"Young Master, welcome back!" Darcy greeted as she opened the front door.
Ryker nodded as he entered, feet beelining towards his room as Darcy followed, hot on his trail.
"You're late again, young master and you stink! Your parents are home tonight and expect you to be down at dinner in ten! One of these days, you are going to suffer a great loss because of those so-called-friends of yours, you know, day in and day out you keep appearing in your own home like a ghost. I have no idea what you have been eating or wearing or where you are wandering around, you really need to start thinking about the people around you. This is highly responsible!!" Darcy nagged, through the foyer, over the grand staircase, into the hallway and all the way to Ryker's door which he promptly closed on her face after he entered. She tsked, her grey ringlets bouncing on her shoulders as she stomped her way down to the kitchens, muttering grievances under her breath.
He threw his head back and groaned, discarding his backpack on the bed. Having woke up at 3:30 in the morning was now taking a toll on his body. A yawn escaped his lips as he striped out of the school uniform and entered the bathroom. A cold bath was drawn for him, awaiting his presence. He stepped inside, reminiscing the moment he was in Nadia's room while she combed his hair into a fountain ponytail.
He broke into laughter upon the memory of his vision and they way Nadia struggled to pink the perfect shade of pink to match his skintone. He slipped further into the water until all that remained over the soapy bubbles was his smiling face. Though he was surrounded by all the luxuries in the world, his heart kept replaying their walk through the crowded Bruno Square and the way Mr. Henry complimented his hair.
His mother would flip if she got to know about his stunt. Aaron would be pretty proud though. Ryker made a mental note of sending a picture to Aaron as soon as he was done bathing.
The memories spinned before his closed eyes like a cinema screen and soon the day's toll lulled him to slumber.
"Young Master Ryker! How can you be sleeping in here?! Your parents await your presence at the dinner!! How much more of a disappointment would you like to be?!" Darcy's screeching voice woke Ryker up.
He screamed, "Get Out!" embarassed by the woman's intrusion.
"Now you get embarassed?! Wait till your mother sees what you did at school!" Darcy snapped and stomped out of the bathroom, leaving a panicked Ryker to wash-up.
Haste got him wearing his tee-shirt inside out while he dressed and ran out of his room, jumping two stairs in a go as raced against time to make it to the dinning room. He knocked against the intricately carved door, twice, before it was opened for him by his father's guards.
Ryker pursed his lips and spread them out, impersonating a smile as he walked inside. "Father, Mother," he greeted them stiffly with a nod.
Dominic Cordelio sat the head chair, an indomitable presence with his broad shoulders and bulking arms spread out over the chair. His fingers tapped incessantly over the armrest, patience slipping in wait. As Ryker entered, Dominic's eyes followed his lanky frame, scrutinizing the inside-out tee-shirt and shabby shorts he was wearing inside his house.
Darcy stood behind the head of the dining table, in front of a window along with the rest of the maids waiting to serve upon the family. She rolled her eyes upon sighting Ryker's tee-shirt.
"Good evening, my baby," Larissa Cordelio greeted, a warm smile gracing her perfect cherry lips. Her blue eyes moved simultaneously between her husband clad in a beige dress suit and her son in what could essentially be classified as poverty-wear. Through her disappointment, the smile on her face did not drop.
"You're late."
Ryker visibly flinched as he looked up.
Dominic sat up straight and gestured his son to take a seat.
"I was practicing," Ryker gulped, "I joined the Track Team in my school last year and there's this big sports meet at the end of this year, it's inter-state and my coach thinks I am a very promising participant," he explained as he took a seat opposite to his mother.
"Start serving," Larissa ordered the maids.
"Mhm, sounds fine. Maybe your body will gain some shape," Dominic grumbled while a maid served him food.
"How was your first day? Did you have fun?" Larissa asked as she picked up a fork and stabbed a carrot to eat.
"It was fun, school is good, yes," Ryker passed them an awkward smile, head hung low.
"Aaron is settling well in London. He will be handling the European base along with attending the University. He's always working so hard," Larissa smiled brightly as she informed.
"He's always working so someone can have fun," Dominic scoffed as he used his knife to cut through his steak.
Ryker said nothing. He did not look up. All he did was eat the food forced into his plate, one bite after another, he forced morsels down his throat.
"Don't be like that, Dom," Larissa chided, "Our Rykie is going to make it big in sports and studies, won't you, my baby?" Larissa smiled and passed few carrots in Ryker's plate.
Ryker nodded and ate the carrots, internally grimacing.
"It's good that Aaron has no distracting hobbies," Dominic grumbled, "Why not just start training with my men if you're so into sports all of a sudden?"
"Dom, we've talked about it, haven't we?" Larissa cut in before Ryker could reply.
"He's so aggravtingly useless," Dominic spat as he let go of the fork and knife in frustration. They fell, instantly, hitting the ground with a loud thud that resonated in the otherwise silent room.
A maid rushed to bring him new utensils.
Ryker momentarily halted eating while the maid brought a new set of utensils for Dominic. After he resumed eating, Larissa and Ryker followed suit.
In the middle of the meal, a man rushed into the dining room with a phone in his hand. He whispered something in Dominic's ear which caused him to shoot up and leave promptly.
As soon as Dominic left, Larissa's smile dropped.
"Are you kidding me? Ryker! An inside-out shirt?! Are you trying to get yourself disowned?!" She snapped as she clanked her utensils against the plate. "Ugh, I was so embarassed."
Ryker looked down at his shirt and swore under his breath. "I—I am sorry, I did not realise," he whispered as his shoulders curled inwards, as if shrinking himself would make him invisible.
"If you're not doing anything worthwhile, it is FINE. But can you just sit there and not make a mess?? That's the best you can do for your brother and father right now, okay?! Stop with creating nusiances like you did this morning! What was that picture of yours?! I swear I dropped my jewellery box because of that. Do you know how much I paid and pulled strings to make the picture disappear? Your father would have flipped out if it reached him!"
"I— I am sorry, mother, I am so sorry!" Ryker stood up and bowed into a right angle.
"Am to carry your sorrys in my pocket?! Is it tangible? Valuable? Worthwhile? Ugh," Larissa snapped and got up, "I've lost my appetite. Don't apologise, Ryker, just, just do better, yeah? If not for me and Dom, then think of Aaron and stay put."
Larissa walked out, her raven hair swaying with the power of her strides.
"This is what happens when you don't listen to me," Darcy sang, grinning ear to ear as Ryker dropped to his seat. "Let's leave," Darcy addressed the maids and they walked out of the dinning room in one straight line.
Ryker slumped further into his seat, pulling at his hair, cursing his dumbness. "I shouldn't have slept," he repeated under his breath. His mind spiralled, wondering if truly he was a nusiance to his brother.
So much for sending Aaron the picture.
Ryker sighed and got up with his shoulders slumped he made his way upstairs.
Outside, the sky thundered aggressively and rain pelted on the hallway windows.
Nadia sat beside her mother with a plate of chicken fritters and popcorn, grinning as they stared out of the living room window.
"Do you think we'll get a holiday tomorrow?" Nadia asked, excitement oozing off her being as she grabbed a handful of fritters and stuffed them in her mouth.
"You will choke, you dumb kid!" Ms. Paisely whacked Nadia's head, earning her a glare from her daughter. "And it's only the first day of the new semester and you already want another holiday? Did you fight with Ryker and Bernie?" She asked as she took a handful of fritters and stuffed in her mouth.
"What! No! Why would I? Pffft, on the contrary, I made a new friend!" Nadia said through a stuffed mouth, "It's the new girl, she's very nice, we even came up with a plan to make a club."
"Oh, how proactive of you," Ms. Paisely caressed Nadia's head, "What's the club about?"
The years did not age Ms. Paisely, they merely made her more elegant by engraving a glint of wisdom in her doey eyes. Her hair were short now, resting over her shoulders but her laugh was still as youthful as day she had birthed her daughter.
"...and we did talk more after school and I came up with a slogan! It's, 'A club where Everyone can try Everything!' how cool, right?!" Nadia tossed her hair, extravagantly, earning claps from her mother.
Ms. Paisely laughed as some of Nadia's hair made it into her mouth and took it as an opportunity to steal a handful of the fritters. Nadia whined as she tried to grab a few from her mother's clutch and lightning flashed through the window like an old friend illuminating thr otherwise dimly lit living room.
Ryker stared at the sudden flashes through a circle window, as he sat on his bed while facing it. On the window pane was placed a gift with tag that read, 'For Ryker, From Dominic.' Rain drops thrashed against the thick glass, assaulting it for acting as a barrier between him and the boy.
Sighing, Ryker fell backwards onto the bed. The last time it rained so hard, Ryker had been with Nadi and Bernie, at the ranger shelter. Like always, they would go there after school and for once they were caught up in a storm. Bernie was terrified of the thunder but Nadia started singing All Star, awfully, on top of her lungs and pulled Ryker into a mokey dance.
Nadia was a great distraction.
Ryker flipped on his bed, eyeing his backpack, hands itching to dig out his phone and call her.
But his mother's words echoed in his head, 'Stay put,' she had said. So, stay put Ryker did, in his bed, staring at the ceiling. Hoping a miracle would consume him.
While Ryker stayed put, it was Bernie who knocked on the window of Nadia's room, wet and shivering as he jumped in and apologised for causing a mess on her study table and carpet.
"Are you kidding me?! Are you okay?! Og my goodness, Berns!" Nadia seethed as she dragged him into the bathroom. She plugged in the hair dryer and threw a towl around his neck, brows afrown with rage and bewilderment.
"I-i-is, is miss p-pai-paisely asleeeeeep?" Bernie uttered, teeth chattering.
"Yes, she went to bed a while ago," Nadia replied, running the dryer through Bernie's head and soggy tee-shirt. "This won't work," she seethed, "Let me bring you clothes. Take a quick shower. I'll make you some ginger soup."
"T-th-thanks," Bernie said through chattering teeth.
Nadia tsked and rushed back to her room. She brought out one of Ryker's old tee-shirts and a pair of Bernie's pants that they had left over the summer. She left the clothes hanging outside the doorknob and went ahead to prepare the ginger soup.
Her mobile phone blinked open, white light shining over the green wall against the study desk. Ryker's name showed up in a text message but Nadia was too busy chopping up ginger for the soup. Her phone remained there for the rest of the night while Bernie and her settled on the living room sofa. She handed him a warm bowl of soup, drew curtains over the window and slid a Harry Potter CD in the player.
The television screen birthed to life as Nadia clicked play.
"Do you wanna talk about it?" Nadia asked as Minerva McGonagall transformed from a cat into a human.
"Wait till people start writing transformation stuff, we'll be nearing the end of the world," Bernie snorted in reply as he slurped on the soup.
Nadia rolled her eyes, understanding that he wasn't ready. His rooftop room had a metal shed as its roof and it felt like it was raining bullets everytime it stormed.
"Bold of you to assume they don't write it now," Nadia snorted, "You just don't know about it."
"You talking from experience?" Bernie giggled as he nudged her with his shoulder.
"You'd never know," Nadia grinned.
"Haw, pervert!" Bernie slapped her back. His voice had grown deeper over the years and though still dainty, his bones had surely gained some weight. Nadia fell off the sofa and glared at Bernie, who stared at his hand with utter surprise.
He whisper-begged for mercy as Nadia jumped ontop of him and thrashed his back. In his room, in the middle of his charpoy, his phone screen lit up with Ryker's name in a text reading: U up?