New Name (Prologue)

"From today onward, your name is Angelo Verde."

I was sitting on the ground under an evacuation tent, embracing my knees silently. The man who said those words to me removed his black leather gloves and then caressed my bandaged head, delivering a warm smile. A warm, gentle smile upon the frozen air as the snow has been falling since this morning.

At that point, I knew that man would take me from the shelter and look after me, an orphan.

A month ago, I lost my mother; the only family member I had when the flood completely wiped out our village. It was the most terrible one in the last two decades, leaving me nothing as a result.

At least, that was what the villagers told me.

Yes, I have amnesia. When I said that the disaster left me nothing, it was literally nothing. Even I don't remember my name, but the villagers told me it was Edgar…

I raised my hands to clench my hair as my head started throbbing. Somehow, it often happened every time I tried to remember something I was unable to.

I got up as I began to feel dizzy and nauseous. Just before I could rush to the lavatory together with the urge to throw up, I halted when that man suddenly took a wide step to block my path. Was it just my imagination or did he actually put more pressure as he stepped forward, either way, it made me cancel my further action.

"My name is Charles Verde."

He introduced himself and squatted in front of me to match my height, leaving his mahogany cane leaning against his shoulder. We linked our gazes for a while and it reminded me of a doctor in the hospital who told me once I came back to the shelter, there would be someone adopting me.

It was understandable, since nobody in such a poor neighborhood would take the trouble to keep a child who suffered from amnesia.

I looked away when Charles kept staring my way, watching me fidgety with a certain presence. As I uncomfortably shifted my eyes to the very, very tall man standing behind him, he laughed and introduced the slender man.

"He's coming with me. His name is Altin, my right-hand man," Charles shortly explained, pulling Altin to crouch beside him so as not to scare me.

"Right... hand man?" I timidly asked as I failed to comprehend the meaning of the word.

"Hmm..." Charles thought, searching for another way so I could understand. "He's someone I trust to help me with various things."

I, maybe, had finally grasped the meaning of it, but I didn't make any particular reaction. It was just when Charles kept rendering a fatherly smile in my direction, that I couldn't tear my gaze away from him.

From my perspective, Charles looked like he was in his forties while Altin twenties. Even though they treated each other familiarly, by how they looked, I didn't think they were related by blood.

Finally, after a short farewell with the villagers, passing through the snow-smelling soil of the roadside, with Charles and Altin in the front, I was sitting in the backseat by myself as the car left the site away. Through the newly polished window glass, my eyes wandered around, aiming at the Christmas decorations that dominated the town. The red-green-gold collaboration above the cold white carpet created an enchanting scenery.

"Merry Christmas, Lieutenant!" Altin exclaimed in joy, followed by Charles who was ready with his confetti.

"Merry Christmas, Altin!"

The small pieces of colorful paper burst into the air, spinning and glittering before being pulled down by gravity. Surprisingly, the older ones squealed with more delight than the actual kid here. I suppressed the elation that almost demanded a release as I watched Charles quietly.

Charles had long and curly silver hair, falling smoothly on his shoulders. A piece of black coat layered on his body just neatly. I wondered why he was bringing a cane when he could walk finely. Accessory?

As he was engaged in a seemingly amusing chat with Altin who was driving next to him, he paused and turned at me from his sidelong glance, noticing my curious stare.

"Merry Christmas, and Happy Birthday, Angelo."

Expressing softly, the outer side of Charles' brows slightly dropped, following with his kind gaze the moment it caught me. Being shown something as such for the first time, as I always got either an agitated or irritated look, I watched his eyes like I was captivated by the flickering emerald orbs.

Angelo Verde; it was the name he gave me. He said today was my birthday, which was December twenty-four; Christmas Eve. With that, I was no longer Edgar; a seven-year-old boy who lived in the village with no family, no house, no money, no education.

More importantly, no recollection.

Charles Verde, the man who gave me those I didn't have, stretched his hand toward me with a small box covered with Christmas-themed paper wraps. He nodded, allowing me to take it.

As I removed the cover, my eyes found a brown single-stringed bracelet inside the box. I lifted my head and immediately captured his bright smile.

"When I saw it in the store the other day, it reminded me of your hazel eyes, so I bought it for you," Charles told me, rubbing my cheek as he spotted a tiny mole under my right eye, finding it interesting, maybe.

The bracelet had a couple of tiny marbles at each end of the strings, emitting a greenish-brown shade when sparkling. As Charles put it around my left wrist, I heard a grumble when he realized it was a bit loose on my thin wrist.

Come to think of it, Charles had once visited me in the hospital before deciding to bring me today... So, it was when he noticed my features?

I cleared my throat to hold back a chuckle, feeling both happy and shy.

As far as I can remember, nobody has ever done something like this to me. People in the village were either looking at me with pity or treating me like a burden because I was small, weak, and in need of protection.

But, Charles was different.

I didn't know what exactly was the difference, but I could feel it. And it was real.

After some hours of flight and another trip by car, we finally arrived in front of a house. It was a two-floored ancient house with an ash-colored wall. The lone building on the wide yard was surrounded by trees whose leaves had been replaced with snow so white.

The sun had moved to the west, painting the sky and the earth marmalade. Tired, since it was my first time traveling this far as I knew.

Charles was holding my hand as we were walking to the entrance together for the first time. There older and younger, male and female, mixed their voices in greeting as I entered the house where all those strangers would become my family.

"Welcome home, Angelo!"

Bringing home an orphan who doesn't have relatives and suffers from severe amnesia, I wondered, what is Charles planning to do?