"Mom! Please, listen to me!" Aphmau exclaimed.
She was back in her own room, in her own bed. Sylvana was pacing around, clearly in immense thought.
Her mother whirled and faced her. "Are you crazy, mija?! He's the man who cost you great trouble, who cost us great trouble. And you just. . .let him in back into your life right away?!"
"Mom! Maybe he's changed. You heard it when he talked. He was willing for forgiveness."
"That man cheated on me, went with the enemy, and tried to tear you and Aaron apart! If anything, he is not to be forgiven!"
"Just. . .give him a chance. I know it's going to be hard on all of us--"
"Don't. . .UGH!" She placed her hands on her head and strangled her hair. "You clearly don't understand what you've done, mija! He is a traitor, a liar, and a complete. . .dar por culo! He needs to leave and never come back."
Those words stung Aphmau. "Just. . .trust me. And trust him. He'll come around."
"You want me"--Sylvana pointed her hands at her chest--"to trust the man who ruined my life? Ha! As if!"
"Mom please--"
She laughed. "You need some rest, mija. Maybe some sleep will change your mind about that tyrant. I'm taking my leave." Then she walked away, no doubt muttering a few curses here and there. Aphmau heard her close the door loudly.
Aphmau stared at the bedsheets blankly. Ever since after the meeting, her mother was in an erratic state. Was letting Zach stay the right thing to do? Sylvana did raise some good points. He left their family for wealth and power and lost himself in it. He participated in the attempted murder of Aaron and his family. Now he came back begging for redemption. Was he even trustworthy?
Tears welled up in her eyes. She let them fall, wetting the sheet with each drop.
Judging by her reaction, Aphmau may have made a wrong decision.
•
Sylvana lay down in her cot, staring at the blank ceiling. Her thoughts were on a complete rampage, especially after she confronted her daughter about it.
Then the door opened and she sat up.
Eric stood there, his face stoic as it can be. "We. . .we need to talk." He closed the door behind him and drifted off to beside her.
"You know. . ." he began. "You may have been too hard on Aphmau."
"But it's true!" she blurted out. "He isn't supposed to stay here!"
"Yes, but blaming her isn't going to help."
"She made that decision! She needs to feel guilty!"
"Are you hearing yourself?!" He tried to keep his voice even. "I know you're very angry, but think about this with your head."
When he said that, she felt like something clicked in her mind. She remembered all that she said to Aphmau. Her heart became heavy. She had done something wrong again. She failed as a mother again.
She cupped her hands in front of her at the sheer thought. "¡Ay Dios mío! What have I done?"
•
Zach watched awkwardly as the crowd shuffled around until it was only he and a few people left in the living room.
Aphmau was eventually helped up to her bedroom. He presumed she must be injured. Sylvana climbed the stairs, stomping her foot in each step in anger. Eric followed her in earnest. The guy in a GF uniform left through the front door.
After a few minutes, a boy in black with blue eyes and a girl with actual cat ears and pink hair walked together. They were a stark contrast from each other, but Zach knew they were a couple; they held each other's hand with all fingers laced. Lastly, Rowan and Garroth went upstairs.
Now he was left with Katelyn, a girl with orange hair wearing purple clothes, Zianna, a girl with brown and gold curly hair, Travis, and Daniel.
Zianna sat beside him. "Um, hi."
"Hi," he replied nonchalantly.
"I would like. . .to thank you for letting me know about Garte. It's just that. . ." She looked at the floor, "I miss him so much. And now he's gone. . . . I should've known that Elizabeth had done something to him."
"If I had known magic, I could've helped you save your husband."
She bit her lip, trying to stop it from shaking so much. "Other than that, I can't think of another solution to remedy him. I guess. . .he's good as dead."
Zach watched her struggle not to cry.
Zianna stood up. "Excuse me." Then she ran upstairs in a rush. Later, he heard a door slam. The rest looked up.
"What did you do?" the orange-haired girl asked, scowling at him.
"I did nothing," he replied calmly. He became used to the discrimination at this point. "She must be overwhelmed."
"Considering what you said to her, I'm not surprised."
"Lucinda, stop it." Katelyn clutched her arm.
Reluctantly, she shut up. The room turned silent again, permeated by Daniel's noises while ravenously consuming food. Zach didn't blame the guy.
Finally, he said, "Where will I sleep?"
"The couch," Lucinda replied.
•
Aaron was escorted to the bedroom by Melissa. He held the doorframe with his left hand as if his life depended on it.
"Are you sure you can handle yourself?" she asked, a hint of worry in her voice.
He stared ahead, a strange hazy vision, but a comforting one. "Yes." He smiled to himself. "After all, birds will have to eventually leave the nest."
"Where did you get that from?"
Aaron furrowed his eyebrow. "I. . .I don't know. I just thought of it."
She patted him on the back. "Well, I guess I have to go now. I still have a lot of things to do before I turn in for the night. You should sleep ahead. Good night, brother."
"Night, Melissa." He heard her footsteps eventually recede down the hallway.
Aaron moved forward to the bathroom and closed the door. He looked at the mirror again, but he could only see the faded colors of his reflection. He clutched the sink in front of him.
After listening to the confession Zach made, he was still reeling from it. He mentioned a lot of things he didn't understand.
Apparently, Zach knew Aaron. And it was because he needed physical therapy. He wondered what made him so paralyzed he needed to be helped back up again.
Then there was the mention of the demon warlock--or Michael, as he knew now--again. He seemed awfully persistent about something in the center of the island, the Celestial Cannon, whatever that was.
Thirdly, Garroth said that he turned into a werewolf because of Aaron. How did that happen? How did that even work? He searched for an answer, but only came up with nothing.
Now, he also knew how his father died. Up until now, Melissa said that he disappeared while staying in Starlight and was never seen again. Apparently, according to Zach, he died by being turned into. . .a relic? A thing of the past? How? It must be related to the Celestial Cannon, he thought to himself.
And finally, Aaron thought that maybe his family was more special than he thought they were. If a demon warlock went to the same island they were staying in and Toby of the Guardian Forces became involved, that meant that some large-scale conflict happened there. Supernatural things played a part in it.
He realized something as he tried to put the pieces together. All of them were about him.
So what if. . .the conflict was about me? Then what would they want?
He stared at the mirror again. He understood some of it now. All he needed now would be to find the truth.
Maybe the answer is hidden behind my red eyes.