Since Tomas's body had been recovered from the riverbed by the emergency services, four days had passed and with them, Emilio's serenity had completely broken down as he waited for his friend's funeral.
In the classroom the atmosphere was gloomy, with a parade of serious faces and taciturn looks, many others crying helplessly at the loss of a young man who for many was an excellent companion.
From his childhood, Tomas was a moderately outgoing boy, capable of making friends with any child regardless of the conditions in which they met. The spark of his smile was something that attracted Emilio who, unlike him, had an early character close to melancholic.
It was during a rainy day in September that they met in a small park with children's playgrounds near their houses, a place where that boy commonly played solitaire because it was difficult for him to get along with other children his age. Because of his physical complexion and appearance, the other minors made fun of him, calling him a girl, completely isolating him from any game or activity.
As he came back from the store holding an umbrella and hopping a few times over the puddles of water, Tomas smiled as always, laughing as he felt the rainwater splashing on his face as his boots splashed against the ground. But the moment he crossed the path that leads to the park's playground, the sound of sobs caught his attention, causing him to go inside and continue in front of a set of slides in the shape of an elephant.
- "Hey, did you get hurt? Does something hurt? Why are you crying?" – Looking up, Emilio saw an innocent and expressive face that showed concern. That boy seemed strange to him compared to the others who only made fun of him. Making him feel comfortable and confident, as if they had known each other for a long time.
- "Today I came to the park to try to play with the other children. They haven't let me play with them for a long time and that made me sad. I no longer wanted to come here, it hurts when they push me and push me aside. But my mom told me to keep trying, so I came over again and they didn't want to play at first. I was about to leave, but suddenly they told me that we could play hide-and-seek.
You know, I get very excited. It was the first time I played with them, I thought my mom was right and it was just a matter of time. They told me that it was my turn to look for them because I was the smallest. Count to ten, you know I know how to count to ten. My teacher taught us in kindergarten…" – Tomas kept listening to Emilio patiently without saying anything, while the boy at his feet smiled at times and at others, his eyes seemed to want to burst into tears. The kids had taunted him, leaving him behind with their eyes closed counting as they left the park.
When the minutes passed and he was unsuccessfully looking for the other children in the possible hiding places, Emilio realized that once again they had rejected him. Making him cry and miserable, hiding under the slide so no one would see him in that state. But when he wanted to go home, the sky that until a few minutes ago was cloudy, dropped an intense rain that made him stay in that place.
That pitiful appearance made Tomas angry, who extended his hand smiling to Emilio, promising to play with him every time he felt lonely. The friendship that sprang from that encounter was something that the young man treasured for many years. Even when she first met Ruben.
- "Emilio, wake up. Mathematics class is over we must go to the next classroom, we have to do the chemistry lab" – After hearing the news of his friend's suicide, Emilio had not been able to sleep well for the following days. Staying up late at night, haunted by that dream he had on the bus.
- "Sorry Ricardo, I haven't been feeling well lately"
- "I don't blame you old man, Tomas was a very important friend to me too. I still stare at the door of the living room waiting for him to arrive with his idiot face all agitated from falling asleep. – Leaning on Tomas's desk, Ricardo held an expression of deep sadness, contemplating the messages written on the board.
Words of farewell and longing, messages from the hearts of his classmates, feelings embodied in indelible ink on the desk of the one who will not be able to return to school. All this moved the young man, who raised his hand to his face to hide his tears while Emilio placed his on those trembling shoulders.
- "We must go Ricardo, the teacher could scold us again"
- "Okay man, go first, I'll catch up with you later" - Pursing his lips with the expression of his contrite eyes, Emilio didn't utter another word and took his backpack to go to the laboratory. Looking sideways at Ricardo, who won't stop crying leaning his face against Tomas's desk.
When it was almost a week after the fateful day, the police finished their investigations and handed over Tomas's body to his family. The young man's mother and father clung to their son's body in the morgue, while the funeral service went in to collect the body to prepare it.
It was not until Sunday that Tomas's family had their son's obituary published in the newspaper, announcing the place where the young man's remains would be veiled. Family and friends prepared themselves, dressed in mourning and with broken hearts.
- "Emilio, son. It's time to go, the taxi is waiting at the entrance" – With her hair up and her face clean of makeup, Ágata's face looked emaciated by the news of Tomas's death. Knowing him since he was a little boy, Emilio's mother had grown very fond of the young man who was her son's closest friend, to the point of considering him as well as sharing blood with him.
- "Yes, mother, I'll be down right away." – Raising his voice from his room, Emilio was ordering some things on the desk in his room to finish his late homework from school. As he remained asleep in class due to sleeplessness and depression, the young man had completely missed his studies and being close to the final exams of the semester, he borrowed his classmate Rodrigo's notes.
- "This is bad, I know I'm going to see Tomas for the last time. But I'm here delaying with such superficial things. I'm a bad person"
- "No Emilio, you're not a bad person" – Being lost in his thoughts, the young man had not realized that his mother was right behind him. Turning around in surprise as his mother hugged him tightly.
– "They were good friends, they were always there for each other. Ever since your father divorced me, you've worked your ass off studying for the scholarship. Tomas knew that you struggled a lot not to worry me even though I am a useless woman who can only attend a flower shop"
- "Mom, that is not true. You are not a useless woman, on the contrary, you are so strong that I always depend on you to keep going."
- "So if you hold me in such high esteem, stop punishing yourself by feeling guilty son. I know you are a good child, in my eyes you will always be" – Wiping away tears, the mother and son left their home taking the taxi to the funeral home where the Balbuena family was.
The traffic flowed slowly due to the inclement rain that intensified hitting the awning of the car, making an incessant echo inside the passenger cabin, mixing that sound with the murmur of the radio that tuned in to the newscast.
- "In other news, the government has issued an official statement regarding the social project for the relocation of GTC patients. In the words of the Minister of Health and Social Development, care offices have already been set up for people who wish to change their identity to TCG. For those interested in taking advantage of this measure, they are invited to go to the offices of the local town halls and fill out the form…" – Showing signs of anger, the taxi driver turned the knob of the station tuner clicking his tongue, muttering under his breath some expletives regarding what the radio announcer expressed.
- "Those government assholes spending our taxes on those weirdos. Having more important things to attend to, they focus on those phenomena that just want to attract attention "
- "Excuse me, what you say is offensive to me" – Ágata had an annoyed expression on her face as she clutched her handbag. The hurtful attitude and malicious words of the taxi driver had made him lose his composure when he remembered his nephew.
For Emilio, who had always seen her calm in recent years, that change in his mother's attitude left an impression. Feeling a little inside, the hope that he could live fully without relying on experimental drugs and hiding his condition from his mother.
- "Offensive? I am only expressing my opinion as many others have on the matter ma'am. If you don't like it, it's not my problem, it's yours. Besides, I don't think he would say the same thing if his little offspring back there sitting next to him turned out to be one of those freaks. Although seeing it well, it would not be so bad "
- "Stop the car right now!" – Giving an energetic cry, Ágata hit the passenger seat with her right hand. Inflaming the taxi driver who slammed on a corner a few blocks from the funeral home.
Taking the full amount of the trip from her bag, Ágata threw the money in the subject's face, while taking Emilio by the hand and running down the rain in the middle of the rain until they took shelter under a ledge. Leaving behind the iracundo subject, who did not stop throwing expletives at the woman while starting her car.
- "Mom, are you okay?"
- "Yes I'm fine. Just excuse me for a moment, please, I need to calm down a bit Emilio" – With her breathing somewhat agitated, putting her hand to her chest, the expression on Ágata's face looked as if she was experiencing an anxiety attack. Worrying his son, who could only hold him while the woman calmed down.
- "You are better?"
- "Yes I am. Don't worry, we have to go now or we won't be in time to say goodbye to Tomas" – Opening a folding umbrella, Emilio took his mother's arm and they began to walk along the sidewalk together so as not to get wet.
While walking next to her, Emilio couldn't stop thinking about how his mother reacted to the last thing the taxi driver said. Yes, it was true that she had been willing to support her nephew when she found out he had GTC. But it wouldn't be the same if it were in your case.
He knew that when Ágata's angry expression had gone from anger to fear in a matter of seconds when the taxi driver responded in that way. Human beings are individuals who have immense value in situations that may be foreign to them, but it is not the same when those same situations hit them face to face.
You can never know the true character of a person until the time of testing arrives; That was a phrase that Emilio knew from a book he read at the time, a phrase that he knew exactly what it meant in his own flesh.
The street stream was flooded by rainwater, swirling furiously letting its flow escape at times on the sidewalk. Wetting Emilio's shoes, making him feel a cold that reminded him of the first day he met Tomas.
- "It was also raining a lot that day, right Tomas?" – Losing his gaze in the flow of water, the young man said that to himself in his mind. Squeezing his mother's arm a little, who turned for a moment to see him and realize the almost empty look of his son.
- "Emilio, are you feeling well?"
- "I'm just thinking about the past, mom, you shouldn't worry about me" - Holding the handle of the umbrella, Emilio continued on his way with his mother until they reached the entrance of the funeral home.
From the main entrance of the building, the aroma of the paraffin from the candles mingling with the lightness of the touch of the funeral incense, danced in Emilio's nostrils like a nocturnal fairy that lures its prey to its hiding place. From end to end, flower arrangements flooded the corridors of the venue, giving the viewer an appearance of an open field.
The Balbuena family was known as one of the most notable in the city, from real estate deals to the management of hospital centers, there was not a single individual who did not know the powerful lineage of the golden cradle.
Despite having such economic support, the Balbuenas distinguished themselves by socializing with all people regardless of their status, building an image of people close to the town. That to a large extent helped one of its members to run for a popularly elected position.
Those attending the funeral ranged from a humble florist to important members of the nation's dominant party. At times creating a suffocating environment for some people, as was the case with Ágata. Who felt inferior in the presence of important people at the funeral.
- "Ágata and Emilio, thank you for coming" - Matilde, Tomas's mother. She left the room where the coffin was located to meet the person she considered her closest friend.
Like the little ones, the two mothers found in those times a unique affinity that grew into a solid friendship. Sharing tastes and hobbies, the two women supported each other in raising their offspring.
- "I still can't believe it. She was so young and her joy was contagious to everyone, I don't understand how she came to make that decision" - Matilde raised her hands to her face trying to contain her tears, resting her head on Ágata's shoulder, who could only comfort her her friend at that bitter moment that a mother should never experience in her life.
- "Mom, I'll go to pay my respects to Tomas" - Walking through the crowd that gathered near the coffin, Emilio felt how his heartbeat began to resonate in his head like the sound of the hands of a clock in a room silent. Each step that brought him closer to the coffin felt like an eternity and the faces of the people around him only seemed like lifeless masks.
At the moment that his feet reached the base of the altar, his eyes saw through the glass of the coffin that face that smiled at him so many times from the depths of his heart. But the smile that once existed was now a stiff grimace stitched around the edges. The eyes that radiated jubilation, were veiled by the eyelids that would not open again.
That sterile expression was not the Tomas he knew, the paleness of his skin and the rigidity of his cold body could never be the young man he knew.
But despite denying with his heart what his mind already knew beforehand, the tears of suffering that had been contained for several days overflowed in an explosion that shook every fiber of his being in that instant that he reconciled the idea that was drilling her mind : Tomas was dead and he would never come back.
Collapsed on his knees unable to control his tears, Emilio felt a hand on his shoulder while he heard a voice that made his heart freeze suddenly.
- "Please excuse us, but he was a very dear friend to my brother. It must have been difficult for him to see him like this, so I'll take him to a place where he can be calm" - The people present in the room looked favorably on the only son of the Balbuena family who was left alive, thinking about how an understanding brother and as an individual someone exemplary.
Both in academic aspects and in sports, Rubén had stood out by far over his brother Tomas despite being the youngest. For this reason, all eyes on the remarkable family held him in high esteem, but Emilio knew better than anyone the true nature of his heart.
Unable to move because of the affliction that was mixed with fear, Emilio did not resist Rubén's embrace. Who carried him on his shoulder to one of the private rooms that were reserved for the relatives of the family.
Throwing Emilio against a sofa, Ruben locked the door behind him. And he pounced on the body of the young man, who barely tried to cry out for help, when he felt how those thick hands covered his mouth and nose.
- "Don't make a stupid show. You better keep quiet as soon as I take my hands off your filthy mouth. Otherwise, I assure you that I will not hold back from beating you to a pulp at the slightest provocation. If you understand me, blink twice, damn bitch" – Feeling how the air was exhausted by the force of Rubén's grip, Emilio obediently nodded to be released.
When she was finally able to free herself from that strong grip, her lungs were agitating as she tried to slowly regain the breath that had been taken from her.
Leaning his arms against the sofa with his body slightly bent, Emilio's appearance seemed attractive to Ruben for a moment. Who fixed his gaze like an animal on the young man's lips, as if it were a bite.
He had always seen Emilio at school during physical education activities without caring about his effeminate appearance; but at that moment alone inside the funeral parlor, that thin and delicate silhouette framed by the black hair disheveled by the struggle, made him focus on the reddish lips that tiredly exhaled the air.
Taking him roughly by the waist, he brought Emilio's body closer to his, devouring his lips in a kiss that the young man resisted with all his might. Ripping off some buttons from Ruben's shirt, who passed from his lips to the young man's neck, leaving a bite mark on his shoulder.
- "Please let me go! You're hurting me" – Coming out of the trance he was in until a few seconds ago, Rubén threw Emilio to the ground. Who hit his head against one of the furniture in the room, being stunned by the impact.
- "What did you do to me, you fucking fagot? How could a wretch like you seduce me? Answer at once, damn bitch" – Furiously lifting the young man by his shirt collar, Rubén hit him against one of the walls of the room, barely leaving the tips of his feet touching the floor.
Emilio's face was a mess, his pitiful appearance evoking the air of a disgraced maiden while Ruben looked like a barbarian who had entered to assault a village.
- "Excuse me, is everything in order?" – Through the door it was possible to hear the voice of one of the members of the funeral home, who arrived at the request of one of the relatives who had heard strange noises in the room.
- "Wait a moment" - Leaving Emilio on the sofa, Rubén took off his jacket and threw it at the young man, giving him the order to cover his face and remain silent until he said so.
- "Yes, everything is in order miss. My friend just had a collapse and now he's recovering lying there on the couch. If you would be so kind, I ask you to bring us some water and some painkillers. You can ask my uncle Jacobo for them, he is a doctor and he usually carries some for these situations" – Faced with Rubén's energetic face, the assistant blushed a little and nodded to his request, leaving him alone. And closing the door once more, he returned to Emilio and took him firmly by the cheekbones.
- "Listen to me, as soon as they bring the painkillers I will take you to your mother, you will tell her that you do not feel well and that you need to go and rest. She's one of the overprotective mothers, isn't she? If you ask her she will understand. For the rest of the funeral I don't want to see you, you fucking idiot, and at school you better stay away from me. Have you made it clear, fagot?" – Even if he hadn't asked, Emilio had no desire to stay close to him; so, nodding silently once more, she took her jacket and gave Ruben a defiant look.
- "You don't need to repeat it to me, I have it clear" - When the assistant returned with Rubén's request, Emilio took the medicine and, as ordered, he left the funeral home with his mother. Who, despite asking why he was in that state, received no response from his son.
After the days of the funeral, the school returned to its usual environment except for the injuries left by Tomas's departure. Emilio began to distance himself from his classmates and every time he ran into Rubén, he tried to distance himself so as not to see him inside the school.
From the day he began the treatment to stop the GCD, the young man noticed that the drug had an effect in stopping the appearance of the secondary characters. But at the same time, inexplicable fatigue and muscle pain made him keep a strange expression on his face.
- "Emilio, son, can I come in?" – With his mother knocking on the bedroom door, Emilio quickly hid the bottle with the treatment under the bed and put on his shirt to open the door.
- "What does mom offer you?"
- "Son, some men knocked on the door asking for you. Is there something I need to know?"
- "Someone looking for me? I don't know mom, it's a surprise for me too." – Going down the stairs until he reached the entrance, Emilio opened the door and the men who were standing there identified themselves before him.
- "We are officers of the homicide investigation department. Are you the young Emilio Montague?"
- "Yes, it's me"
- "Please, accompany us in silence to the delegation. He is considered a suspect for participating in the suicide of young Tomas Balbuena as an instigator" – Upon hearing those words, Emilio felt that he was falling into a deep abyss, while the men escorted him to the patrol car that was waiting for them.