I left Cecilia in my room, unsure how to react to her words. What did she mean by 'being disposable'? Were they mass-producing clones in the laboratory or something? Instead of pestering her for answers, I decided to save the questions for mom and dad instead. They probably knew what she was talking about.
Mr. Ross wasn't too thrilled to see me late for lunch with me still in my uniform.
"Young Master, you ought to get out of your uniform first. I would rather not run them through the laundry again." He informed me, grimacing.
"It's fine, Uncle Ross, I'll be careful to not stain them." I tried to be convincing. Despite everyone's best efforts, I was still a messy eater.
"It's not gentleman-like to eat in school uniform. You'll be an adult soon, you should be more mindful of your manners, Master Alex." He replied with a vacant expression on his face. I could rarely tell what he was thinking most of the time. He'd probably be more suited as a law enforcer instead of working in this household.
"Want me to strip right here?" I ran my fingers over the buttons of my shirt threateningly, causing him to winch. Then I laughed, having gotten the reaction I wanted.
"I let Cecilia rest in my room. I can't possibly change in front of her. If that's a good explanation, then I would like to eat, please. And I'll do the laundry myself if things go haywire." I tried to make a compromise and pulled the chair to sit myself down. Mr. Ross threw another grimace before doing a short bow and leaving on his way. The food had already been served prior to my arrival and probably cold by now. He had plenty of other things to tend to besides just dealing with my bratty behavior.
Despite being hungry before, I couldn't really work up an appetite anymore. I slowly picked at the food, not finding them appealing. Still, I needed to eat something, otherwise literally everyone in the house was going to make a big deal out of it later. I hated living by the routine.
I wondered what Cecilia ate. Did she eat normal human food? She dined with Mr. Ross, so I didn't really know. I should them if curiosity gets the best of me. It wasn't really of my concern now, was it? I didn't adopt her into the family.
After having my grub, I rushed back into my room. Thankfully, Cecilia was no longer there. She picked her medical equipment on the way out; she even tidied the bed. I couldn't help but feel a little bit of gratitude towards her. I always hated making my bed. What was the point? The bed served its purpose just fine as long as you could sleep on it. I didn't get the point of cycling through fancy sheets every week when the current one wasn't even stained or crumpled, either.
I used this opportunity to change back into my casual clothes before doing the inventory. Cecilia didn't actually tell me what she had seen or whether she had taken something without telling me. According to her, withholding information wasn't lying. Well, I'll be damned if she gets me in trouble.
I checked the riskiest place first - the hidden drawer in my desk. Finding it wasn't too hard; you had to remove all the belongings, followed by the tablecloth and then unlock a latch. My parents never went to that length, so it had been safe so far. However, I noticed my books had been rearranged, which was obviously a red flag.
Sure enough, the drawer had been discovered already. Among the missing stuff were the vial of morphine sulfate, my second, secret cell phone that I bought with my allowance, and more importantly, the love letter I've been carefully writing for over a week.
"Cecilia, you wench!" I blared loudly before punching the wall in frustration. I needed to find her and persuade her to not turn those things to my parents, or I'll be done for.
I went to check Cecilia's room, she wasn't there. I didn't have the time to study it before, but it contained many medical supplies other than just the nebulizer. IV bags, an oxygen cylinder with a pressure gauge, a fancy looking monitor with various wires attached to it. I guess she wasn't faking her illness to throw me off guard, then. I almost felt sorry for her; but finding her was my top priority now. Where could she be?
I found her in the backyard garden, bent on all fours like a normal Meowth, studying something amongst the grass. I forced myself to look away, it was rude to stare at someone when they were exposed like that.
"Cecilia, please confess to you crimes and nobody gets hurt." I declared, trying to mimic the tone of my father.
She got back on her feet and turned around, smiling. "Are you going to hurt me, too? You seemed kinder than that, Master."
"Drop the 'humble servant' act, Cecilia. Did you steal my things? Where are you keeping them?" I could've rummaged through her room earlier for my things, but dropping down to her level didn't suit me.
"They're right here in this garden. You'll have to find them yourself if you want them back." She said as a matter-of-fact.
I couldn't believe my ears. Was that the reason she was here now? Staging a treasure hunt? What was her game?
"Give them back, or both of us will be in trouble." I squinted.
"You'll be in more trouble if I turn them over to your parents, Master. I'm doing you a favor."
I felt on the verge of tears. "Why do you have an enmity with me, Cecilia? What have I done to you?" I sat down on the grass, not caring that I'll get scolded later for dirtying my clothes. She, however, looked hurt by my words.
"You're misunderstanding me. I was told to turn in anything suspicious. I'm turning a blind eye this time because you were nice to me earlier." She sighed, followed by coughing. I was afraid she would get another fit again, but she managed to pull herself together before joining my side.
"How very noble of you." I snickered. "If that's the case, can't I just have my stuff back?"
"Why are you hoarding painkillers in your room, Master? Are you sick as well?" She questioned me back.
"No, I'm not. But it takes the pain away." I shook my head, "Forget the morphine, what about the cell phone? And the letter?"
"Communication devices are even more suspicious. You could be leaking family secrets to third-party. I'm supposed to protect this family." She said with a determined look on her face
"Is that part of your job, too?" I was getting more frustrated with her by the minute. She wasn't Mr. Ross, just some freakish creation. Would it be wrong of me to smack some senses into her? Who certified her as the pinnacle of home security? Why would I leak any information to others?
Cecilia slowly shook her head.
"It is not a part of my job, but I ought to protect this family. You see, I have nowhere else to go. Your parents were kind enough to give me a home, a luxurious one at that, too. Something us hybrids could only dream of. Most of us spend our short lives confined to the four walls and then die in vain. I have to protect this family."
I hung my head. So there were others like her where she came from. Short lives? That made sense in hindsight; judging from what I witnessed today. Her physiology didn't add up. If my biology textbooks were anything to go by, all the organs in the body needed to cooperate with each other to make survival possible. Whatever they did to bring her to life, it was cruel, I could not deny that. Suddenly, I felt pity for her.
"Okay, Cecilia, forget about what I said. You're just doing your job." I decided to let it slide. I could just source more morphine, I could buy another cell phone, but what about the letter?
"Uh, did you read that letter?" I asked for confirmation. It was mostly an innocent love letter, written as a confession to the cute girl who worked at the cafe. It felt creepy to give it to her without asking her out on a date first, and I haven't worked up the courage to do that yet, so it rested in my desk. Why did Cecilia take that, too?
"Yes, I did. A fine letter for a fine lady. I feel rather envious." She solemnly said.
"Can I have it back? It's pretty important, you already realize that. And you'll get one someday, don't worry." I tried to be comforting.
"I will not. Nobody in the world wants us. We're just freaks, belonging nowhere." She sighed, "I'll dig it back and give it to you later, Master."
"Uh, okay." I said, prepared to go back into the house. "You'll give it back, right?"
"I can not lie, Master."
I had homework to do, but after all that transpired today, I needed a nap. Normally I spent the afternoons listening to music or watching a movie before getting started with my studies again, but today I needed to get my thoughts back in order first. A short nap should help.
After I made myself comfortable on the spacious bed, I realized it no longer had my own smell. It smelled like Cecilia now.
"Great, more interruptions to my personal life." I grumbled, feeling too lazy to change the bedsheet. I guess I will just have to deal with it from now on.