The next morning came like a whooshing wind, and Nana had given Mason much time to sleep before she left her room to go wake him up. When she got to her father's workshop, she found it already open, and a grin escaped her lips. The time on all the clocks in the shop was the same, and she found 7:35.
"I guess I don't need to wake you up today," she muttered to herself and headed inside. "Mason! Mason!!" she called as she reached for his door. When she got there, she knocked and pressed the handle.
When she opened the door, the atmosphere that greeted her wasn't a pleasant one. "Mason? Mason?" she called as she whirled around the room.
All of his belongings are gone; the clothes on his hangers, his shoes, his box… everything. They're all gone. The room was almost empty except for the book shelf, the bed, the wall clock, and a few other things.
Nana's heart raced as she took in the scene, but she couldn't decide what was going on - not yet, she needed to verify if what she was thinking wasn't happening, what she'd feared the most. On the bed lay a carton, with a note resting on it, neatly folded.
Every slow step she took toward the bed sent a jolt of cold blood running through her veins. She approached the bed and stared at the carton of candy bars. She grabbed the note and unfolded it, all her actions were done with trembling hands. As she opened the note, Mason's handwriting welcomed her. She read:
I haven't done this before, but I finally do. Just know I meant everything written on this note more than you think. If you're reading this, Nana, just know that I'm already gone. It's time for me to face reality, time for a baby eagle to learn how to soar. I can't deny it, Nana, and I can proudly say it that I have the best family in the world.
You'd shown me genuine love ever since we met, even before I knew it. You'd reached out to me and protected me when I was scared, nervous, and weak. I found happiness and solace in you, Nana. And if I'm to be reborn, I'd prefer to be reborn as your pet rather than into another family as a wealthy kid.
I'll miss your suffocating glare, your smiles, your anger, your everything. And I'll gladly pay for not telling you before leaving. Tell Mom not to shave anymore, and tell Dad not to get annoyed at Mom when she shaves. And tell the already angry Nana that I love her more than anyone in this world.
Don't expect me, Nana. Forget about me and move on - I mean, don't. I can't imagine meeting and hearing you don't know me any longer (smiles). Focus on your studies. I'll always smile whenever your name comes to my mind.
When Nana finished reading, her hands fell asleep, and her body collapsed to the ground. She felt a boiling river flowing up her torso and wrapping around her heart, crushing it to pieces. Her tears burst forth like water from a damaged pipe.
She mustered her strength and stood up, then she rushed out of Mason's room to go and inform her parents. Perhaps they could find a way to stop him and bring him back. But when she got inside the sitting room, she found her parents. Her mom was holding a note in her hand, her tears pouring like lazy rain.
"I can't believe he left without telling me. Such an ingrate. I'm going to kill him," Mrs. Robinson sobbed. "How could he leave me only a note?"
Nana could see her father's sad emotion for the first time in years. He'd always complained that sadness and fear are weak emotions, and he'd contained them. But now Nana saw him sad, his eyes welling up with tears.
Just then, a knock came from the door. Nana rushed to open, and she saw Raymond. His expression seemed to mirror her's.
"Is it true Mason is gone?" He already confirmed it with the look on Nana's face, but he asked anyway.
Nana nodded slowly. "He didn't tell you either?"
Raymond didn't reply; he turned around and let out a deep, sorrowful sigh. "How could someone buy a house and leave immediately? This boy's crazy," he muttered.
But the family could hear him because everyone was quiet. Mr. Robinson was the first to stand up from his seat and rush toward the door, followed by his wife.
"What did you just say, Ray?" he said, not just asking but ordering.
Raymond flinched as his words caught in his throat. His body heated at Mr. Robinson's gaze. He'd never seen him with such an expression before.
"I didn't–"
"Don't you dare mutter a lie from that mouth!" Mrs. Robinson joined in. "We all heard you clearly. What did Mason do?"
Raymond was alarmed. The family's gaze is now on him. His composure shattered, and he knew he must be careful with whatever came out of his hanging mouth. His lies wouldn't work now that his composure has staggered.
"I–" he began to say, but his racing heart wouldn't let him think of a possible lie that could save him from the situation. Mason is gone anyway. What could they possibly do when they learn the truth? It's better to tell them or otherwise get on their bad side, and that is too far from what he wanted.
"Mason was the one who bought our houses from the landlady's daughter. I don't know how much his necklace cost, but I'm sure he paid more than enough for the houses," he revealed. "He told me and the landlady's daughter to keep it a secret. I'm sorry, I didn't want to lose the house from spilling it."
"Mason bought this house? You think I'm going to believe that nonsense?" Mrs. Robinson said with gritted teeth.
"Then, can you think of a plausible explanation for how you get to own the house?" Raymond asked. "Who would buy a house and give it to someone they don't know?"
"I think he's right," Nana chimed in. "Mason wasn't surprised when I told him. At least he pretended to, but I could see beyond his mask. He'd expected the landlady's daughter that morning."
"And why do you think the woman would've sold a house to an underage boy?" Mr. Robinson quizzed.
"Because she was desperate. Her daughter was in the hospital, she needed surgery as soon as possible," Raymond explained. "And I was there when he paid the woman. I met the man who helped him sell his necklace. Everything was real, trust me."
Mr. Robinson pressed his thumb and index fingers against the bridge of his nose, in between his eyes, and retreated back into the room. It was evident he was unable to absorb the shocking news. Nana and her mother followed him shortly after, but not before scrutinizing Raymond's face as if he'd committed a crime worth killing for.
The silence that descended upon the sitting room was enough to make someone's nervousness reach the max. Even Nana couldn't say anything, so she left the room. And when she got outside, she was met with the bruised and plastered faces of Malia and her cohorts.
Under normal circumstances, she'd have cracked up, but the mood wasn't there anymore; only sadness.
"I won! I can have Mason, right?" one of the girls shouted. She was a bit chubby for her own good, but her beauty belied her size and thickness. Mason would never agree to date her even with a gun pointed at his head.
"No, it was me who won!" another girl replied. Nana found it difficult to recognize her at first, as she looked like someone who had had her blood drained out. Her face was pale, and several marks of fingernails gave her face incomprehensible designs.
Nana realized she was Dolores, the one Malia had fought with the previous day.
When Nana saw Malia, she wished she hadn't. If something was to be called unsettling, her face was a good explanation. Nana ignored them and entered her father's workshop. She has no will to do anything, her sadness seemed to know no bounds.