Guten Tag everyone, and best wishes for the new year! Yes, I know... I've been a horrible author by not updating for a couple months, especially after those two filler chapters that most of you must be wondering about. You'll see how they tie in in this and the two succeeding chappies. This story is almost at its close and I wish to thank everyone who has taken the time out to at least consider reading it. I have more to say, but, that can wait for the final chapter.
Anyways, on with the show! Enjoy...
CHAPTER TEN
BUILDUP
Alice hugged her pillow close to her chest and pressed her earphones deeper into her ears. A purple striped book lay open before her, pages blank, a matching pen beside it itching to stain the pages. She squeezed her eyes shut. In a few minutes, Joseph would be entering her room. Even though it was early morning, she knew that he'd be livid. Sadly, for her, their mother was still fast asleep, there was nobody to save her or temper his wrath.
The door swung open. She looked at her phone on the nightstand, praying that Runo wouldn't decide to call right then. Joseph stood in the doorway, a frown etched deeply into his face. He sat down beside Alice and yanked the earphones out of her ears, levelling her with a stare.
She flinched. "N-nothing happened between us," she whispered.
He raised an eyebrow.
"At least, nothing that you should be worried about."
"Really now? If that's the case, then you being dazed last night was all a dream? Should I not be concerned if my little sister goes talking to some strange guy then come back with red lips, a flushed face, and on top of that, behaving detached."
"Joe, please…"
"What did he do to you? It's obvious that you've done something a bit intimate."
Alice bit her lip and lowered her head.
Joseph tightened his fists. "I swear that if this guy forced you into anything-"
"Joe, no, please!" She grabbed his wrist. "Lucas is a good guy, really. He didn't force me to do anything. I-I just sorta pushed ahead."
"Pushed ahead eh?"
"I kissed him. This isn't his fault."
"What?" Joseph sighed and ran a hand down his face. "Allie, you've only spoken to him twice. Why on earth would you kiss him? You even almost convinced me that you were completely uninterested."
"I know, and I feel so sleazy and desperate. I don't know what happened. I'm sure I didn't care about him before, and I thought that I was somewhat scared of him, but last night, all of that disappeared, and I just felt so attracted to him. And when we kissed, it felt so…right."
Joseph pouted and placed a hand on her shoulder. "I think it would be best for you to stay home today. I mean, stay away from him for the time being. It would give you some time to think over your feelings."
Alice shook her head. "Joe, no. I want to go. I want to be there. I don't know why, but I really feel like I need to be by his side."
"You just met him-"
She silenced him with a look.
"Alright. I'm sorry. I'll give him a chance. It's just that I don't want him to hurt you. Neither Mom nor I want to see you in pieces over some guy, alright. But still, I'll give him a chance."
Her eyes brightened. "Thank you so much!" she exclaimed, lunging forward and hugging him tightly.
"Yeah. You might want to hurry and get ready. I'll get your breakfast and leave Mom a note. Just focus on yourself," he said, before kissing her on the forehead and leaving.
There were three loud, sharp knocks on the door. The ringing of a bell echoed through the house shortly after. Marshall stirred from his resting place then got up and shuffled towards the front door. He yanked it open and blinked. The people on the other side blinked twice. He stifled a yawn then rubbed his eyes. Recognizing Alice, he said, "Oh! The young lass from last night. Remind me why you're here again dear. The noggin is a bit slow in the morning."
"We're here for an interview with Lucas." Alice smiled sweetly. "These are my friends that were in the van."
"Come on in then dears. I would offer you a bit of breakfast, but I just got up. The others are still asleep."
They followed Marshall into the house, looking around as they went. They were surprised to find out that the inside was nothing like the outside. Marshall ushered them to the seats in the studio before leaving to clean himself up.
"Aawww," Julie and Daisy fawned at the sight before them.
Three and a half men lay on thin futons sleeping soundly. Hikari lay on his back, hair fanned out behind him. Mizuki had him locked in a hug, some of his stomach showing. Davey was on Mizuki's other side, back turned to him, forming a barrier between him and Lucas who lay curled on his side. Joseph and Daniel rose from their seats and wandered off to some other section of the house. Alice silently thanked them before crawling to Lucas' side. She sat beside him and stroked his scalp.
He stirred slightly then moaned.
"It's time to get up Lucas."
He stirred some more before opening his eyes. Dragging himself into a sitting position, he stared at Alice with his blank, grey orbs. Slowly, recognition filled them, and she could sense that the gears in his brain had begun working.
"Alice?" he slurred, a genuine smile gracing his tired features.
"Morning."
Marshall stepped in with the two boys trailing behind him.
He stooped down to wake up the men while they took their seats once more. Joseph avoided looking at his sister.
Lucas ran a hand through his tousled hair. "I'll be back in a bit. Wait for me?"
Alice nodded and watched him stagger to his feet and stumble across the room, still half asleep. Meantime, Daisy trained her eyes on Hikari. He stretched and yawned before bowing in greeting to everyone. His tangled hair was the only sign that he was asleep just seconds before.
Runo shifted impatiently. She really wanted to ask a mountain of questions, but it was too early to do that. Joseph's impatience had gotten the better of him though, and he was eagerly snapping away.
After half an hour of waiting, all the sleepers were wide awake, clean, and ready to kick off their day. After some brief introductions, Mizuki and Davey decided to take Alice and Julie on a decent tour of the house and the surroundings while Runo, followed by Dan, Joe and Chan, dragged Lucas into the kitchen for interviews and food. Daisy opted to stay with Hikari as he arranged music sheets and promotional posters, tuned instruments, and started up the electronic systems.
Runo's left eyebrow twitched sporadically as she slammed Lucas against the small fridge. He cringed and quickly averted his eyes from hers when they snapped open.
"Look kid, we came here for an interview and that's what we're gonna get, understand?" she said, tone deadly.
"B-but of course. That is why I i-invited you here."
Runo looked him over and pushed him away. Interesting. So Mr. Cool and Stoic is a wimp.
He drew in a deep breath then glanced at Joseph. He knew who he was, and he didn't like it. He knew that when he found out the relationship that he had with his sister, things would really start getting sticky. Shaking his head, he opened the fridge and got out some stuff.
"Firstly, the rules. You tell us the truth. The absolute truth. If there's something you aren't comfortable with sharing, just tell me, and I'll respect that. Okay. Question number one. What's your full name?"
"Lucas S-Schneider. No middle name. No pet names."
"Just plain old Lucas Schneider eh." Runo twiddled with her pencil.
Joe narrowed his eyes. That boy reminded him of someone, but he just couldn't remember who. It was unsettling. From the very first day he saw him, something didn't sit well. The name didn't fit.
"Any likes or dislikes?"
"Caviar. I hate caviar. And heat. I don't have any particular likes. Well, apart from books."
Runo nodded and scribbled on her paper.
Joseph stood right beside him at the sink, unaware of how intimidating he looked. He noticed the sliver of frear that rippled through Lucas' normally guarded eyes.
"How old are you?" he asked.
"F-fifteen."
"And why did you choose to transfer all the way here? I mean, it's obvious that you're a foreigner and the term is already halfway through and it's your second to last year in high school."
Luckily for him, Chan interrupted. "What is wrong with you Joe? Is all that information really necessary? I know you're concerned about Alice but there's no need to be so rough on him."
Lucas sighed in relief and shot her a thankful smile.
"Sorry abou that. My curiosity got the better of me." He scratched the back of his head sheepishly, but Lucas knew that he suspected something.
"E-excuse me but have you all eaten already?"
"Runo, Chan and I haven't!" Dan shouted quickly.
Runo rolled her eyes while Chan shook her head. "Really, if it's too much trouble, then don't bother."
"No problem. I like cooking anyways."
"Hey! You didn't include that in your answer!" Runo shouted.
"Sorry. It's a bit hard to tell people about myself."
Runo smiled at him gently. She hadn't imagined that he would be so humble. Heck, before she thought he was cocky. I think I'm starting to like this guy.
Soon breakfast was ready and waiting in the studio and everyone who was hungry swarmed around a small coffee table to eat. Lucas sat cross legged on the floor and watched them. He felt comfortable around them, and that was an accomplishment. He hadn't even felt comfortable in his own country – with his own family.
"Won't you eat?" Julie asked when they sat down with their meals.
Snapping out of his daydream, Lucas nodded and piled a little food onto a disposable plate.
"So," Runo began, putting her fork down. "If you've just moved here a few days ago, how come you know these guys? And what connection do you have to this place?"
"Er…I just happened to stumble across it one day."
"By the way, you didn't even tell us how you came across this little shack." Davey commented.
Lucas' jaw tightened and he averted his eyes. "I was taking…a walk."
A few eyebrows raised and Dan was about to say something when Mizuki cut him off. "Yeah. He just barged right in like he owned the place. We saw each other, then clicked just like that, and now we're here." He had a way of pretending to be absolutely oblivious and shallow just at the right times.
"So are you some kind of club or something?" Runo queried.
Hikari choked on his food and shot Runo a glare.
"We're not club lass. We're a band."
It was Joe's turn to choke. "Seriously? A band?"
"We'll be practising for a concert this week as soon as we're done eating."
Joseph groaned. Perfect. Now my sister is attached to some loser who's in a band. This can't be good.
"I'll clean up when you're all done then," Alice said. Julie volunteered to help.
"Oh crap. Daisy, there's something we've forgotten to do. Come on," Hikari said rising from his seat.
"Oh. Coming," she called, putting down her things and following him.
Mizuki smiled at Davey knowingly and followed Alice into the kitchen. When the place was tidied, everyone moved around to the studio, Alice and Julie with tomato red faces and Mizuki with a triumphant smirk on. Davey kicked him into his room and locked the door from the outside before entering his.
Hikari's voice came clear through the speakers describing the song that would be performed. After giving Lucas a reassuring smile, he started them off.
Soothing music and smiles quickly transformed. An abnormal piano chord sounded at intervals and the room darkened. Bloodcurdling screams filled Lucas' head and he shot out of bed, only to be assaulted by mental images of four grey headstones, blood spattered walls and floors and other grisly details that ultimately traced back to his father and his determination to force his son to live in eternal misery and fear.
His chest rose and fell at an alarming rate as he shook his head to rid himself of the memories of his life a long time ago. A very long time ago. Involuntarily, his eyes drifted to the night table beside him. On it was a photograph of him in his younger years, clutching a CD to his chest while the four men to whom he had grown so attached surrounded him with loving smiles. He had to tear his eyes away. Remembering them would only bring back darker thoughts – the death of his brother; the assassination of his four new found friends apparently orchestrated by his father; the torching of their old studio house. He was being robbed of everything.
The images came faster. This time, not only old ones, but more recent ones. Ones that included his children. Ones that included Alice. It became hard to breathe. The walls seemed to close in around him. This would take more than alcohol and cigarettes to fix. Those had become his best friends during the period of mourning that he underwent while in high school.
A wave of panic washed over him. He rolled off the bed and staggered to his feet. It didn't take long for him to storm out of the room and bolt up the staircase and out the front door. Rain was pouring in torrents outside. The droplets were so heavy and big that they threatened to crack the concrete pavement upon impact. Stinging droplets assaulted his soft flesh, but Lucas welcomed their coolness as he collapsed onto the pavement, holding his head in his hands. Slowly, the ropes strangling his heart loosened and the skewers threatening to pierce his lungs vanished.
He blinked back tears, trying to convince himself that his world was not falling apart. After a few minutes though, he recognized that his efforts were futile. Four people dear to him had been murdered on his account, the tiny abandoned building which all of them treasured being burned down mercilessly in their assassins' wake; his relations with his father had become more hostile and volatile because of his marriage to the granddaughter of his eternal enemy – Michael Gehabich; that same woman aforementioned had ripped his heart out and torn it to bloody shreds and now, she wanted to take the only things he had left – his children.
Fat tears rolled down his cheeks and he felt worthless. Stupid. Weak. He had dragged himself to this get-together in an attempt to please his children and his friends. He was trying to cope on his own, keeping up a brave face and lying to everyone although it was clear that something was wrong. And he was too scared to get help. He was spiraling into that all too familiar pit of darkness which had swallowed him greedily the first time he came to Japan. Then he had people to yank him out of it. Now, those people were gone and he was left to fend for himself. Past mistakes did nothing to lighten his load. He was given a second chance at happiness with a family, but what did he do with that? He'd failed his children. He'd failed his wife. If it weren't for his two young ones, he probably would have had his licensed firearm at his skull right then. He knew Alice would be happy. The others might be sad, but they'd get over it eventually.
A streak of lightning tore through the sky and a roar of thunder came soon after. Lucas shuddered as both the thunder and the suicidal thoughts that were slowly swarming his mind drove a chill to his bones. Somewhat reluctantly, he returned inside, determined to lock himself in his room and soundproof it so he could grieve all he wanted. Eventually, he got back to his cell and was proceeding to lock his door and apply the soundproof settings when he saw a flashing light on his cellular phone. Curiously, he walked up to it and listened to a voice message, wondering who would have the audacity to ring him at that ungodly hour. When he listened to the voice, it became crystal clear. The man who defied all man made laws without any consequence and the one who took matters of life and death into his own hands. Micah Grendahay. He requested a meeting with his son in which he was to carry his whole family to France on the fifteenth of the next month.
Lucas' brow crinkled. Over the years, he had grown complacent. He had forgotten who his father was – what he was capable of. He had forgotten that he had crossed him in the worst way possible. He had to find a way to get all of them, especially Alice, to attend. Missing the meeting would be dangerous, both for himself and Alice's family. The last thing he wanted was another massacre brought on by him.
Suddenly, fatigue washed over his small frame. He felt winded and his eyelids became heavy. He resolved that after he had pleased everyone that it was possible to please the next day, he would try to figure out some way to work through the problem that his father now presented. For now, though, he would seek refuge in the soft sheets that the Cliffside Villa offered him.
Alice rose from her bed when the sun was well up in the sky. She stretched and peered out her window. It had a lovely view of the lake and scattered farms and villages dotting the gently rolling hills beyond. The city was behind them. That was good. It was relaxing to slow down from time to time. It was good for your health.
When she got up, a sharp pain slashed through her chest. Gasping, she doubled over, clutching the area with one hand and leaning on the night table for support with the other. As if on cue, Joseph walked in, a sunny smile on his face. Seeing her in that state quickly transformed his features into ones denoting concern. With great urgency, he seated her and screwed open a bottle of liquid medication on the dresser. Measuring quickly but precisely, he administered the sticky blue fluid to his sister and took a seat beside her. Alice squeezed her eyes shut and willed her trembling to stop and the feeling of weakness that flooded every cell to go away. After breathing deeply for a few moments, she calmed down.
Joseph looked at her worriedly and inwardly cursed himself for not coming sooner.
"The divorce," Alice said feebly.
"What about it?"
"I need to get it done as quickly as possible. No more delays. We can probably arrange to meet during the trip."
Joseph shook his head. "No matter what, don't do that. Don't bring your lawyer here. It'll only make the others suspicious and your children might pick up on what you're doing. They're not dumb."
Alice held her head down and stared into her lap. She needed that divorce. This trip was prolonging things.
The blonde rest his head on Alice's forehead. "Look, I know you're desperate, but at least, try to wait out a bit. Time won't run out."
Alice looked up at him, hoping his words were true.
"Now come on. Lighten up. Rest on the balcony until breakfast is ready. I'll explain to the others that you're exhausted."
She let herself be led out to the balcony like a little girl. Men were seated at one table while women were seated at the other. This arrangement seemed to be getting increasingly popular within the group. Chan and Julie were missing – the incredibly mouth-watering scents wafting from the kitchen confirmed where they were. That left only Runo, who was video chatting with Fabia. She and Shun couldn't make it that year.
Joseph dropped her off and quickly retreated to the men's table as if Runo and Fabia were some form of poison. Alice greeted them and took a seat and after talking for a bit, she let her eyes travel over to the opposite table. She had a clear side view of Lucas. Beck had taken the opportunity to plant himself in his lap before Zachary could wake up fully enough to realize that his throne had been stolen.
Billy was leading a discussion on the latest football standings and Daniel was in the process of betting that his team would reach the finals when Carla marched right up to her father, fuming. He ushered Beck down and leaned forward to peer into her face. Curious, he looked around her, where he saw Sataka comforting a silently crying Zachary and stealing confused glances at Carla.
Lucas could see it coming. Carla was about to flip out in front of everyone here. He wasn't going to stop her though. He just steeled himself and turned towards her, lest she get worse. Carla puffed angrily and ignored the affectionate gaze of her father. Joseph saw it coming too. He was well acquainted with Carla's anger but he never responded. After all, it was only ever directed towards Lucas. Zachary hid his face in Sataka's clothing. He got terribly scared when Carla got this mad.
"I want to dye my hair," she spat out.
Lucas was taken aback but he didn't show it. Guessing at what she meant, he prodded, "What part of it?"
"The streaks. I'm tired of looking like a freak!" She couldn't even bring herself to call the colour. Whenever it suited her, those turquoise streaks made her exceptionally unique or a freak of nature.
Lucas nodded and continued listening to her. It hurt that she wanted to rid herself of him, but he didn't show it. It was what he deserved, after all.
"I hate you." She seethed, squeezing her fists, hot tears dripping to the floor. "I hate you so, so much. Why did you have to come back? You could have just stayed somewhere else, like you always do! Zach, Mom and I have been doing well without you, but you always have to choose to come back. Then you charm us. Then you leave us behind for ages. Do you know how much it hurts?! Do you understand how much pain we've felt because of you?"
Lucas kept staring at her.
"The more I try not to make any memories with you, the more you try to make memories with me. And then I stay for weeks, sometimes months, waiting for you to come back. Do you think that's funny?"
Beck stepped closer to Carla and looked at her apprehensively. He held her hand gently. "Hey Carla, do you think you should be talking to your old man like that?" he hesitated.
His voice seemed to snap Carla back to reality and she looked up at the man with her light brown eyes. Shocked, she pressed her hands to her mouth, the frequency of tears increasing. Ashamed, she looked around her. All the adults stared at her in amazement – even the laptop was turned towards her so that Fabia could see. All except the victim of her wrath, that is. He looked at her calmly, but with a tinge of sadness. She knew that he was sorry for what he had done and she knew that he was trying his best to make up for it, but she couldn't stop herself. She had to get rid of the deep seated anger bubbling within her. Never once had he scolded her or said anything mean to her. She was always the one criticizing him, and now, she'd done it, and before his friends too.
"I'm glad you've shared how you felt with me. It's about time you let out your emotions." His calm voice chimed through the silence, and guilt swallowed her up. Absolutely humiliated, she retreated to her room, determined not to make an appearance for the rest of the day.
Beck and Sataka went after her while Laney tried to calm Zachary down.
Lucas shook his head then sipped his water. He arched an eyebrow when all faces turned to him.
"Yes?"
"Wow," Daniel exclaimed.
"You're just gonna take that?"
"Meaning?" Lucas turned to him, tiredness radiating from him.
"Meaning, you're just gonna let your daughter size you up? No disciplinary lecture?"
"There's no need for any."
"Huh?" Dan and Billy exclaimed in unison.
"Didn't you see her face? She was absolutely mortified. She knows that she stepped way out of line, and she's embarrassed by it. On the other hand, I meant what I said. It's good that she's stopped bottling her feelings."
"Are you going to buy it," Joe asked, very interested in how Lucas dealt with his children.
"Yes. I don't see why not. If she had my eyes and were a bit older, then I'd get her contacts too."
Billy was in shock. "I just don't understand how you could be so calm after she just insulted you like that. "
"It's in my nature, I guess."
A pang went through Alice's chest. What Carla had said was true, but it was also wrong to behave so badly.
That's it. If there are any typos here, I apologize for them. There are just some things that keep missing me.
Your reviews would be greatly appreciated. Feedback is a good thing.
Quote: "New Year - a new chapter, new verse, or just the same old story ? Ultimately we write it. The choice is ours."
― Alex Morrit