Chapter 7

Chapter 7 - Little thief

'Why did she give up an argument that easily.' Whenever he comes back from college during holidays, she would never back down from an argument, especially from him. Even if she was wrong she would always state her opinion and say that she was right. If it's about something against her, she would prove her point until the end, she was that strong headed.

"You pampered her too much." Victor told his father as he started slicing the piece of steak on his plate.

"Indeed." his father agreed.

"I-It wasn't the young miss." Two maids were standing beside the serving trolley. One spoke shakily.

"Mrs. Beth caused it all." The second maid in front supported the first maid's claim.

"And how do we know you two weren't bribed?" Victor raised a brow and looked at the two maids. He was skeptical as to why the two would speak up out of nowhere. He thought that this was one of her sister's schemes once again. The second maid that spoke was somehow ticked off at this and replied back.

"Sir, are you seriously believing a maid over your daughter? You didn't even ask her side of the story." The second maid with black hair didn't know what came to her to speak for the young miss. In fact, she couldn't care less of the owners of this house, as long as she gets paid enough.

"Ask every maid in the vicinity and they'd tell you the same thing sir, then please, excuse us." The maid with black hair snatched the other maid's hand and they both bowed to them. They brought the dirty dishes with them towards the kitchen. She couldn't believe that these two men who were called her "father" and "brother" held more importance to maids than their own daughter. They weren't even reprimanded for talking that way to them and making a mistake unlike what sir Michael does to his youngest child. Still, The black-haired maid didn't want to risk it, thus, she grabbed the dishes, excused the two of them, and went out.

The two men however, were left silent. They rarely reprimand maids, they NEVER reprimand them unless they do something against the house and the family. Victor started to doubt Mrs. Beth. She would always cry whilst walking or running towards them and telling them what his younger sister does. Yvonne would always deny it aggressively and make a tantrum until she gets tired. It was a common occurrence that the two men were used to it, to think that Mrs. Beth was just making up stories was doubtful. Victor thought back, the tantrums started when Mrs. Beth was hired. He was in high school and Yvonne was in elementary.

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"It wasn't me!! How many times do I have to tell you!" Yvonne, which was very small compared to Victor, denied strongly. Victor only scoffed, the evidence was already there. Their mother's necklace was found in her room.

"Your not only a liar but a thief as well... " Victor was sick of her shenanigans, who would've thought that it'd reach to a point of stealing.

"It was nanny!, she stole the necklace and when I told her that it's bad she put it in my room!" Victor only heard nothing but excuses, but what he didn't know was that Mrs. Beth has been stealing from the young Yvonne and now snooping around the late lady's room.

"Stop with your nonsense and hand over the necklace." Victor was reaching his patience limit. 'Who did this child take after?' Victor rolled eyes. Neither their mom nor their father had a bratty attitude. Their mother was sophisticated and elegant whilst their father was strict and disciplined. She was nothing like them.

"Uwaahhh!" The little Yvonne started crying out loud. The hall was filled with loud cries and wailing and Victor had enough of it.

"That's it." Victor grabbed the box roughly which made Yvonne lose her balance and fall down. Victor didn't even hesitate in his actions, he was pissed off.

"Are you even blood-related to us?" Victor showed a disgusted glare at the young girl on the ground. At this point, Yvonne has stopped crying because of the force that was used on her. 'She must be adopted'. Victor, at the edge of his anger thought to himself. This girl that acted and looked nothing like her delicate mother was considered to be a part of the Reeves. their family of prodigies and great minds.

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"After all this years, she finally knows how to act?" Victor thought about the possibility that her sister knows how to act now. She was selfish and did everything on her whims. Victor did everything for her to get detached from him, she like a lint sucking off the success and reputation of their family, she was a dead-weight.

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'To think that she's the reason why mom died.' Victor began hating her more and more after that event. Not only did he accuse her of killing their mother, he started accusing her of many things. He always asks for her when his things have gone missing, or if there was anything amiss in the house. When he applied for an advance program where high school students have a chance to go straight to college, he grabbed it and passed the tests. 'Finally, I'll be gone from this horrid place'. He thought to himself. There won't be a hideous creature following her around anymore.

"B-brother, I'm sorry. I'm sorry that Belle is bad." The little girl approached her before he got out og the house with his luggage. He woke up early just to avoid the girl. He rolled his eyes and turned around.

"Please don't leave brother, I'm sorry. I'll do anything, I'll be a good girl!" Yvonne started spouting what seems to be nonsense to Victor.

"Will you ever shut up?" He leaned in front of her and glared. He was always annoyed when he was followed around. Everything around her is bad luck, and when she comes near him, his day just worsens. From her spilling food on him, to her nonsensical chatter, everything was annoying. It was unlike her graceful mother who would always be there to cheer for him calmly.

"Never approach me again you little thief." Victor wasn't calling her a little thief because of what happened then, he called her a thief because she stole everything from him. The love, warmth, and care for a mother. She selfishly killed it with her own hands and even worse, she acts like she doesn't know what she did. That disgusting girl that stole away the nurture that was supposed to be there and turned a whole family upside-down.

"I don't even know why she sacrificed her life for a worthless being like you." Victor knew that she would stop pestering him after this. No more loud and noisy chattering, no more chaos, just silence and order. He intended for his words to ingrain in her mind and never approach him again, but Yvonne did otherwise. She still tried her everything. Whenever he came back she would welcome him, follow him, and stick near him, always asking "Do you need something, brother?", "How was your day brother?", "Can I do anything for you brother?". Brother this and brother that. Victor didn't know if she was playing dumb or does she really have just a cell for a brain. He became sick of pushing her away so he distance himself. Only going home once or twice a year in special occasions.

Victor thought back. He didn't know how and why he thought of that event when he left for college, but it came up all of a sudden. Instead of feeling relieved like he usually felt when Yvonne was gone, he felt something heavy instead. The heavy feeling in his chest was short-lived as he started thinking of other matters.

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"You are my sunshine, my only sunshine

You make me happy, when skies are grey

You never know dear, how much I love you

Please don't take my sunshine away"

I opened my eyes to a beautiful melody. What I saw before me was a beautiful woman with blonde hair and hazel eyes, she was looking down on me with a genuine smile on her face, she felt so familiar yet so distant, I thought I could touch her face when I reach out but she only laughed and held my hand softly. She continued to sing the song as she carried me and faced the window, her face held a glow and what captivated me was her eyes. Her eyes were  not plain black but had a tint of green when the sunlight hit them. It was very mesmerizing.

I closed my eyes and not a few moments late, I felt a tear run down the side of my eyes. I awoke with a sense of relief. I felt light and happy for some reason. "What a nice dream." I got up and fixed my bed after recollecting what happened in that dream, the woman was really beautiful, she had black eyes, but when light hits it and you look closer, there's a tint of green within them.

"Ugh, Mondays." I walked straight to the bathroom and took a bath, the little fur ball was still asleep on the pillow after I finished taking a bath. I slowly carried him in the palm of my hands as to not wake Nova up. 'I can carry him now'. He doesn't have to float all day and use excess energy just to get a hold of me. I woke Nova up gently.

"We gotta go, it's Monday." Nova rose up energetically after I woke him up. It was another encounter after all. I'd have to follow them endlessly again. I ate breakfast and rushed towards the school riding a bike. I don't take the cars anymore and bought a bike myself. I was never used to taking a caring when going out, so it was a sense of nostalgia when I bought a green bike last week.

The encounter today would start at the end of school hours. Mr Englishman is supposed to come to the school and offer Natalie to ride his car when Lucas stops them and asks where he's taking Natalie. It becomes a heated argument and many students saw it. In the end, Lucas won and dragged Natalie inside the school again saying that there were "activities" left behind and the student council needs her help. I don't want to mess this up again so I chose a couple of best spots in front of the school gates and the student council classroom. I perfectly planned it, I'm going to collect the orbs successfully this time!

I was thinking to myself and was focused on my plan to hide inside the student council room that I didn't even notice that someone was behind me.

"Hey." I snapped out of my thoughts and looked back. I saw a brown-haired guy that was a little taller than me with glasses. I was wondering who it was when he suddenly smiled.

"Thank you for the advice you gave me." It took me few moments until I realized who it was.

"Oh! That library kid!" I blurted out without thinking. There was a few moments of silence that seem to be minutes long, in short, it was awkward.

"You look...different." The kid who was always together with me in the library and ate snacks with was smaller than me. It was only a month ago that he stopped attending classes, now he's gotten this big?

"Ah, yes. I thought a lot about what you said." He smiled shyly as he fixed his glasses.

"You were only gone for almost a month, now you're as tall as me?" I patted his head and smiled. I was alone in the library for almost a month, I had to buy all my snacks during that time. He usually buys for me as long as I allow him to stay in the library past school hours. I missed eating the expensive sweets he always brought.

"What happened anyway?" I asked as I check the returned books in the library desk that the librarian asked me to do.

"I asked my parents to visit the doctors, turns out that I had a problem with my metabolism." He told me about his case early on, his family thought that his growth was stunted because of the car accidemt he had. Thankfully he didn't die, but their family doctor told them that his growth will stop at a certain time. He had a problem with his metabolism which caused him to get fatter.

"We visited a specialist in Country B and he examined me. I adapted a healthy diet and exercise to help my metabolism and drank medicine to help with my late growth." He rested his chin on the library desk while talking to me.

"Thank you for the encouraging words Yvonne." He thanked me sincerely which was odd. I din't really do anything though. That was when it came to me that I still don't know his name.

"How did you know my name?" I inserted the library card back inside the book, closed it, and looked at him.

"Oh, that- I." He stuttered and wasn't able to find an answer to my question. I didn't really give a d*mn how he got my name but I wanted to ask him his.

"Why are you stuttering? *Gasp* Don't tell me you stalked me just to get my name?" I gasped loudly and teased him. His eyes became wide and his ears started turning red.

"N-NO, I- I would n-never." His voice was as quiet as a mouse that it made me laugh.

"BWAHAHAHA- Oh God, that face!" I laughed again and patted him on the head. "I don't really care how you got my name, but isn't it unfair that you know mine but I don't know yours?" We've been snacking inside the library secretly after all, and I've been allowing him to stay here in the library.

"Alastair." He said. 'Hm, where have I heard that?' The name feels familiar somehow, where have I heard it? I brushed the thought of and looked at him. "Well then, nice to meet you Alastair." I offered him my hand, he hesitated for a moment but he shook it anyway. 'Finally, I have a friend who's neither a bratty rich kid or an arrogant prick'. That was a success!

"Alastair."

Even after I checked all of the returned books, the name 'Alastair' was still in my mind. I'm sure I've heard it before, but where?