Three Brood Instigators

49. The Snow Favors

"SMALL CLOTHING STORE OWNER AND EMPLOYEES ARRESTED FOR CREATING A BUY 1 GET 10 OFFER, WHAT ARE THE SUSPICIONS?"

"HUPH INSURANCE LIGHTS OFF WITH +6.78%"

"HOLLYWOOD HILLS HOUSE COLLOQUIALLY KNOWN AS 'THE CASTLE' CURRENTLY ON SALE BY CELEBRITY DAPHNE KAMILA FOR ABOUT $32 MILLION"

"Now end it with a D minor," Vanessa ordered, and Clayne strummed. Still, his emotions were the same. "So you still can't get over it huh?"

Then he asked, "Vanessa, do you... ever feel guilty... of leaving your parents?"

Vanessa took it to heart to tell him, "It was a long time ago, I didn't only face guilt, I faced more things only a runaway girl would understand. My grandma said before she died that 'time is a very old bastard, make it young so that it can understand you,' maybe you wouldn't understand, but I more or less did. Why ask?"

"Well... at least you are lucky your parents are still alive... just saying maybe they missed you or... they are lucky enough not to be assassinated with a knife or something," Clayne contemplated.

"Clayne," Vanessa patted. "I never killed anyone in my life, but I know what it feels like to make a very grave mistake, so gravely that forgiveness will never be enough to fix it," Vanessa said. "But if you want my advise: if you got away with it, and no one knows you did it, then let it go; make sure it never happen again."

Clayne then asked again in his guilty heart, "What's the worst unforgivable mistake you have ever made?"

Vanessa breathed in, ready to reveal. "Before all of this, I was bullied, I guess that was obvious," she said. "Course, one time, I found myself wild after all this rock. And so... I did revenge," she said. "But... I did revenge in a... very... brutal... way... using a bat to bleed three of my bullies," she revealed. "Heck, if I remembered correctly, I think I nearly killed them."

"Damn,"

"I got called to the principal. I saw those bullies cry and beg for their life, never expected it. When my parents knew, they just...locked me in my room, and did nothing since they were busy with my other sister," she said. "Even if the bullies were scared of me then, I still feel guilty. They cried, they ran away every time they see me. That was when I realized that I should never make such mistakes again, no matter how big or little they are," she said. "And I get it, some kids are just far off the grid, you want to punch their punchable face, but I guess we all should know that oftentimes fighting back or even trying to kill them will not make any much difference. Let go of this hatred and distrust with people, and you will find goodness."

"If only we knew,"

"Don't worry, Clayne. Since you and the six others are one of us, you belong to us, I know Eli is an asshole, but if anytime you need us, you let us know," she advised.

"Hopefully," he chuckled. "I think Eli wants to kill me since I brought the same guy twice, he was scared the time he saw that guy in a white security uniform."

"He will forgive, eventually,"

Eli and Drock made an agreement.

"So we got a deal, man?" Eli asked. "We hit them, we need to hit them hard, no more sharing, money is all ours, deal?"

Drock clarified, "If money is all ours, anyone, and I mean, anyone, in the underground, can use it, right?"

"Only if they have a sane and considerate brain, we both don't like wasting money for such useless shit, maybe like that earring of yours," Eli said. "So, we got a deal, cube?"