Nevermore

Chapter 04

L U C A

"Anyway, we should better get going now if we want to get to our next class in time," Nicholas said after a minute spent in silence, getting to his feet. "Shawn, it's okay if you want to skip it, you know. I'll help you catch up later. Get some rest for now."

"No, I'll be fine. I'm too cool to need rest." Shawn finally looked up with a smirk, but it didn't fool Luca. He could see the sadness that still glimmered in his black eyes.

Luca wished that he could offer him words of comfort, to wrap a friendly arm around his shoulders the way Nicholas had. But something was always there to hold Luca back, attached to him like strings, pulling at him every time he even thought of getting closer to someone.

"All right. Let's go, then," Nicholas said brightly, clapping a hand behind Shawn. The boys picked their bags and left the dorm.

They hadn't even taken two steps down the stairs that they saw two men carrying up a large wardrobe with great difficulty. The boys moved aside and leaned against the wall to their right, clearing the way for the movers. Behind them, three other men were carrying up a four-poster bed with silken curtains.

With a rush of fear, the realization suddenly hit Luca.

"Er... you guys go ahead," Luca told his friends once the movers had passed them by. "I — I forgot to bring my book. I'll catch up with you later."

Before Nicholas or Shawn could question him, Luca ran back up the stairs and to the third floor, where his dorm was. One look at the crowded corridor was enough to know that his hunch had been right.

He froze on the spot at the sight before him. The door to his suite was open, the hallway was filled with expensive-looking furniture, and at least seven movers were waiting at his door, arguing with a tall, bald man who had a thin mustache over his pale lips.

"... don't care if the door isn't big enough! Break the bed if you have to and put it back together after you've taken it inside!" the tall man was yelling. "Now move along! Chop-chop!" He clapped his hands together twice in authority. The movers growled to each other, though they obeyed the order either way and got to work.

Luca had known that tall man for as long as he could remember. Stanley had been working for his father for many years now.

Luca sighed to himself quietly, before taking hesitant steps up to him. "Stanley," he called him, catching the man's attention.

"Ah, Mr. Miller, sir! Good afternoon." Stanley's lips twitched up into a rare smile at the sight of him, giving the boy a small bow of his head.

"Hello." Luca tried to return the smile as politely as possible, but there was a more pressing matter at hand than small-talk. "Stanley, what is going on here? I didn't ask for... all this. I thought my father was only supposed to send my clothes' trunk." Luca looked again at the furniture around the hall, blushing when a few students passed them by and sent curious glances at him.

"Don't worry, Mr. Miller. Your trunks are here as well. Although they are still downstairs. I don't know why these men take so long to move them up here," said Stanley reproachfully.

"Trunks? As in — as in plural?"

"Well, of course, sir. You can't really run around in those homeless clothing of yours," he said, looking Luca up and down.

"But my own bed was just fine!" Luca shrugged in frustration. "And so was my wardrobe!"

"Oh, I'm sure they were," said Stanley, though by his sarcastic tone it was obvious that he, too, seemed to disagree. "It was your father's order to have these brought here. You must know that he only wants the best for you."