Mr. Goodman

In my dreams, I was alone. Again.

I picked up a letter I saw on my bed.

"Live well and be happy."

Love, Mom

Upon reading my mom's letter, I went to my dad to tell him mom was missing, to ask him to find her, to go to where she decided to go. But when I found him sitting in his bed with a blank look in his eyes, I knew then that he too, knew that mom was gone. I begged him to find her but he only pushed me out of his room, turned his back on me and shut the door of his room like as if he was shutting me out of his life too. He didn't even bother to ask me how I was feeling nor bothered to assure me that he'll find mom and that we'll see her again. There was no comfort, not a single word too.

Not getting any thing from my father, I packed my things up, opened my piggy bank, get my world map, went out of our house and decided to look for my mother, alone. I searched for her, everywhere, asked everyone about her but nobody seemed to care, nobody. It was twilight when I realized the world was not as small as it seemed on my map and the people were not as helpful and kind as my mother told me they were. Not getting anywhere, I went back home to find our house empty. There was a note on the dining table from my dad saying he's leaving and that I should not look for him. Along with his note were some documents. I was only seven but unlike other seven-year old kids, I knew how to read. The documents stated that the house was solely mine and all my father's assets and every single thing that he owned were mine too. I could not understand it then but one thing was clear to me, my parents left and I was left with nothing. I could not remember crying that night, I could not remember what I felt. I just knew I had to survive, in any way possible.

The next morning, I went to a restaurant nearby to get some breakfast. Every time I would walk by people looked at me with weird expressions on their eyes. Then they started talking. I may be a seven-year old kid, but I was not stupid to not understand what they were talking about. They were talking about why my parents left, saying it was because I was some sort of a bad luck, that I was a cursed child. Then they started pushing me out, shutting all the ways in.

I was ill-famed. My parent's disappeared with no reason because of me. Wherever I went, the knowledge about me went before and everyone would just drive me away. No relatives would receive me. Nobody would let me in even if I could pay big. Not even my money could save me from being isolated.

I opened my eyes and felt a familiar pain on my chest. I knew very well that it wasn't a dream. It was a memory which remains to stay vivid despite time. It was a memory I could not seem to erase no matter how hard I tried to.

"So you still have the same dreams from 11 years ago."

I almost forgot I wasn't alone until I heard Buck talk. He was looking at me with an unusual expression on his face. Like he was in pain too. Like he knew. Like he was there.

"What do you mean? What about my dreams? How did you know?"

He did not answer my questions. Instead he slowly got up and went to look outside through the windows. "We need to leave today."

"Leave where?"

"It won't be long until the Keepers come here. I cannot let them have you. And Pen, we need to find her. You have to have her."

I could no longer stand my curiosity. "The pen, why do you keep on speaking about it like it has a life? What's so big about it?"

He looked at me like he could not believe what I was saying.

"You are being so disrespectful to her. Pen is... Look Sin, I really am not in a position to tell you this things, I don't have the rights to do that. But we need to find her before the Keepers do."

"Why is that pen a she?"

"Because she is. And you need her. So get up. We don't have much time."

I was supposed to ask him another question when Sonia spoke.

"Mr. Goodman is outside, Master. Should I let him in?"

Mr. Goodman has been helping me with everything in my life since I was a kid. He was my father's secretary, and no matter how odd it seemed to me, he just did not leave. He was the one who takes care of the businesses my father left under my name and stood as my guardian for so long now.

"Okay. And you-" I pointed at Buck. "Don't say a word."

I heard the door opened and I saw Mr. Goodman enter the room with his usual black coat and white tie. He smiled when he looked at me but lost it when his direction went to Buck. They both froze.