Times Three

Chapter 2

I look straight into his eyes, not minding its emptiness and creepiness. I do not even know this boy but I feel safe even though I am in an unfamiliar room. My parents must be looking for me as I look at my watch, it says that its already six in the evening. I have been here for an hour.

Feeling that I was deprive of oxygen, I inhale sharply and courageously ask him once again who is he. This time, I am not looking at him because I feel like choking because of awkwardness. Unfortunately, I can feel his static stare that made me conscious for a second. Can he just answer my question so I can leave now? The way he stares at me is like scanning my whole being to the tiniest bone he can found inside my body.

He asks the same question that I ask him. “Who are you?”

I smile at him and stands up to introduce myself in a lively manner.

“Finally, you ask! I am Celestine, the only daughter of your mother’s former classmate. How about you, what is your name?”

I ask him while leaning forward to see his face but he keeps on staring at the piano keys. Is he seeing things that I cannot? This boy is hard to deal with! I do not know whether to walk away without consent from someone who is inside this living room or just, stay here until he let me out. It is really a headache for encountering such a boy, but I do not know who he is, or maybe he is putting a show to steal from this family. My imagination is running wild as of a moment I am doubting this boy is silently sitting in front of me.

           “Can you please respond to any of my questions? I am honestly anxious of who you really are. I do not know if you will steal something that is why I stay for a while but my parents are probably looking for me.”

I rant due to the building anxiety that I am feeling, but this guy seems to be preoccupied with something. I turn my back on him and about to find my way out when he finally speaks.

           “There is a switch behind the blue dragon statue that connects to the door you’ve open out of your curiosity. Also, tell your parents that you went to play with puppies at the gazebo and you lost tract of time.”

A small smile appears in my lips as I hear him speaks that lengthy, and the thought that he might want someone to be with him for a moment. Is he that lonely or he just wants to be alone with me? That is not a problem since he has the looks that every girl dream.

As per his instruction, I immediately find the dragon statue, it is a small figurine of a Chinese dragon that faces the door that I fell from a while ago. Like it is for protection but I do not know if it is what it symbolizes. The door opens and I am welcome by Ellie, with a surprise look on his face. I also hear his rushing footsteps when he sees Ellie standing in front of me. He attempts to speak but chose not to.

When he is beside me, he calls Ellie ‘father’ which leads me to confusion. Wait a second! Is he their son? They lied by saying he is at school? What the hell is going on? Is he that cautious that people might be approaching him because of his family’s background? And why am I feeling like he betrayed? Its not like he is someone significant to me.

I seldom judge someone but I am stress about everything, so I ignore everyone present in that scene and look for my parents, who are arguing again not minding that we are in someone else’s house. Mother has this disapproving look in her face and her hands are in her waist, on the other hand, father is explaining something and frustration can be hear from his tone. This scenario is getting old, them arguing almost everyday and here I am, listening with and acting like I do not know anything.

We are not really part of what the society call ‘Elite’ group, my mother inherits her family’s business despite the feud she had with her sisters. It is a blessing in disguise actually, everything becomes easy for us. If we want new clothes, in one swipe we can buy it without looking at the tag. In exchange of that my family started to fall, they become busy person and often went home without arguing.

I sigh audibly attracting their attention, they fix themselves when they saw me approaching. They both gave a sweet smile and ask me where did I go. I did tell them the truth even the secret door that I found a while ago but the time I met this strange boy who only look at piano keys.

Mother arrange the loose strands of my hair that covers my face and ask me to go home since classes will resume tomorrow. She looks around the bungalow when Ellie came from the small kitchen on the east side, then asks for Margaret to bid farewell. My thought lingers from the boy I met a while ago, I never knew his name and I do not know when will I see him again. I do hope to see him again.

Margaret’s voice coming from the north side of the bungalow makes me come back to my consciousness. She is with the boy and they are walking towards our place, with a big smile painted on her face and a usual dead eye who is looking straight at me. I try to smile at him but he still gave no response, what do I expect?

           “Who is he Maggie?”

Mother asks in a teasing voice which also arouses my attention. I am dying to know his name; my curiosity is tickling every part of me and I do not think I can sleep tonight if he still chooses to hide his name.

           “He is my only son, KID, and he is not a people person and prefers to stay in her room. That is why I told you he is at school.”

Margaret proudly introduces his son to us and my lips slightly parted when I finally learn his name.

So KID, huh?

I snicker from that thought making all of them to look at me like I came from Saturn. For a boy to be name KID and from his attitude a while ago, is like a sulking kid. Father secretly pinch me in my waist that made my face deformed from pain. I swear! Father pinch like he is about to tear my flesh and it lasted for several seconds, when he finally let go of my waist he looks apologetically to Ellie and Margaret.

KID’s parents softly smile and Margaret tells us that KID is just a nickname of his son. “Kristopher Ian Dominic Robles is his full name but we often call him by his nickname.”

So that is the reason behind that nickname. I notice that he is stealing glances on me that is why I wink at him when our eyes met. He looks shock, well not really because of the minimal movement from his expression which made me bite my lower lip.  Now that I know your name, might as well go a little further about the school he attends.

I look at my mother and hugs her left arm, since she claims that I inherited a lot from here then she must know what I want right now. She looks at me with her eyebrows raise then roll her eyes afterwards. That is right mother, I want you to ask that to your former classmate.

           “KID, may I ask where the school you are attending?”

A triumph smile is evident on my lips. No one can defy the strong bond we have, with just one look she already gets what I want.

           KID does not respond which I already predicted so his mother answer for him. “He attends in Saint Louis Academy.”

I let go of mother’s arm with a shock expression when I heard that he attends the same school as me. I am already at my eleventh grade and by the looks of it he is too, and there is only one section per year level which means he is my classmate. How come I did not know that?

           “You….” I was not able to finish my sentence when he nodded.

           “Oh, by the way, this is my daughter…”

Not finishing my mother’s introduction about me, he left us here. That is rude!

Margaret apologetically smile and so is my mother. We bid farewell to them and thank them for the party the hosted. In the car with my parents, the exhaustion finally hits my body and my eyes feels heavy. I did not reject my body’s wish to hibernate and woke up in my room the next day.