77 Quint Rauss [3]
Quint was stupefied in fear. He clenched his fist tight. He wanted to help his mother, but he knew he could do nothing. He doubt could defend his mother from any regular man, never less from his master. That man was.. was.. too strong.
In the five months of being his disciple, Quint recognized more and more of the man's power and abilities. The man could even only touched him to end his life.
Suddenly, the man Quint was thinking of glanced his sight onto the kitchen door where Quint was peeking.
Quint in instant withdrew his head. He knew! Quint thought inwardly.
Trying to make no noise at all and being fast as possible at once, Quint left the house. He was in despair. He felt so guilty to leave his mother alone, fighting for her life. But.. but he needed to be alive so he could be witness to his mother's murder. Quint walked rashly. He didn't know where to hide.
In desperate, he went to his puppy's house and just hid in there. He curled up beside the puppy with trembling body. His puppy just watched him in confusion, but it didn't make any sound.
Minute had passed when suddenly his puppy raised its head and wagged his tail happily. Quint slightly turned his head to the door hole. As he expected, there were a pair of adult male's shoes in front of it. His body was trembling furiously.
"Till when you will hide there ?" A familiar male voice, his master, asked. There was a hilarious he tried to hide from his tone. Quint didn't answer. His master squatted and tilted his head so he could see Quint curled up like a ball.
"Come out.. We need to talk," he said.
"No," Quint refused.
"Why ?"
"You will kill me if I come out," Quint said truthfully.
"Kill.. ? Why.. what.. Why I want to kill you ??" The man asked, this time vividly in confusion.
"You killed my mother. I saw you. Now. now.. you want to kill me," Quint answered. He tried hard not to show his fear in his voice though his face was all in tear.
"Kill your mother ?" The man then bursted in laughter. He laughed so hard until he fell his butt on the ground. Quint squinted his eyes to hear his laughter. "I didn't kill your mother"
"You lied!! I saw you!! You muffled her nose to die!!"
His master laughed again. "I didn't kill your mother. I won't kill your mother, nor your father, nor you, nor your sisters.. I won't even kill your puppy."
Knowing Quint replied only with silence, the man continued, "I would die my self even to think about harming your family."
"I don't believe you," Quint insisted.
"I will prove it to you," the man said. He stood up. soon he talked again, this time with someone on the phone. That someone was Quint's mother.
Quint was so happy to hear his mother's voice. He quickly pushed his head out of the hole, but the man put his finger in front of his lips, told him to make no sound.
"Why did you leave me immediately after ?" his mother asked. There was a slight of spoiled in her voice.
"I heard your puppy's crying. So I checked on it to make sure it was alright," the man answered her. Right when he finished talking, his stomach was jolting aback, like there was an invisible person punched it. Then a drip of blood came from the corner of his lips.
"Is the puppy okay ? Is it injured itself ?" The woman asked in worry.
"Yes, it is okay. There was a tiny gravel tucked on its foot. But.." the man wiped his sudden bleeding nose while wincing,"But I took it already."
"Good. I am going to refresh my self.. If you wanted to join.."
"I can't.. I have .." The man glanced at Quint who stared at him, "I have to fix a problem I made," the man continued. He then said goodbye before hung up the call.
"You bleed," Quint finally uttered his wonder.
The man nodded. "I have soul-binding vowed to be loyal to your family. Any kind of betrayal will harm me, including lies," he said then winked unchantantly.
"Then.. what you did to my mo.."
The man sighed. "I will explain to you. But not here." The man stretched his arm for Quint to reach. "Let's have ice cream."
Quint looked at the hand for a second, then put his own hand on it before coming out from the puppy's house.
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"I love your mother."
"I love my mother, too,: Quint said naively, licking his ice cream. His master chuckled then put a spoon of ice cream inside his mouth.
"What I did to your mother was.. a way to show my love to her," His master continued.
Quint squinted. "It looked like you're hurting her," he said in disapproval tone.
His master laughed. "No.. I can assure you that she enjoyed it. She enjoyed it a lot.." He then chuckled again. A vivid blushes could be seen on his face. "You will understand when you are a grown up, Boy," he added.
"So.. Does that mean that.. my mother loves you, too ? But she was married to my father," Quint asked, clearly still didn't understand.
The man sighed and chuckled at the same time. "Your mother loves your father," he said. He spooned his ice cream again before continued,
"Your father is a great soldier. I admire him so much. That's why I am willingly to become his adjutant. His last duty in a battle gave him several medals and made him a Brigadier General as he is now. However, that same battle injured him quite bad that made him .. hmm, how should I put it to you .. he could no longer show his love to your mother physically. Your father permitted me to make her satisfy physically. Since she doesn't want to hurt your father's feeling, we do it secretly." The man saw the boy only stared at him blankly. He chuckled.
"Anyway.. at that time, your father and mother had already your two sisters. But your father was so desperately wanting a boy to pass his name line," the man continued.
"So.. am I your son ?" Quint asked innocently. The man laughed heartily.
"No, my boy. You are not. Al though I really don't mind to have a son like you," he said then patted Quint's head.
Quint dropped down his head. He always wondered why he was different from his sisters, He thought that maybe he was his master's son.
"Your parents adopted you from a country in the East," His master explained to him. "That is why you looked different from your sisters, nor your parents. Nevertheless, your parents love you tremendously. Don't you forget that."
"Did you know where are my real parents now ?" Quint asked.
His master sighed, "I was told, they were dead, my boy. I accompanied your mother to pick you from the country. It was a poor country. The orphanage you were living was in a very poor condition. The men there informed us about your parents."
"I see," Quint nodded then grew a thin smile. "Thank you for picking me."
His master laughed. "It was my pleasure, my boy.. it was my pleasure."
Quint was quiet, just licking his chocolate ice cream that was dripping almost to his fingers.
"I need you to promise me something," his master opened a conversation again. Quint just raised his eyes to look at the man. "Don't let your mother knows that you saw what we were doing in the kitchen," the man added.
"Why ?"
"Let's just say.. things would be complicated to you when she knew," His master answered.
"Okay," Quint finally agreed after thinking about it for a minute.
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"Hey, Quite Rauss! You know 'quite' is a too good for you, right ? I mean.. you're not even a quarter of Rauss.. Hahahaha," The boy laughters was followed by his friends.
Soon they were starting to mock, "Quite Rauss.. Quite Rauss.. how can he be a Rauss ? He has no blood of a Rauss, he's just a yellow mouse, taken as a Rauss. That's why we call him a Quite Rauss!!" Then they laugh again while pointing at him.
"Don't mind them," a cute little girl with a straight bang covers her forehead suddenly appeared beside Quint Rauss.
"I don't mind at all. It's a fact," Quint said in cold. It was his second year in this elementary school. His eldest sister who was four years older than him had already left this school, went to the junior high. Ever since his sister was gone, the annoyed children started bullying him again. Well, they were trying to, but Quint didn't feel bothered.
Quint Rauss was growing up to be a less emotional boy. It was not that he suppressed his emotion but he literally didn't get emotional easily. He rarely felt a tremendous emotion, whether it was happiness, sadness, excited, nor anger. Thus, these bullies threw at him was only falling in vain, if not bothered other, like the little girl who befriended with him on the second day of his school.
The little girl snuffled in irritation. "Let's go. The bell should ring any moment," Quint invited her to walk to their classroom after closing his locker.
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It was noon a few days later. Quint Rauss was going home on foot. His school was only few blocks away from his home.
Like usual, instead of using the pedestrian Quint preferred to go through the district small forest. Beside it was a shorter path, it had nicer and cooler air since it had lot more trees covered him from the hot summer.
His little friend, like always, followed him a few steps behind. She was a daughter of a family two house before his home, so he didn't mind her following him.
Quint narrowed his eyes slightly to see from a far his path was being blocked by a group of people. He sighed when he recognized who were they. It was them again, the same boys who were bullied him at school.
"Here he is.. Quite Mouse !" the huge boys shouted with mocking tone while he and the rest of his buddies blocked the entire path.
"What do you want ?" the little girl was the one who asking. She bulged her eyes with so much annoyance. But the boys, instead of being scared, laughed at her cute angry face.
"Is she your girlfriend, Mouse ?" the huge boy asked while reached his hand to touch the girl. The girl instantly dodged and stepped back.
Quint Rauss sighed and pulled the girl slightly to hide behind his back. "Leave her alone," He requested in calm.
"Ow.. the mouse is protecting his girl.." the huge boy mocked him.
"She is not my girlfriend nor has anything to do with me. You guys can mock and bully me whatever you want, just leave her out of this," Quint said, still in calm expressionless tone.
"Or what ?" the huge boy challenged.
"Or I will tell my father to discipline your father for unable to control your behavior," Suddenly the little girl spoke before Quint could respond.
A boy beside the huge boy whispered something to him that made the huge boy bulged his eyes for a second.
"O you are Colonel General Andrew's foster daughter," the huge boy said then moved his eyes to Quint, "Nice move, Mouse. You chose a right girl to be your girlfriend," The huge boy ordered his friends to make away for Quint and the girl.
Knowing that, Quint grabbed the girl's hand. He walked passed through the gang, making sure the girl was always covered by his back.
"Al though if I were you, I would cut my penis and started wearing dress.." suddenly the huge boy mocked him again. His friends laughed frantically hearing it.
Quint pulled the girl's hand harder to keep her moving, signaling to just ignore the boys.
"He has been hiding behind girls' backs all these times. First, his big sister and now his girlfriend," the huge boy continued, making his friends laughed even louder. Knowing his words didn't affect Quint at all, the huge boy continued with an increased volume of voice, made sure it was heard by Quint,
"Speaking about that slut, my cousin is her senior now. I will ask him to take care of her. You know.. maybe ripping her mouth so she couldn't open her big ..."
Quint stopped and released the girl's hand. Even before the girl realized anything, Quint turned his body and ran back toward the huge boy. Without stopping his steps, Quint then put his small fist onto the huge boy's chest.
The huge boy might fly few feet back if not being caught by his friends behind him. They all fell on the ground like bowling pins. The huge boy spilled a full mouth of blood. Not only that, still laid on his friend's chest, the huge boy could only stared blankly to Quint. His mouth was opened wide, gaping for air that somehow didn't reach his lungs.
