Thank you, all my lovely readers, for holding on until the end and for your loyal support.
“Marcel! I’m serious; you got to be home before six… no at least by five pm, otherwise you should stay in.” “Not this again. Mom I already told you, the band is playing tonight, I won’t be home until ten… besides I’m twenty-one not eight. When are you going to stop trying to scare me with your stilly superstitions?” “Young lady, this isn’t just some old wise tale; observing the rules of Peter Pak has always been very important to this family.” “Yeah, whatever, can I go now?” The girl rolled her chestnut brown eyes, impatiently waiting for the conversation to end. “Fine…” Sighing loudly, Ruby stared helplessly at
“Can you believe those guys? Men! There’re all the same. How could they just kick me out like that? And Nate… that idiot abandoned me for a few dollar bills and a new set of strings.” Though not completely annoyed with her best friend’s decision to still perform at the club, since she would have done the same…. Marcel rambled on talking to herself as she aimlessly walked along the noisy roadways bustling with the sounds of teenagers prancing off to their accustomed nightlife of either heading to the movies, bar or merely sneaking out of their houses just for the fun of it. “He could have at least let me barrow his car, this place is freaking cold….” She folded her hands seeking warmth from her exposed arms, legs slightly buckling from the sudden chills drifting through the air, wondering why she had chose
“Snap out of it Marcel, it’s only for tonight and it will all be over.” The girl patted her cheeks trying to regain a measure of normalcy, before tightly shutting her eyes taking loud deep breaths, puffing out a mouthful of air, repeating to herself… “Mike is gone; I’m doing this for mom so her mind will be at peace.” After a few minutes she slowly opened her eyes ready to embrace the inevitable ritual, but at the said time her heart suddenly jolted in shock, rapidly drumming against her rib cage as a familiar figure seemed to have glitch in the background of her reflection in the mirror. However, staring intently… or rather, frozen in place afraid of blinking, the shadow seem to have disappeared. “Holy shit! I think I’m losing my freaking mind.” The anxious girl hurriedl
Marcel wasn’t sure if it was such a good idea to have others witness what was happening to her mother, but then again Nate was different. He was her anchor and sanity, her best friend, advisor and counselor. Maybe with his help, they would be able to make her understand the difference between the past and the present, what ‘is’ real and what wasn’t. So as soon as the call was disconnected, Marcel strode out of the kitchen intending on looking out the front porch windows waiting for her best friend to show up, but much to her surprise… there was her mother, walking around like a mindless zombie gathering several items with a clueless expression plastered across her aged face. “Wh… what are you doing? Are those Mike’s clothes? I thought you said you got rid of everything.” The
Marcel was completely stunned by her mother’s sudden outburst. Ruby had basically sprang to her feet and leaped forward in an aggressive manner, trying to shove her out of the front doors all in one swift motion causing the girl to stumble to the floors, panting heavily in pure fear. Neither of the two young folks had anticipated her reaction to be this physical and bizarre. “Aunty, please calm down. Everything’s going to be alright, it’s just the three of us here.” Nate hastily grabbed hold of the woman’s trembling arms in hopes of getting her to realize what she had done, since he could not tend to them both at once. At least he would be able to stop her from lashing out any further, right? “No! Don’t let her poison you! My son is alive, but she’s trying to kill him. That witch wants to kill her own broth
“Wh… what exactly does that mean?” Marcel asked in a slightly quivering voice, awkwardly stepping back with her hips pressed against the counter piece table, nervous yet secretly eager for a response. Sure at times there seemed to be some sort of mutual connection and unspoken feelings of attraction, but perhaps seeing her mother in the state she was now in and the boy’s constant care and protection, she was hoping to find a measure of comfort knowing that her feelings weren’t one-sided… that there was much more to his actions than a simple friendly gesture…. She needed assurance. “I don’t know, you tell me… why would I stick by your side all these years without expecting anything in return? Why would I find it so damn annoying when you even suggest looking for a boyfriend? And why else would I be standing this close to you, desperately trying to stop m
The very next day, Marcel groggily rolled out of bed with eyes barely opened, yawning several times as she managed to make it all the way to the lower flat of the house without stumbling down the stairs in the drowsy state she was in… searching for the guy she thought would still be asleep on the sofa in the room they shared the night before. Apparently, that was the only room in the house he could sleep in… of course she didn’t believe his lousy explanation, but it felt nice knowing he was there, especially since the entire night her mind was battling this strange sensation of uneasiness, at one point she could even swear that Mike had appeared by her bedside just standing there, staring at her. So naturally it was safe to say, she had hardly gotten any rest. “Nate?” Marcel called out in a slightly hoarse voice, walking over to the direction of the kitchen to grab a glass
“I… I’m not sure what she did, by the time I got home it was already way pass six and I guess she must had already done something… I mean mom was acting strange from the moment I came back, but I didn’t notice it until... until it was too late.” Marcel sighed with regret, rubbing both her arm with the opposite hand feeling a sense of uneasiness. “Hey, it’s not your fault. I shouldn’t have stayed back to play with the band. If I had taken you home then maybe things would have ended differently.” Nate stepped closer encircling her in his arms, the last thing he wanted was for her to yet again feel responsible if anything bad was to happen to her mother. “Don’t remind me. I can’t believe you actually made me walk all the way back here. You could have at least let me borrow your car. Some fr