Chapter Five: A New Beginning..!
1056 Words
After several days of sailing, the ship docked finally in the little Italian town of Portofino, the small town harbor bustling with life and warmth and color. It was a welcome change to Lucifer's family; the fresh air was a sign of a new beginning, both for Lucifer and his wife and daughter.
Richmond, who assisted in their fleeing Russia, breathed a sign of relief—that they have all arrived safe and sound and complete, he thought. He smiled as he walked up to Lucifer to bid them farewell and wish them happiness and a new beginning. "So long, mate. We'll meet again if fate wills it. Be sure to live a long and fulfilling life, as life has given you another chance. Farewell!" He shook Lucifer's hand. Lucifer nodded his eyes filled with gratitude and replied, "Thank you so much, Richy. This time you saved me. I owe you one." Betty's eyes were all teary. She hugged Richmond tightly, "Thank you for saving my family. We'll remember the favor.".
Elysa cooed, and Richmond looked at her and asked if he could hold her for a minute. Betty handed little Elysa to him. The little one clung to his shirt tightly, as if she knew he was going and didn't want him to leave. "Hey little one," he whispered, "be good; okay, your daddy and mommy are heroes you'll grow to be very proud of; I look forward to seeing you again, dearest. In the meantime, hold on to this little gift." Putting a pendant with the image of the sea engraved on it, he said, "It's my lucky charm; now it's yours." He smiled, handing over the baby to Betty. His eyes were dilated; he wanted to cry; he was sure he was going to miss them badly.
Elysa, sensing the emotional moments held tightly to her mother's finger while looking curiously into everyone's faces, which was beginning to be more familiar. She was just a year old. While leaving the dock with their small luggage, Lucifer felt a sense of peace wash over him. He had saved his family; the storm had passed—at least the huge one, he thought. The thought of Elyse came to him again. "Daddy will find you, Elyse.".
Lucifer and his family adapted quickly and steadily to their new environment, and with the fortune he was able to get away with, he bought a nice, comfortable, and sizeable house overlooking the sea in Portofino. And set up a carpenter workshop, established his craft, Betty would knit dresses for winter to sell; she was a fashionista and added a bit of Russian fashion to spice up her craft, and she got really good patronage, and little Elysa was enrolled in the local kindergarten, where she thrived. For the first time in years, Lucifer experienced what it felt like to live like a normal family; he had always lived in constant fear of his family being sabotaged, but now he's free from all that fear and from the shadows of his past.
Though a hunch lingered in his mind that his family aren't totally off the hook, "There is no sin without a punishment", was what he believed. He knew his past would one day come find him, but until then he was willing to enjoy this moment with his family.
Days turn to weeks, and weeks turn to months, and months turn into years, and Lucifer was finally starting to accept this new reality. "Maybe fate has forgiven my sins" , he thought. His carpentry business flourished due to his expertise in the art, Betty fashion professionalism, well-respected and sort-after, and Elysa, now four years old, has made quite a few friends in school. They could have been happy except for Elyse's mysterious whereabouts.
As they adapted and built their new life, Lucifer kept his promise to Betty by pulling all the strings he knows in Russia to find Elyse, contacting old pals and associates, sending photos of Elyse and four years later, that of Elysa since they were identical twins, to help aid the search. All this to no avail; Elyse somehow disappeared into the tiny air of Russia, to her parents dismay.
Betty slowly began to sink into depression, and Lucifer knew no word of consolation to heal her broken heart. She poured her heart into raising Elysa, the little girl who reminds her mother so much of Elyse, and at times little Elysa would look in her mother's eyes and see pure grief. Yet she was an intelligent little girl who tried all she could to make her mother happy.
"Mommy, why do you look so sad?" She would ask, "I'm not sad, my darling; mommy is just tired after a stressful day." Betty would reply, "But you do look sad, mommy; you always stare longingly into nothingness." Elysa would insist. Betty looked at her intelligent daughter; she couldn't be tricked so easily; she was more intelligent than her age; she wondered if Elyse would have said the same thing. "It's because mommy misses Elyse," Betty replied to her daughter. "Who is Elyse? The curious girl had asked, "Elyse is Elysa's beautiful guardian angel. Betty answered. The more curious Elysa asked, "Who is a guardian angel?" "It is someone who protects you, watches over you, guards you, and above all, loves you? Her mother replied, "And Elyse is my guardian angel?, "Yes, baby," Betty answered yet again. "What does she look like, and where can I find her?" Little Elyse asked thoughtfully. "She's a reflection of you in the mirror; she will find you when the time is right. "Elysa, this is not folklore," Betty replied finally. Looking lovingly at Elysa, she stroked her lush, beautiful, dark, shiny hair, tugging into a style that looks like a whirlwind. Betty muttered absentmindedly, "Do find your way back to us, Elyse." Little Elysa, thinking it was a prayer, muttered, loud enough to be heard by her mother, an "Amen". Her mother smiled. She brimmed with pride.
One afternoon, as Lucifer worked in his workshop, smoothening the surface of a plank, a familiar face appeared in the doorway. A face that seem so oddly familiar. Lucifer immediately recognizing the face felt as if he was kicked in the gut. "Nicklaus!", He muttered, his eyes widen with fear.
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