In the car, I sat in the back seat with Apollo, while Alex drove with Noah in the passenger seat. I had Pumpkin on my lap. Noah had his grey ugly-faced cat, Grumpy in a cage on his lap. That cat hated me, but again he hated every human except for Noah. On Apollo's lap was Cupid, a white-furred cat with bright blue eyes was a former stray who just one day decided to sneak into the mansion and stayed there ever since. She was friendly but a bit stupid, even though cats were supposed to be smarter than dogs.
Noah said if Grumpy was let out of his cage outside, he'll probably jump out the rolled-down windows.
Like me and my cliffs—
"So why did you name her Pumpkin?" Noah asked me from the front. In the past five minutes, we've been asking each other questions about cats. We shared similar soft spots for cats, especially ours. I've watched out the window, enjoying the scenery of the passing trees, for twenty minutes before my brothers couldn't refrain from staying silent for once.
"She was born on Halloween day and she's orange, so I thought it was fitting." I shrugged even though he couldn't see me. "I suppose it's not necessary to ask why that ugly cat of yours is named Grumpy." I chuckled.
"Hey!" Noah called out. "He's not ugly!"
"Then why Grumpy?"
"Because he looks grumpy all of the time with that scrunched-up nose and the dead-set glare that he was born with." Apollo chimed in. "Like Noah's personality."
In the rearview mirror, I saw Noah's mouth open and closed as he struggled to find a good retort. It repeated three times before he settled on grumbling, "fine, it's true. I'm grumpy, are you happy?"
"Father got him for you because his personality aligns with yours, do you know that?" Apollo kept taunting.
"Oh please-wait, what, are you serious? Did Father tell you that?!"
"Yep." Apollo grinned.
"Do you mean the priest or the father who made us?" I chimed in casually, making them freeze for a moment. I watched Alex's mouth tremble slightly in the rearview mirror before it disappeared behind his blank facade.
"Um, Noah...?"
"We're talking about the dead one," Noah said with a tight smile. "The one who made us."
Apollo nodded frantically beside me.
"So..." Noah shifted the topic back to cats. Meanwhile their chatter, I meet Alex's gaze through the mirror and he discreetly winked at me.
It felt like we were sharing a secret joke.
P E R D I T A
Five minutes later, we stopped in the middle of a forest which confused all of us greatly before I realized we were going to walk for a bit to get to whatever this place is.
Apollo leaned in to whisper harshly, "I knew it!"
"What?" I asked quietly, confused.
"Alex is definitely burying us six feet down."
My eyes narrowed. "Are you serious?"
"Yes." He deadpanned. "I'm dead serious. Why are we in the middle of nowhere?"
I didn't reply, just shook my head at his ridiculousness. We got out of the car and the others rushed to get the things out. I was handed over Cupid's leash in a hand while I still held Pumpkin in my arms.
"We forgot Ariana's wheelchair," Apollo said sheepishly as he slammed the truck close after getting the basket of our packed baked goods and blankets out.
"It's okay," I told him. "There are too many branches here. The wheelchair can't get across them, anyway."
"You'll carry the food and I'll carry Ariana," Apollo told Noah. The latter scowled.
"I'll carry her. You bring the baskets."
"Apollo will carry me there. When we return, Noah will." I told them to put a halt to their bickering before it further.
"Fine." Noah bit out and Apollo grinned widely. He extended his arms out and I went to them. Alex took half of the baskets and Noah had the other half in an arm, in the other held the cage with Grumpy in it.
It took about ten minutes to walk until the trees lessened to reveal the most beautiful scenery I've seen. A gasp escaped me. There was a meadow full of flowers. I haven't seen them for a such long time. It was of countless different shades of colors. Far ahead, I could see a river. On another side of the bank, there was another forest.
I began to squirm in Apollo's arms, not being able to find words to tell him to put me down. He got the clue and gently set me down on my feet. I shoved Pumpkin into Apollo's arms and handed the Cupid's leash to him.
I didn't care about the pain shooting up in my legs. I didn't pay it any mind at all as I began to skip across the meadow. My goal was dead set on the river. I ran my fingers through the tallest grasses, feeling them brush my skin gently.
I quickly shot a glance behind my shoulder and smiled at what I saw. Apollo was skipping right behind me with the cats bouncing in his hold. Alex and Noah, still holding the heavy things trudged across the meadow far behind.
Here, I felt like a kid again.
Free.
I halted when I was on the bank next to the river. It was calm. At the end of the river, near me where the water was at its lowest, I could see mini fishes and tadpoles swimming inside it. From the corner of my eyes, I saw Apollo appear beside me, also studying the water.
"It's beautiful," Apollo remarked and I nodded in agreement.
I turned around to find Noah and Alex settling down the stuff down under the shadow, beneath a weeping willow tree, about fifty yards away. Apollo grabbed my hand and led me there.
I thanked Alex for taking us here and received a nod of you're welcome manner in return. I made a mental note to ask him how did he discover this place. I lay down on the blanket and helped them unpack the baking goods and the lunches. My lunch of choice today was a meatball sub, kept in a warmer zip bag.
Cupid's leash was let go and she was currently roaming around the meadow. Pumpkin's leash was long so I kept her in it - the ends of it were tied to one of the basket handles. I was afraid of losing her yet again. Grumpy, who was let out from his cage, stayed on Noah's lap the whole time.
"Teatime!" Apollo shouted as he took out three plain white normal-sized teacups and handed them to me, Noah, and himself. Then Apollo pulled out a small baby pink China teacup.
"For Alex!" He grinned cheekily as he lifted the teacup to Alex. The latter glared at the teacup as if it was a blight of his existence. Apollo shoved it to Alex and he didn't have a choice but hold it.
Apollo lifted his phone and snapped a photo of a furious Alex holding a pink teacup, he was so large that he made the cup look like it was the size of an almond.
Alex shot his hand out and the phone disappeared from Apollo's hand. Alex threw it and I watched it fly across the sky before it went down the river, gone forever. The teacup followed Apollo's doomed phone next.
"My phone!" Apollo shrieked, dropping to his knees as he extended his arms out at the river.
"Don't worry!" Noah called out. "We're rich, remember? We'll get your ass another phone!"
"But my phone!" Apollo whined, as he tilted his head at the sky and reached out his arms to them. "Why?!" He shouted to no one.
Noah and I laughed.
P E R D I T A
"I feel like I'm living in a fairytale," I told Noah.
"What do you mean?" He asked, his brows furrowing but his mouth was still uplifted.
"This place looks like it came out from a fairytale book." I waved my hands around the beautiful surrounding. "I'm sitting here in a dress on a blanket with a cat in a fairytale-like place, just coming from a mansion that could be mistaken as a castle. I feel like a princess" I listed my reasons to prove my points.
Noah's eyebrows rose and chuckled softly. "One, you are a princess. Two, I'm beginning to learn that you're a random person."
I'm beginning to realize that, too.
"And we're the princes!" Apollo chimed in, coming up from the river, and must have heard our conversation. He was munching on a chocolate chip cookie in a hand and in his other hand he held another stacked four cookies. We both looked up at him from where we were laying down on the blankets.
"You're not sophisticated enough to be a prince," I told him.
Apollo snapped his head to me with a dramatic gasp - the chewed food flying out of his mouth. "What? That is a lie!"
"I think that," I pointed to the chewed cookie and crumbs trailing on Apollo's shirt, "proves my point. You simply have no manners."
He looked down at his mess and nodded slowly. "Fine, you have a point. We can be your knights, instead." He grinned as he sat down.
"I guess." I laughed but it faded when I saw Alex standing next on the bank next to the river, furiously typing something on his phone.
"I'm going to the river with Alex," I told Noah and Apollo and they both nodded halfheartedly before digging into the second basket of packed baked goods. Making sure they weren't looking at me, I allowed myself to limp over to the bank.
Up close, I saw that Alex was furious. "What's wrong?" I asked in a small voice, making his head snap up to me and slip his phone into his jean pockets. He took a deep breath and glanced over my shoulder to the two brothers before turning to the river where they couldn't see his faces so that they won't find out he spoke again.
"It's nothing. It's work stuff." He said quietly and I moved forward so that I was beside him.
"It doesn't seem just nothing," I said softly. He shook his head, obviously silently telling me to not push it and I didn't.
"I'm going away to Paris for a work trip until tomorrow afternoon." He informed me and I glanced at his blank look as he stared at the river.
"Okay," I whispered, hoping he would elaborate.
"Ace and the rest are coming tomorrow night with Father." He said, making my eyes widen. "I'll be back by then, of course."
"I just realized that I never asked..." I trailed off. "How did the attack go?"
The corners of his mouth lifted. "Smoothly, thanks to you."
My face went red. "You're welcome," I mumbled. "Did..." I paused, not wanting to upset him in any way. But I had to know.
"They didn't touch him. He's unharmed." He answered, guessing correctly what I wanted to ask. I nodded in relief.
"Can you tell me what he's like?" I questioned. "I mean, I know I'll see him tomorrow and know for myself but-"
Alex clasped his large hands on my small shoulder. "Shush. Father is a great man, better than most men I know. Ace and he is the closest. I never saw them stay apart more than recently. He's very blunt, which he shares the trait with our grandfather." He chuckled softly with a faraway look. I immediately knew Alex was close with his grandfather. I was tempted to ask about him but I didn't want to put him down in case he was dead, and my question would bring up the bad memories again.
"He loves all of us equally. But you?" He shook his head with a hint of a smile gracing his lips. "You was - is - his whole world. We all knew you were a daddy's girl since you were a newborn when you would cry nonstop each time you were separated from his arms. His or Ace's."
"Ace?" I asked with doubt. "I preferred Ace over everyone else?" The baby version of me had a horrible taste.
Alex turned his eyes on me, seeing my dislike of my eldest brother. "Ariana, I am in no way justifying Ace's lie to you. I only ask you to try to put yourself in Ace's shoes. His training as the Don wasn't over yet and, though I know he will deny it if asked, I think he wasn't ready to take over so suddenly. He was supposed to have a guiding hand from his father for a while before he completely take over the mafia. He just found out that her little sister who he loves so dearly just came out from years of captivity, and his best friend and father were taken by an enemy, his emotions got out of control, managing an entire mafia and these other mafia trying to cause him downfall. His father was someone who, for all he knew, was expected to be gone for a long time and disappeared without any trace. There was no hope of finding him anytime soon. I don't think he could handle you questioning him when he would come back, months or even years later. I don't think he couldn't bear it. So he lied on the spot. And in his - our - eyes, you're still a child and he didn't know how much you handle it."
I nodded thoughtfully, taking Alex's words in slowly.
"I know you can handle it and you're strong - the strongest person I know - but he doesn't know that. Maybe even then, he won't realize you could. He was the most fiercely protective of you than all of us were before Cata took you. And that is still there. Maybe it's selfish of him to lie only to make it better for himself. But how no matter how blank or emotionless he seems to be, he's just a human with feelings in the end."
"So should I forgive him?" I murmured. "Do you think I should give him a second chance?
"No." He said immediately, making my brows raise. "Don't go easy on him. He's a grown man and he can handle the consequences of his actions. Make him crawl for you a bit before letting him off."
He looked back at the river. "It should be easy for you. You hold grudges longer than anyone I know."
"Oh, yes," I said in amusement. "The wedding story..."
He shook his head. "The simpler times..." he murmured, trailing off. A frown pulled my face as I saw the sadness running deep in his eyes.
Soft fur on my legs distracted me and I looked down to find Pumpkin rubbing against my leg. I bent down to pick her up and cradled her to my chest. Alex looked at her with a distaste and I scowled at him.
"Why do you not like cats?" I questioned.
"Cats are fine," Alex said. "That one is not."
I raised my brows. "What do you mean?"
"That pest almost clawed my face off when I got her." He said. "Remind me to never underestimate any creature, no matter how small they are." He added under his breath.
"Got her?"
All he did was nod, to my annoyance.
"I sense something good. Come on, tell me." I whined.
"Ace made me kidnap the damn cat from a little girl's room." He muttered.
I snickered. "What? I need details!"
He refused to budge and I gave up after minutes of annoying him.
"Let's go." He said after a few minutes of silence and I relented.
P E R D I T A
Alex left for his trip this afternoon right after we've gotten back from the picnic and it was nighttime in the silent mansion. Noah sent off the guards away privately. We all were in the kitchen with cups of tea clutched in our hands. We've been talking for the past two hours straight and were getting tired.
"Thank you for the fun today," I spoke up softly but received no answers. My mind was too much of a puddle to care.
I took another sip of my tea as I struggled to keep my heavy eyelids open.
I was so tired.
My whole body felt so heavy - like the gravity just increased tenfold to pull my limbs down. I was slightly dizzy and my vision blurred. I blinked a few times rapidly to clear it.
I turned my head to another side as my cheek rested on the island table to look at my brothers. Noah was sleeping, his cheeks lying on the marble - in the same position as me. My face furrowed when I didn't spot Apollo anywhere.
I dragged the head weight of a bowling ball upright with the aid of my shaky hand gripping the ends of the table. I blinked rapidly yet again as I looked around in the search of Apollo.
There!
Apollo was sprawled over on the floor with his arms and legs spread out, snoring softly. He must have fallen off his stool while falling asleep.
I chuckled softly as I imagined it. How funny the vision of it must be!
A creak sounded and my face scrunched up in confusion as I scanned the kitchen.
There was nobody here. What was that?
Another creak.
My dizziness was getting worst as yet another second passed.
Few bangs sounded.
I jerked up in surprise to see a few of the pans that had been hanging above the stove fell on the floor, right next to Apollo.
"Who's there?" I slurred. What's wrong with me and my voice?
Next to the stove, there was a large painting frame on the wall - well, there was supposed to be one. It was gone and in its place, there was a dark abyss, at least
I jumped off the stool and stumbled painstakingly slowly towards it in a daze. When I stood in front of it, I saw the painting lying on the floor beneath the wall. My hand reached out into the abyss, my face pulled in a frown and my lids fluttered, and it reached to nothing but empty air. My head was brought closer and with a few blinks, my vision cleared again temporarily to meet a tunnel.
A secret tunnel?
My brain was screaming to me to turn away but my muddled senses wouldn't comply. My hand gripped the sides of the hole as another hand extended inside again. I want to see what is it.
A hand grabbed my wrists suddenly.
My small voice of surprise was cut by another hand on my mouth, causing my eye to budge out of my sockets in fear. I tried to figure out who is it but my sight was still horrible. This time my blinking didn't clear it.
"Shh." A familiar voice cooed at my ear, brushing the lobe with the skin-crawling air. "Oh, Ariana. How much I missed my niece."
A face came closer to me and the blurry background worsened as the familiar face was focused.
The monster...
The darkness took over and I gladly embraced it - escaping to my haven once again.
The next several chapters are going to be sad. But I think it's necessary. They say flowers come after the rain. Her trauma's going to catch up to her after all that suppression of her emotions and memories. Her mental health is going to decline before she could truly heal.
I've planned this from the beginning but I kept prolonging it because I kind of didn't want to write it - I want to give my Ari baby happiness, I truly do, but it's time.