Beep. Bang. Beep. Bang
My head simultaneously throbbed with a
unfamiliar sound.
A constant, mechanical sound as my eyes struggled to open. The air smelled sterile.
I tried to move but my body felt heavy, like a car had just ran over me breaking all the bones in my body.
"You're awake"
The gentle voice said. A woman in nurse uniform, layed next to me. Her expression soft yet so cautious.
"How long?" my voice slightly above a whistle
"Three days"
Three days.
Three days my worn out brain couldn't re-call.
The sharp pain from my headache caused me to shut my eyes aggressively.
Then I could clearly see the blood, my parents and that mysterious man.
My chest rose and fell as my breath quickened and quivered.
The nurse shaked her head.
"Where are my parents?" I say raising my voice, rage causing me to remove all the needles i was prickled with in my sleep.
"Im sorry." The nurse said with holding my hand.
Before i could say anything a doctor entered, his expression grave… under-eyes puffy as if from lack of sleep.
"They didn't make it"
It took him four words. Only four.
My world had changed right in front of me.
My head banged harder, flashes of a blurry vision flashed. The man… but this time he was turned with a mark that glowed.
My eyes flutter back open, and i can feel my neck prickling in pain.
I didn't see his face.
Nor know his name.
But he took everything from me.
~
I stood in front of a gated mansion, its doors long and wide as if they were protecting a fortress rather than a home.
My aunty decided to take me in after everything.
Everyone in the family used to ask my grandma if she and my mother were twins.
They were the spitting image of each other in every way that mattered. The same eyes. The same smile. The same presence that made people soften without realizing it.
My aunt had a son, Jaden.
My male version… just worse, brattier and far more opinionated.
He never cared for anything or anyone until his first girlfriend broke his heart.
My smile cracked slightly at the thought.
Jaden took my bags from my hand and pulled me into a tight embrace as we stepped out of the ride, the gravel crunching beneath our shoes.
We were ushered inside almost immediately by a line of maids waiting near the entrance.
They introduced themselves one by one, each explaining their role within the house as they led us further in.
Their movements practiced, voices polite, posture perfectly straight.
Polished marble stretched across the foyer beneath my feet, reflecting the soft golden light that spilled from a chandelier suspended high above us.
The ceiling rose two stories, opening into a sweeping staircase that curved along both sides of the wall before meeting at the upper landing.
Gold-trimmed railings. Glass-paneled walls. Freshly polished stone that reflected movement like water.
As we moved deeper into the house, something near the base of the staircase caught my attention.
It stood on a narrow marble pedestal tall, abstract, almost flame-like in shape. At first glance it looked obsidian, dark and reflective, swallowing the light that touched it.
But when I shifted slightly, it changed.
The surface caught the chandelier above and refracted it differently, revealing a deep crimson beneath the darkness.
Not painted. Not layered. Just… there. Like the red had always existed underneath and was simply waiting to be seen from the right angle.
My breath stilled for a moment. It wasn't the same. But it was close enough.
The same way something could look one thing at first glance and become another when you paid attention.
I tore my eyes away before the familiarity could settle too deeply in my chest.