Raine Aksenov
Paris, France: Heinz Manor
Yesterday (6:06 P.M.)
The events yesterday were still fresh in my mind and there is nothing that could eradicate the recent reign of the Heinz family. Former General Dèmise Heinz, the youngest renowned war king who never in his life, lost a battle. Lavender Heinz, the flower who lured the demon into the world of love.
They seemed normal at first.
They looked loving and caring for each other.
But in reality, they have no conscience.
They have beating hearts and fists intended for beating.
She could only imagine the worst for her lover.
What else could Saccharide experience inside that heaven disguised living manifestation of hell?
I was always wondering why my parents strictly told me that if I was ever asked who were my parents, my answer should always be, "I am an orphan..."
My parents raised me my whole life, telling me I'm an orphan...
I thought that was worse...
I'd rather have no parents than to live with these.
It was my first time visiting them and I thought it was the last when I saw my face on the knife's shiny surface.
Phoenix held me by the shoulders as the General held the sharpened knife in the air. I didn't close my eyes as I was petrified to do so. My death was about to be witnessed by my sight until the knife stopped a millimeter from the bridge of my nose. I stared at the tip of the knife and gulped before I heard the general's laughter. I was on a verge of losing my conscience as my heart dropped to my stomach like it was a nuclear bomb dropped on the slums of Vietnam. Out of fear, I leaned on Phoenix and held his hands as tightly on my shoulders before reviving my heart.
General Demise stood from his seat and walked away from me, "Just kidding! That's exactly what I want," he chortled, "Why did you wait until he's behind bars?"
The boy behind me took a few steps behind after I released his hands, "I'm taking my leave," said Phoenix as the general approached him.
"Alright then," General looked at Phoenix as though he was his son, before patting him on the shoulder, "Tell my son to enjoy the jail time. Once, he comes out of there - Everything will be back to normal..."
"What do you mean?" I asked, my tears came out again, just by imagining Saccharide's situation inside the jail.
No one answered my question, I screamed again, "What does that mean?!" — they seemed to latch their interest on my fear and tears, nothing I'm not familiar with.
My whole world fell apart before my eyes, I stood from my seat and ran up to the General while he was about to exit with his wife beside him. Both of them looked at me before General Demise sent out his wife to get the desserts because I'll be here for a while. Before leaving, she threw me a look of pity and just smiled at his husband.
The sound of the door closing echoed through the spacious hall as I stood there alone with a man that could kill me with one slap. Sensing that I must initiate the conversation, I bowed and pleaded, "Get him out of there. Please!"
"This is interesting," cooed the general as he dragged one chair in front of me before sitting on it with his right leg over the other, "Can I hear that again?"
Gulping, I dropped to my knees and grovel at his feet, "Get your son out of the jail. I beg you," I didn't look up for I expected the malicious grin forming on his face. There was a long silence after my series of sobbing, I looked up, but I instantly regretted it as the tyrant in front of me put his feet on my back to keep me from standing up.
"So, this is the girl who can control my machine?" He cackled and stomped on my back three times before I retaliated by pushing his chair backward which made him let his guards down for a moment, just enough opportunity for me to escape under his boots because I had the feeling that he had enough holding back himself from hurting me.
His years of training saved him from stumbling on the floor and injuring his fragile bones as he was fast to recover from my action and tried to trample me again with his heavy boots, but I slid myself on the slippery maple wood flooring before standing up. My heart was beating fast, but the anger in me boiled faster. At that time, I didn't care what was the position he has in this country, I saw nothing, but a blank slate. "Your son is not a machine!" I shouted.
"You screw with his screws, my dear," he sat on the chair again as he continued cranking my anger meter, "Fondling with his settings can bring destruction. Hence, both your situation now..."
Our conversation went on. He spoke with his mind and stature while I flapped my lips with words from my heart. A critical lesson I never applied to all my virtues. Everyone around me seemed to connect their cords in their hypothalamus while my wires were permanently plugged into my heart's arteries.
"I'm with the law," said he. His playful expression stretched down to a game face as he explained his sense onto me, "After all, it was your flaw to establish some values in him!"
"What?" I questioned. I can't help but feel enraged when he blamed me for the unfortunate events happening to his son.
"Have you ever thought if you hadn't taught him to be honest and fragile, he might not be the first person to be suspected?" He asked me back and approached me slowly, "If you let him the way he was then he won't be in jail because of serial killings!"
As much as my brain imagined a clip of me, running away for my life, my feet kissed the floor and didn't want to let as I stood there with a tall old man looking down on me, "You're the one who made him that way!" I debated, "He was sick because of the terrible things you did to him when he was a child."
"I've seen your background," he turned his back and dragged the chair near us, "You grew up as an orphan, and yet, you lecture me about parenting..." His laugh mocked me in every way possible.
Out of nowhere, he pushed me forcefully that I lost balance. Closing my eyes, I prepared for the impact, only to be caught by the comforts of the chair's soft padded sitting. I gasped as he jailed me by blocking my escapes using his arms. The magnetic attraction of his black eyes has the same abyss quality of Saccharide's, I can't help, but to stare at it and get hypnotized.
"In this world, If you strive to survive, you're bad. And if you die being good to others, you're weak," he spoke as I focused on the swirling whirlpool in his eyes, "You can only be two things: evil and weak..."
"This family never chooses the latter," he added before putting down his arms to his sides.
After looking me in the eyes for several moments, he distanced himself while I stabilized my heart for the longest stroke I've had since the night I met Saccharide, "I made my son independent. I made him a strong man of war in this cruel world where only Alphas survive," the general said and dragged another chair to sit on, "I did him a favor..."
My head was spinning. I was intoxicated by his words. I looked down on my feet where a smudge of blood was left on the floor. He kept talking in a slow, monotonous voice while the buzzing in my left ear became the background sound.
"While you made him dependent to the medicines and a doctor who tells him his worth, making him vulnerable and weak," With the same lifeless tone, he continued, "And it's making me sick to watch him obsess over you- I trained him to survive for days without food and water, only to find out he can't breathe without you by his side."
Then I snapped. Looking up, I saw how hard he was trying to put me on a guilt trip and leave immediately, "How fucked up is that?" He questioned before standing up, "I think you already know what I'm implying here, dear." His one last look showed victory over this conversation.
"Now go to your Daddy and reflect," he mocked before the exit doors opening behind me. His butlers were ready to guide me out of his palace. My legs strived towards the door and my vision looked at each of their faces. Their faces were blank as did my expression when I told them to close the doors and don't wait for me.
"General Dèmise!" I called him and as I assumed, he was still in the room, anticipating another action from me, "I love your son!"
"Will your love get him out of jail?" He asked and twirled the knife using his gloved fingers. His on-going trick on knives brings fear into anyone in this room. In a split second, you could be impaled, peeled, or circumcised.
"Not every sentence would be good if you put love on it," He got tired of playing circus with his knife as he stopped it before making it fly towards the door. I flinched, looked back at the door, and saw blood pooling underneath the small slit. Both my fists and teeth clenched, my heart was thumping at the thought of every time I make morals, somebody has to pay their lives for it.
"I love watching you suffer," he derided near my ear while I stood firm, "That's not good, is it?"
Pursing my lips open, I leaned in his ear and said five words, "I take back my words," - just as I said that the kitchen door opened and maids in uniforms entered before a sweet voice called us out. I took no notice of the tray full of different scrumptious and savory desserts taken out of the kitchen as they were being laid out in a pattern on the long table. Other maids organized the chairs and changed the napkins into fresh and new ones.
"It's time for dessert!" Saccharide's mother, Lavender Heinz, hugged her husband and escorted him away from me. His features softened just by staring at his wife's beautiful face, "Both of you, stop fighting over some boy. Dèmise you still have me. And young lady, I'm sure you'll find a boy back in New York," With a high pitched voice, she joked and approached me. Pinching my cheeks, she told me how my pale face reddens whenever she applies pressure to it.
I didn't reply to any of her compliments until we were seated on our seats again while the servants pour chocolate ganache on my lava cake and surround it with mixed berry coulee. The general and I were not by any means attracted to eat the bountiful blessings in front of our table. We just stared and killed each other in our imagination.
His sweet wife interrupted our telepathic conversation and clinked her dessert spoon on the glass of her tiramisu dessert, "I'll make sure to pack you foods, clothes, and money for your trip," she looked at me which broke my intense stare at Saccharide's tyrant father, "Don't let his fury get to New York with you. New York will curse you, I tell you!" she joked, but it seemed the context inside it was very possible to happen.
Sighing, I stood and removed the napkin from my lap, inhaled and exhaled for a moment before saying to them both, "I'm staying here in France..." I smiled as my eyes sharpened, losing the usual shine in them, "Sir, keep your war and I'll keep my love," I added, amazed by their initial reaction to my statement. Clearly, It was something they weren't planning and something they thought of the least.
Lavender Heinz giggled nervously, stood up, wrapped her arm around his obviously pissed husband before looking at me with worried eyes, "Don't be silly, Raine," - she motioned me to sit again and finish my dessert, but I bowed as a sign of courtesy before walking away from the table.
Stopping halfway towards the door, I faced them and said, "Thank you for the meal and the slice show," the maids opened the door and they saw the slice show I was pointing out. One of the butlers was standing lifeless outside the door. A slicing knife made contact with his right eye, resulting in his brain and his right socket bleeding out. As the door was opened, he fell on the floor with a thump, splashing his blood on my shoes. Briefly, I closed my eyes and rushed my way towards the exit, not looking back.
I hope it's the last time I'll ever have to go there...
I kept dreaming these days. I hate dreams. Usually, people dream to escape horrible reality, but even in dreams, predators haunt me. My father used to say that dreaming of bad memories is common because it is proven that our brain biases over the negative happenings in our lives.