Chapter II
As soon as I got home I threw my bag into the corner of the wall, it banged and slammed onto the floor, but that really didn't matter. No one could hear a thing in this house. It was far too vast, and I was the only person who lived inside. There were four residence to this place, the two adults of which were the CEO's of Vance Publications, a very wealthy corporation that is responsible for publishing some of the world's best sellers. The third resident, who didn't actually live there anymore but would visit on occasion, was Cleo Vance, the lead singer to the most popular band of this generation. And, the fourth resident, a boy who goes barely noticed by the name of Casey Vance, is actually the only person who lives in this giant house completely alone.
In case you hadn't realized, that fourth resident is me. I'm the only person who actually lives here. My parents, the CEO's of Vance Publications, are currently in England overlooking a few of the branches and living there because it's nice. I haven't seen my parents in probably four years, and counting. The last I saw my sister was about six months ago before they went on tour. I basically live on my own in this giant house of nine bedrooms and seven bathrooms. Other than the occasional caretaker and maid that come by every week or so, I never see anyone in this house. Everything I buy is paid for by my parents, all the food, the facilities, everything is basically done by them. I just live here, in this vast house practically empty.
After throwing my backpack into the corner I went about the rest of my day. It was friday, which meant that I would have the rest of today and the full day tomorrow and the next day to do whatever. I grabbed a bottle of water from the fridge and jumped onto the couch in the living room, spilling some water but not really caring, and turning on the 88" curved-screen 4K SUHD TV. I watched that for a while, some movies here and there with some Netflix. Eventually I got bored of it and shut it off. Everything was quiet and still.
For a long while I just laid on the couch and listened to the unbearable silence surrounding me. It seemed to echo off the bare walls and mock me. Soon I got tired of the silence and went to my room to find my swimsuit. I changed out of my clothes and slipped my trunks on and went to the indoor pool. This room is always kept humid and the water at a nice tolerable temperature. It was a little dome on the side of the house so you could see out onto the private lake and at the bluffs that lined the horizon. I swam in the pool for a little while, then jumped out to lay in the hot tub for a few hours listening to music on my laptop.
Soon I got bored of that, even the music, and got out. The next thing I did was cook some food. Without my parents around for four years now I learned how to cook. With a cookbook I asked my father to buy me, I prepared brilliant meals just for myself. Sometimes I made too much because it became like a hobby to me and I ended up just making food to pass the time. Because of that I have a million leftovers, some of which I eat for lunch at school. Tonight I made a basic pasta and chicken. When I finished with that I traveled back to the living room to eat. Usually we are not allowed to eat in the living room, but seeing as it was basically my house I decided to make the rules. I ate in the living room, but made sure not to spill anything. Anything that I did spill I quickly cleaned up or got the maid to clean.
I've actually befriended some of the staff that come to my house. There are really only two who come over. The first is Aletta, she's the maid. Sometimes she tells me about her life and her family back in Mexico. She's an illegal immigrant and if my parents ever found out she'd be deported so I keep it a secret for me. She's often told me about the horrible things that happen in her village and what she had to do in order to get past the border. She sends money back to her family, which I recently learned isn't very good for American economy, but I feel bad for her. It's horrible to know that I live in this fancy house like royalty and she's just barely getting by and feeding a family that doesn't even live in the same country as she does.
