The Ghost of You

Chapter 19 - Cai's POV

6 Months ago

"And this will be your room" Mrs Hogan, the housekeeper, announced as we entered the freshly cleaned space.

This room was the size of both my room and my mother's room combined. It has its own balcony, an even larger walk-in closet, an ensuite with a jacuzzi-sized bath, and a king-size bed standing on its own stage in the middle of the room. This wasn't a bedroom, this was a whole apartment.

With no marks on the grey walls or even skid marks on the wooden floors, it was clear no one had ever occupied this room. I was about to be its first tenant.

I walked in after Mrs Hogan, slowly examining my new home. Anyone would be excited about such an upgrade, however, seeing the luxury I now had after what happened felt wrong. After what I did to an innocent man, I didn't deserve such a reward.

"Your room will be cleaned every day at 9 am, so if you're a late sleeper I recommend adjusting your sleeping schedule" Mrs Hogan explained, "Breakfast is served at 8, lunch on weekends at 1 and dinner every day at 7. Mrs Castillo doesn't expect you to attend all meals. She wanted me to make it clear you're free to ignore your health as you wish".

I looked at her before nodding slowly. Of course, Bruja would say that. As I dropped my backpack on the bed, Mrs Hogan went to the door before shutting it quietly behind her. She then walked towards me with her hands together.

"Look" she sighed, sincerely, "I've been told to treat you like an unwanted guest. But, mistreating an innocent child is above my paygrade. You've gone through a lot, Cairo, and you should know your Father does not blame you".

He should.
He should blame me.
He should hate me.

"This won't last. I don't know how long this will take but it won't last. You're a good boy" she continued, "You're a good boy with immense bad luck. As long as you remember that, you will be okay".

Like I have done since the moment I got off the plane, I said nothing. I appreciated her words, but they meant nothing to me. Nothing could make me feel better about my reality. This was a punishment I knew I deserved but, not one I could get used to.

I nodded at her before ripping my eyes away. Once she felt my resistance, she tapped me on the shoulder before leaving me alone in the room. I stood there listening to the sombre silence. A room full of so much luxury felt like the most depressing place to be.

I fell on the bed and as I looked up, I was blinded by the glistening chandelier that hovered above me. I turned to my side, escaping its shine. I tried to close my eyes to ignore the voices in my head, but they wouldn't leave me. The voices tickled my skin. They made me sweat uncontrollably. They made me feel like I couldn't control my mind.

I picked up my phone out of my pocket which had earphones wrapped around it. I quickly put on Fantamas which was the only thing that could silence the voices. With that song, the voices weren't the only thing I was thinking about. Suddenly, images of my mother clouded my thoughts and all my fears were gone. I let the soft memories calm my body. Then I drifted off. I allowed myself to relax and sleep.

When I woke up, it was pitch black outside. I looked at my phone to see that it was 3 am and I had slept for almost 12 hours. My stomach roared desperate for food.

While Mrs Hogan had given me a tour of the large estate my Father owned, I had not remembered anything from the tour. So when I got up to try and find the kitchen, my first guess was that it would be on the ground floor like most kitchens are.

However, I underestimated the amount of rooms that were on the ground floor. As I scavaged around the floor, I was able to count five bathrooms, three bedrooms, three study rooms and a cinema room but still no kitchen.