Chapter 6
There was a time in primary when he was playing with Jackson and his gang. He got overly excited and have over estimated his strength. He jumped from a two storey climbing frame and ended up flat on the ground. There was a brief moment there, where he felt his drop slow down a bit. As if the wind carried his weight, but still was winded. All the air from his lungs was knocked out. He thinks he got more from the beating his Aunt gave him that day.
Rose and him have settled on her carpeted floor and he gave in to tracing shapeless patterns on her floor. She called out to her Nan that they'd rather order-in so as not to trouble her anymore. He saw her tuck the old lady to bed after helping her prepare a light meal for her Nan. The old lady still looked at him as if he was his Dad, and he couldn't blame her. The resemblance is quite uncanny anyway.
They've hold off on Rosie's puzzle solving, and is just waiting for some kebabs to arrive.
"Fuck." Rose gave him an unimpressed look but he just smiled impenitently.
"Anything wrong?" She haughtily asked, with no desire to really know why he cursed.
"Forgot to order extra sauce." He said still on the floor now trying to do some air hoops.
"Don't worry got two extra packets." Scorp nodded, impressed and quite surprised with her. "Also had them remove the red onions."
Scorpius blinked back at her, as he pulled himself to his side, head resting on his left hand. "How did you know I hated onions?"
"You told me?"
"No I don't think I did."
"What?… well perhaps Camilla said something, or I saw you remove them from your dish. I don't know. Stop being weird, I'm too hungry to entertain you."
The kebabs were not that good, and the extra packet of onion sauce helped. Rose passed him some lemon juice and a plate of rice as he tried to grab hot sauce from her kitchen counter but was then replaced by ketchup. Which did not come as a surprise, everyone knew he hated that much spice.
But as Scorpius observed her more, he realized Rose was always very perceptive. Sharp and intuitive. Too knowledgeable sometimes. She always knew what Camilla's interests are, could always decipher a teacher's question, has called him out one too many times on his lies and pranks, and without being asked has already given Jackson a pen.
There was also that incident during physical and Rose successfully evaded an incoming ball despite having her back turned.
"Woah Scorp! Careful!" Rose suddenly admonish, catching his juice just before falling.
"Sorry, quite clumsy today… could you pass me the-" a spoon was already shoved at him before he said it. "-spoon. Thanks." She smiled at him.
Rose always know things, before they even happen. The day must be too stressful than she lets on if she's this too distracted to even notice herself.
"So…." Scorp started. He thinks they've had enough of their break and is ready to tackle one mystery after the other. Torn pictures being restored is not your ordinary phenomenon.
"More like outlandishly freaky. Let's not tone down what just happened there." So as being able to react without having being told to.
"Shush it's quite obvious you're giddy to get on to the bottom of things." Or even have answers to questions yet to be asked.
"I just asked you to pass the spoon Rose." Scorp finally said, his tone lacking all his usual humour.
"What are you on about, of course we're here to talk about what just happened back there." She looked at him as if he's grown another head.
"Yep," popping the 'p' "we are. But I have yet to say anything." he said, tilting his head curiously.
"You're being ridiculous!" She laughed nervously.
Scorp pretended to let it go, until he elbowed his glass of juice again, to which Rose caught effortlessly. The two stared at each other in shocked disbelief, and rose was about to retreat from the kitchen with an excuse to check on her Nan. Scorpius didn't let her. With a wave of his hand one of the dining chairs blocked her way.
Rose jumped back from shock as the chair flung towards the other side without her touching.
"Oh my god! You're a Jedi too!" Scorps smugly claimed. Rose has never wanted to smack someone as much as this prat.
… … …
The night has turned even more surreal even for him. Perhaps the gravity of the situation hasn't sunk in yet for he was not freaking out as his usual nature, but he wouldn't lie how cool it is to find out he wasn't the only one with the "force".
"We are not Jedi's Scorp." He should feel violated she could read into his thoughts, but was more amused by Rose's ability.
They were back in her room, sat on the floor with the box between them. She took out the items inside, laying them in a line while Scorpius was admiring the photo again. He was sure the photo moved before, but it could have been just a trick of the light.
There was a green and black scarf and despite the years it still has remained soft, with that preserved sandalwood scent. Next to it is a worn notebook filled with poems written in beautiful calligraphy. Nan always said her Mum preferred flourishing penmanship than those printed identical letters Rose was used to. Perhaps her Mum was always the romantic.
There were also some weird looking identical gold coins Scorp was now observing under the light. "Could this be real?" Rose just shrugged at him, the coins had no serial numbers and frankly what does she know about gold. Scorp pocketed them not so discretely and she just rolled her eyes at him.
"This is identical to my chain." Scorp pointed at another gold item, it was a plain gold chain with barely there markings on the side. He unclasped his own and showed her the identical vines and mini florettes that are carved near the clasp. His though had a unique pendant.
"This is cool." He said as he held up a feather.
"I think that's an owl's."
"I think this is a quill. I mean, look there's a nib on the end to hold ink." Rose hummed in agreement. That could explain her Mum's penchant for swirly penmanship.
"Wait, this is your Mum's?" Rose nodded at him. "But these are glasses…" He tried them on "And apparently, for someone terribly blind!"
"Oh give that to me. You might break it." Scorpius stretched out his hand away from her, not wanting to return the wired specs.
"HJP" He suddenly said, squinting his eyes over the inside of the specs. "Who's HJP?"
"I have no idea. Anyway this is it."
"Well this and your box. At least you have something of her." Scorpius said, if it were not for Rose's ability she wouldn't have caught on his bitter tone.
"Well.. you have her necklace." She pointed at him, smiling wryly before plopping down her bed again. Scorpius followed suit and they just both looked at her ceiling.
He didn't know it yet, but her room was also her Mum's childhood bedroom, and Rose wonders how many times her Mum laid down that very bed and stared up in contemplation. Back in Brisbane, her room had many posters and stickers on her ceiling. She knows her Nan wouldn't mind if she painted her room now, but it just felt wrong to change her Mum's.
"Can you believe it?" Scorpius hummed at her query. "We're siblings." Rose said sounding too amused. The incredulity of the moment made them chuckle again.
"I'm older!" He declared eagerly. The two bickered as Rose smack him on the face with her pillows. They looked ridiculous, but for the first time ever felt their happiness more genuine. Their rowdy limbs suddenly kicked the box and it tumbled to the floor ending face down.
Scorpius suddenly stopped attacking her and scrambled out off the bed to get to the box. All the rest of the items remained forgotten as their focus shift to the box. Scorpius removed his necklace and tried to align his pendant to the middle emblem seeing the resemblance.
"Can you see this." Rose fiddled with his necklace. Despite the similarities the emblem had no wings and it was missing the florette designs. She remembers gazing at her Mum's portrait, with her wearing the same necklace. But she realize now that they weren't the same. Scorpius' necklace was probably a pair to her Mum's.
Rose always admired her Mum. It was hard not to, her Nan always told her stories of a bright young girl, brave and beautiful. Her Mum was headstrong and had a penchant for justice. She'd ignore their neighbors bullying, but had not taken kindly to boys teasing Camilla's mom during their elementary days.
She was like this heroic figure in her life and no matter how little the memories she has left with her, she always treasured all of them. Whether it's a periwinkle jumper, or the same coloured dress she wore to prom with Timmy Jezinky, all through out her life she felt her Mum was always with her. Every step of the way, even on the day she decided to come back to UK with her Nan.
Rose's gut never failed her, and that led her to Scorpius.
"What? You're looking at me like as if I'm another puzzle to solve." He laughed nervously.
"I think… you're necklace is a key." She said breathlessly, her smile very bright.
"Well it certainly is a clue, isn't it."
"No, no. Scorp it's a key."
… … …
If her room was a mess, the attic was far worse. There were too many medical journals in boxes, possible old clothes and even older toys, and lots of luggage all under a thick layer of dust.
But his attention was focused on a leather trunk illuminated by the moonlight from the round window. He didn't need Rose's perception to know this was what she was looking for.
"This was my Mum's trunk." She said. They both kneel in front of it and she held out her hand for his necklace to which he gave instantaneously. No one has dared touch his necklace, not even his pass girlfriends or even his Aunt. There was even that time where a doctor tried to remove it during a medical, but he didn't budge with it. He found that had no such problems with Rose.
"Your necklace, it has the same markings here." She pointed at the underside of the trunk. "It's like vines going towards somewhere, as if like uhm…"
"A snake?" He finished for her.
Scorp investigate the trunk and found it unlocked. There were just basic clothes. Some washed out gray uniform with the emblem of a lion on its pocket. Another scarf now in red and gold, and some worn jeans. Rose said most of the clothes were of her Mum's when she just started boarding school. He took out the scarf and set it around his neck. He took out the green and silver ones too from the smaller box Rose was holding and had laughed at how they looked. He thought these were probably their parents. Their, Scorp thought funnily, he had a lot to get used to.
"It doesn't fit the key hole Rose…" Scorp finally said after trying to insert his pendant on the key hole. But Rose took it away from him again and asked him to flip the trunk over.
"I always thought this was just a decoration." She pointed at a hollow carving. At first look you would think it was just an engravement, but the metal linings match perfectly to his pendant if flat.
Without even thinking, he put his pendant in the slot.
There was a blink of light on the emblem, like their photo the emblem and the pendant suddenly merged, and what followed suit had their hearts beating fast,
The connected trinket rotated on its own, the vine carvings that seem to gravitate towards the center emblem slithered outwards and the faint sound of moving mechanism can be heard inside the box.
Suddenly an opening appeared just inches away from the lip of the upturned bottom trunk and the once base sprung open.
Scorp was too shaken to even move, and Rose was trying hard to put up a courageous face. There was that myth about Pandora's box and he did not want to release unspecified evil into the world. But Rose kicked him in the shin, jerking her head towards the box.
He cautiously crawled towards it and slowly tried to peak. Once he saw a fraction of the interior, he suddenly jumped in surprise towards it, holding tightly at the lid.
"Holy fuck. You got to see this Rosie!" He said breathlessly. Rose approached in a more sedate place than him, but was also shocked to see what was inside.
The trunk transformed into some sort of passageway. Because instead of looking into maybe a secret compartment, they're looking at a series of stairs.
