< Gene >
It was a spur of the moment and regrettably, I almost made her trip when I pushed her inside the bus. A part of me thinks that I shouldn’t let her go. In any case, she just moves on and finds better friends in Dawn City.
Another part of me, my selfish side that I had secretly been hiding from her, handed over my cross so she will keep it as a keepsake.
A reminder of me, even if it’s just a bit.
But I should have known Nina, she is too unselfish and prioritizes her loved ones over her own sake.
You will be safer there than here.
This line has been in my mind for these past three days like a replay button is being pressed repeatedly.
I shouldn’t involve Nina with my problems anymore. She has suffered enough already and every time I looked at her bruised eye, I knew that I couldn’t protect her all the time.
Yet, regardless of what I thought, I still handed over my cross.
Have I regretted giving up my brother’s cross? Nah, I entrusted it to her no matter what.
“Move aside, kid,” the pedestrian pushes me aside and heads into the bus. That push almost makes me lose my footing but it helps me snap out of my thoughts.
Oh right.
I’ve been standing in front of the bus stop since she left and since another one arrived just in front of me, that means I have been in my deep thoughts for twenty minutes.
A terrible habit of mine growing up.
I check my phone to see that it’s half-past ten and I sigh, looks like I’m not going to school then.
Since I’m often mistaken for a child due to my lean figure, I decided to wear oversized hoodies to hide myself from the crowd.
As I stroll around the familiar streets of this town, at first it is an aimless activity just to kill time. Then each time I see the places we have often gone to, I suddenly feel so nostalgic.
I stop by the park and sit on the swing.
“My name is Nina! Mommy says that you look low-’nee. Can I be your frien’?”
A silhouette of my memory shows a five-year-old Nina holding my younger self’s hand as she squeezes it.
I remember now. This is the place where I first met her before the start of kindergarten. When I always waited for my brother, she always showed up to play with me, a child who couldn’t even speak.
I chuckle at that memory.
It’s already past lunchtime. I wonder if Nina has already reached the train station yet.
“Whaddya know, rusty ginger is skipping school.”
I sigh then stand up to turn around to face another sight of familiar faces.
Connie and Duke have snickering looks as they approach me. Behind them, curious stares are looking at them as they are leaning on the iron bars. They are probably some of their friends who drop out of school.
"Seriously? You're going for the low-hanging fruit?" I scoff. “First it was Gene the Ginger, then Jean Grey? Don’t you have any offensive words aside from my hair?”
“He’s got a point,” one of his friends behind says as they start bursting out of laughter.
Duke’s face reddens as he glares at his friends then he turns to me. “You fucking sissy. You may be the smartest kid but your skinny bones won’t help you.”
They are getting closer. I instinctively step backward, giving a sideways glance for a chance to escape.
“Aww, where is that girlfriend of yours, Nina, right?” I think Connie was the one who said that. I couldn’t tell since I caught sight of an escape just around the avenue. A crowded area where tourists are just around to check this small town.
Perfect.
Without a second to spare, I dash towards the avenue.
“He’s getting away!” One of them bellows.
I can’t look back as I reach the avenue and walk within the crowded place. My heart is racing and my lungs are getting tighter from the pain engulfing this chase.
I might not be faster than Nina but I try my best to be smart. I finally reach the avenue and start blending in with the crowd.
“Where’s that sissy bastard!”
I head to the alleyway, frantically looking for a place to hide. They will definitely catch me if I stall a bit.
But I made the wrong decision to run towards the alleyway of all places. In front of me is a tall building that looks recently constructed based on the fresh paint and marbles. The only option is to turn back.
“Well, there you are, motherfucker.”
Shit. Shit. Shit.
Me and my big mouth. Nina kept telling me that sometimes my words can make things worse for me.
Well, I guess I’m used to it, anyway.
Accepting my fate, I just close my eyes, waiting for the inevitable, like I used to.
“Gene.”
A soft yet serious voice makes my eyes snap back to reality. I quickly turn around to see Beatrice heading towards my path.
Beatrice, the oldest among the foster kids my adopted parents raised. Although she’s strict and brutally honest, out of everyone at home, she’s the only one who doesn't...beat me up.
She happens to be a police officer as well.
Because of her uniform and her reputation as the most feared police officer, the bullies start scurrying away as she passes by them. “Dad wants you home right now.”
I raise my brow, looking suspiciously at her. “How does he know I skip school?”
“He doesn’t. I went to your school first to find you absent. I happened to catch you running towards here.”
“Hey!” Duke exclaims, marching towards her. “He won’t leave until he’s black and blue all over, ya hear?”
To which Beatrice glares at him, “You’ll have your time, he needs to be at home now.”
Duke just scoffs and turns his way out, his friends follow suit. I guess even they’re afraid of committing crimes in front of her.
“You know, dad is getting impatient,” she says, nonchalantly.
“I know.”
“When are you—”
“And I won’t. I will never break my promise,” I declare, glaring at her. “Even if it kills me.”
She frowns as she crosses her arms. “I see that without that Caulfield girl around, you’ve become braver.”
“But time’s ticking, Gene,” she adds as she heads straight outside the alley. “I don’t think the law can protect you now.”
I grimace. "It never did," I reply, bitterly.
“I hope...dad is in a good mood today.” She says, reluctantly. And I immediately caught on with that statement.
I could almost laugh.
I’m used to it.
I’m used to it.
No point crying over spilled milk. Break my bones, I don’t care.
As long as Nina is safe, that’s all it matters to me.
“This is 12 Quartz Square Bound C Express train. The next stop is Dawn City. Stand clear of the closing door, please.” Just one more stop. I have been moving from one train to another and it’s the very first time I’ve been in many places. The last two trains I’ve ridden are packed with people like sardines in a tin. For the entire trip on this last train, I’ve been standing and holding the pole, while my other hand is carrying my travel bag. My hand is getting numb thanks to its weight. Mom and I didn’t go around a lot since she’s busy working a lot of jobs and I don’t go out often. It’s a new experience for me. It was no joke when Gene told me an eight-hour trip tires anyone out. I feel really tired but my mom told me not to sleep in the train alone or else I’ll definitely miss my stop. And it’s just a few minutes till I’ve reached Dawn City. All throughout the trip, I keep wondering if Gene is going to be fine. It keeps me awake, thinking about his safety. As soon a
“Do you mind eating Italian pizza?” I shake my head, my thoughts are more focused on finding a payphone. As we enter the pizza parlor, my eyes are scanning for a payphone in this area. “Are you looking for something?” I hesitate, looking down on the helm of my hoodie as I say, “I’m just looking for a payphone so I can call my friend.” “Well, why didn’t you say so?” he chuckles, and then he hands me his phone. “You can just call your friend using mine.” “B-but, I can’t do that! What if you have some emergency calls from your job or something?” Like Luca checking up on us or something like that. “Don’t worry, it’s just a phone call.” “Are you sure?” I ask reluctantly. “If you are going to be Luca’s family, then I’ll treat you as family. So, be a good kid and just take it.” I smile and give him a thank you before accepting his phone. “You can call and wait on that available table there,” he says, gesturing to the table farther from the cashier. He is definitely being c
Funny how fate works. I was hoping that we would never cross paths again. I thought that his threats were proof enough that we weren’t supposed to see eye-to-eye. Sigh, why does he have to live eight hours away from my small town? I mean, he knew that I live in the US but then again, I’m aware that the country is vast with greener pastures. A part of me is hoping he would rather stay in Italy there for good.But here I am, just one door away to finally reunite with the man who almost made me pee on my pants. Yu doesn’t seem to notice my anxiety as he slowly and gently knocks on the front door.No response.A few knocks.Still no response.“Tch!” Yu grimaces, his eyes glaring towards the door. His clenched hand trembles and I stare at him with anticipation.“Y-Yu?”The usual cool and kind Yu won’t get mad, right?Right?Then he starts banging the door.“LUCA! OPEN THE FUCK UP!”This is the side of him that I didn’t expect. I instinctively backed away from him.Is it normal
I don’t know why it has become a habit of mine now. Maybe because I grew up in a small town, the only fanciest trip I had was in Italy—and the worst one. Or maybe since everyone knows everybody in my hometown so I have no reason to stare.But it hasn’t been one full day in Dawn City and I have been entering some kind of staring contests all the time.Well, towards my future stepbrother, that is.Unlike the first time when I was ogling his face, I just stay frozen stiff, my eyes still widen and it should really hurt by now because I have been doing this for a while. Not to mention my cheeks are clearly flushed. My skin might be the same odd color as Gene’s hair right now.Finally, Luca’s features change into disgust and his mouth opens a bit. like he has something to say before he shakes his head, indicating his final decision not to remark.“Your room is on the left side next to mine. If you have questions, just talk to Yu tomorrow morning,” he says as he heads straight
The sound of knocking breaks this awkward situation. I back away from him, making him release his gentle touch on my hair.“Luca, this is Yu.”Luca sighs as he stands up, not a single glance at me after my sudden response before muttering something Italian again.He proceeds to go get the door.If it hadn’t been the knock on the door, I didn’t know what would happen next. I should really apologize for screaming and well for saying something I shouldn’t.Yu is coming, you should greet him, I mentally thought.The door opens and Yu is standing there, looking amused. “Hey, boss.”“Yu,” Luca says, flatly. “Have you ever considered calling me before you arrive?”“I gave away my phone to your kid sister, remember?” At that moment, Luca’s lips curve into a frown. Then Yu perks up from Luca’s direction and scans the room. When he sees me, he smiles.“Good morning, kid.”“Good morning, Yu.”Then he makes his way inside, going in my direction. “I brought the charger, the USB cord, and
Yesterday was nice.I didn’t expect my whole day would be eventful. Yu made me feel very welcome in Dawn City as he showed me not only the bustling streets but also the places he and Luca hang out when they want to get out from the noise. The school was...different from my old one, though. But I don’t really like thinking about school since I will start tomorrow.I had a call with Gene right after and he insisted that I should get a Whatsapp to send pictures of the city. And that I did.“He does look like a celebrity from Korea,” Gene commented last night after I showed him an awkward picture of Yu and me as he was the one taking the selfie. Yu smiled warmly as his arm was holding his old phone and I only gave a sheepish smile. It was embarrassing, really.To me, it looks like a father-daughter picture.“But it is nothing compared to our first picture.”“Why are you so competitive all of the sudden, Gene?” Deep down, I kinda agree. Because since I’m used to being with Gene,
NINA I think my eye is getting better. Looking closely at the bruise, it used to be bluish-dark color but now the discoloration becomes lighter, like yellowish-green. It still looks hideous but thanks to the topical arnica gel and of course, the occasional placement of the ice bag, I think within two or three days my eye is fully healed. Just as the bruises in my body. Looking at my stomach, waist, and wrists, I’m happy to say that they are no longer visible now. It would be a problem if Yu starts questioning my preference for oversized hoodies. I start dressing up in my new uniform to see if it doesn’t look too big or too small for me. First I put on the light blue dress shirt. I was at first worried if it’s too loose on me (that makes me look like a child) or too tight (I’d rather not get attention) but thankfully, it fits right on me. From what I’ve been told, Rodrigo and my mom were the ones who picked the size for my uniform. Then I slip the blue and white plaid pleated ski
“I’ve never heard of the Caulfield family from one of my father’s connections but tell me, what does your father do?” Curious stares are looking in my direction as one of my female classmates approaches me after the teacher leaves.“That’s a sexist question, Hannah. What if her mother is the corporate heiress instead?” Another girl, probably “Hannah’s” friend, butts in.“Hey, what’s with that eyepatch?”“Maybe she’s an exchange student. But her looks don't show any prestige at all.”Hey, you don’t need to say that right in front of my face. Yu had already told me the other day that Dawn Peak Academy has a different system from the typical American high school. We attend the same subjects with the same schedule and we don’t go room to room except for electives and PE. And that’s because there are fewer students here than the likes of public schools.If anything, this reminds me of Asian schools.So when I arrived on my first day of school, I was aware that their eyes had alre