GUILLOTINE

Chapter 4: Following a Trail

We were walking right to Diana's old school. The same old silence that filled the town was still there. Why wasn't Sebastian saying anything? He should at least try to talk to me. After all, being quiet wasn't one of his qualities.

The cold wind made my hair a mess, just like in England. I was tired, sleepy, sad, and angry, and of course, I was freezing. My uncle didn't seem to care at all. I just hugged myself to stay warm and kept walking. It was horrible to think that all my grief and plans were just a tiny obstacle under my uncle's feet.

"Hey, kiddo, why did you even come?" He suddenly broke the silence. " Before you left, your mother thought that you were never coming back, she kept insisting that you were mad at her."

His absolute non relevant comment made me mad. "That's not true! I just wanted my own space!"

My uncle sighed. "Kiddo, she is... she was your mother and you just left her. I know that you wanted to leave this place, but still... she was your mother."

I started breathing hard, and closed my eyes for a moment before opening them again to speak. "Look, old man," I said carelessly about anything that he could say back. "This wasn't my fault. I wasn't supposed to call her every single damn day." I felt my voice trembling, but my tone stayed firm and strong. "Do you have any idea about all my debts? Dude, a bunch of guys had kicked my ass countless times because I still owe money to pay college!"

Silence again, a deep silence that did not seem to end. We were in the middle of the street and kept walking without stopping. Still, something changed at that moment. I didn't call my family often because I didn't wanted them to worry. Mom already had enough problems back at home, I just didn't want me to become another one.

Finally, Sebastian broke the silence again. "... How can a kiddo have debts?"

"Well, my millennial-photography-dream isn't that cheap you know? Taking that career is already expensive enough, and I still have to live. I need to pay for food, clothes, gas, electricity, water, cleaning supplies, and even pay rent." I answered right away, without looking at him directly.

My uncle didn't seemed surprised, he just shook his head. "Well, you should at least work."

His comment made me mad once again, and rage filled my chest. "Just so you know, I have school all morning. At noon I work in a restaurant, at night I work in a bar, early morning I do a two hours cleaning shift at school, all that without counting the college projects and homework, so don't come to me with the working stuff."

Finally he became quiet. I was relieved that he knew when he had to close his mouth.

Finally we arrived to Diana's elementary school, but it was closed. It made sense, since it was Saturday. A big fence was right there making impossible for us to get inside.

I was determined to find what was in there, so I just started climbing it with all my might. The metal bars were really cold, and they made little cuts all over my hands which hurt like hell, but I wasn't going to show that to my uncle. I was a little bit weak and out of good physical condition, but you know, whatever.

"Kiddo you are going to fall and ruin your pretty princess face." Sebastian glanced at me, smirking. "And when that happens I'm going to laugh straight at you."

"Just shut your mouth would you?" I snapped at him." This is the only way we can go inside the damn school."

Just then I felt that the fence that I was climbing started trembling. Before I could keep balance of myself, I saw my uncle opening the fence and going inside just as if he was entering his own house. Suddenly my hand slipped, and I ended up falling right into the cold as ice ground.