The way to become the Great Sorcerer

Chapter 4: A neighbor’s Tale

Opening my eyelids when the sunlight landed on my eyes, I squirm and stretch on my bed, scratching some parts of my body as I try to fight the grogginess inside me. A new morning has come again, I watch as my curtain swayed when the wind comes and visit them. The fresh morning breeze and the sun greeted me as I yawned on my balcony.

 I smiled at the sight of our beautiful neighborhood, ignoring the blazing heat that slowly surrounds me. Due to my excitement, I can’t help but scream Yeeha at the top of my lungs. I grinned proudly when I met the pitch I was expecting.

I look down to our front yard, usually at this time of day my father would be getting ready to start watering his precious plants. I jumped with a yelp when I met my father’s eyes. All of his facial expression shows how done he is and maybe wandering along the way on why he had to have a fool of a son. I gulped down and greeted my father awkwardly.

In return he raises the water sprinkler in his hand attempting to throw it at me, dashing away feeling the incoming danger, I change into my shirt and my jumpsuit. Heading down the stairs I saw my brother reading his book in the living room too focused to even notice me. I smack his head like a badminton shuttlecock with no apparent reason 

“Two points for Lucas Eastwood!” 

I shouted, imitating a crowd scream, even putting both of my hands around my mouth, trying to piss him off even more, which I successfully did. He scowls at me, rubbing the part where I hit. 

“Go away, Lucas. You’re such a bother” 

He disregards me as he continues to read his book. As a man who wants attention, I lifted him off his feet and raised him above my head, like how Quasimodo did to Esmeralda screaming sanctuary, sanctuary 

“Is that a good way to talk to your brother, baby Claude?” 

My brother, annoyed by my antics, hit me with his dictionary-like book right in the face. I lose my grip on him as I touch my throbbing face. He falls into the couch he was sitting on with a perfect land. He scoffed at my poor state. I glimpse at him shaking off his head with a smug look. And then dart away.

My father who saw me in that state paused in bewilderment. 

“What happened to you?” 

he asked in a monotone voice, grabbing a bowl to make himself a late breakfast. 

“Your youngest son just caused me immense pain to my handsome face,” I said with a dramatic voice, faking a sob, expecting him to take pity on me. With a groan of annoyance, my father rolls his eyes, regretting his life choices.

 I finally calmed myself and took a seat opposite my father and ate my breakfast. Our simple yet late breakfast was filled with topics about new equipment that was needed in our shop. My father works as a full-time mechanic, he repairs broken cars in his car shop, and I help him out. Summer is starting and it’s already this hot, I shake my legs underneath the table expressing my annoyance in the scorching heat.

 I took a glimpse at our wall clock that indicates that it’s 9 am. I wiped my sweat off my forehead and used my hand to fan myself. My father got up not forgetting to put the dishes in the sink. 

“There's little Lindsey’s bike in the front yard, she wants her prince charming to repair it for her”

 My father imitating a little girl's voice when he said prince charming, made me cringe. If anyone hears it every 24 hours, I probably guess that their eardrums will be severely damaged.

“Why do you always give me bikes to repair? I already know how to repair cars” I complained, making a clunk sound while putting the dishes in the sink to let him know my annoyance. 

“Yeah and the last time you did it, instead of repairing the car you made it worse. I had to sacrifice my ears to Mrs. Clemigton’s nagging” 

I scratch my head recalling those memories. Mrs. Clemigton was a middle-aged woman who is too arrogant and always finding a way to insult those people she didn’t like even if those people did nothing to make her hate them, just like us.

She began when I rejected her granddaughter’s love confession, she immediately insulted me, saying that my looks are top tier but my brain is nowhere to be found, insulting my brother, that he only inherited my father’s looks and not my mother and even downgrade my father about the time where my mother left us, and that time I snapped. Stealing some parts of her engine and flattening out her tires gave me a sense of satisfaction. I know fighting a person like her is childish but I can’t help it, especially if that person insulted your entire family.

I began to start my day by repairing little Lindsey’s bike for the nth time. Looking around on the front lawn to see some broken parts of my brother’s bike I decided to include them in my to-do list. I heard muffled voices in the house next door, curious, I took a glance and saw Mr. Dewin, the community leader in our neighborhood waving goodbye to his wife. Giving back attention to the job I was tasked to. I began to repair the little girl’s bike

It took me two hours to repair the two bikes, the scorching heat didn’t help me to keep going on but at last, I finished it. Walking back to the house I decided to sit and cool off my body first before taking a nice cold bath. I sighed in satisfaction the moment the cold water hit my body, scrubbing off the dirt, I went for about 5 minutes to finish my shower.

Feeling good, leaving my bathroom I decided to play a song from my favorite rock band. Dancing to the rhythm with just my towel covering my legs, I dance in my room, without any worries. Sliding up in front of my mirror, I slicked back my hair and did the infamous Dwayne Johnson smolder.

 “Lucas Eastwood, you are indeed a man with infinite charms” 

Looking at myself in the mirror gives me satisfaction. I'd do this every day when I’m feeling excited. I banged my head when the chorus came, turning around in the process. I ignored the droplets of water falling in my hair, closing my eyes feeling the song.

When I turned to look at the window and stared at it for a second. My eyes were wide open as I realized there was someone from the house next door was watching me with disgust pasted on his face. I freeze in my spot not knowing what to do.

 ‘Did he see all of that?’ I gulped as I had a mental breakdown. We stare at each other for a second before awkwardly waving at him. My neighbor, who was still in shock at what he saw, ignored me and continued on his way. After he was out of my sight, I quickly closed the curtains.

Jumping to my bed because of embarrassment, I screamed to my pillow, regretting all of the choices I made in life. I even kicked my blanket imagining the scene where I danced foolishly. Regaining my composure after a minute, I changed into a new set of clothes and headed downstairs. Still imprinted in my mind, his face filled with disgust, I cringed at the thought. ‘Oh, why must thou embarrass me?’ Heading to the car shop, I began to help out my father.

When the sun went down and hid, my father decided to rest for the night, closing our shop early. We head back to our house, meeting our brother in the living room still reading. I wonder if he ever moved from his spot. We began to eat our supper and say goodnight when it was our bedtime. I slept for more than two hours when I woke up in the middle of the night because of some strange dream. 

Tossing and turning in my bed I groaned in annoyance when I can’t put myself back to sleep. I went downstairs to drink some water to calm my nerves when my eyes caught into something outside my neighbor’s house. I tried to have a better look, leaning on our window. When I saw what was outside, I felt goosebumps. Someone was standing outside of their house with a robe that completely hides his appearance. What scared me the most is that, why is he wearing that kind of clothing in the middle of the night? ‘Who wears things like that?’ Deciding to confront him, I went outside and called him to gain his attention, which he did by looking at me.

“What are you doing?”

 I asked. Marching my way to him, I felt this weird around him, gulping, I stopped in front of him anticipating his answer. When he didn’t answer my question, I grabbed his arm, which to my surprise he smacked it away. Offended by his actions I scoff in disbelief. 

“I don’t have the time to deal with you, so please if you can just ignore me and leave, I’ll assume that none of us will get hurt.” Squinting my eyes and looking at him up and down, I hesitate to do something. ‘But this guy is sus.’ Scratching the back of my head with a sigh of annoyance.

 “Sorry, but I’m already involved now, I can’t let you get away.” Staring at him with my guard up.  “Everything about you just screams, wrong.”

I tried to intimidate him. I look around to scan my surroundings and as expected no one is outside. I wait for his response as I wonder what I will do next. But, to my surprise, I caught him raising his fist to punch me, I widened my eyes in shock. Luckily, I was able to block his punch. 

“So, you’re doing this the hard way, huh?” 

Smirking, I pushed him back to create some space as I took my stance, ready to counterattack. He tried to punch me again in my left face but I dodged it, raising my fist to punch him in the process. But I was surprised when he blocked it too.

I can already feel my adrenaline rushing as I feel excited. Kicking him in the gut as a surprise he went flying away, I clicked my tongue when he landed on his feet. Without giving me any warning, he dashed right to me, punching my cheek.

 Making me mad that he hurt me, I also hit the side of his mouth for a counteroffensive which resulted in him having a cut on his lips. He backed away, wiping the blood on his mouth. He muttered something before running away. I tried to follow him but to my surprise, he suddenly vanished into thin air.

Confused, I went back to our house, wondering who that man was. I looked up to see my Younger brother waiting for me outside the door. I ran in his direction with worries printed on my face.

“Why are you outside? Go back to the house now.” I pushed him inside, not forgetting to take one glance outside before closing the door. 

“I saw you running away, I don’t want to follow you so I just waited” He yawned and went back to his room. “Don’t ever do that again” 

I warned him to which he nodded. I went back to my room, before drifting off to sleep, I promised to myself that, tomorrow, I will tell my father and Uncle Dewin about the suspicious man that was standing at their house in the middle of the night.