The Mercy of Birds

CHAPTER 35: POOR STARGAZER

CHAPTER 35
POOR STARGAZER

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She had adapted it into a habit now, cleaning up the whole house, and now as she finally ran out of spots to scrub, clothes of everyone in the house to launder, and kitchen utensils to wash, she began to lose her orientation again. She required a pointer, a compass that would show her which direction she should steer her ship lest she would be aimless, drifting in the sea, out of mind and out of sight. Now as she laid on the sofa with the TV turned on to a news report about the reparation of the bridge that had to be halted again as hail came down, she was restless, agitated, alone in her own deleterious company. She couldn't stop chewing on her nails so she had occupied herself by making another bracelet with Nicholas' in mind as he hadn't received one yet, his color was blue and black.

After she had finished it though, only then she realized that he would never want to accept such a sentimental memento like this from her, just like Victor. She wondered in which landfill the bracelet that she wove for him ended up now. She could only sigh and put the one that supposedly belonged to Nicholas inside the plastic box where she kept all her materials and tools for the handicraft, ones that she was allowed to have by Cameron, of course, and reclined for a repose.

She couldn't turn to any of her brothers, not even Cameron as she speculated he was holed in his music room again, after the incident with Victor yesterday, it broadened the gap between them somehow. Could it be that Cameron had cold feet? Had it finally occurred to him that her presence here only induced a detrimental effect on all of them? For she really had been the one that aroused Nicholas' ailments and Victor's panic disorder anyway.

How foolish it was that she thought that she could rectify things as it was.

"I told you, they hate you. You should've just killed them all right now while they are weak. You know that gun that Nicholas' almost blows your brains out with? It must be here somewhere. Find it! Then go for Victor first, so he won't alert the others. He's the most hypervigilant of them all and he's scared of you. After that you should come for Nicholas. He's indisposed, won't put up much fight. Lastly, you'll enter the music room where Cameron must be and just shoot him right then. It's all so easy. You might not want to hear me, but listen to me just this once. There are three of them and only one of you. You will be overpowered once they regain their strength, because it is only a matter of time before they become like your father—"

She grabbed the box on the table and launched it at the direction of the sinistrous phantasm that hovered just near the stairs. It struck the wall like thunder and the contents spilled into variegated shambles, beads splayed on the floor and glittered like they were miniscule stars raining on earth, pure white shells and pearls scattered among them, and pliers and threads slipped away beneath the furniture.

The specter vanished but the wreck remained.

"Damn it!" she cursed herself for losing control. Now she only dug a deeper grave when her brother inquired about her antics. She hoped that no one bothered to check on her, Cameron would, but she doubted he would be out of his music room.

She stood up and stomped her way across the room, as she chided herself for having to clean the aftermath of her uncontrollable bouts. Well, wasn't this just wonderful? She was literally scouring the house for something dirty to clean, but when it aptly appeared in front of her, she became just listless. Stop acting like a child! You're literally thirty-six! Fix your own mess!

She kneeled sluggishly and began to collect the materials inside the box with her hand. At least that hurling the thing worked in her favor to repel that ghost.