Chapter 8

They killed him. They killed his buddy!

Kingsley crouched by his bed, his fingers trembling as he slid open the wooden memory box he treasured. When his gaze settled on a particular photo, nostalgia flooded over him, sweeping him into a whirlwind of emotions.

His stream leaked.

That was the first surprise birthday party Peter held for him.

The photo said it all—whipped cream smeared everywhere, chocolate cake smashed flat on the table, with Peter standing behind Kingsley, holding another lump of cream in his hand. Lyn was at the side, joining their friend for another cream attack on her brother.

Everybody was happy. Nobody was leaving.

"I'm sorry, Kingsley." Miracle broke the silence after staying in his room for the past fifteen minutes.

"You know what he said here?" Running his fingers across the picture, he traced the features of his late friend. "He said, 'Oh, come on, Kingsley! Birthday cakes aren't meant to be eaten. They're meant to be ruined for greater happiness!’..."

Kingsley paused to look at Miracle.

"I… I thought I could protect him, Miracle. I should've protected him… Or perhaps, I shouldn’t even have gotten close to him.”

"Kingsley..." Miracle gently patted his shoulder. “Don't be like this."

"Peter... he was such a naughty brat. He acted like some sort of gang leader when I first met him. It wasn’t until one day I helped him out for offending the wrong person that he started to cling to me. You have no idea how he chased me around back then just to get the ice cream I promised.”

He chuckled, exhaling a tearful breath. "I was going to buy him one. But because he was so desperate for it, I ended up tricking him into something else..." His voice cracked further the more he talked about it. "Damn… I miss him."

Layers of unsettling emotions gradually engulfed him as he mourned the loss of a mortal friend. Not the first time, but it was something one wouldn't wish to experience over and over again.

Hayden was out, and there were the twins, lamenting over Peter's death. Though the day was still bright and sun rays managed to pierce through, the house was dark with no hints of life.

"It's all my fault," she said for the hundredth time as she exited the room.

For something like that to happen in Stellaerio, nobody was to be blamed.

But her, the peace protector.

Miracle paused at the door she spent the night yesterday, hesitating. She was afraid the boy wouldn't be fine, and it was a mistake to take him in.

Right then, she heard coughs and choking sounds coming from inside. She put her ear closer. Yes, she didn't mishear. The noise repeated, and it was getting louder. Her heart skipped a beat. Pursing her lips, she strengthened her grip on the knob and pushed open the door.

As expected, the boy was awake.

And he was staring back at her.

“H-Hey there," she greeted, her tone tinged with awkwardness.

The boy shot up and pushed his back against the slatted headboard. "W-Who are you? Where am I?" he asked, darting his eyes left and right.

"Don't worry. You're safe here," Miracle assured, picking up the blanket dropped on the floor.

Half of his face was blocked by his messy hair. Stench from the night before still hung faintly in the air.

When Miracle reached out to him, he moved his knees away, not giving her a chance to touch him. “Who are you?! Ouch..." He squeezed the sides of his head. "O-Ouch... My h-head hurts..."

Miracle took a deep breath, ready to tell him the story she came up with. “Actually…”

But before she could continue, the boy's next question forced her words back down her throat.

"Who am I?!" His face contorted in pain as he seized her wrist, his grip tightening every second. Panic flashed across his upturned eyes. "Tell me! Who am I? What happened to me?! How did I end up here?! TELL ME!”

"H-Hey! Let go... Let go!" Miracle struggled to break free. "Give me a moment. I'll get back to you." She snatched her hand and ran back to her room, forgetting to close the door behind her.

'How did it end up this way?’ She frowned, clearly confused.

She only meant to save his heart, not to erase his memories! Peter's death was only yesterday. Everyone in the house wasn't over with it yet. Now, here came another problem. Was he supposed to stay with them until he remembered everything? Or could she kick him out and act as if they had never found him in the alley?

'Maybe there's a better way to solve this. But what is it?'

Miracle slumped on the bed. It was as though everything, including the last hope she had a few minutes ago, had vanished into thin air. All hopes were gone. She thought she had found a new aspiration to continue her mission, but it turned out to be a whole new disaster.

"I've messed up everything, Master..."

Just then, she heard someone knocking on her door.

"Miracle? It's me, Hayden."

He was back.

"Yes?" She quickly rushed over. To her surprise, Hayden didn't come alone.

He was with him.

"I suppose you do have some explanations for this." He raised his brows and looked straight into her eyes. "Right?"

Miracle stood still, at a loss for words. She didn't have any explanation to explain anything.

"I... I'm sorry, Hayden. I don't know how, but I think I've overused my powers on him?” she whispered in his ear.

When she finished saying what she needed to, she waited for Hayden to bawl her out. But he didn't. Instead, he motioned the boy to enter the dimly lit room.

Nobody said anything until the new boy broke the silence.

"Did I just cause you guys trouble?"

Sparing a quick glance over at him, Hayden remained silent, further intensifying Miracle’s guilt. She cleared up a small part of her bed for the boy to sit. 

He was looking at her curiously, hoping that at least she could tell him something to clear his confusion. However, what was she supposed to say when she was as confused? 

Suddenly, someone placed another knock on the door.

"I'm entering," Lyn said and walked in.

Her eyes looked swollen from heavy crying.

"What's wrong?" she asked, averting her gaze from Miracle to the stranger. "Oh? You're that boy, aren't you? You're finally awake?"

Hearing that, he immediately ran to her. "You know me? Can you please tell me what happened? I... I can't seem to remember a thing..."

Lyn was puzzled. "What? You can't seem to remember… a thing?"

She turned to look at Miracle, who shot her an I-messed-up-everything expression.

The boy was still waiting for her reply, desperate for answers.

“Listen, just like you, we have no idea who you are. A few days ago, we found you lying unconscious on the ground when we passed by a small alley. No one would leave an unconscious person behind, right? So, we brought you to our house, hoping you would regain consciousness soon and head back to where you belong. Sadly, you have lost all your memories, and now you are currently stuck here with us," Lyn explained in one go.

Miracle nodded fervently when he looked at her for confirmation.

"So... am I going to be chased away?” he asked, his fists gripping tightly onto his black worn-out pants.

There was no reply. Miracle and Lyn exchanged glances.

"We'll send you to school," Hayden uttered, giving him the warmest smile he could afford at the moment. "I guess you're around the same age as my children."

"W-What?!" The remaining three of them were shocked.

He bobbed his head. "This is the best solution I can think of. Just let him stay with us until he gets back his memories. It's the basic humanity we can give him." Hayden went over to the lost boy and patted his shoulder.

"But Dad—" Lyn tried to oppose.

He held up his hand. "Lyn, we're supposed to care about humans."

"Dad—"

"Miracle, get those filthy clothes off him. I'll try to make him start school tomorrow," he said, ignoring his daughter's objection.

No response. 

"Miracle?" 

"Y-Yea? Oh, sure, Hayden." She nudged the boy to leave the room.

Lyn followed after. Miracle saw the frown on her face when she flung a set of male clothes, draped over the stairs to him. They were Kingsley’s. The brother would probably be mad if he got out of his room and saw the boy wearing his T-shirt. It was obvious that the twins were disliking the unfamiliar presence in their house.

Sighing, Lyn went away. Letting him into this house was never an option, after all.

It was a decision.

"I'll wait for you in my room," Miracle said as he stepped into the shared bathroom. "Give me a knock when you're done, okay?"

The boy nodded. The girl smiled.

The moment Miracle returned to her room, the sound of water gushing drifted to her ears. She could hear him moving around, knocking over the shampoos and shower gels nearby. Then, without warning, a loud thud reverberated through the entire floor.

Miracle chuckled, picturing the mess the boy was putting himself in.

'Seemed like a fall,' she thought. 

It didn't take long for her to hear the expected knock. 

"Coming." Miracle went over to open the door. "You're fast..." The sight of him left her momentarily amazed.

His hair was brushed back, clearly revealing his pair of ebony-colored eyes, which seemed to emanate a gentle wave of warmth. His jawline was well-defined. She shifted her gaze to the jugular veins, slightly bulging from the sides of his neck. They looked so seductive that she could almost hear the blood flowing in them. 

"Erm..." His voice pulled her back to herself. 

Blinking away, she erased the tiny bit of excitement he was inducing in her.

"Come in. Let's have a chat." She stepped aside for him to enter.

"I'm sorry," he blurted, not moving from where he was. 

"What?"

He dropped his head to the floor. "I may have lost my memories, but I'm not dumb. I know you guys are having a hard time accepting me here."

Running her long, slender fingers through her hair, she smoothed the tangled strands in between. "It'll take some time," she mumbled, thinking about ways to make him leave on his own.

"I'll leave," he muttered as if he had just read her mind. "I'll... leave."

"Yes, you have to leave," Miracle said. A bit too fast that it sounded like she was chasing him out.

He knitted his brows.

"But not now," she quickly added.

He lifted his watery eyes to her as she took his hand and led him into the room. 

“What matters most at the moment is for you to regain your memories.” Smiling, she pulled out the stool under her dressing table. "Have a seat. Take it easy."

"Can I really stay here till then?"

"Well, we aren't that heartless to drive you out now. You'll probably get..."

'attacked by Mynheex again if we do so.'

Her voice trailed off; she couldn’t bring herself to tell him that. Clearing her throat, she continued, "You'll probably get lost since you don't have your memories with you."

"Thank you." It was a soft whisper.

'Maybe not all mortals are bad,' she mused. “Let's give you a name. What's your favorite letter?"

"What's your name?" he answered with a question.

“Me? I’m Miracle Watson.”

"Then my favorite letter is M."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because you were the first person I saw when I opened my eyes." He curled his lips into a charming smile, once again evoking the anonymous yet comfortable sensation within her.

She shook the tingle away. "You don't even know me."

"But—"

"Forget about it, Melvin," she cut in, not wanting to get any deeper into such a conversation with a mere mortal.

"Who's Melvin?"

"You." She chuckled. "Just a name that crossed my mind all of a sudden."