Devouring love (17 page)

Finally the door opened and Merdian came into the room. He seemed exhausted but when our eyes met, he tried to put a big smile on his face. He didn't succeed. The smile looked like it belonged to a man who was in pain.

“You should sleep,” he said to me.

I shook my head.

“Please, Melody,” he begged me. He didn't want to tell me anything what he had discussed with his father. He wanted to leave me aside while I didn't want that.

“What will happen next?” I asked, my voice was trembling.

He took my hand and lifted it to his warm lips. It wasn't a good sign. Most of the time he kissed my hand to show how lovely I look or when he was about to ask me to drop the topic.

“No,” I said instantly. “I need to know. That devil... is after me. I haven't even known that they exist.”

“They exist,” he didn't let go my hand,” but they hide in the corners, minding their own business. They don't care about us and we don't care about them. But how it seems this time, one of them decided not to ignore us anymore,” he didn't sound pleased with that.

“What does he want?”

He shrugged and stepped one step closer to me, hugging me.

“I don't know, but I am intending to find that out. At least we know now that he was that one who killed our men in the hospital.”

I closed my eyes. I knew deep inside me that maybe I should tell him the entire story, now, here. It would be only for the best if he knew what really was going one, but I just couldn't find enough strength in me to open my mouth and say those words to him, because I knew that they could hurt him and I didn't want to see pain in his eyes when I had already given him so much of it. Right now I wanted to make him happy. Only happy.

“What will we do?”

“Not we, but I with my father and his men,” he corrected me. “I don't want you in all this thing. I have just got you back. I don't want to lose you again.”

“But he is after me,” I said. Tears started gathering in my eyes.

“And I will make sure that he wouldn't,” he kissed my cheek. “Now, you need to take a nap. You seem tired.”

“You too,” I said and put my free hand on his chest. His heart pounded calmly in his chest while mine was hammering like a scared animals.

“Yes,” he agreed. “It was a hard day and we both should sleep,” he pulled my to the bed and without letting me argue with him, he took me into his arms and laid me on the bed. “Please, sleep. You need to rest,” he turned around and was about to leave me alone in the room, but I grabbed his hand, stopping him.

“Please, stay with me,” I asked and he put a small smile on his face.

“Okay,” he nodded and lay on the bed next to me. Soon I was in his arms, my head on his chest. It was so magical to be with him in one bed, hear his heartbeat and know that he loved me. Really, what should a girl want more?

Caspar

I was standing in front of my mother's home. I didn't hurry to knock and enter into that small flat. No. I just stood, staring at the dark green wooden door, trying to remember that day when my father told the story how he met a stranger in when he was walking down the street after he had met the doctor who told him that the medicine didn't help and the tumour was only growing in him.

“Somehow he knew what was wrong with me,” my father said, his eyes were staring at the white ceiling. “He came closer to me and told that he could help me, but for his service I needed to give something to him.”

I was sitting next to his bed then, staring with a pity at him and how much effort he was putting to tell me a story which was more likely to be a fairy tale than a true event which happened to him.

“What did he want from you?” I asked only to show him that I was interesting, although I wasn't.

“He didn't tell me. He said that when the time comes, he would come and take his payment.”

“Did you accept his offer?”

A tear escaped my father’s eyes and slowly ran on his cheek when he tried to move his head up and down.

“Yes, and I am very ashamed of that. I told him what I wanted and we shook our hands. I felt electricity in my body when I touched his skin. His eyes for one second were red like blood. At that moment I didn't understand who he was and how he really could do what I had asked him.”

“And what had you asked?”

“He ordered me not to tell anyone about my wish. He only told me to tell this story to my son if something bad could happen to me. So, I am telling you this story.”

He cough several time to his fist. I could see blood on his fingers. I turned my eyes away that he couldn't see how sad I was.

“Did he do what you had asked?”

“Yes,” he tried to nod. “Now I know that he was a devil, Caspar. They exist and he was one of them. Be careful, Caspar. He would come to you, because I will be dead.”

“No, you won't die,” I said, although I didn't believe in my words myself.

He tried to smile.

“I will and I am sorry that was weak enough for him to use me. I am so sorry, son.”

“I forgive you,” I told those words only because I wanted that he could die in peace, not because I truly thought that his story was true and some kind of devil would come after me.

I sighed and looked at my shoes. Then, I took several deep breaths and knocked on the door. I knew that I wasn't ready to face my mother, but I doubted if I ever be. I promised her to come and help her with her flue.

The door opened and Nick appeared in front of me. His mocking smile was working on his face.

“Finally,” he said and moved aside, making some space for me to enter into the flat.

“I am happy to see you too,” I said sarcastically.

He didn't say anything, just rolled his eyes and closed the door behind me.

“How is she?”

He shrugged. He tried to look like he didn't care about our mother, but in his eyes I could see that he was a little concerned about her health.

“I will leave you alone with her,” he quickly said, took his coat and walked out from the flat. That wasn't a new thing for me. He always loved to go our when I was at home.

I found my mother in the living room, staring at the TV. Some kind of woman was talking about the celebrities and how interesting their lives were. She was sitting on out old sofa. She was wearing two sweaters to keep her warm. Her long gray hair was plaited.

I quickly looked around. The wallpapers were faded and dirty. The ceiling was asking for someone to take care. And the floor...Well, the flat needed major repairs and right now I had money which I could assign to that.

“Hi, mother,” I said as I took a seat on one of the armchairs.

She slowly turned her eyes at me. They were red. I didn't like that. She was really sick.

“Caspar,” she said slowly,” you are here.”

I nodded and put a small smile on my face to hide my worries.

“How do you feel?”

She sighed.

“Better, I guess.”

Old people like to grumble how terrible their health is, how hard is to live for them and so on. My mother wasn't from those old people. She didn't like to complain and kept everything to herself. She knew that other people had their own troubles and give them yours would be inexcusable.

“Don't lie,” I told her.

She puckered up her brows.

“Terrible. Happy?”

I rolled m eyes and started my work. I had brought some medicine with me and told her to take them. She said something more to herself than to me.

“How are you doing, Caspar?” she asked as she put the boxes of medicine on the table. I noticed how her arms trembled. That view made me sad. She was old and that only meant that her last hour was coming. I wanted only hope that now, when I had money, I would be able to help her.

“Fine.”

“You don't sound like everything is fine,” she stated.

I sneered.

“I always sound to you like something isn't okay.”

She nodded.

“Because that is the truth. Maybe you finally found a girl?”

I slammed my forehead. Nick started that topic only because he wanted to tease me. My mother started that topic because she was curious. My father liked to ask that, because he didn't know about what we really could talk.

Right now it felt like my and Nick's conversation was repeating itself.

“Why does everyone like to ask me about girls?” I grouched. It was getting really annoying.

“Maybe because it's interesting,” she helped. “So, is there finally as girl in your life? You know, the clock is ticking. You need to find a girl and start a family.”

“Yea, very,” I pouted. “I won't say a word,” I announced. Really, that all girl thing was getting on my nerves. There were so many topics which we could discuss, but no, they all wanted to know if someone was sleeping with me.

“Are you gay or what?” that was Nick.

I didn't even hear when he came back.

Right now he was standing in the doorway, his shoulder against the wooden frame while his arms crossed over his chest, a smug face on his face.

“I am not gay,” I snapped.

“Yes, you are not. You just decided to enter into religion or decided to die being a virgin,” he burst out laughing.

“And you decided to die from your brother's hand,” I barked.

“Nick! Caspar!” mother raised her voice. “Stop that. If Caspar wants, he can die being a virgin, Nick. It isn't our business.”

“Mother!”

Now she also was laughing from Nick's joke.

“Don't be such a grumpy person,” Nick said, taking a seat next to our mother. “I know that you are not a gay and you don't want to die being a virgin boy. After all, we had this discussion this morning, hadn't we?”

I narrowed my eyes into two small splits, warning not to tell anything more to your mother, but he ignored me.

“There is a girl who stole his attention,” he informed our mother.

I could see how light appeared in her eyes. She was exited that my brother was talking nonsense.

“Finally, Casper,” she said and clapped her hands.

“See, brother? It wasn't so hard just to tell that,” he looked at me.

I leered at him, trying to send a mental message to him: I will kill you.

“Who is she? Will you bring her to meet me?” hope was in her voice. She wanted to see her sons happy and in her mind, happiness was found only in a family. So, she wanted me and Nick to have a wife and many children.

I tried to find enough strength in me and just tell her that Nick was imagining things and there wasn't any girl in my life, but when my eyes locked with her, all my determination disappeared somewhere. I wanted to see my mother happy and telling her that was still single, would disappoint her.

“Yes, there is one, but we are only friends.”

“For now,” Nick added.

Tears of happiness kissed her cheeks while Nick was smirking. And I? Well, I was sitting and beating myself in my mind. It was a pity that I couldn't actually hurt myself in my mind, because this minute I wanted to feel pain, not to mention that I wanted to kill my own brother who didn't know how to control his own tongue in his mouth.

“Can you tell her name, Caspar?”

“Well...I.. I don't...”

“Melody,” Nick said simply. “She is very beautiful girl, mother.”

“Really?”

Please, someone kill me, I begged in my mind. Nick was stupid or what? Why was he doing that? He knew perfectly that Melody was out of limits for me, for him or for every other guy while there was Mr. Spring. Why couldn't he just tell Chelsea's name. What was he up to?

“Oh, yea,” Nick nodded enthusiastic. “Believe me, she is. I bet Caspar will soon be more than friends with her.”

“Oh, look how late it is,” I said suddenly lifting my hand up to see the clock on my wrist. “I need to go. I will have to go earlier to the hospital tomorrow,” I stood up. “I will call you tomorrow, mother, but if something happens, please, take a phone into your hands and dial my number, okay?”

She nodded reluctantly.

“Please, brother, don't go. I like to chat with you so much.”

“Stop that!” I barked at him. “I will want to have a chat with you later, my lovely brother.”

“With pleasure,” he was smiling from ear to ear now.

And I left the flat. I was pissed. Really, really pissed. My brother crossed the boundary with this girl thing. Why couldn't he just keep his mouth shut for once?

But yes, there was some truth in my brother's words. Melody was really occupied my mind. And yes, we were friends, at least she wanted me to be her friend. But that was all.

For now!

Melody

House arrest. I...didn't like that, although I knew why Merdian asked me to stay in the building, to play with my sister and paint more pictures. It was because of that devil.

I tried to steal more facts about his and his father's plan, but Merdian wasn't in negotiation. He just asked me to forget that there was the devil at all and just pretend that everything was okay. Also, he mentioned that I should help to prepare the ball, to find a beautiful dress and so one.

“Yea, dress,” I said sarcastically. “It's too bad that I can't leave this building and go to do some shopping.”

“I will order that some people would bring dresses to the house that you could try them here.”

“You know that I used to escape the house,” I said casually.

He lifted his eyebrow.

“Really, Merdian, I feel like I am trapped and that...reminds me...” I started choking. And it wasn't an act. Even though I didn't want to admit that those two years hadn't affected me at all, it was a lie. Even the thought of being in that state when you couldn't do anything that your own body was your prison...I wanted freedom and it was taken away from me again.

“Melody!” Merdian shot to me and snaked his arms around me, saving me from the fall to the ground. Unfortunately, it didn't stop choking. I still could take oxygen into my lungs. “Help!” he shouted and soon a few maids and doctors were next to me. One of medico injected something into my body. My muscles relaxed and I could breathe normally again.

“Everything is okay” Merdian whispered. “Everything is okay.”

I nodded and closed my eyes, but everything was okay only for now.

“What was that?” I heard Merdian asking the doctors.