I - Accents
Whenever possible, which meant most of the time, her father took care that their apartment had three bedrooms. Caterina was not close to her mother and only saw her around the house by accident or when one of the two was sick. Also, from time to time, they went to private parties and dined with important people Caterina never really knew. Her father had tried to explain a few things to her, but she clearly stated that the matter did not interest her. Her father simply assumed she was still too young. His patience seemed infinite with her.
That morning, as usual, Caterina ordered breakfast in her room and refused to keep her mother company. She was not 'in the mood' for her mother's cheap talk about celebrities, fashion scandals, or shopping. The girl preferred action over words and was one of the worst clients one could ever see in their nightmares.
After a good night's sleep and a refreshing shower, the girl announced to her mother that she was going out. She wanted to see the people and the shops. Caterina made quite a big deal of fitting into the general picture, while also showing her superior sense of fashion.
"Rosa...?" her mother attempted. "Rosa, please. I wanted Vincent to go with me today. Perhaps we could go together around town?"
"I'm sorry, my mind is still rather tired. I would like to take some time on my own."
The more she grew, the more her precious Rosa reminded Anastasia of her husband... or partner, or financial supporter, because that's how she saw him. They were indeed married for fourteen years, but the woman felt like a bother most of the time. In her own way, she had matured enough to understand the man had most likely never cared for her on a romantic level. It was one reason she had been trying to keep her body young, as a last attempt to fool herself he might have felt anything for her, even if it was just sexual attraction. She wanted to be more than the woman walking beside him on an airport or sitting on his left side at parties.
With a sigh, the woman returned to her bedroom and laid on the king sized bed that she shared with the cool air of the room. She had done this so many times, crying was no longer of use. Sometimes she wondered if she had any tears left. With the passing of time, she found herself terrified to come to the same conclusion more and more often: she was dead to them. Anastasia had died in the eyes of the Dragon the second she gave birth.
Without any other explanations, the teenager put on her mirrored sunglasses and her black backpack. She was already dressed in a dark green blouse and black jeans, paired with a different set of bracelets and black sandals. Anastasia has been trying anything, including buying those silver necklaces with different charms, either on a simple chain or a black string of leather, but it seemed Caterina preferred those she bought herself. This time she had chosen a minimalist inverted triangle with a single circle in the middle fitting perfectly in the v shape of the collar.
For the next four hours, poor old Vincent with his sharp eyes and severe look has been following Caterina from one shop to another. He didn't have to carry more than two light bags though. Caterina was very picky - and very straightforward. Whenever a shop assistant offered to help, she quickly shooed them away with a brutally cold "It's ugly", "It's horrible", "I wouldn't wear that if you paid me," to the point she was driving the shop assistants insane.
"Signorina, may I suggest you take a break for lunch?"
Caterina had started to suspect her butler's respect was fake a little while back, but she had no proof to support her accusations. Of course, a word would have been enough for her father to have gotten rid of him, but according to his values, it was not moral to accuse someone without evidence.
"Yes, I believe we should..." she mumbled after a moment. For whatever reason, she felt strange... as if followed by a very insistent pair of eyes. "Vincent. We will return to the apartment for lunch." All of a sudden, she turned on her heels and almost bumped into another teenager. He seemed roughly the same age, though in more formal attire. He was wearing a brown suit and a white shirt. "Oh-"
"Signorina, is everything alright?" Vincent tried, but both ignored him.
"I'm sorry, I didn't mean that. I hope you are not hurt...?" he asked with a wide and genuine smile. He was sure these two were tourists, so he addressed the girl in English.
"Should I call the guards, signorina?" the butler continued.
Caterina straightened her back and raised her hand. The meant that Vincent should stop worrying pointlessly and shut up.
"I am alright. I apologize, I... wasn't looking." She made a gesture with her hand as if shooing away some insect bugging her and quickly shook her head with a smile. Caterina looked at him well. There was something familiar about him - not his face, but perhaps his posture. He had something, some detail she couldn't name that reminded her of someone. She instantly noticed his accent, though his English was good.
"I apologize, are you tourists?" The teenager liked to make sure of his assumptions. 'Perhaps' was not a word he frequently used. Also, he had listened to the way the other two were speaking - fast, fluid, almost singing the words together. Speed in speech was characteristic to the five Latin languages, while the fluidity and melodic sound of it narrowed it down to one. They were most likely Italian.
"Not exactly." Much to the butler's displeasure, Caterina seemed to be accepting the company of this random Japanese stranger. The girl lifted her sunglasses on the top of her head. Green eyes stared into brown ones. With an Italian mother and a Chinese-blooded father, her face was at least... interesting. She had the tall cheekbones and thin, straight nose of her mother, but the small forehead and thick brows of her father. Although not as doe-like as her mother's, her eyes were rather wide for an Asian and made her look a bit exotic in the sea of small black eyes. "I guess it's obvious we're not Japanese, isn't it?"
"It was actually the accent." he laughed lightly as the girl chuckled. The teenager noticed her traits immediately and tried to remember the racial stereotypes of the world. Again, he thought of Italy. All the while, Vincent was frowning in impatience. How long was Caterina going to keep allowing her time to a stranger? "So you are not here to visit, then?"
"No. Rather, my father came here with business, so we are most probably going to stay here for at least a year."
Vincent was growing even tenser by the second. His bushy white brows frowned over his nose. Was it safe to give away this kind of information? Wouldn't it have been better to just play along and pretend they were tourists separated from the group?
"I see... Will you be starting school here in Tokyo this fall?"
"Most likely, yes. Hey, um, change of subject. Do you know any good restaurant around here?"
"But, signorina, your mother will be worried-"
"You can leave her a message or call her for me. She'll know not to wait for me." After that, the butler was faced with the hand once more.
The Japanese noticed some indifference when the elder man mentioned her mother. Was she also in Japan? Were her parents still together? She didn't seem so cold when she mentioned her father.
Sighing and frowning, he obeyed. In the meantime, the teenagers, though apparently very different, seemed to be getting along. Her sharpness seemed to be turning a bit dull as she was slowly letting her guard down. Vincent was surprised to hear her laugh as they talked unimportant nothings, like Japanese-Italian stereotypes, food, or pop culture out of which the old man could barely understand anything.
"Maybe I'm being indecent, and I apologize in advance, but is he your grandfather?"
"Stop apologizing every other word." she laughed. "I know it's polite and all, but not where I'm from. It's fine, really."
"I'll try, then." he chuckled.
"He's my butler." After that, she whispered something quickly under her breath which made the both of them laugh. Vincent could not make out any word from the noises he had managed to hear.
"You have a butler! I was convinced that job had disappeared." replied the young man who still needed to give his name. It seemed he could easily avoid whatever was whispered before.
"Not if you can afford it. So, are you from Tokyo?"
"Yes. I was born here and I'm still here, though I aim a little higher."
"Right. I've lived in Milan before, though I liked Florence better. Have you ever traveled abroad?" The teenager shook his head. "It's the only thing that gets me excited anymore. The world is so varied and so beautiful in the strangest ways, it never fails to amaze me. Some people ruin it... But aside from that, traveling is my favorite sport."
"Ruin it?"
"Yes. You know, when you're on vacation and someone steals your cards, or when you're sight-seeing and there are vandals destroying statues or historical buildings. Or when your plane is about to take off and someone gives an alert there might be a terrorist on board. That's scary."
"Has it happened to you?"
"Once. I was ten, but I remember it well."
"I don't doubt it. It's not something you can easily forget..."
"Yea... But enough of sad and scary memories!" she laughed as they entered a Japanese restaurant. "How about you explain the menu for me a little bit? After that, maybe you'll show me around, like you said."
With some smiles and chuckles, they translated the menu into English and ordered. All the while, Vincent has been eyeing the other teenager suspiciously. He stepped out of the restaurant for a few minutes to inform the lady of the house of the recent change of plans. She seemed to be taking it lightly, but as soon as she hang up, the mother began to cry. Her dear Rosa preferred the company of a stranger over that of her own mother.
Author's Note:
The story is currently being corrected by the beta Eat4Fun.
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