The comfortable breeze after midnight gave off a gentle feel as the car sped down the highway. The wind gently blew through the car's windows and ruffled my hair like a relaxing warmth that reminded me of summers I used to have with my grandmother and my older brother when I was young.
It was this exact time, several years ago, every weekend after midnight, my father would drive me to my grandmother after a long week in school, and I would look forward to it. It had been a very long time since I had ridden in a car, and the feeling came rushing to me—the greatest feeling when no one was out in the streets when few people stayed awake—it was just the quietness.
When my mother died, as we all thought, my older brother decided to live with my grandmother, away from where my father and I lived, so I always wanted to see him. He was not a sweet or caring brother, but he loved me. I knew that, and I felt that. Whenever I'd spend time with him, he would tell me his hopes and dreams for me even without seeing him smile or anything.
Some children around the area where my grandmother lived, were afraid of my brother because he seldom went out without wearing all black, he had tattoos and piercings, he never smiled, he was too intimidating for them, and his skin was pale as a vampire out in broad daylight to hunt for his prey. However, I never saw him as scary as others would say; I saw him as someone fragile behind those fierce get-ups. After the weekend, he would drive me back at the same time, and even though it was always a silent ride, I felt safe and peaceful. He would ask me to sleep throughout the ride, and I wouldn't mind it.
Until I grew up and learned the truth about how father had dragged him into the killing business and realized why he acted that way, normal life and possible happiness were taken from him out of his will, and he had no choice but to be rough and tough. I tried to talk him out, saying that it was never too late for him to change and choose to be free. I even told him that his friend, a policeman could help if he would just be honest and sincere.
On the night of my fifteenth birthday, I saw my brother around the neighborhood, and I thought he had a kill list. I followed him, but I was surprised to see him go to a police station. I was happy that he finally listened to me and that he would no longer be sad, but I was wrong. The faces the policemen made that day will forever be engraved in my mind—how they all looked at my brother with so much disgust and defiance. They immediately tagged him down on the floor, slapped him, handcuffed him, and started pounding him with their guns and sticks until he was no longer recognizable, even barely breathing. I could not do anything; all I could do was cry for silence. I ran to ask my father's help, but he did nothing. When I came back running, I was halted when I saw my brother shoot himself, and I even saw him smile at me before he plunged down the wet concrete with a deafening thud. When I lost my brother, I lost a home, and I was left with betrayal.
The first betrayal I ever had, was when later I discovered that the night my brother took his life was because one of our most trusted people, the only friend my brother had and even introduced me to, had lied to him. When he turned in, his friend promised to help him, but that was not what happened. His so-called friend treated my brother like trash. That lame-looking guy, that useless-looking guy who my brother chose to believe when no one did because he was weak, the one who told me when I was young that he would always be there for me and my brother, betrayed him shamelessly for power. Bulls*t!
"Hey! Are you even listening?" Ferine's voice snapped me back to reality. She must have said something to me, but I didn't mind. I chose to drift back to the memories when it was triggered rather than listen to her blabs. "Hey, I was asking you if you are the same girl who had a hot kissing scene with Nick back at the medical union night."
"Aren't you tired of talking?" I asked her in return instead. Though it was so annoying, I could not help but admire how strong her throat was to even withstand a three-hour blabber without a stop.
"WHAT?!"
"Can't you just shut up?" I finally told her. I heard William almost lose his laugh there while driving.
Ferine's face contorted in irritation. Her eyes narrowed to slits as she gritted her teeth. Then she let out a heavy sigh and slumped against the backseat seat. "Fine then," she muttered.
"NICE GIRL!" I jested at her, grinning widely.
Ferine rolled her eyes, turning her head away, as she leaned more to the right side and closed her eyes.
A moment later, William stopped in front of a huge gate and talked to a guard before driving again. Entering a huge driveway beside a vast landscape took my breath away. Ahead of us was an enormous house, almost like a palace.
"Yeah, I'm rich!" Ferine commented sarcastically, opening her eyes and looking ahead before snickering at my hidden, shocked expression. "William, I cannot go in. I asked my maids to prepare my luggage, so take Heureu with you and get my luggage for me. Please?" Her voice switched from a witch to a fairy when she talked to William.
Wow! What an actress! Oh, well, most kids raised with too much wealth somehow end up mentally disabled; she could be suffering from a personality disorder.
"And why?" I asked, annoyed already.
"Nick stabbed her in her father's study room, and she had to crawl almost the entire house just to get help---"
"William, please! I don't want to hear about it anymore!" Ferine stopped William; her voice was now strained, and she looked afraid.
When William pulled over the porte cochere and turned off the car's engine, "Come, Heureu!" He asked me.
"Why? If it was just a single piece of luggage, I believe you can do it alone," I replied as he got out of the car.
"Who told you I could survive with just a single piece of luggage anyway?" Ferine said, clutching her chest in disbelief. "Now go! Your patient caused me this, so I believe you should make up for it!"
"What?!"
The irritation I had been holding on to for a while was like a wolf imprisoned for a long time and hungry for freedom! I looked at her, contemplating whether to keep her alive or finish her, for goodness sake!
"Heureu! Come with me!" William interrupted my heated emotions, and I obliged after seconds.
"COMING!" I yelled and got out of the car.
Ferine chuckled and mumbled something along the lines of, "Good girl!"
I marched behind him and was rooted upon entry to see the entire interior of the mansion. The entrance hall was like something from a movie where the main character enters the big castle, which is filled with expensive paintings and beautiful furniture. A massive living room with the biggest sofa I've ever seen greeted me, surrounded by a huge flat-screen TV, large bookshelves filled with books that could easily fill two floors, a huge bar at the right with lots of alcohol and other liquor bottles, and a kitchen filled with expensive appliances and marble counters that were placed neatly in the middle of the space. To my left stood a huge staircase with dark mahogany wood and intricate carvings and steps.
Everything seemed to be white and stone gray except for the red carpet, which was decorated in gold patterns, and the golden chandeliers hanging from the ceiling. There was a large open room on the left after the stairs, one that looked a lot like a living room with a fireplace but smaller and intimate.
"Welcome!" A seemingly familiar male voice sounded from somewhere in the distance, and I looked around, seeing a man with light blonde hair and piercing blue eyes walking towards me. He was dressed casually, but in a suit; his dark clothes perfectly fit. "These are the luggage of Ms. Valdez."
My jaws dropped to see twelve large suitcases in all pink and diamond touches. My soul left me trying to think how in the world I would fit all these in my apartment. I am a girl too, but I never exceeded my necessities in a backpack.
"I think I needed a comfort room!" I mumbled, and William smiled crazily.
The man showed me the bathroom. We walked straight to massive hallways of white marble floors, passing several rooms. My eyes wandered where the study room could be.
"We are here!" My heart gasped in astonishment when the man who accompanied me sounded more like Cavin as his voice resounded whole, silently echoing the empty halls. "Go on, Princess! Just a quick three minutes! All cameras are temporarily disabled for five minutes, that's how long I could give you." He winked at me.
Though I was still amused by how Cavin was able to move around swiftly, taking control of things, I clicked the knob of the door, and inside I stepped into a cold room, and I could smell the pungent smell of blood.