On The Stage

XVIII

Stars glittering pearly against the coal-black night looked lazily at the small island located on the lake in the mountain village of Hight Water. The gusts of wind that until recently had barely brushed our bodies were now gone. It was quiet, very quiet and very dark. If it wasn't for the glow of the fire, which was located a dozen or so meters behind me, someone in my place could think that the world had ended. Silence, a slight chill of a late night and this darkness. Even the chirping of crickets could not be heard. It was in vain to listen to the waves of water hitting the sandy coast of the island. If only I had not heard from time to time louder words spoken by my companions by the fire, I would have felt completely alone. I wanted to go further away. Just a few more steps, to leave behind all that I had heard at the campfire. But I could not move, I could not even twitch. I did not even try to find the strength to get up. I just wanted to sit on the sandy ground with my hands on my knees. It was a very sublime moment for me that I did not want to share with anyone. Everything seemed to indicate that not everyone realized what had happened either. It took me literally half a second to realize the facts. It was at such a time, in such a short period of time, that my whole life started to go downhill. My life and the lives of those closest to me.

Normally in situations like this, I would start pondering. I would start looking for a hole in the whole, I would try to explore every possible alternative or every single option to end the story. This time it was not like that, because there were no sensible ways out of this situation. Well, because what can you do when you find out that your mother's partner is cheating on her? Do you keep that information to yourself? Let the woman who gave you life and you love live unknowingly in lies and hypocrisy? No. There wasn't even a discussion as to whether I might be wrong. The facts were obvious and left no room for interpretation.

Gregory knew that Rebecca would soon leave Hight Water and never return here. A man his age, he couldn't count on the company of any woman in this area who was his equal. It was too risky and would risk terrible consequences if exposed. A lonely man who could not count on the support of his own wife sought comfort in the arms of another, younger girl. He amused himself at her expense, feeling that his secret would remain safe. What teenage girl would admit to dating such an older man? Surely there was an exception to the rule in the form of possible marriage. After all, what could a young girl care about, if she was involved with a man who was about thirty years older than her? Money, luxuries, entertainment. Rebecca Blanc, however, knew that she had no chance of marrying Gregory. She knew that the man had a wife, a family, a child... but still the catwoman decided to have these meetings. What did Rebecca gain from this? Satisfaction? I thought so.

Willingly, I heard my name being called in a rather loud conversation between my companions around the campfire. I could only guess what they were talking about. Perhaps they were trying to bail me out of the search for possible ways out of the situation. If that was the case, they really didn't realize that the day Rebecca Blanc slept with Gregory ended my adventure in Europe. However, my mother and I were in a quandary, because what next? Mom had sold her apartment in the United States, which meant there was no physical place to go back to. But did that mean Catleyn was doomed to live with Gregory Von Rostov despite his betrayal? I preferred not to think about it. Just the thought of my mother being hurt once again made me suffer as well. The only thing I had to do now was to determine the order of my actions. Tell my mom about Gregory's betrayal before or after the dance competition finals? Actually, there was nothing to think about here either. The truth must be revealed, but it would be better if it happened after the final. Damn knows what will happen after Gregorya's sins are brought to light. If something happens that makes me physically unable to attend the competition, then Kevin will be left without any help.

For a moment I thought Kevin knew everything. It seemed to me that he had found out about what his father was doing. That would explain why he had been so withdrawn and sad, so insecure, for the past few days. Upon further reflection, however, I decided that it wouldn't make sense. Would Kevin keep this a secret from me so I could help him get his studies back at the Royal Military Academy? No, that wasn't possible. Kevin wasn't like that and I knew he wouldn't put his benefits ahead of his moral obligation. I believe Kevin would have chopped his father alive immediately if he knew what Gregory had done. So I saw no reason why Kevin could keep this information to himself and that in turn meant that I would have to be the one to tell him all about it. I'll definitely do that before I tell my mom myself. I have to prepare him and get him used to the idea of... my possible departure from Hight Water. This one, on the other hand, wasn't so sure and obvious either, but can anything be sure and obvious in a situation like this?