Kristal||ONC 2020|| {Complete}

Chapter 9: Awake

Purple and orange sunlight bathes the lake, reflecting those beautiful colours towards his eyes as Harold placed his bag next to his feet to take a couple of pictures with his phone. He couldn't remember the time he had stopped to look at the beauty around him. Perhaps in the rush of chasing after what he wanted, he forgot the meaning of going slow. Mesmerized by the beauty, Harold searched for a spot by the lake and settled his things down. It seemed to be a good place to work.

Making sure he kept his purse close to him, Harold headed closer to the lake. His fingers danced next to him gently while he let the cold evening breeze to sweep past his wet hair. Those were the things that used to make him smile. Nature had been his best friend. Whenever he needed company, he would make his way out of his room to breathe. Somehow the sceneries reminded him of how nothing is ever permanent.

He watched the two white goose waddling their way towards the lake. The once calm lake soon rippled beautifully with the purple and orange hues blended together. Harold settled himself down on the ground, facing the lake. He removed his shoes and socks, letting them to dig between the grounds as he felt the comfort of grass tickling his soles, sending shocks of satisfaction in his veins. Shutting his eyes tightly, Harold placed his right arms above his forehead before staring at the purple skies.

As he allowed his body to rest, Harold began to work on some of the choreograph he wanted to do for his personal performance. He craved for something different. He was ready to challenge himself with a new dance and a new song. Once he pictured it, Harold pushed himself up, ready to dance, but the sound of his ringtone destroyed the peaceful moment he had.

"Harold," his mother said in broken sobs. "Harold, I need you to come home immediately."

Harold squinted his eyes at her voice. He pulled his phone away, noticing that it was only six in the evening. He knew that his mother's favourite drama would only start at seven, hence the crying, but this didn't sound right.

"Mom, what's wrong?" Harold questioned, slinging his bag behind him, jogging up to the streets. "What is wrong? I am on my way home now."

His mother hung up right at the moment, causing his mind to swirl in confusion. He began to pick up his pace and began running across the road towards his house. He swore to himself that if the twins tried anything funny to his mom, he would definitely make sure they would not be able to see tomorrow's beautiful sunshine. Panting at how fast he ran, Harold made a sharp turn at the corner before noticing the police cars in front of his home.

"Harold Ye?" the young police officer question.

Harold merely nodded. His racing heart differed from the calm expression he masked on his face. Once the officer stepped aside, Harold made his way into the house only to see his mother stood up abruptly from the chair, throwing him a tight hug. Harold went stiff at the moment before giving her a gentle pat on her shoulders.

"What's wrong, mom? I'm home now," he said softly with a sigh before looking at the older officer next to him who smiled. "What happened?"

"We came here to inform your mother that her sister passed away in her home this evening," said George as he straightened his name tag. "We had a couple of questions for her since it was stated in the twin's statement that your mother had been the last person Vicky met."

Swallowing the thick lump in his throat, Harold tried not to laugh or mutter an 'I told you so' in front of his mother. He removed the bag he had been carrying and reached out to hand her a tissue paper before sinking into the couch.

He knew this would come. He expected it.

The twins were up to no good. So, finally, his aunt paid for it. He sighed, pressing his lips into a thin line. Somehow there wasn't a single hint of sadness from his chest.