Chapter 2: A little shot of crimson
The walk had been silent, slow paced, and calming. My jacket was tied loosely around my waist, blonde hair spiking in different directions underneath the blue ball cap that normally concealed it all. The weather was fairly warm, surprisingly so for it had been somewhat chilly. Of course, it was always chilly during this time of day when the sun was slowly setting on the horizon, the world around me painted in lush crimsons and bright auburns. My favourite time of day by far, and I was suddenly finding myself at peace.
Of course, this time of day was the hardest part for me, to get through at least. I used to take walks with my mother throughout the neighbouring town. We’d walk for miles sometimes, just basking in the wonderful glow of the setting sky. Sometimes mother would cry, and I never really understood why until the days after she passed.
I rubbed my eyes solemnly not wishing to provoke anymore useless emotions. Crying was for the weak and I didn’t want to be weak.
Slowly, I finally approached the convenient store a good twelve blocks away from the palace that was home. It was strange living in such a community, as if all the beauty of it was forefront covering the poverty and the ‘slumps’ behind it. Either way, the closest store to this godforsaken area was the convenient store. I walked to the back of the store where the fridges were located and slid the glass door open silently before retrieving a gallon of milk. After paying the cashier, I left the store as silent as I arrived, the same sullen and bleak expression still visible across my face.
And walking home was starting to feel just as slow and peaceful as the walk there.
Of course, I was not expecting for my wonderful state of mind to be shattered so quickly as a piercing scream and loud yelling was heard from a building just a few meters ahead. My grey eyes turned towards the low income housing unit where the yelling was coming from, my attention completely alerted towards it before finally blanking, teeth biting down on my lower lip.
I came closer to the building out of sheer curiosity, hand outstretched towards the chain fencing surrounding the brick structure as the yelling only intensified. Another crash was heard and then suddenly the front door burst open, a flurry of yelling and blankets blurring my vision.
Suddenly a boy burst out tears streaming down his pale flushed cheeks. I was completely lost for words at the site of a boy no more the fourteen bolting out of his house in a loose pair of sweatpants and a blanket over his bare shoulders. Even his feet were bare as if he hadn’t had the chance to slip any shoes on. Of course, it wasn’t those facts that took me by surprise though. As a matter of fact is was the strange blue-green off colour of his wide eyes and the deepest crimson of his shaggy locks that had caught my attention the most. It seemed so completely strange and unnatural for a boy to look the way he did. Too feminine maybe. Either way he was soaring towards the gates when I first caught a glimpse of the person who had created such a loud ruckus.
A man of maybe forty years stood inside the door, his stomach protruding out, hair balding, and squinty brown eyes hardly visible under his thick brows. His chest and arms were thick and hairy. In fact even his own bare feet were covered in thick brown hair. His bellowing voice was the most intimidating part about him though as he stormed with fury, fists locked and ready to throw punches.
The scared little boy ran out the gates and as he came closer I realised with fright that his chest was covered in bruises. Along his left cheek was a scratch that was bleeding heavily mixing with his streaming tears. I had never seen something like this happen before and I was finding it harder and harder to breath. The boy turned past the metal posts and in my direction obviously meaning he was searching for his escape. I knew in only a few short seconds and he would have run past me and that maybe this would be the last I would see of the strange little boy.
And then it happened. I didn’t know how it did… or maybe I had known all along. Maybe I had been planning it the moment I saw him run out the door. Subconsciously working out a plan. Either way it was all spontaneous as my hand slipping around his wrist at the last second, feet pushing me forwards.
“What the…” The boy’s voice broke through my resolve but I did not stop to think about what was going on. I just pulled at his wrist and started to run, fingers tightening around the handle of the milk carton.
“Run!” I yelled through clenched teeth. I could feel the boy following but he was hesitant. I would have felt hesitant too if a random stranger grabbed my wrist and started dragging me away.
But I had an unexplainable need to protect him. Something had triggered within me. Something I had never known existed, at least not till today. It was a subconscious thing as if there was something I needed to do. Something I needed to see with my eyes and this boy was the ticket there.
Then again it could have just been me over thinking my strange actions once again. For one, Uncle Gerald would not be pleased if I brought home a random stranger without asking, especially one from the slumps, but I couldn’t tell myself not to.
In no time at all we were running up the driveway, my breathing heavy and staggered. I turned my eyes back towards the boy behind me who still looked confused and afraid, the tears that were once streaming now caked to his cheeks, the blood clotted as well. I let my hand fall away from his wrist finally, body falling forwards as my hands rested against my knees propping my body up somewhat as I sucked air in greedily.
“W-where am I?” the boy asked suddenly, his fingers grabbing at the blanket still tied around his small shoulders.
“The Laurier mansion,” I huffed eyes jetting towards the milk that had been sloshing around its carton for the last twenty minutes.
“B-But I,” he blinked a couple times in what seemed to be astonishment. “I don’t understand.”
“You were running away from the man,” I stated plainly. “I thought you might need a place to run to. I couldn’t just leave you there.”
“Y-yes you could have,” he turned his back on me suddenly, his head tilting forward. I blinked a couple times myself confused before cocking my head to the side curiously.
“I don’t know where you grew up but from where I come from I learned to look out for people who needed it,” I rested my left hand on my hip tiredly.
“But that’s just it,” he turned back around to face me with the same agonized aquamarine eyes. “No one has ever done that for me.”
I didn’t really know what to say to the boy. He looked so weak and small. He was smaller then most of the 14 year olds and skinny too. He was so tiny in fact that I was surprised I had even thought he looked like a 14 year old from a distance.
“My name is Philip Laurier,” I finally said after a few awkward seconds. I outstretched my hand to him. “And I’m glad that I got to be the first.”
“Luka Smith,” he took my hand weakly, his fingers so small compared to my own. I was surprised at the difference in size but quickly pushed that out of my head as the new thoughts arrived.
“Well you have arrived a little unannounced so I should probably go inform my uncle that I have a guest,” I scratched the back of my head a little embarrassedly. I turned to walk towards the house when I felt fingers suddenly grasp at my own wrist timidly.
“I-I don’t want to be any trouble,” he bit down on his lower lip embarrassed.
“Don’t worry, we have guests all the time,” I smiled hoping to put his worries at ease. Of course no amount of words could possibly put my own worry at ease. Uncle Gerald would definitely be displeased with me.
Finally I grabbed the carton of milk and then turned back towards the huge mansion. And boy was it a huge mansion. I couldn’t remembering feeling smaller then the day I had first stood before it, my suitcase rolling across the pavement of the driveway. When it was just mom and I, I had never really found the need in wanting anything more than what we had which was hardly anything. An apartment, a couple couches, and an old piano, half the keys out of tune. We also had a keyboard which I always played on but mother never played with the keyboard. Always the piano.
I blinked suddenly realising I had lost myself in my own thoughts again. Annoyed with my wandering mind, I quickly pushed the large oak door of the mansion open just to walk into the same entryway I had come through not even an hour and a half ago. Something delicious hit my nose first thing and my stomach rumbled precariously. Shaking my head I finally walked into the kitchen where one of the maids was cooking silently, her hair tied back in a tight bun. I remembered I had scoffed the first time I had seen the maids for I had thought they always wore those maid costumes that you saw on television. The maids here just wore their clothing and maybe an apron here or there. I cleared my throat silently before tapping her shoulder unsure.
“Um…Miss, have you seen my uncle?” I asked politely. She turned around surprised, spatula nearly flinging out of her hand but her eyes soon calmed and she chuckled lightly.
“Oh, it’s just you Philip,” she cocked her head to the side easily. “Yes Master Gerald is in the dining room right now. Would you like some tea with your dinner?”
“Yes tea would be wonderful,” I turned my eyes towards the exit that was attached to the dining room. “Thank you.”
And I quickly bolted not wanting to start up an unwanted and terribly awkward conversation. It seemed the staff was just as curious about me as uncle’s employees. Finally I entered the dining room where the table had already been set with the finest cutlery. Vases were spread out along it’s length filled with light pink and soft yellow roses and pale yellow napkins were folded perfectly next to the crystal wine glasses.
Uncle Gerald sat at the end of the table, the wine glass closest to him filled with a thick crimson substance I took at first glance as one of his fine wines. Cassie sat on far right of the table, Anna quite close to her as well. They looked to be having a quiet conversation which I had hoped I wouldn’t be interrupting.
“Philip, what took you so long to get back?” Uncle Gerald spoke up after a few seconds and I quickly took my seat on the left of him. It was always eerie staring at the other three quarters of the massive empty table. Other then at parties that uncle Gerald hosted, the table was normally this way. Empty.
“I, well I was caught up with something,” I rested my hands in my lap annoyed that my voice broke so easily. “Um, uncle, do you think I could possibly ask you something?”
“Anything my boy,” he smiled warmly.
“I have a friend… well he’s from the slumps and he needs a place to stay the night,” I pushed the words out forcefully. “Do you think he could stay here for a little while? He wont be any trouble at all…”
“From the slumps?” Uncle Gerald raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. “When did you meet kids from the slumps?”
“School,” I lied hoping it wasn’t as obvious as it felt.
“I told you I didn’t like those kids,” he eyed me, a look of shock and bewilderment hidden behind the hard greyness. “All just a bunch of trouble. You’re going to get yourself hurt if you hangout with the likes of them.”
“He wont hurt anybody uncle!” I pushed my chair back, legs pushing me up to my full height of 5’9, hands pressed down on the table. “I swear he’s a good kid and he needs a place to stay.”
“I don’t like the idea of this but if you think its best,” Uncle Gerald raised his crystal glass to his lips slowly, the red liquid splashing against his upper lip. The sight of liquid made me feel even thirstier then I thought I was. “Where is he now?”
“In the driveway…”
“In the driveway! Boy bring him in!” Uncle Gerald sounded appalled. “Didn’t I teach you any manners? Never leave a guest outside!”
I quickly bounded for the exit not wanting to infuriate Uncle Gerald any further but was pleasantly surprised that he had so easily agreed to letting Luka stay. I smiled to myself before running out the oak doors only to see Luka curled over in a ball, the blanket strewn over him tiredly. I was in a bit of a panic when I saw this and ran to his side only to see that he had fallen sleep.
“Luka, Luka,” I murmured bending over lightly to give him an easy push with my hand. “Luka you can come inside now.”
Luka’s eyes peeked open slowly before finally he yawned and sat up. “R-really?”
“Yah,” I held my hand out to him. “We’ll be having dinner shortly and my Uncle will definitely have loads of questions to ask you. Just tell him you go to the same school as me and we should be just fine.”
“Okay…” he tilted his head down somewhat in a trance.
“First we should get you a change of clothes though,” I grabbed his wrist trying to help him up onto his feet. After a few seconds he was finally cooperative enough to stand. “See, there’s nothing to be afraid of. Just come inside.”
When I pulled at his wrist again though he didn’t move from where he stood in the driveway, his eyes still staring down at the pavement. I didn’t want to force him into going anywhere for it was a fairly abrupt meeting but I knew he needed some food and warm clothing. Finally after a few minutes he looked up at me with the same intense eyes.
“Y-You don’t want to hurt me?” his lips quivered as if admitting something terrible and shameful.
“Of course I don’t want to hurt you,” I chuckled as if it were one of the simplest things in the world. “Why would you ask a thing like that?”
“C-Can you k-keep a secret?” his voiced became softer almost pleading.
“Of course, anything at all,” I cocked my head to the side in wonderment.
“The men… the men said they just wanted to protect me and that they wouldn’t hurt me…” his voice completely broke into pieces. “T-They did things to me…”
I blinked a couple times then deadpanned. No way was I ever expecting a reply like that…
