Suddenly Complicated

Chapter 30

Much time has passed in silence. The kind of silence that nobody present there realizes because they're too occupied by their thoughts. The box had started to pick it's speed up, too.

"My mother", Niccolo began suddenly, "There was a dress she always used to wear. It wasn't anything spectacular. In fact, the designs were terrible. Squigly lines all across like some child drew on it. But it had a picture of a little blue flower that dad made for mom. As a CEO for a major company, dad was rarely home. Mom used to tell me she wore that dress whenever she missed him too much."

I knew it wasn't a random old memory that he suddenly remembered. Something he saw just now made him remember. I was wearing my t-shirt and the black pants disguise. So, my outfit couldn't have reminded him. I had shrugged the black coat off long ago. The dress Nic had worn didn't have any designs. So what...?

He paused a while and raised his confused eyes at me. " I saw it there. It was among the pile I'd thrown out. It only seemed familiar to me back then but now that I remember it..."

I knew, as his eyes glazed over again, that he was going to blame himself for not giving it a second glance.

"That may be of someone else. There could be something completely different than your mother's", I said.

"Maybe. But it's been too long that I'm afraid I can't remember their faces. I'd have taken anything remotely familiar."

I didn't know what to say to him. I was never the one giving false assurances and with the fact that what he said triggered the flow of my family problems, everything started tumbling down like a domino in my head.

My mind went back to the first time I stared myself in the mirror and wondered why I looked so different from my family. I remembered asking them to give me a few photos of when I was born for a school assignment and instead, being told to print a picture of a random baby from the internet to avoid all the hassle. And then that phone call, which now I'm positively sure is the woman who helped, calling me her daughter. My necklace piece. My mother saying it came from a friend of hers. Hear stories about her and that friend with a smile everytime.

All these things might have added up to something. Anything. But I didn't want my mind to wander towards that. It's like my mind found comfort in the present silence and didn't want to work at all. Though at the back of my mind I knew what it added upto.

*

The sound of water slushing to and fro from the movement of the box could be heard through the thin walls of it. The box must be wrapped in plastic because I could hear the occassional crunching sounds of it.

Nic was staring at the wall opposite him, the one I was leaning on, buried in his own thoughts. I gave him space. Somehow I feel he's more hurt than he's letting on. So I went on with my own thoughts.

I thought about everything that happenned since the last time I had the time to think so deeply. I thought about how I'd come here to just have fun and be free. I thought about how I thought every problem was resolved just as Nic and I exchanged our pasts.

Something was nagging at the back of my mind though. I sat up straight when I remembered.

"Nic", I called him to tell him something I almost forgot about. "What about Michael?"

"What about him?", he asked when it dawned upon him. "You don't think he's behind all this, do you?"

I didn't answer. I just waited for his, suddenly remembering the time when my mom shouted at Niccolo. She was saying his name too many times for me to not remember it.

Instead I asked,"Do you? I mean, do you think he's capable of doing this?"

He thought for a while. "He was a reserved man is all I know by the few times I did meet him. Looked high class, calm, collected, confident and fearless. But then again, all that I've, um, done was under his command."

It made me remember that he has done some things in his life that he would always remain guilty of. I wasn't sure how I felt about those things yet. So, I chose to ignore that.

"Wait, what do you mean by meeting him only a few times? Didn't you live with him before?"

"Not really", he admitted.

"Not really? I thought he was your gaurdian. Isn't he supposed to practically stick to you like a parent?"

"Well, for the first few months, he always kept me near him. He was, well, quiet and looked uncaring but he paid attention to what I wanted and needed and so I was grateful, you know? But just when I was getting used to him, he took me to Gabriel and then I was sent here. This building was kind of like a school actually. It was just that people hardly knew each other. Neither did they attempt to. Everyone was dead set on impressing Michael during his rare visits... so, I guess I never thought about this after I got used to it."

The box wriggled as it scraped against something. I sat silent, taking the new information, then snuggled up against Niccolo.

"So, were you a good?", I asked.

"Huh?"

"You must've been good because something has to be the reason for your cockiness. You can be very obnoxious if you want to be.", I teased, turning to face him with a cheeky grin to show that it was a joke. He played along.

"Oh I'd been really good. I still am. At many things.", he hinted, winking at me, and I, being quite dirty-minded lately, immediately blushed.

Just then, the box halted and I felt it rising up. I don't know if I was happy to avoid that talk or sad.

Nic made me pretty weird.

Then, we were back to no-nonsense-just-business mood as he opened the lid and looked around. I was happy to breathe in fresh air again but the sad thing was that we had no idea where we were. Nic's face said so.

It was hard to get out of the box but when Nic pushed me from behind, I got out easily. I tried not to allow my cheeks to heat up when he held my hips. Tried.

He easily hoisted himself up and observed the surrounding. Clueless.

It was like a pavillion attached to four wide one story buildings. There were intricate designs on walls and pillars and everything looked so ancient.
There was a huge bell in the centre held by two pillars. It was red with rust though.

I can't help notice the familiarity spread around the area. I quickly remembered it from some of my mom's old pictures. She and dad had taken a few photos when this bell looked shiny and new.

Niccolo was already heading forward and I followed him closely behind. To say the pavillion was large would be an understatement. The building we entered was empty. And so was the other one. And the other one.

Just as we entered the last one, I heard a sound come from one of the rooms. Nic was already ten steps ahead and when I heard no more sound, I started to dismiss it. But the second time, it was clearly a sound of coughing. Not only did it's echo in this silent place proved it, but the sudden attention of Niccolo towards the direction of sound did as well.

As we listened carefully, I heard it for the third time. Someone was struggling in the room next to me and in one of the buildings surrounding this completely empty pavillion.

I just felt like a greater version of Indiana Jones.

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Author's note: It's been a while since I've written these notes and also, a chapter. There's just one more chapter and it's going to be a long one.

Warning: The beginning of next chapter might be a little cliche but I can't help it because it was planned this way. Probably not so cliche as you all might think though ^.^

Have fun!