*I dont know why I am doing this, I dont have any appointments today but I am out early* The road is still so silent and Dimitri can see some dog owners walking their dogs, others are in their morning jog, the sun is not out yet, the street lights are still on. Dimitri's eyes can barely open from almost staying awake the whole night and the dark circles visible. His hair is still messy and haven't had any meal but yet he is driving past the speed limit in his neighborhood with nothing but dullness in his being.
By the stop light, he came to think what he did before going out. He remembered how he ignored Annie and didnt bat an eye on her, he rustled his hair on how he went up from bed, grabbed fresh clothes, took his keys and drove off. He didnt see how Annie reacted but he knows that she's disappointed. His thoughts went off with Annie, on how they have been several problems lately, and how he is too tired to talk about it. He wondered when did he stop trying to fix things between them, or was it when her sister told him what Annie did before. Remembering each of those words slowly shattered his view of Annie, there he remembered how he started to prefer away from than being around her like he used to.
*BEEEEEEPPP!!!!
Dimitri jumped, as he went back in reality seeing the cars are already moving. Even so, he's driving somewhere in which he dont know why he's going there, he suddenly felt the need to go there. Dimitri came to old mansion, Theo's museum. As he parked his car across the mansion, he stared at its complete feature where he didn't notice before. The gate is old but looks sturdy, Theo must have spent a lot the preserve this and still use this one. He didnt fail to notice the window on the side of mansion, it is open. Which Dimitri find it weird, the mansion is still closed, it opens at noon, it is still six in the morning.
Puzzled, Dimitri walked towards the window and took a look of it through the wall. Not satisfied, Dimitri attempted to climb on the wall to take a clear look there he saw the inside of the room through the open window, he stared at the room for quite a while but his eyes widen when he suddenly saw a girl in wearing simple garment that looks soft and flowy, similar to a night gown. She is looking down on the window as if like she's staring at someone, when Dimitri blinked the girl disappeared. Dimitri stared at the window terrified blinking and rubbing his eyes repeatedly not removing his gaze in the window. *Was that....a g-ghost?*
He panicked at the thought of seeing a ghost in Theo's museum that he fell down from the wall, he quickly ran back to his car and locked the windows and door. As he rested his palm on the stirring wheel, he could see it shaking as his deep and rapid breath echoed in his car. * I can fight goons but I dont think I can handle a ghost. But wait, is it even true?*
Dimitri looked straight and peeked at the mansion through the windshield. *Of course it is an old mansion anyone would relate it to ghost stories, I must've been hallucinating from lack of sleep.*
"Why am I here anyway." he whispered to himself. He turned the engine on and without hesitation he drove away from the mansion.
But minutes later, he found himself in front of it again. He took a peek on the radio and sighed. *It is almost eight.*
"I should just take a peek inside and leave." *But I already saw what is inside, I came here before so why curious?*
He grunts in annoyance and comes out of his car and walked to the entrance. He assessed the gate and search for the look, and indeed it was secured. Determined to get inside, Dimitri climbed the two-meter tall gate, regardless of its danger, the rust, its height and the sharp edges. Once inside the lot, he walked around to look for an entrance, and indeed the back door was not locked enough, where he found a way inside the mansion through that door.
He looked around mindlessly passing the things he saw when he came here with Simon, as he walked around he went straight to a room with two doors, it looked huge which picked his interest. Without a doubt, he opened the room and see the painting that Simon went crazy about. The last time they came he didn't get to see it inch by inch but now, everywhere is quite and no one is around he stared at the photo in awe.
He found himself a chair and stared at the painting, the details are precise as if like it is a modern day photograph, but the small wrinkles in the paint is seen, must've been because the portrait is old. *no wonder Theo was so protective of this*
He looked at the woman's face with pure admiration and sat there without regard of the time ticking. His anxiety and thoughts are gone, his head is in peace, with the silence around him and the portrait in front of him. The woman's face filled with familiarity in Dimitri's eyes, as if like he has seen her somewhere. He pictured an image of the woman in the river washing her feet, an image of her sitting in the meadow and an image of her waiting in the stables. But his head tilted as he looked closer in the painting, he pictured of her in a rain, walking under it, wet and crying as the busy cars are on the road are rushing to be home.
*THUDD!!*
"What the___ Tri?!"
"Theo?" Dimitri exclaimed, eyes wide in surprise. "Why are you here?"
"No! Why are YOU here?" Theo asked looking so puzzled as started walking close to Dimitri.
Dimitri panicked and stumbled on the chair he was sitting. "I-uh...._"
"How did you get in here? Did you touch something?" Theo asked with a tone starting to be annoyed. He slammed his bag on the table and checked on the displays. "How did you get in here? Why are you here so early?"
"I-I-I came in through the back door, y-you sh-should get that door checked, the items can be easily stolen, and tighten the security__
Dimitri stuttered and walked, almost like a sprint out of the main door of the mansion and drove his car away from the place.
"What is happening?" Theo mumbled staring at the main door remembering the scene moments ago and putting all the pieces on this strange morning.
"Did he eat something wrong last night?" he whispered to himself and grabbed his phone.
Meanwhile, Dimitri's hand is still shaking from the all the rush. He's driving so fast as if like he did a crime. "He's right, why am I even there?"
Dimitri turned car and head straight to the cafe where he saw Annie causing a ruckus inside. He sighed as his thoughts went messy, and his anxiety came rushing in. Dimitri went out of his car and stopped Annie. He almost couldn't look at her in the eye and is holding back to push her away. *Is it just now, or she's getting more and more annoying.*
When Annie was gone, the customers are all silent from the awkward atmosphere she left, in the corner of his eye, he saw Thea on the locker, without any hesitation he rushed to her but stopped when Dimitri heard Thea talking to herself.
"I can't lose this job. It's hard enough to find a job that adjusts to my studies. Dear God..." Thea whispered. *What?*
"Why would you lose this job?" Dimitri asked looking to puzzled as he turned the lights. "Did you do something wrong?" He walked close to her intently staring at her face.
"Sir? I_ uh.... I_wa_...what are you talking about sir?" Thea nervously answered as she fixed her things avoiding her gaze to Dimitri who she can feel was looking at her.
He observed how her she panicked and how her face changes, his eyes didnt bat at anything but her.
"Answer me, I heard you clearly." Dimitri asked again, as he got few steps close to her crouching down to level her face. "Why would you lose this job?" he whispered. *I was right...*
While waiting for her to answer, he saw how pale her lips got and how the unders of her eyes was so dark. How her grip on the locker tightened and how her jaws are clenched.
"I__I..."
"Hmm?"
"Thea! There you are! Where's the milk?" Stacy peeked in the room as she called out Thea.
*...she looked the same in the painting back in the mansion.*