Out Of Shell
1210 Words
“Why why why—” Evelli paused, bending as she screamed silently. She grasped the hem of her dress tightly.
“I'm ruined.”
Three days passed like a blur and Evelli still wasn't sure whether the penthouse was a home or some luxury institution disguised as one.
Everything inside the residence was quiet. The residence was sparkling, the furniture looked unused, as if nobody had touched it. Every staff member in the penthouse did their duties with precision and diligence.
The entire household functioned according to strict schedules, even breakfast seemed to happen with military approval.
At first, Evelli thought the employees were simply professional, then later she realized they were afraid and cautious.
Every conversation lowered whenever Russo Sinclair appeared. Every employee straightened their posture when he walked into a room. Nobody lingered around him for long.
The strange thing was that Russo never said more than a few words or yelp. In the three days she had spent in the penthouse, she hadn't heard him raise his voice once.
Yet somehow, he intimidated everyone around him, including her.
That realization annoyed her more than she cared to admit. It made her confused if truly that was the man that had groaned and dealt with her hungrily months ago.
Early on her fourth morning in the penthouse, Evelli stood inside the kitchen preparing breakfast.
The kitchen was easily her favorite place in the entire residence, unlike the rest of the penthouse, which felt cold and intimidating, the kitchen felt alive.
The scent of butter filled the air while a pan sizzled softly on the gas.
Evelli was busy whisking eggs when she felt it. The sensation of being watched silently.
She glanced over her shoulder, and saw a small boy standing near the entrance gazing at her silently.
A few seconds passed, and neither of them spoke. Evelli immediately recognized him from the photographs she had seen around the residence.
Perry Sinclair. Russo's nephew.
The child she had technically been hired to cook and cater for. This would be the first time she would be setting her eyes on him ever since she resumed work at the penthouse.
The boy looked even smaller than she expected. His dark hair framed his face, and his large eyes remained fixed on her every movement. He didn't speak nor move. He just simply stood there.
"Good morning," Evelli greeted with a small smile. He gave no response, and Evelli shrugged.
"Well, that was rude, I hope you know that,” she asserted. He still made no reaction.
She chuckled softly and returned her attention to breakfast. A few minutes later, one of the housekeepers entered the kitchen.
The woman froze slightly when she noticed Perry standing nearby.
"Master Perry,” she called, her tone laced with surprise. He didn't react.
The housekeeper turned toward Evelli.
"He's here. He came out of his room today.”
Evelli glanced at Perry.
"Does he always do this? Stand and watch people without talking."
The woman shook her head.
"No, this will be the first time he will be stepping out of his room in months. No one has ever seen him leave his room,” she explained. “He only leaves his room to take junk food when no one is watching and leaves afterward. Because of him, Master Russo bought a lot of junk for him, since that's what he wanted over food."
Evelli eyebrow furrowed, then whispered. "Are you for real? Then why is he standing there gazing at me? Why junk food?"
The housekeeper lowered her voice.
"Master Perry doesn't spend time around strangers, so I'm bewildered to see him here too. He avoids good meals, probably feeling he doesn't deserve a decent meal after his parent's death."
Evelli looked back at the boy. He was still watching her.
"Maybe he now likes breakfast."
The woman smiled sadly. "I wish it was like that now."
Before Evelli could ask another question, the housekeeper continued.
"Master Perry hasn't spoken since his parents died."
The smile immediately disappeared from Evelli's face. The woman sighed devastatedly.
"Several specialists have tried helping him. Therapists, doctors, child psychologists. Nothing worked. Master Russo and his mother had spent a lot."
Evelli looked at Perry again, and he reciprocated the look. He looked broken, expressionless.
For a moment, she considered saying something comforting, but she stopped herself. She's in no place to pity anyone.
She turned back to her cooking.
"You know, I burned toast once."
The housekeeper looked confused. Evelli continued anyway.
"It wasn't ordinary burnt toast either. It looked like something recovered from a house fire."
She pointed toward the pan. "I blamed the toaster."
The housekeeper laughed. Perry didn't say anything. He just stayed.
Seeing his gaze, Evelli continued talking while she cooked. She talked about difficult customers at Grill & More.
She talked about dropping an entire tray of food during her first week at work. She talked about losing the cooking competition eight months ago.
She even talked about how badly she wanted to become a renowned chef someday. Most children probably wouldn't care about any of it.
Perry never responded, yet he remained exactly where he was listening and watching.
When breakfast was ready, he left without saying anything.
Evelli sighs. He didn't respond to her stories.
The next day, Perry appeared again, then again the following day. In the same position and same expressionless reaction.
Soon, Evelli began noticing him around. Whenever she entered a room, Perry wasn't far away. Whenever she worked in the kitchen, he appeared nearby. Whenever she stepped onto the terrace, she would eventually spot him somewhere in the distance.
The boy followed her everywhere, and it was enough for her and everyone else to notice.
By the end of the week, the staff had started whispering about it.
That night, Evelli woke up thirsty. After staring at the ceiling for several minutes, she finally climbed out of bed and headed toward the kitchen.
The penthouse was quiet. Most of the lights had already been switched off.
The kitchen itself was almost completely dark. At first glance, it appeared empty. Evelli reached for the light switch but stopped.
Someone was already there. A small figure sat quietly at the dining table.
"Perry?" She called, and he looked up.
Moonlight filtered through the windows, illuminating his face. Only then did Evelli notice the plate sitting in front of him.
Her eyes widened.
Earlier that evening, she had cooked different delicacies for the meal and placed some in the fridge and freezer. The bowl had been completely full, now it was empty.
Every single grain of the stir-fried spaghetti and grilled chicken was gone.
She looked at the bowl
Then at Perry.
Then back to the bowl again.
The staff had repeatedly told her that Perry barely eats a good meal, yet the evidence sat directly in front of her.
Then something happened. Something so brief that Evelli almost thought she imagined it.
Perry smiled. Before Evelli could react, the boy jumped down from his chair then hurried out of the kitchen, leaving her standing there alone.
Staring at an empty bowl, she began wondering why that tiny smile felt like the greatest achievement of her entire week.
- Writer
