Secret Of the Sighing Mountains (The Quest Trilogy) (2 page)

“It’s rude to stare at a girl’s cleavage, D.”

The girls shocked gaze flew to her top and she hastily pulled it up. Then, aiming a disgusted look at Diego, she quietly collected her books and stormed away.

Diego remained frozen where he was until she was gone, then he turned and was about to wipe the happy smile off his brother’s face but Sierra threw his hands over it.

“No, no! I have to go on date, remember?” he cried.

Diego uncurled his fist.

“Consider the fact that you have a face to show to your date today as your birthday gift, Shorty.”

With that, he turned and walked away, but not before ‘accidentally’ stepping on Sierra’s toes.

“Hey!” exclaimed Sierra. “Come back! That’s’ not a valid gift. You’re the elder one. It’s your duty to put me first, to think of me before you think of yourself...”

He was yelling now, trying to be heard as Diego walked away. But what was this?

Sierra watched in disbelief as Diego sauntered over to a gorgeous redhead in a convertible who was clearly waiting for him. Through narrowed eyes he saw Diego give her a quick peck on her lips and then jump into the seat next to her. As she turned the car around to get to the exit, Diego favored his younger brother with an evil smile of satisfaction.

“Why, that sly dog….” said Sierra under his breath, liberally cursing his brother. “He already
had
a date!”

He felt foolish suddenly, standing there all alone first yelling at the top of his lungs and then muttering furiously under his breath. He looked around to see if anyone was noticing, saw that everyone was, so he quickly searched for someone who looked shy. The shy one’s were usually awed and impressed easily and required little or no chasing. Besides, they were easier to pacify and less vicious when they found other girls hanging on his arms later.

He saw one then, standing helplessly by a car door that she was obviously having trouble opening. What a perfect set-up!

She looked around, saw him look her way and smiled shyly, revealing dimples.

Bingo!

Sierra swung one long limb after another and jumped over the fence. He then switched to a stroll.

No need to hurry, he told himself, don’t want to look over-eager.

He reached her and flashed a smile displaying rows of even, white teeth.

“Car trouble, sweetheart? Allow me.” he said, reaching down to the door handle and opening the jammed door in one swift motion.

“Thank-you,” she said gratefully and extended a hand, “I’m Gemma.”

“Sierra.” He said, as he took her hand in his and looked her deep in the eyes.

“You need a better ride. One that doesn’t
jam
so easily.” he said meaningfully, and smiled a slow smile as he checked her out from top to toe.

She was wearing jacket over a shirt, paired with a knee length skirt, slacks and boots. Clothes … too many clothes. She was very cute. If only she wasn’t so covered, he thought ruefully.

“What do you mean?” she asked incredulously and Sierra realized he had spoken his thoughts out loud.

“What I meant was… that I simply want to have more of you to appreciate.” he said, and then smoothly changed the subject, “Look, how about I treat you to some pizza and a soda? And you let me treat myself to your lovely company?”

He gave her his most charming smile, the one that never failed him with the ‘laydeez’.

It worked.

She stared at him for a moment, looking a little dazed.  Then decided it was a compliment, and her face broke out in a dazzling smile as she opened her car door and slid inside, motioning for him to get into the passenger seat. Sierra climbed in, happy to have a free ride and a pretty Friday date.

As the car zoomed out of the school grounds and the music blasted from the speakers, he laid his head back against the headrest and smiled. This was going to be a bangin’ evening!

*****

CHAPTER 2

At nine o’clock that night, Sierra walked into his room stroking his chin thoughtfully.

He was thinking about the very enjoyable
evening he had just spent with Gemma. He made up his mind to call her tomorrow for a date again. Another three dates, he calculated, and he’d have her at the kissing stage. That was the problem with the shy ones – you usually had to work a little harder. But the rewards… mmm!

Sierra entered his room and headed for the bathroom to take a shower. He came out dripping wet with just a towel around his waist. Looking around to make sure Diego wasn’t home, he made his way to his twin’s room deliberately dripping a wet trail behind him on the olive green carpet. Walking over to the cupboard, he took out a pair of Diego’s jeans and put them on with no purpose other than to annoy his brother. Finished dressing, he bent down and rummaged under a pile of old clothes for Diego’s stash of saucy magazines hidden underneath. Wedging one under his arm and content in the knowledge that his brother would be suitably irritated when he got back, Sierra made his way back to his own room and sat down on his bed.

Leaning back against the thick pillows on his bed, Sierra was admiring his reflection in the mirror when a small wooden box kept on the dressing table below caught his eye.  Curious, he walked over to it and picked it up. He flipped the lid up and gasped.

Inside was a small and very intricate wooden carving of a woman’s head. He picked it up gingerly, turning it around slowly to inspect every line and curve on the beautiful figure.

“Mother... that’s you.” he whispered, as tears clouded his vision. “Mother.” he whispered again, softly kissing the thumb sized likeness. “Diego,” he said then, picking up the small note kept in the box below the figurine. And sure enough, the note read simply;

Happy Birthday, Shorty.

Diego had a knack for carving like nobody else. Those long, talented fingers of his had made for him numerous objects over the years, but none would be as precious to him as this one. Carefully, he placed the figure back in its carved box, wrapping it in a piece of velvet first, then he gave it a prime spot on his dressing table, clearing away the bottles of perfume, the brushes, rings and other knick knacks littering its surface.

He felt guilty then, for borrowing Diego’s jeans. Especially since he knew Diego hated anyone entering his room or touching his stuff without his permission. He especially hated sharing his clothes. For that reason, clothes were mostly the only thing Sierra ever borrowed of Diego’s. And he didn’t even want to begin thinking about the water he had dripped all over Diego’s favourite carpet. Or the magazine he had borrowed. Or the clothes he had unsettled… Shit. He had really done it this time.

He thought of the toolbox he had bought as a birthday present for Diego and felt it paled in comparison to the gift he had received. So he fished out a small pendant he had made for himself, and decided to give this to Diego along with the toolbox.

He wondered if he should replace the jeans he had borrowed but since he had already worn them he scrapped the idea. The pendant and tool-box would have to do.  He kept the toolbox and the pendant on Diego’s bed alongside the pair of jeans hoping this would distract him from looking at the wet floor. Satisfied that he had adequately atoned for his earlier crimes, Sierra headed to the kitchen to join his father in setting out the table for tonight’s dinner. He quickened his pace as the smell of roast beef reached his nostrils and his stomach gave a growl of approval.

Diego walked the long way back home from the beach where he had taken his date today. He did this because he wanted to be absent when Sierra opened his gift. Not because he wanted to give Sierra privacy, oh no. Privacy was the only thing Sierra asked for, so naturally, it was the one thing Diego never gave Sierra. He had gone through Sierra’s diaries, books, letters and practically everything else that Sierra owned. He also made it a point to regularly turn up unwelcome and uninvited to any secluded spot that Sierra managed to lure a girl to.  Served him right too, thought Diego, since Sierra also went out of his way to do exactly what irritated him and as frequently as possible.

So no, the main reason why Diego wanted to be absent when Sierra opened his present was because he knew that Sierra would get emotional when he saw what was inside. And
that
he could not handle. Thankfully, Sierra never used this knowledge against him.

Soon, Diego was walking on the cobbled path leading off the road and up toward their house. It was situated atop a gently sloping hill. This afforded them with a gorgeous view of the city lights on the road below and of a sky studded with millions of stars overhead. Diego loved looking at the stars and simply being alone with his thoughts. Sierra could appreciate the beauty of the quiet night too, and insisted on joining him sometimes. But Diego preferred to do his appreciating alone because Sierra was just too chatty for his liking. He looked at his wristwatch. It was almost ten.

Since he was already late for dinner and knew that both Sierra and his father would be waiting impatiently for him by now, Diego skipped the urge to admire the star spangled sky and headed straight for the house. He entered quietly, as usual alerting nobody to the fact of his arrival, and went straight to his room to take a quick shower. One step inside, however, and he stopped with a swear, anger slowly flaring to life in his chest as he noticed the telltale wet trail on his carpet.  That trespasser Sierra had been in here again! He followed the trail with his eyes to the spot where it ended near his cupboard. No, not his clothes again! He stormed inside to see what Sierra had dared to do in his absence, all the while trying to decide if he should simply kill Sierra or mutilate him before doing that. Just then, his gaze fell on his bed where a freshly washed and ironed pair of jeans was kept neatly folded beside a brand new tool box.

His anger faded abruptly as he realized that Sierra must have borrowed his jeans, but then had enough survival instinct to replace the borrowed pair with another fresh pair. Deciding to give his younger brother a few more days to live, he walked over to the bed and opened the tool box.

A host of new carving and shaping tools greeted his sight and Diego decided to give up the idea of killing Sierra entirely, settling on simply mutilating him instead.

But that was when he saw the pendant: A beautiful, transparent, rectangular case with a four leaf clover suspended inside.

He knew Sierra had made this himself just as surely as he knew this was the same four leaf clover Sierra had brought home some weeks ago after days of searching. At that time he had thought that Sierra had wanted it as a gift for some girl. Now, as he held it against the light, admiring the pendant, he magnanimously decided to forgive Sierra for the whole thing. After all, Sierra was his little brother, thought Diego kindly.

He strung the pendant on a black chain and wore it around his neck before entering the kitchen to join his father and brother for dinner. Sierra looked up from his seat in surprise as Diego entered.

“Yo, D, when did you get back? Didn’t hear ya.” To Stal, he added, “Look Dad, D’s home finally. We can eat now.”

Diego didn’t say anything. He just strolled to where Sierra was seated and raised his fist to meet Sierra’s in a playful punch-cum-greeting, then settled into the chair between Sierra and Stal. Sierra eyed his brother warily, looking for some sign that he was angry or upset when his gaze fell on the pendant dangling from Diego’s neck. Looked like he would live yet.

He grinned up at Diego, who grinned back. Sierra didn’t mention Diego’s gift though, or thank him for it. He didn’t want to blow the fuse on Diego’s famously short emotional switch. So instead, he turned his attention to the enormous spoonful of mashed potatoes being heaped upon his plate by his father.

“How much are you serving me?” he asked, frowning with disapproval at the small mountain of steaming potatoes on his plate.

“I’ve served three big spoons so far. Is it too much?” asked Stal, pausing in uncertainty.

Sierra snatched the spoon away from Stal’s hand. “You’ve got to be kidding me! Just
three
? What about the rest of my tummy?” 

He served himself three more portions as big as the first three. Satisfied that there was almost nothing left, he passed the bowl over to Diego only to be met with the sight of him smug faced, emptying the bowl of mashed peas. Sierra scowled and banged the bowl of mashed potatoes in front of Diego, who calmly put the bowl of mashed peas aside, away from Sierra’s reach, and proceeded to help himself to whatever was left of the mashed potatoes.

It took a supreme effort on his part to look so calm, but Diego managed it because he knew that this would irritate the crap out of Sierra. Stal took his seat and sighed heavily, watching as his sons dug into their meal, glaring at each other.

*****

CHAPTER 3

The atmosphere soon cooled down and before long, dinner was its usual loud and boisterous affair. The credit for this went entirely to Sierra, who could somehow manage to enjoy a conversation with everything ranging from a human to a wooden chair.

No wonder he could stand some of those dumb dates of his, thought Diego, who didn’t talk much but enjoyed himself all the same. Their father regaled them with stories of his youth and the many situations he had landed himself in due to his penchant for mischief making. When dinner was finally over and all the dishes had been cleared, Stal, who was washing his hands at the sink, said over his shoulder, “There’s cake for those who still have some space left.”

“Rocking!” said Sierra, while Diego looked expectantly towards Stal.

“It’s in the living room, on the table by the fireplace.” said Stal.

Sierra was out of the kitchen before Stal had finished his sentence. Diego followed behind slowly, hands jammed in his pockets.

Sierra whooped and jumped over the sofa, landing a mere foot away from the cake, almost smashing it. It was small; modestly decorated and with the number ‘18’ iced on it. Sierra eagerly picked up the knife lying next to it and proceeded to cut himself a slice. Meanwhile, Diego reached the fireplace and sat on the sofa next to Sierra.