{ BOOK 1 of the SANITY SERIES }
Secrets are made to stay hidden, and people will take any means necessary to keep it that way.
But to April Levesque and Derek Matthews, silence has no place in their worlds.
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Derek Matthews
"Derek."
I look up from the screen. "Hmm?"
Grandma, Aunt Marlene, Tanner and our two dogs are my company for tonight's dinner. This is a rare moment to cherish. Having a day off isn't part of Aunt Marlene's custom. She is always preoccupied with work, particularly the company.
"No phones at the table," scolded Aunt Marlene.
"What is ever so interesting?" inquires Grandma in her mother tongue, German.
I texted Precious Gumede, a girl I had a friends-with-benefits fling for a couple of months, that we can't continue. I want to focus on myself. Expectedly, she was calm regarding it and wished me the best of luck. "Nichts." Nothing.
It was Mother's idea to socialise me in German, Spanish, French, Italian, and Russian. In our Family, it is crucial. Luke was born in Germany and lived there for five years with Mother, Dad, and Grandma. It was the same for me, although this time instead of my parents, I lived with Aunt Marlene, Grandma, and a few housemaids. Our house is in the countryside of Hamburg, pleasantly isolated in lush green lawns. By the time I was five, my German was faultless. I came to England, and Aunt Marlene ensured the Staff was eloquent in the languages I was to learn next — her tactic of continuously reinforcing the foreign tongues into my culture as I grew up, alongside tutoring.
At home, Grandma and Aunt Marlene prefer Tanner and me to converse in our native languages. Tanner is already fluent in French and Spanish, and Swahili; is currently perfecting German and Russian. We can understand a small, relatively significant fraction of Japanese as Lin regularly talks to us in it.
Tanner and I mindlessly natter. One time in Peru, we spoke to each other in Spanish, thinking no one can possibly understand our discussion of how much we loathe this certain celebrity, a rapper and actor called Jason Warren. He is generally prejudiced, in simple terms. Uncle Thomas cleared his throat and reminded us that Peru's main language is Spanish, which we stupidly forgot. Most of the paparazzi in the airport eavesdropped, translated, and published in the papers. On the bright side, it never tarnished our reputation — it tarnished Jason's.
Alongside that, jealous celebrities now despise us, even intimidated by us. They know that we can get away with anything. The perks of being Samuel and Alexandra Matthews's sons. Both used to be the wealthiest individuals. Both were incredibly respected by the globe. In fact, Dad is now a historical figure. So is Aunt Marlene — the richest person in the world.
The second the media discovered this, celebrities lashed out at her. Prominent ones you can name at the top of your head. It's crazy. If it was a man, it is okay. But because it is a woman on top of the world, it isn't. Society is uncomfortable with unconditioned change and was quick to criticize Aunt Marlene — leadership is a 'masculine' attribute. I found it more disappointing that female celebrities also criticised her. Useless uncertainty does crazy things, doesn't it?
