This Day Will Never End

Is it today that Gueniève will arrive? Nodge asked me, staring at the shiny, messy mass of hair falling down my back without that damned ugly wig, as he often calls it.

"No, she'll be there tomorrow; concerning my hair, I needed a break, so I undid it last night when I got home. I was choked."

" Are you going to stay locked up all day? And your friends, will you tell them who you are?"

"I still hesitate. I don't want them to change their behavior toward me. Do you think now is the time? " I ask him innocently.

" I don't think you have to worry about that; so far, they've been OK with you, and despite your complications, they've never changed their behavior, from what you've told me, right?"

Yeah, Nodge is aware of everything going on between my new and only friend and me. I ask him for advice, and so does Cody. I have to tell him so he can understand if I'm trying hard or regressing, so we take the time to discuss everything that's going on in my life when I'm at university and the things that bother me.

"Absolutely, but that doesn't stop me from being septical. My anxiety lies in the fact that I am the youngest and also all that." With my right arm, I make a sizeable demonstrative gesture to show the luxury surrounding me.

"Ah, you know your father, and I don't come from the same background, but he chose me as a friend before I even laid eyes on him. And when I had problems with the administration after my father died, he took care of everything."

"I even laughed at him when his driver came to pick him up. I didn't understand why he couldn't stay on campus. I thought he was too spoiled. "

"I was stupid and ignorant." I wanted so much to prove myself worthy of the friendship of others that I was completely adrift. Then, three months after my father's death, my mother told me that we were overwhelmed with debt and that he had gone bankrupt. That's what he left us."

"I didn't have a scholarship, so I was toiling away, and my friends all left. They didn't want to drag a cannonball under their feet. I was a playboy then; as famous as the queen, I was the champion rower. It earned me my popularity and my arrogance. "

"Anyway, I would have said goodbye to my dreams if your father wasn't here. Despite his fortune and intellectual assets, your father was noble, and I don't even know how to describe him. I'm talking about his moral qualities and values, not only because of his social rank. My old friends made fun of me; they called me "his minion."

"You inherited a bit of his wisdom and his big heart, but you still don't come up to his heel, naughty kid." He said with a chuckle.

"You inherited their brains, your mother's playfulness, your father's innocence, and a well-balanced blend of their beauty. Those blue eyes you have to hide were part of your father's spellbinding charm, that pretty nose, and your mother's beautiful ebony hair with caramelized brown tips.

I have the impression that they have agreed on the distribution of the characteristic traits of your physique; it is breathtaking. "

"The good news is that at least I could introduce you to the practice of sport." I also participated, huh? Take a look at yourself now; that's my little grain of salt in all that they've left you on the physical side. What do you say? " He finished his long speech excitedly at me while raising an eyebrow comically, which made me laugh.

My parents would be respectively thirty-eight today, but unfortunately. And Nodge is forty-two. He has no children nor a wife. If only he hadn't felt indebted to my father, he could live a better life with a friendly family without having me as a burden.

"I know what you're telling yourself; I recognize your father there with that face you're making. You know, you're as my son as theirs. Your father fainted during the delivery, and I stayed at your mother's bedside, and that mark there. Believe me, Quincy, you are not a burden; you are my blessing, my redemption."

He took off his designer jacket, which he put on the sofa, and began to fold up his shirt sleeve to the elbow and showed me the scar on his muscular arm like a subcutaneous tattoo.

" She didn't let go of my arm, which she kept stuck under her sharp teeth until she expelled you like a rocket. I didn't feel the pain until one of the nurses pointed out my bloody arm. It was the best day of my life. I bled to see you come into the world. That means I also bled to see you go into the world, so you are my son as theirs. Do you understand that?"

"Yes, father," I said with a pout; he burst out laughing.

" You know what? These boys made you evil. How dare you laugh at me, kid."

"you never thought about creating your own family, Nodge, getting married, and having children?

"To tell you the truth, I never thought about it. All three of you had made me difficult and very straddling the criteria. But I want to find someone to spend beautiful moments with during my retirement."

"What? You are already thinking about retirement, but who will manage the Empire?" The word retirement made me jump off the couch in a panic.

"Hey! Calm down he said slowly. Listen to me carefully, Quincy; This Empire is yours. This hard work the parents of your grandparents, then your grandparents, and parents have undertaken for so many years is rightfully yours. You have to take responsibility for carrying on the tradition. You are part of the elite of this society so take your place as such. I will always be there for you and with you, whatever the circumstances. You have the capacity, and you will manage to overcome your fears and your difficulties."

He spoke these words while holding my shoulders. I nodded yes, still uneasy, but I somehow calmed down, but I was not ready yet.

"Why did they only have single sons? It's weird, and they all die somewhat weird too. Don't you think?" He smiles softly, saying, " it's not strange; each family has its rules and practices."

I heard a little tension in his voice that made me feel uneasy and the muscles in his jaws tensed as I was about to ask him what was going on. Cody's voice is heard behind me.

" Gueniève just arrived," he said, pointing to footage of her from the parking lot, still so austere and elegant. There was something in the air. A look at Cody made my blood run cold.

I see a worried Cody avoiding my gaze. It's alarming. He sensed the tension in Nodge's voice too, and he's good at picking up on body language and unspoken words.

Gueniève is like those soft, chewy hard candies with strawberries or caramel. She received a rigorous education to serve families like mine. You know what I mean. She followed in her mother's footsteps like her two sisters.

Gueniève is thirteen years older than my father, and her mother worked for my grandparents. They grew up at the manor. When her elder sisters were ready for service, they were sent to other families on my grandmother's recommendation. After my parents' wedding, she followed them, and my grandparents died shortly afterward, two years later, in a car accident. Interesting, no?

" Family meeting?"

" Greetings to you too, Gueniève," Nodge answered.

" Nodge, Aim, Cody, my greetings!" she retorted eloquently.

Yeah, they call me that too, and by my first name, as I use theirs, but no one else addresses me that casually; they are like my parents. And all kinds of formalities tend to take a toll on me, but Guenieve doesn't accept the other member of the staff calling me by my name.

She put a warm gaze on me, which instinctively became hard and cold, before launching: " Why is your appearance so sloppy and neglected?" yeah, that's Guenieve.

Sometimes I wonder if she doesn't mistake me for a doll. I cannot have a neglected appearance and must always be impeccable, even in my sleep. My hair must always be well combed even if they are not tied, and my clothes should be without the slightest crease. That at least I understand since I wouldn't say I like wrinkled clothes.... but for my hair, it's a bit too much, especially since they are very long.

"Ah, leave him alone he hasn't been going anywhere all day. And no matter how he is, he'll still be beautiful; why worry about it? It's good that he relaxes a bit. It would help if you tried too?" Nodge hastened to answer.

She glared at Nodge, who took a step back. " Aim, she said; what did I tell you about your appearance?"

" I don't remember," I answer her while running my hands through my messy hair, which falls in a loose wave down my back.

My mother used to cut my father's and my hair. But since their death, I won't let anyone approach them or cut them off. I can't stand it. And that's also the reason for Gueniève's arrival. She takes care of them and knows how to tie them up to hide them from the public.

Cody and Nodge cooed at my answer. She stared at them without giving me a single look and headed for the next room.

" I think we'd better calm down," Nodge whispered, chuckling, "the lady is rather scary."

It is challenging to find Nodge severe in my company; he always adopts childish behavior with me and sometimes is only to annoy Guenieve. She is much too tense sometimes. And I'm pretty upside down and without any reference like that to find myself constantly under pressure.

" We're going out to dinner, hm?" he said with a louder voice to attract Guenieve attention. " No, did you see my face, at least?" I whispered to him. " No one is going out. I'm preparing dinner," says Gueniève from the other room.

" I want pasta," I retorted cheerfully. "You are going to eat vegetables, young man." she stamped in a grave-like frightened tone. " So we're going out," cooed Nodge, like a child looking for a fight. " You already know my answer," she took back harshly.

" In fact, why did you arrive today?" Cody, who finally decides to add his grain of salt, "said, normally, you should be there tomorrow at ten o'clock."

"Thanks for reminding me, Cody, but I'm here and now. Is there a problem?"

Cody was about to say god knows what when I waved him off. I'm not ready to listen to those two fights whenever she's around. He obeys despite himself displaying an annoyed and long face.

We were silent for a moment before I went to my room, leaving these three alone. I need space now. Once in the bedroom, I closed the door and leaned against it for a moment, thinking back to our discussions before Gueniève arrived. There's something wrong. I don't see what it is yet; I'll find it later; now, I need to take a break from everything.

Nodge urges me to take over The Empire. He was persistent all day. Usually, when he broaches the subject and I show a sign of disinterest, he drops the discussion. I need to look into this with Cody, but not today. I'm empty now.

All the stay up all night takes a toll on me in a blink of an eye. I walk to my bed shuffling, my back hunched and my shoulders heavy, suddenly in the grip of significant fatigue. I lay down to almost immediately plunge into a dreamless sleep.

" So, how was it?" uttered a voice close to me.

With a yawn, I open my eyes to face a mysterious Cody.

" Is everything going well?" I asked Him, seeing his way of glancing at me.

"I should be asking you this question, you slept eight hours straight, which is pretty good, but you kept calling mom, dad, Ken."I sat up quickly in my bed. "How long have you been here?"

" Since you came up, I stayed there until you woke up. I checked your vital signs; since there was nothing to worry about, I let you sleep."

" However, I was not dreaming." I talked back, cracking my neck a little. " Sleep talking, you know, huh? It is a disorder that is part of the parasomnias. It is a fact to speak more or less loudly while sleeping, ranging from simple words to long sentences that are more or less understandable. It can be caused by: fatigue, fever…."

"OK, okay, fatigue, fever, alcohol abuse, stress, that's what you were going to say, right?"

" Indeed, but if we forget that you've been a little tired these last few days, we'll say that your subconscious has been selective. I imagine Ken is that young man you kissed."

I nodded yes with boredom." So, these are people you miss. You miss them, he said thoughtfully."

" You can become a screenwriter, you know? You have a lot of imagination." A sentence that I threw at him while getting out of bed and heading for the bathroom. I can feel his murderous gaze on my back. He hates unfinished discussions.

He always has to find a solution when facing a problem. Imagine for a moment that I was like him. What a pain! It will be hell.

"You have to eat. Once you've finished preparing yourself, you have to come straight down to the dining room. We're waiting for you."

"Hey! "I hurry to call him. "You don't talk about this incident, OK? And I would be grateful if you could do some research for me regarding the Empire. Since its foundation."

"OK, already on it."

" You don't talk about it."

" yeah, I got it."

Why is he so painful and stubborn? Why doesn't he let his emotions out? I worry about my creator. I have to find a way to help him. He keeps everything hidden inside of him. I'm afraid he will explode one day like a time bomb.

Things are already not working too well in his head, and some things should not happen again.