.
“Why what? Are you expecting me to clean the whole damn 3rd floor?” I’m no Cinderella. I mean I have experience for cleaning a house or two, but not a mansion! Just looking at those curtains make my arms hurt already.
“No! I mean why didn’t you tell anyone?” His brows were now furrowed and his face was definitely angry, but not at me. What the hell is with this guy, what’s up with him now?
“Look, I don’t know what’s up with you right now but it’s late into the night and I don’t have time for your shit right now.” I held the door and tried to close it in his face but he held it midway and talked again.
“Why didn’t you tell anyone?” This time, his eyes were looking straight into mine.
“Tell what to who? Tell you that the third floor is under 8 layers of dust?”
“Tell the maids to clean this place, are you really a shitty person that even your place is shitty as well?” He opened the door and stepped in; he talked to me as if I’m some idiot.
‘What the f*ck is with this guy?’ I faced him and hid the big scissors behind me.
“Yeah sure, as if that’s going to work, now please get out because I’m really not in the mood to argue with you.” It’s already quarter to twelve, and I’m still busy thinking about how I can help Yvonne and talking with you right now isn’t helping whatsoever.
“Why do you sleep here anyway?” He looked around inside my room and his anger turned into doubt. He was seriously asking me why I slept here, wasn’t he the reason why I slept in the farthest room in the corner of the mansion?
‘You don’t even remember being the reason why Yvonne got transferred here.’ I sighed quietly and rolled my eyes again.
“Why don’t you ask yourself that and get the fuck out of my room, that would really be nice.” I grabbed him by the back and shoved him out of the door.
*SHUT*
‘I can’t believe I almost killed that bastard.’ I know he infuriates me to the point that I want to kill him, but I wouldn’t actually want to kill him. My whole career is trying to save lives, not kill them.
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Victor just came from his company’s new project he started located downtown when he saw his father having hard time to breathe. He checked his father’s condition and called for the family doctor.
‘I can’t believe that she’s getting worse and worse by time.’ Victor grunted and went to the second floor towards his room to get changed. He was about to enter the room when he heard a noise up the stairs that was connected to the third floor.
‘She’s still awake?’ Victor walked upstairs, he never went up the third floor since it’s where his mother’s memories were. He didn’t want to reminisce the old days and miss it.
‘I haven’t been here for years.’ It has been 12 years and Victor could still vividly remember how her mother used to sing along the corridors watering the plants she put here and there. Victor didn’t want to remember but he couldn’t forget it, all the fun times that were stolen.
Victor looked at the now closed balcony that used to be always open. He would always come home from his classes and go straight up here towards his mother.
“Mom, mom! Look! I got a perfect score again!” I ran up straight up the stairs and saw my mother looking solemn on the balcony.
“Nathan~ You got another perfect score? Whoa, your hard work has paid off once again!” Mom took the papers from me and was ecstatic about my scores. She crouched and hugged me.
“And because of that we’re going out tomorrow.” My eyes went round when I heard that we’ll be going out tomorrow, I know where we’re already going to. It was my favorite place!
“We’re going to the aquarium? The zoo?” I jumped up and hugged my mother on the neck giving him kisses. It was the interest that my mom and I both have, and interest in various types of animals and their species.
“Does baby also come with us?” I looked at mommy’s tummy and soothed it. I was sure that the baby would also like birds like mom does.
“I want to show baby the animal book you gave me mom.” I looked up into her eyes and smiled brightly at the idea that I’d be teaching my younger sibling.
“…” Mom paused for some reason and her face went blank as she looked at me. It was only a couple of moments before she smiled again.
“Will father be coming with us as well?” I genuinely wanted father to come with us to the zoo. Mom’s face became blank once again, I couldn’t read what she was thinking but it was for a few moments before she returned her smile once more.
“Mm, your father is busy, but I’ll try and ask him.” Mom patted my head returned my paperwork to me.
“Now go change and come up here, we’ll do your schoolwork together.” Mom turned me and told me to change and I immediately did. We always did my works together, although I already answered them, I still enjoy spending time with mom and the baby.
“Some of her answers were wrong.” Victor laughed at the memory he just recalled of him and his mother answering his works together.
‘Why is it…like this?’ The halls that were once filled with colorful décor stood dull; the once clean and light atmosphere was now dusty and dark; the greens that was in every corner was nowhere to be found.
His footsteps echoed through the empty hallways. Victor could only see couches and old cracked vases; the windows were also covered with layers upon layers of dust.
‘What the hell?’ He walked towards the door to the farthest corner of the hall. The whole place was obviously neglected. He could see hi
‘Has she been staying in the third floor like this?’ Victor wondered, why would Yvonne stay here anyway? Knowing her, she would’ve thrown a tantrum like a 5-year-old and demanded the biggest room which was their mother’s room. She had wanted that room for ages.
‘Even the floors are creaking.’ He thought to himself as his footsteps were followed by creaks of the floor. The only floor made of wood was the third floor, his mother liked the feel of her home back in Sunni province and wanted the floors made of wood.
‘Why am I even bothering myself?’ Victor stood in front of Yvonne’s room and hesitated as to whether he should knock. Victor looked around and eyed the whole place once more looking into the spider webs that accumulated on the top of the high walls, the mold that could clearly be seen on the windows and even on some of the doors.
Victor stood in front of Yvonne’s door. Victor asked Yvonne why the place was in that state and why she has done nothing. Victor became angrier by the fact that she didn’t call maids, servants, and didn’t even tell their father about it. Victor eventually went inside Yvonne’s room and what he saw was disturbing.
He didn’t know what to feel when he saw the empty room with only a bed, bedside table, a dresser, and a desk. The walls were plain navy blue and the sheets were cheap. It was neat and…empty. The piles of dresses she used to have were found nowhere; her collection of sunglasses we gone as well; the once pink glamorous room is now…Plain and minimal.
‘Why is her room like this?’ Where were all the pinks, the vanity filled with makeup products, where were all the jewelry she bought? Victor was soon shoved out of Yvonne’s room to process everything he saw. He was irritated by the dust he was breathing, but now he was just confused as to what he felt about the dirty halls and the empty room.
‘Has she been living like this?’ Victor himself knew that the maids have neglected her for her behavior, but not leave her like this.
‘And where did the expensive furniture go?’ Victor remembered that the floor was filled with antique paintings, plants, and décor that her mom personally bought. He clearly remembered that there were countless pieces of animal décor that goes along with the beige couch that her mother picked.
“And why was she holding scissors?” This was Victor’s biggest question of the day. But he ended up going inside his old room.
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“He’s finally gone.” I approached my only desk and opened the drawer to put my scissors in. I went to my bed and reached for the thick book. I have to hide this now.
I stood up and began the ritual for hiding the book.
‘Oh~ I see that your accessing the book on a regular basis now.’ There was a sudden voice enter my ear before I could even finish hiding the book.
“Urgh FUCK!” The floating book hit my right foot and I felt a sharp pain.
“Could you not suddenly talk out of nowhere?” I was still grunting and holding my foot. I already know who the voice came from.
‘Eh~ didn’t you miss me?’ Nova sounded dejected while saying that.
“No, I don’t.” After hissing from the pain I tried hiding the book again. Although my foot was still throbbing from the pain I was able to perform the ritual successfully.
‘You’re finally here!’ I jumped on the bed where Nova was sitting on and sighed.
‘Wait, did you grow bigger again?’ I raised my head and looked at the white fluff sitting on. He also grew small feet that’s half the size of my thumb. Nova’s feet looked like a puppy’s small paws, it didn’t have claws and the footprint is very different unlike standard animals.
I reached out to Nova and touched his small paws. I thought that it was hands when I first saw two of them sticking out.
‘They were paws after all.’ I lifted Nova’s paws and looked under to see a mark that looked like a ball with one ray sticking out from it. It’s a symbol.
“The sun?” I whispered, it looked like the sun to me but Nova told me that it wasn’t.
‘That’s the Icarus, the ball…well, star if you may call it, that our planets revolve around.’ He briefly explained the symbol that was on his feet and what it meant. The sun looking mark on Nova’s right paw was a symbol that proves of his existence, the power he holds, and the control he has. He said that it acts like a “birthmark” that we humans have.
The symbol on his right paw has one line which represents one ray of the Icarus, it’s the first ability that a “child” of their being obtain once born.
‘What’s your ability then?’ I asked. The ability might help us in the future when we need it.
‘The ability to use light.’
