FOURTEEN — THE UNFORESEEN

FOURTEEN – THE UNFORESEEN

"MILADY. MILADY, WAKE up. We've landed."

Groaning, my eyes fluttered. Lucas' kneeling figure to my left side, hand gently shaking my shoulder, greeted me first. My gaze roamed around, taking in my surroundings and realized I was still inside the private plane we boarded in Marsh Island.

Shifting from my cushion seat, I sat up. A blanket fell off on my lap. "When did I fall asleep?" I almost cringed at my hoarse voice. It sounded like coming from the depths of the earth. If anything, it would be more than enough to scare away kids.

He handed me a glass of cold water by which I greedily emptied the content. Taking it from my hand, he responded, "The instant the plane take off, milady."

I cupped the side of my head, feeling a bit light-headed, groggy ultimately. "I was sedated, wasn't I?" I shut my eyes, biting my bottom lip due to the pulsating nerves. "It's the instruction of that sadist four-eyed manager, isn't it?"

"I'm afraid so, milady."

My invisible thread of patience tingled. I could literally feel the awakening of my inner serial killer while picturing Victor's irking face.

"I hate him with passion."

"Without a doubt, for sure."

"Remind me to buy a voodoo doll for him. I'll torture him to my heart's content when we get back. And stop smiling. It's blinding me." Before I could realize what I had just blurted out, Lucas was already stifling a peal of laughter. "I mean—"

"I understand, milady," he said, flashing me his ever-sunny smile. "Come on. We still have a few hours drive to take from here. We'll be staying in your place."

My eyelids weighed heavy.

"And just a quick heads up. Since you were asleep, the other ladies were with us, and they might be on their way to your house. Milady, are you listening?"

I jolted to my seat and searched for Lucas. His eyebrows wrinkled. "Yeah, sure," I told him, fighting the urge to doze off again, even though I didn't actually catch up what he just said. "Is that all?"

"Are you sure such arrangement is fine to you, milady? I could—"

"No, no!" I shrugged, making swift hand gestures. "It's totally fine. Don't mind me."

"Are you sure?"

I widened my eyes, then shot him a pointed look. "Do I look like I'm kidding, Lucas?"

He didn't respond. Once he saw I was fully awake, he stood upright and walked off somewhere. Seconds later, he came back and helped me got up on my feet as I was still groggy from the sedation and, maybe, jetlag as well. I almost tripped several times. The last was the closest I could have kissed the shiny white tiled floor, still caused by the throbbing head I was nursing.

Damn you, Victor. Just you wait, and I'll hex you!

Ultimately, Lucas had to put me in a wheelchair to easily move me out of the private estate we've had landed into a white car waiting for us outside.

"I'd like to seat in front," I said, standing up from the wheelchair.

Lucas who had already stood by the open door of the backseat was quick to argue. "But, milady—"

"Op!" I raised a hand, palm facing him. "Don't argue with me, Lucas. I'm telling you it's not advisable while I have this freaking light headache. So for the love of all ancient gods of the Earth, please let me sit here."

"Milady—"

Before he could even argue more. I swiftly slipped in the front seat, slammed the door shut, and buckled up. Not seconds later, Lucas rounded the car and took the driver's seat with a light shake of the head.

"I'm getting into your nerves, don't I?" I grinned, wiggling my eyebrows. "Am I going to be the death of you, Lucas? Please tell me so."

Lucas shook his head again and sighed. "I think I'm getting used to it already, milady."

My grin dropped. "Can't you really call me by my name, huh?"

"Milady—"

"It's against the aides' protocol we strictly abide. Dropping honorifics means that we're on the same boat as you all. We can't have that. You're milady and I'm your aide. Status and rankings are given importance in Esotera Court. So, I deeply I apologize, but that can't do, milady," I interjected, rolling my eyes, mimicking his exact response to the same question I asked him before. I held my hands up in mock surrender. "I get it. I get it."

"I understand, but I can't do such thing, milady."

"Huh?"

He revved the car's engine, and we started to move. The side of his lips twitched upward. "You forgot that one."

"Oh, did I? How generous of you to remind me. Thank you, milord."

He chuckled. The kind of laughter that tickled my ear and warmed up the atmosphere. I was momentarily lost at its pleasant tune when it suddenly stopped. "I'm glad you're back, milady."

I rolled down the car's window and basked at the warmth of sun entering it. "Choices, Lucas. It's either I'd choose to let it get the better of me or set my mind straight, and do what I must."

"I see. Just always remember you have me at your beck and call, milady. We're all in this together."

My lips stretched into a small smile but instantly dropped it. Warmth rushed on my cheeks, making me gulp, as I remembered bits of my drunken craziness the night before yesterday.

I'm yours for the taking, milady.

I drew a sharp breath, aware of the sudden flushing of my cheeks.

I will love you for you . . .

Holy mozzarella cheese! Was that me? It wasn't, right? Right? Dang! That was me!

"I know, L-Lucas. Thank you."

You feel nice.

A vague image of me hugging Lucas from behind popped into my head, bringing more heat to my face. At this moment, the shame accumulating every second those memories swirled in my mind was like an uppercut that jolted me awake from those shameless act I could have possibly done to Lucas in my drunken state.

"L-Lucas."

He hummed, glancing at me, then back to the road.

"D-Did I do something inappropriate when was I drunk?"

His forehead wrinkled at first as he trained his eyes on the road. Suddenly, the side of lips twitched upward and was now grinning. "You said that I'm the gorgeous thing you have ever seen in Earth."

I gasped. "I-I s-said that?" My face seemed ready to burst anytime.

He nodded seemingly amused by my flustered state. "We could check the CCTV footage in Linus Touch if you'd like."

"No!" I snapped, almost hitting the car's roof as I jumped to my seat. "No need for that!"

There was no way in hell I would be watching that footage of my drunken state. The first and last time I did, all I've had ever wanted was crawl in a hole and disappear from anyone's sight.

"W-Was that all?"

"And that you hate me for keeping secrets from you."

All my train of thoughts was cut off.

In Vino Veritas. In wine, there's the truth.

I said nothing to counter that. What was used if it was indeed the truth?

Putting the hood over my head, I craned my head to the side to hide my face.

"Let's stop by the cemetery first."

TWO MARBLE TOMBSTONES in front of me. Each engraved the names of the two people who had been with me since I couldn't remember. Each had the same exact dates of death. I sat on the grass between and touched them both with the tip of my fingers; imagining the hands of Tessa and Stella clasping mine back. It was cold as expected.

My eyes fixated on the fresh bouquet of peace lily in Tessa's grave to my left and a mixture of pink and red anthurium bouquet in Stella's to the right.

"At least, they could have research more 'bout your flower preferences," I sighed, interchanging the bouquets of the flower. "No wonder you two were running away from them." I bitterly chuckled, lifting my gaze to fight the welling of tears. "I miss you two so much. I know it sounds cheesy, but I do."

I clutched my chest. The wound etched by their death in my heart was nowhere near healing. It still hurt. And there was only one way to somehow ease the pain of their loss.

One tear escaped the corner of my eye. As if on cue, the rest followed. "Ah, dang it! I'm starting to consider removing these tear glands. Holy cheese!" Quickly wiping away it all off my cheeks, I sniffed and tried to muster a smile. "Damn you both. I've become a crybaby these past days because of you two. Can't I have a break?" I shook my head, swallowing the lump in my throat. "Tessa, Stella, are you watching me now? For sure, you both already know what's running in my muddle head right now even though I won't tell it out loud. Do you two approved of it?"

I bit my bottom lip and stared down at my fingers fiddling the hem of my blouse. "Of course, you don't. I'll be sure hanged this instance if ever you're still here with me. But you're not . . ." I drawled. "And that's why I'm asking you to watch over me as I dive into a mess you both tried so hard to keep me away." I stood up and smiled down at their graves. "I'm going to find out the one responsible for your death, and let him taste the most excruciating torture I could ever imagine. That's a promise."

THE DRIVE TO WHEREVER Lucas only knew, to my delight, was silent. Lucas seemed to know that I was not in the mood to talk, and I couldn't be more thankful for that. We stayed like that for almost half-hour until the car took a sharp right turn, and the sceneries outside seemed to strike me familiar.

I shifted from my seat, eagerly watching the line of blooming African tulip trees at either side of the empty road unfold the long-forgotten memories of my early childhood years. The times when I was still in an orphanage.

We passed by a tall arching entryway with fading words Gemelos Orphanage. This time, I turned to Lucas who just briefly shot me a glance. His lips tugging into his usual warm smile.

The car slowly pulled over the roadside where chest-height sky blue fences surrounded a quaint two-story white house with two kids, a girl, and boy, chasing each other in grass courtyard. An elder woman — probably on her late or mid-sixties — emerged from the house' porch, calling the names of the kids, and they ran back inside with gleeful shouts.

Lucas must have seen the utter puzzlement in my face as I took in everything in front of us.

"What are we doing here, Lucas?" My voice came out small as I expected. Astonished by the fact I was back again to the first place I called home, all I could do was drown my eyes at its never-changing sight.

How long has it been? Thirteen years?

"We're back, milady."

Before I could even register what he had just said, Lucas already got off the car and opened the door to my side. I slid out of the car just to instantly stiffen at the soft voice calling Lucas' name.

"Lucas? Is that really you, my boy?"

With my back facing the direction of the voice, I slowly looked over my shoulders and turned my body around. I blinked multiples times, taking in the view of the petite elder woman in a knee-length white dress and headdress standing by the open wooden gate.

"C-Celestine?" Her wrinkling hands flew to cup her parted mouth, dropping it immediately to cross the gap between us.

And just like that, I found myself and Lucas caged in a warm, inviting embrace of the woman whom I first grew to know as a mother. Our faces buried at her slender shoulders, allowing us to smell the nostalgic scent of gardenia growing abundantly at the house's backyard.

"Sister Gail," Lucas and I simultaneously whispered in her ears, hugging her back with my right arm and Lucas with his left.

My forehead furrowed at Lucas upon realizing he also just said her name. Sister Gail let go of us, but I was still burning Lucas under my gaze, waiting for an explanation. But I got nothing.

"Come inside, my dears. We have lots of catching up to do."

We were ushered inside.

The moment we set foot inside, the kids we saw playing outside came rushing down the flight of stairs towards Sister Gail. They were yelling at the top of their lungs, but the instant they saw us, their noises immediately died down and hid behind Sister Gail.

"Now don't be shy, Reveena and Devon," Sister Gail cooed, chuckling at the kids' behavior. "This is Lucas and Celestine. They also once lived here when they were little just like you."

The little girl, Reveena, squinted her eyes on me, then tugged the boy's shirt, Devon, who mirrored her same expression after she whispered something on his ears.

"Ree said you look like our mom," Devon blurted out, blinking his doe eyes. Reveena leaned towards Devon again. "She said we look somehow alike."

Not knowing what exactly to say, I only connected my gaze to Sister Gail who just ruffled Devon's dark brown hair. Reveena, on the other hand, kept her pointed eyes on me. I mustered a small smile to ease the tension between us, but all she did was frown at me and dragged Devon somewhere in the house.

"Don't mind the twins, dear. They're not particularly fond of people. Come. I'll prepare something for both of you."

So, those two were twins.

"How long have they've been here?"

"The twins? Two years at most. I found them just outside. Probably left by some parents who couldn't afford to feed and give them proper care."

"Are they the only orphans left here?" Lucas questioned.

"Ah, the rest was in a summer outing. Those two didn't want to go, so I volunteered to look after them. I'm quite old to be constantly moving around anyway. Let the youngsters do their thing."

Sister Gail weaved her way through the kitchen, and we were left to sit at stools by the granite counter while she prepared something for us.

"I'm really glad you decided to visit, my dears. You both turn out to be a fine lad and lady!" She set the plate of tuna sandwich before us. "And you also seem to grow fond of each other, eh? If my poor memory still serves me right," she turned to me, touching my arms leaning over the counter, "I remembered you particularly hates Lucas' arrogance before," she trained her gaze to Lucas who was halfway finishing the first slice of his tuna sandwich, "And you, my boy, seems to reciprocate the feeling. So what happened?"

I looked at Lucas, tilting my head, unable to process Sister Gail's statement.

Was she insinuating that Lucas used to be one of the kids I've been with here in the orphanage before? Was he?

Lucas gave Sister Gail a tight smile and received the glass of iced tea she handed him. "Things change as you age, Sister Gail. I think that's what most call the maturity stage."

Sister Gail cupped Lucas' face between her wrinkled hands. "No matter what, I'm relieved you turn out to be a fine man. I couldn't be more thankful for that."

"O-Of course, Sister Gail." His voice seemed to waver as he held her hands.

"Right!" she beamed. "I'll leave you two to take a tour around the house. If you need this good old lady, you know where to find me."

I nodded. "Surely, Sister."

Excusing herself, Sister Gail took the back door where her little garden was. I diverted my attention to my companion just to find an empty stool beside me. Where did that one go?

I was about to leave the kitchen premise when my gaze landed on the remaining two slices of a tuna sandwich. I ran a hand over my face. Dang. Sister Gail didn't want food leftovers above other things. That is if you'd like to hear a twenty-four hours worth lecture of do's and don'ts.

I quickly stuffed myself with the food and almost moaned in delight as the first food of my day touches my tongue.

"SO YOU, SISTER Gail, and this orphanage, huh?" I said, finding Lucas in front of a shelf filled with various sizes of picture frames from smallest to largest at the back at the living room. Standing beside him, I smiled as I indulged myself at the old and new images there.

"Like what she said, I used to live here in the orphanage till I was thirteen, milady," he uttered not breaking his gaze from the pictures.

"If you do," I looked up to him, crossing my arms against my chest and tapping my foot against the floor. "I should have remembered you, Lucas. I lived here for nine years and I didn't recall seeing you here before."

He shrugged his shoulders. "Perhaps it was your choice to deem my existence unnoticed all those years."

"What?"

He reached out at the farthest back of those pictures and handed me an old rectangular picture frame. It was an image of children taken at the courtyard. His forefinger moved to point a tall kid standing alone by the porch instead with the line of the kids. "That's me. And this is you," he pointed to the girl in a twin ponytail on the opposite side.

I strained my eyes to focus on the two figures he pointed at, particularly to the boy. The lad in the porch almost had the same color of hair as Lucas, only much whiter in hue, and was frowning while looking at the kids taking pictures. He was like a photobomber there. I strained my eyes harder this time, eyes flickering back and forth to the picture and Lucas.

Despite the bit blurriness of the background, an unmistakable similarity ran close to the boy and him. A gasp escaped my lips. My hand flew to clamp my parted mouth. It was indeed Lucas!

"No freaking way."

"Yes way, milady."

Looking up, my widening eyes got fixated on his ash gray hair, down to his jade orbs and then back again to his locks. A distant memory of a bruised brash lad I tried to help after getting involved in a fight with the other kids grazed my mind. As quickly as it came to me, I frowned indignantly, remembering how that insolent lad snapped at me and pushed me to the ground after attempting to help his sorry arse. The one-inch horizontal scar on my right palm could attest to that.

He must have seen the realization in my face since he was smiling apologetically already. "So, you remembered."

Of course. How could I forget that young lad who always played the piano every Christmas Eve, and is always keeping to himself? The peculiar lad with white hair and snow white complexion that caused him to be constantly the target of the mean kids' bullying, yet still fought back regardless of how skinny he was. That young lad who told me I was an ugly piece of a walking stick with a forehead wide enough for an airplane to land on.

How. Could. I. Ever. Forget. Such. Despicable. Piece. Of. Ancient. Australopithecus?

So, it was him? Wow. What a coincidence! Insert in full-bloom sarcasm here.

I nodded with squinted eyes. "Crystal clear."

"I deeply apologize, milady." He took a step back, casting his head down a bit. "I was young and foolishly overflowing with pride then. I didn't mean to be rude. Had I--"

I raised my hand to stop him and took a series of calming breath. It was all in the past, anyway. "I get it. You were indeed a total jerk before. I'm just glad you grew into a fine man." I walked past him, patting his shoulder as I went. "Gosh! I have to say my gratitude to whoever adopted you then."

He mumbled something I didn't quite catch, so I pivoted and asked, "Come again?"

Turning around, he replied, "I said you know too well who was it, milady."

My right eyebrow arched as I eyed him incredulously. "Seriously?"

His head bobbed up and down. The next time he opened his mouth, it was as though an ear-piercing static sound violently assaulted my ears as I watched his lips articulated the name of that person who disappeared without a trace in my life the instant I turned eighteen.

"Noah Vasquez. It's your uncle who took me out of here, milady."

Somebody, please clean my ears.

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