6: If I Were The Devil (1)

Inside the large mansion of the Waynes, the sound of footsteps pounding on the floors of the Wayne mansion could be heard due to the soul-chilling silence that permeated the entirety of the Wayne mansion.

"Esther! Esther!"

The loud voice of a young boy disrupted the silence in the Wayne mansion as his feet furiously ran towards his sister's room with a panicked and worried expression.

Assuming the young boy was wiser, more experienced, and most especially, in the right state of mind, the young boy would have realized that there was something strange and wrong about the silence and atmosphere of his home.

But what could one expect from an eight year old?

Andrew ran at the fastest speed he could muster. As he ran, his heart pounded in fear due to the fact that he received no response from his sister, even after he shouted out her name.

He wanted to be optimistic and believe that his sister was most likely in a deep sleep. He didn't want to believe that his sister was missing.

He knew his sister very well, and he knew that she was afraid of the dark and empty rooms- Just like most kids her age.

If there was no reason for her to go out of her room in the night, he knew that his sister would either stay in her room or call Edgar to accompany her to wherever she wanted to go.

"She cannot be missing. She must not be missing." Andrew mumbled with tears slightly coming out of his eyes as he ran.

He did not know what he would do if his sister were actually missing. He loved his sister way too much.

A door came into Andrew's view, and he slowed down.

"Esther!"

Andrew grabbed the handle and quickly opened the door. He looked around, and then his eyes widened. He found no signs of his sister.

"Esther where are you?!"

Andrew screamed and walked to the bed in the room. He saw his sister's ten stuffed toys of different sizes on her bed, but he found no sign of her. He grabbed the stuffed toys and started throwing them around, hoping that his sister was maybe playing a prank on him and was hiding behind her toys.

"Where are you Esther?!"

Andrew threw the last stuffed toy away, and then he knelt and looked underneath his sister's bed.

"Are you there Esther?"

His eyes scanned underneath his sister's bed, but he found no sign of his sister.

"I told you she's not in her room."

"Ahhh!"

Bam!

"FUCK!"

Andrew jumped the instant he heard a deep voice behind him, and when he jumped, his head slammed into the wooden frame of the bed and Andrew instantly cursed out loud while holding his head.

He rubbed his head for a few seconds, then he slowly removed his head from underneath his sister's bed. He looked at the source of the voice- though he already knew who it was.

"Didn't your father and mother ever teach you not to sneak behind somebody and speak without warning?" Andrew's mind, soul, and heart were in emotional turmoil, so he could not give two fucks about his attitude toward a beggar or the emotions of the beggar.

Thomas' eyes flickered slightly, though his expression remained the same. "My parents are dead."

Andrew paused with an awkward expression, but then he shook his head and stood. His thoughts regarding the beggar remained the same. As long as his sister was not in his arms, he could not give two fucks about his attitude towards the beggar.

"Do you know where my sister is?" Andrew asked as he sat on his sister's bed. He was somewhat exhausted from all the running and panicking.

His head ached, and he groaned slightly.

"If I knew, I'd have brought her to you." Thomas shrugged nonchalantly, and then he walked outside the room.

Andrew's eyes widened slightly. "Wait, where are you going?" He quickly ran after the beggar.

He caught up to the beggar, but he received no answer.

Andrew frowned with dissatisfaction, "I asked where are we going." 

Andrew demanded, and Thomas glanced at him. "I'm going to where I heard the sound that woke me up."

"The sound?" Andrew furrowed his brows. "You're going to the garage?"

Thomas nodded.

"But is my sister going to be there? I don't care about any sound. I only want to find my sister." Andrew clenched his fists in worry, and Thomas smiled.

"Who knows? Your sister might be there."

"Really?" Andrew raised his brows skeptically, and Thomas nodded.

"She might have gone there and made some noise in the process," Thomas said, and Andrew frowned in confusion.

"But why would she have gone there? Esther is not that fascinated with cars." Andrew questioned, and Thomas shrugged.

"We'll get our answer when we check out the garage," Thomas said.

"I hope so," Andrew mumbled.

After this brief conversation, no words were spoken between the two of them. Although Andrew and Thomas were walking side by side, they were lost in their own thoughts.

Andrew had a worried expression as he walked beside Thomas. His mind was unfocused, and his eyes were clearly not focused on the path he was taking. Only his instincts and muscle memory which had been honed due to the years he had spent in his father's house guided him as he walked absentmindedly alongside Thomas.

Meanwhile, Thomas had a somewhat vacant expression. If one observed Thomas, one would notice that his lips would sometimes curl up ever so slightly, and his eyes would sometimes flicker with a blackish light.

"Hey kid."

The silence was broken by the voice of the beggar, Thomas.

Andrew looked at him with a frown, though Thomas kept his eyes on the path ahead.

"What do you want? Why are you disturbing my thoughts?"

Andrew asked with an irritated expression, but the only response he received was silence, which irritated and angered Andrew.

"What the hell?! Why would you call me but you-?"

Just as Andrew was about to lash out in his childish anger, Thomas interrupted him.

"What would you do if you were the devil?"