It was very quiet in Alejandro's room. The mentioned teen just sat there thinking, a distant look plastered on his tired face. 'Some things were just not meant to be this way' he thought inwardly, sighing heartily at the current moved, lying himself down on top of his bed, pushing the striped covers aside to make himself more comfortable.
'It surprises me how everything can change with only one person not available,' a familiar, stinging sensation pierced his heart.
'How it can affect one in such a negative way...' another wave of guilt grabbed his paining chest, making it a little harder for him to breathe.
His older sibling, Angelina, was just in a coma, but for others it was as if his sister had perished, she seemed so lifeless and far more near death than life.
His mother had been babying him since that fateful day, not letting him do anything that seemed dangerous or life threatening. She constantly questioned him about his welfare and each time she did there was another wave of disgust for him.
"Are you okay?" she always asked that and it was beginning to haunt his conscious, knowing what he had done to his own family. Even at school the nightmare continued. Angelina's story was at the top of the rumors. No matter where Alejandro went his older sister was the subject number one, as it had always been.
Everyone missed her, including himself. Alejandro sighed and slowly closing his exhausted eyes. He inhaled sharply to stretch and relax his lungs. His room smelled like detergent and the smell stung in his nose, but he didn't mind since he was use to that by now, 'Life is just weird without you Angi...'
The teen took a remote control off the dressing table standing beside his bed. Without looking he pressed a yellow button on the device, the radio switching itself on. It was melancholic to hear that song right from the start and it made him mumble a little before he drifted off, 'Remember the Name.' He loved that song, if only his sister could have been there to listen as well.
I stared at the woman in front of me, the look turning into a glare. What was she doing here? Suppositional she was her. The older female looked just like my 'counselor' Ms. Mitsuwa. The aroma of apple combined with the scent of cinnamon struck my nose uncomfortably and the way she smiled at me twisted my stomach the same way as it had before. 'Something is wrong with this picture,' I thought inwardly while we sat here in an empty bar, 'but I cannot seem to find out why,'.
Everyone had left the Tavern, going home to sober up a little before the next day, yet she stayed. I somewhat knew why she had waited, she had been waiting this long to talk to me, 'But about what?'. My glare intensified.
Ririka didn't mind me using the bar as long as I closed it after she left. I cleaned and the tavern was ready for the next day. I was really happy to know that she had placed so much trust into me; after all, I could always grab the cash and run. I am very sure I have heard something of something like that happening here before.
"So let me get this straight," I did not trust this woman. I did not quite believe what she had explained to me a few moments ago.
"You are Ms. Mitsuwa's twin sister," I crossed my arms as she nodded and leaned back onto the wooden chair. I tried to focus my eyes a little more on her looks which only succeeded for a short time. Her figure and the way she dressed did not really differ from her 'sibling's' and the only weak light in this room made it difficult to see if she even had the same skin color as she had. It did not compliment her at all. She seemed more like a ghost than a person.
"Yes," the female stated sternly, "and you must be the little brat she sent here to teach a lesson or two," The woman gave me a scolding look, eyeing me just as much as I had her.
I frowned at the entire situation, feeling very agitated. I would let her have everything I had just to make her leave or send me back home.
"Look here, old hag," I started to say rather loudly, rage taking over my senses. 'You do not have the right to judge me here and now,' I thought inwardly, I knew Ms. Mitsuwa just did not! She sent me into another universal world, ripping me away from my family and friends, stating that it was to teach me a lesson! Why sending me to a different world be the punishment?
"This all started with my brother," I bit my tongue to suppress another insulting statement.
"He drank at a party which he was never invited to and got totally smashed with the alcohol he was not supposed to 'take' in the first place," I said. The stranger listened, unimpressed by all means.
"Then he went and blamed it on me, blaming me for his wrong doing," I started to calm a little.
"He came in and said that it's all our parents' and my fault he acted this way," which didn't make any sense if Ms. Mitsuwa had listened, "since I am the older sibling and got 'more' attention than him, he wanted to have a little 'revenge'. I understand that"
Her face expression changed into pity, a little understanding forming between us. I took in a breather, the entire issue upsetting me.
"Next thing I know," I swallowed the lump that had formed in my throat, "I'm here with cuts and wounds bigger than my arms," I turned my back to her, lifting the T-Shirt I was wearing to show her what I meant. I heard her hiss, the female biting her lower lip.
"Finally, there were pirates, marines, and chaos…I just do not know what to do anymore." Tears filled my eyes, "oh my god, what has she done to me? Why!"
The twin regained her composure, a calm aura emitting from her, "she made a deal with your younger brother Angelina."
My eyes widened at that.
"He gave her what she wanted and in return she sent you here. Far from your worlds grasp." She closed her eyes for a moment,
"oh," she opened them, "pardon me for being so rude, my name is Tsuki," she said, sighing, "I am so sorry for this mess..."
I didn't quite listen to the lady; my mind was still hanging at the point in which she had told me about my sibling's feelings.
"What!" I said, as my voice finally returned, going an octave higher, "My brother wanted me...he wanted me to…to disappear?"
"I do not know the full details…," Tsuki confessed, "I'm so sorry" her own voice fell a little and she looked down onto her lap, "she should have never gone this far. My sister should have more logic then what she had…"
The sound of crickets chirping and the footsteps of a tiny mouse running along the wooden planks were the only sounds heard. Otherwise there was only then she took a deep breath.
"Well, since I have heard most of my sister's side story and now yours, I believe my sibling made a very stupid mistake," she shook her head.
"I cannot believe she would just go through with this, without taking any further on look." Tsuki looked up and smiled bashfully.
"It is only fair if you hear Tsuki's story to this now." she said. I grimaced at that. I was not planning to sit here all night, hearing her part of the plot and listening to Tsuki speaking of the good old days. I was tired, exhausted and confused. I wanted my beauty sleep, or at least some sort of rest.
"No," I replied carefully.
"I don't want to hear your story. I want the Who? What? Where? When? Why and the How?" I knew I had been getting louder, but I needed to just get my main point across. I wanted to know more. She smirked at my bluntness, restraining herself from a giggle that almost escaped her throat.
Tsuki's teeth were a bit yellow, more of the creamy type. Her hair was partly grey, the former black color mixing it appropriately. I was beginning to wonder if she hadn't heard from hair dye. She had more wrinkles than Ms. Mitsuwa and a dried raisin combined, and her eyes were just two coals stuck on her tired face.
"Anyway," she began, "My name is Tsuki Mitsuwa," I rolled my eyes, "twin sister of Yumi Mitsuwa and daughter of Aki Mitsuwa, a dimension traveler," she told me smiling, "I begin my story there." I looked at her bland orbs and to my surprise they were filled with sincerity, only telling me the truth.
"We, my sister and I, we are both dimension travelers," her expression saddened.
"Ever since our mother passed away we have been trying to cope with our situation." I felt guilt traveling up my chest.
"Yumi lived and lives in your world while I lived and live here." My eyebrows furrowed, this seemed rather awkward. How can a person live and not live in a certain place?
"We were born somewhere else, far ahead of this time," she laughed at my amazed facial features.
"A few hundred dimensions ahead of this one so to say. Since we were teenagers, we were raised in your world. We had a wonderful childhood and life," she said. Memories whirled up in Tsuki's mind, a happy smile showing on her face.
"But I wanted more adventure, more action! So I decided to come here while my sister stayed behind helping people in need." She paused for a second, "that was her dream."
Tsuki looked up at me, "No one was there when she needed help, so she helps others in need. The only way she thinks she can help in problems is to send people 'spirits' into another dimension. It teaches them a lesson and gives the people who were troubled time to think."
I just stared at her; there were no words that were worth mentioning at that point. When she had stopped talking and was just looking straight back at me I only had one question for her.
"How," I began, "how the hell am I ever going to get back?"
Mother paced back and forth in the living room. She was clearly stressed out and her pale face only indicated that she had not slept that well last night. Alejandro on the other hand was sleeping in on this bright Saturday morning. The clock started to taunt her now.
A sudden sound from the front of the house made her hair stand upright, her colorless face turning grey. The mail had finally come. She hurried to where the mail box was standing.
'I have got to know!' A messy pile was in front of the gloomy door, the box itself had been totally ignored. But this wasn't of such an importance than what she was hoping to find in the dump of papers. Bills…bills and more bills covered her door step, but she continued to battle her way through the paper stack until…that was…until she found what she needed. She read the front of the letter. It practically glared right back at her with the ink's bold black color. It reminded her of her mistake many years ago.
DNA TEST RESULTS
Now praying wasn't an option anymore…
"….then…I'm doomed…" my voice trailed off, the hope that had built itself in my heart bursting. Tsuki sighed and watched me as I cleaned the bar, replacing and dusting where I needed. She just told me how to get back and it was more of a concern than a help: 'Your family must find out themselves how to get you back.'
"Is there any other way?" I questioned her, my voice cracking. Her silence was all I needed to hear, it told me enough, plus the 'you're annoying me' look was a rather disturbing sight to glance at.
"Is there any way you can help me?" I asked once more, waiting for a reply. Tsuki tilted her head to the side while she stood up, thinking about her next sentence. A thought appeared in her mind and she paused in front of the bar's doorway. Then a smile escaped her lips.
"Yes, there is," she turned around and grinned, "I have a friend that is looking for a temporary maid."
"Who do I have to be a maid for?" I ask in return, "and why does it have to be a maid in the first place..." I felt uncomfortable; the idea of leaving this place wasn't a very pleasant one and fully knowing there were dangers everywhere on this freaking planet didn't help the matter.
"I know that there is someone out there who just might be willing to help you…." she giggled quietly, "he goes by the name of 'Sleeper', find him and you might find a way to get back home." Tsuki leaned onto the door, watching me carefully. She knew I was scared,
"You need to travel….a lot and the money might turn out to be an issue…" she paused, "….are you interested darling?" She questioned me. I blinked, thinking for a moment. I looked around at my new home, the bar I worked for.
Do I really want to stay here all my life? Ririka and Rika had given me a home, food, and love, but I could not rely on them at all time. What would happen if we get attacked by pirates? Who would save us? Would I survive? I took in a deep breath.
"Yes I am," I stated clearly, my heart racing, "but I need to tell Ririka about this first," I explained to her. She nodded, opened the door and left. For once, I stood in the bar alone.
Father sat and waited patiently. His duties to his family were being questioned at this point and he was not all too happy about that fact. His family seemed almost perfect, like a fixed mirror, yet you could still see the cracks in your own reflection.
Each single member of this family had their own mistakes to be ashamed of. His own crack was that of a typical male, one which one could enjoy at first…but in the end it followed you, taunted you, ashamed you. The sins of lust and greed tore at his very soul and nagged at his conscious. Yes, he had cheated on his wife with a wonderful, beautiful, young woman from, time to time.
The family went into a great debt when Angelina and Alejandro were small. They could not afford toys for them back then, and it was all due to his greed for money. Father sighed. He ran his fingers through his damp hair as he looked at the same woman who somehow could take all his problems away. Her name was Kayla and her service was magnificent.
Day 1 on the Job
The first day of any job should be better than mine. Merry, a tall, formally dressed butler explained and showed me what my duties were and what I had to do. His most distinguishing feature was his lamb-like appearance with curly hair, like a lamb's fleece, and two, very weird goat like horns sticking out of those locks of his. His lips also resembled those of a lamb's. Bit it would figure, this place wasn't and never will be normal for me.
My duties were to clean the house, wash cloths and many other jobs. I did not mind very much until I started to do things the wrong way. I broke a few plates, shrunk the clothes in the wash and made a mess in the lobby within five seconds and took longer than two hours to finally regain the former order of the objects and items.
"Angel," if people could look any more annoyed it would have been a miracle, "what have you done? The mistress and Kurahadol will be here in one hour and this place is a total mess!" he exclaimed, picking up the plates' pieces.
"I am so sorry," it was depressing, "I guess I am just use to wooden floors, not slippery marble," I sighed as I leaned forward to grab some of the clothes.
"Throw away the clothes and clean this mess first, then go do your duties one at a time this time," Merry ordered me, fury in his voice. I grabbed the mop and the bucket and cleaned the floor as fast I could. I moved the mop as if it was a dance partner.
The song 'Dancing Queen' helped a lot. I did not know how long it would be until the woman and the head butler came back from their walk, but I hoped I had time. I grabbed my feather duster and dusted all the statues in the main lobby. The statues looked so much like real people.
"The mistress is here!" a voice echoed throughout the mansion. I froze, "this is the worst job ever," I thought to myself, but the job paid well, so not everything had a negative aspect to it. Then all of a sudden there were butlers and maids coming out of the hallway and all sorts of doors. As the maids stood still, neatly in a row.
I also walked forward and waited beside Merry, 'I wonder what is going to happen now...' When the doors opened to reveal the mistress of this mansion, I was clearly surprised. I expected a rather fat woman with a rather obese, evil cat in her arms, but she was different. The young Mistress seemed to be a sickly girl with her beloved doctor walking beside her in case she needed any extra help. Everyone bowed and greeted her:
"Welcome home, Mistress Kaya. We hope you had a wonderful walk."
"Hello, everyone," she smiled brightly, seeming to float on mid air.
I bowed as well and kept position like everyone else did. Kaya was a fairly tall, thin, pale, blonde girl with the most amazing kindness towards her being. She walked with grace and great posture. She did not grin, but smiled happily. She did not have expensive clothes on, but wore simple and plain dress. The head butler was the complete opposite.
Kurahadol was a man, a person whose aura screamed out to be a "loner". He had a slim figure and wore very tiny glasses. His hair was slick, not one hair was out of place, just like my Dominican uncle had his grey hair…but the man's hair was an unusual color combination of green and black. He wore a traditional black suit with some golden pins, a white undershirt, and a fitting black tie. The only two things that were out of place were his striped shoes. How odd they were and so peculiar, the tall male must have a very special taste.
Thinking about it all…maybe this job was not as bad after all; with Kaya's personality this might even be bearable. Kaya passed her many servants and left for her room. When she went upstairs, everyone went back to their respective work.
"Who cleaned the main lobby, Merry?" the head butler asked, looking at the floor intently. Merry nervously walked towards him and motioned for me to join.
"Kurahadol," Merry put one arm around my waste, pulling me towards the stranger.
"Meet the new maid," he let go, motioning to me, "her name is Angelina," the introduction was short, yet I inwardly had hoped that I could sneak away without being noticed.
This man generated a freezing energy lump around his being, cold and unpleasant. I had Goosebumps on my arms and legs. Even though the maid outfit expose my skin a lot, the ice cold breeze did not freeze me half as much as the man in front of me did. I stare at the floor, but once I saw Kurahadol glare at me. I wanted to run for the hills.
"Since this is your first day, this is your final warning," he used his right hand to lift his glasses a little, scolding me with his evil glare.
"Do the job right or I will get someone else to do it. Remember that in the future," Kurahadol said, turned in his heels.
As he left, I mumbled a few curses at him, hoping that one day they may come true for him. He paused in the hallway while I got back to work. I grabbed the mop and cleaned the lobby once more, feeling rather tired and disheartened about the entire situation. Merry grabbed the feather duster and started to help me, sweat balls running down his forehead. I smiled a bit and continued my work without knowing that Kurahadol was watching.
"Merry," I continued to clean the floor while I spoke, "it is my first day here with you, so could you please tell who this person is?" I tried hard to be polite about the retard, succeeding against my will. After all, I did not want to lose my job after the first day. I dunked the mop into the water and squeezed a little liquid out of it. The smell of used dish water hit my nose, it was rather disgusting, yet the grey marble started to turn a bit whiter as I cleaned slowly.
"Kurahadol has been Kaya's butler for three years now," he explained, "ever since she had found him on the beach without anything, without any possession," he stopped, sighing a little before returning to his words, "Kaya brought him here and nursed him back to health. So in a way, this is how he repays her," Merry stated, "and he works hard for her." After hearing his story, I felt a bit bad for him and nothing less. I huffed inwardly.
"But that still doesn't justify the way he acts," he annoyed me, especially this cold aura emitting from his very being, "he doesn't have to be an arsehole about it," I mumbled under my breath while I continued my work.
Day 13 on the Job
This job had to be the funniest job of all time. Ever since Kaya and I had met and started hanging out, the maid thing didn't seem as dull and empty anymore. I took every chance available not to bother Kurahadol.
He always managed to spoil the fun we workers had. I was friends with everyone except him, which didn't really come as a surprise. I did not know why I cared, but it bothered me. Maybe this was, because I had gotten along with everyone at school and in life…except for him. Right now, I could not create strong bonds with him anyway, I needed to be patient.
"Kaya," I knocked on her door.
"I'm coming in with your lunch," I announced happily, carrying her soup, water, and medicine on a tray. I carefully opened the door to see a white and gold room. Her furniture must've cost a house or two; at least it seemed like it. She lay on her cherry wood bed. The aroma of roses filling the air in her room, it was very nice.
"Thank you, Angelina," she smiled brightly, taking the tray off of me.
"I hope the Chef put another one of his special flavors into it!" I sighed contently and helped her placing the heavy tray on her lap.
"Angelina," I could barely restrain that hiss that caught in my throat, "I think the roses need to be tended to," Kurahadol announced harshly, "That is your job, isn't it?" He sat in the corner watching Kaya like a hawk. I nodded abruptly and left Kaya to her lunch.
"Y-yes sir," I cursed myself for being scared of him, "I'm on my way."
Day 15 Last Day on the Job
I walked down the paved road to the docks of the town, 'Sad really, it had been a nice time…of course there were unwanted moments…but…' I turned around to take a last look at the large mansion.
"Be okay…" I left the maid job to do a waitress job at a restaurant called the Baratie. It seemed that business was slow and that there were only 4 waiters in charge of the entire place, so maybe if they had a waitress like me it would bring some more customers.
When I had told Kaya about this, she had smiled and accepted my quitting without any fuss. Merry had wished me tons of luck, including everyone else I use to work with. I had thought that Kurahadol had been planning a party to celebrate my leaving, guess not…but that wasn't a big deal. I looked back to the plain white mansion. I inwardly thanked everyone for the lessons and the friendships I was allowed to share with them. I lifted my right arm and waved to them as I left.
"Bye, Angelina!"
"Bye everyone," I called back as loud as I could, suppressing the tears that threatened to whirl up, "Kaya, Merry….and Kurahadol! Thank you for everything!" I yelled happily. Turning around I felt light, maybe this world wasn't as bad as I had first thought "I have to go…" one last time I listened to the sound of the little village, "Tsuki is waiting for me," and so she met me at the ship.
Day 1 on the Boat.
I leaned against the rails, listening to the waves. The sea breeze cooled my heated face, the singing of wild seagulls echoing in the air. I felt dizzy, not very well at all. Even with such a beautiful environment lying ahead of me, the wonderful view, I still felt like my lunch was going to come back out at any second, but only air came out of my dry mouth. I looked down beside me, reaching down for my bottle of water…just to drink a bit.
"Oi, you okay?" a crewmember questioned, "you look a little pale lass," he came and stood next to me, worried. I shook my head trying my best to breathe.
"No…" a sudden, queasy feeling overcame me and I threw up into the water. I gulped when I saw the water inhabitants rushing to the surface, where the fishes came and ate it.
"Oh…disgusting…" the fellow turned pale, "I better get this stuff out of my head; otherwise I might end up as sea sick as you are." He did not leave my side mind, he stayed and rubbed my back…and for that I was thankful, because somehow, it made it much easier to handle.
Day 3 on the Boat
How soothing it was to have the boat rock back and forth as I slept. The rocking lulled me into the land of dreams. As I continued to dream the strange dream I had, I heard a constant beeping noise.
Beep. Beep.
I could hear someone shuffle around, touching my arm a lot. It felt cold and distant. I looked around everywhere, it was dark and dull. The coldness was slowly starting to creep up my spine.
Beep. Beep.
I tried to open my eyes, but it hurt too much. They were too heavy to lift and felt stuck in place. Then somebody started touching me…everywhere, and I did not appreciate that.
"S-s-top it" a raspy voice demanded, startling them and me. Was it my voice? I tried to clear my throat.
Beep. Beep.
"Can you hear me?" a gentle voice asked me, "are you able to define what I'm saying?" I felt the female touching my right shoulder; the scent resembling the way my doctor smelled, clean and disinfectant. I slowly opened my heavy eyelids to the bright light that filled the area. All the dark was replaced with intense white.
Slowly colors filled my vision. A woman dressed in green looked down at me with a surprised look behind her mask. Her face was young-looking from what I could see. I really liked her caramel skin tone.
"Are we there yet?" I questioned quietly, still thinking that I was on the ship in the middle of the ocean. She looked away and then to me.
"Hun, you are in the…." My hearing faded and I could only see the doctor move her lips, forming words. I could still sense the sensation of the waves going up and down, shaking the boat a little. I smiled a bit and closed my eyes. She tried to wake me up, but the lullaby lulled me to the land of dreams once again.
Yumi Mitsuwa had been recording this special family. It was very amusing and kept her busy. It beat 'Jersey Shore' that show those ignorant, young brats liked and idolized. She did not regret sending Angelina to "that" world. Her family had been falling apart and she was damned if she let Angelina experience that!
"Some people are just there to do good…" she whispered to herself, "…and what about the others?" She grinned, leaning back in her leather chair with a dark smile dancing across her lips…