The Path to Love

Chapter 11:Fear

Fear is powerful. It relieves one from apathy , ignorance and disengagement with the world.  It has been more than a month since I moved to this strange city.  I have beheld things no combination of words can fully describe. What is real? What is fake? When we are young, we are told of stories, fictional ones, consisting of fairies, elves, vampires, ghosts. As we grow, all those stories seem increasingly untrue. As of now, I am beginning to wonder if anything is untrue. 

Oscar's death has been broadcasted on the news, for weeks now. His body was found by a child in the park he and I were on our way to . Other bodies have been found, some of which were dismembered, so mangled , so alien to reality. This city now exists under a veil of fear, suspicion lurks in every gaze. Every corner and shadow seems to hold a hidden enemy. 

I have been questioned by detectives, as well as every one else at my school. Some class sizes have halved, students missing from their seats, those students now six feet under. Teachers have been replaced, although, afraid  they may be next to die. The horrors that lurk in this city are being exposed as each day passes. 

Some say that a large animal stalks us all , waiting to kill and destroy. Some say that it is their neighbor. Some say that is their teacher, brother, co-worker that is the killer. All I know is that something abhorrent is out there, and anyone could be next. I now sit in the comforting darkness of my room, encapsulated , protected, at least for now.

I watch the snow fall on our lawn , serene and irresistible. No footprint adorned the snow, it shimmers under the muted rays of the sun. Beyond the shimmering snow, lies the woods in the distance, each tree, an appendage, a vessel, making the woods seem alive.

Here, in this moment, in this silence, a barrage of memories, fills my labyrinth of a mind. My memories howl in pain , covered in dark crimson blood. Fangs extend towards me and I try to imagine a metal wall, a shield to deflect these grotesque images. 

Occasionally, bursts of flaming pain occur throughout my body. It is debilitating and confusing, but I still persist. This pain has become my companion, my shadow, inexplicably present at various moments of my life. I struggle to bring myself out of my bed but my will cannot be destroyed. 

Sonia, our new maid, knocks and enters my room, informing me that my parents demand my presence at the dining table. 

"Just try to  stay calm. No matter how bad things seem , everything is temporary. You can choose how you react to any situation you experience." She smiled, before shutting my room door.

Sighing and contemplating her words, I quickly brushed my teeth and had a bath before reluctantly making my way to the dining room.  

I take my seat farthest away from my parents as Sonia brings me breakfast. I would have preferred to make my own breakfast, but there is not point starting an argument with my parents.

" I understand that at this time, death is all the city talks about. It is unfortunate, but life has its challenges  and we must go on. " My father began. He sat at the head of the table , his black hair neatly combed back and black his suit ,without a strand of dust.

My mother nodded in agreement before speaking. " Your father and I believe that amidst all the sadness, a new business partnership should still ensue. During our trip, we met with many investors, very powerful men and women with whom we share the same values." She said, as she cut the piece of chicken on her plate. 

I ate and listened as they spoke, very sure of what was to come. They wanted to marry me off. 

"We are working on many new projects at this time." My father said. "One of which is a merger with Cygnus. It will be most advantageous. We also wish to purchase Glyon Corporations. Sylvester Roberto is a great friend of mine, a great mind who I intend to continuously work with in our business ventures." 

Cygnus is a multinational company that made state of the art technological devices for hospitals, schools, the military, you name it. Merging my fathers company, Dytek, with Cygnus meant more money and fame for him. That was the basic gist of a lot of what he spoke of. 

" Sylvester owns another company, Pegasus, and he is planning on allowing his son, Griffon to take over whilst he focuses on his other business ventures. The market is full of competition and we must all find ways to remain powerful . They are coming over for dinner today and your presence is mandatory." 

As he spoke, he ordered. He spoke no threats but I knew the consequences, if I disobeyed. I did not have enough strength to endure his fury. Breakfast went smoothly in spite of  all my fathers orders and my mothers subtle insults at my lack of effort in my appearance. Once our table was cleared, I dashed to the basement and began to play my piano.

Instantly, I was transported to another world, nobody but myself could reach. After what felt like hours,  I sensed someone enter the room but decided not to inspect their identity. It wasn't till I played the last note that I looked up to see Sonia sitting on the black leather couch behind me . 

Sonia was in her mid sixties and had a keen way of sensing people's emotions and always knew when not to speak. She always encouraged me to find inner strength whenever my father hit me. She was what I wished my mother would be. She never married, nor had children. She worked odd jobs from time to time and immigrated from Ukraine here a decade ago.

"I could listen to you play for hours." She grinned. I thanked her and we began to speculate about some of the murders in the city. Eventually, we switched topics and she told me about how she had worked  for the Roberto's .

"Mrs. Valencia is a difficult woman to please. Her husband is very absent, always working and travelling. Griffin was a difficult child. Always very headstrong , stubborn and short tempered. His two older brothers, Hugo and Avran were easier to raise. They were more talkative, playful and obedient." She said.

"What do you mean?" I asked.

"Well, Hugo and Avran are twins and the biological children of Valencia and Sylvester. Griffin was adopted after his parents abandoned him when he was an infant. His father, Bastian, is Sylvester's brother. Sylvester awoke one morning and found Griffin on his doorstep when he was barely six months old."

"But why did Griffin's parents abandon him?" I asked. I did not understand how anyone could abandon an infant in such a manner.

"From what I heard, gossip from the other maids I worked with, Bastian and his wife, Abril did that to protect Griffin. Apparently, they got caught up with the wrong people. They owed some dangerous men some money and were unable to make the payment when it was due. Sylvester actually grew up poor. His parents could barely make ends meet when he was growing up. He was academically gifted and received a scholarship to a prestigious university. I am not sure which one. His brother, Bastien, struggled more with school and dropped out of high school. He had less determination than Sylvester and did not take school seriously. After their parents died, Bastien became depressed and started drug dealing. Sylvester tried to help him by giving him money when he could and encouraging him to get a legal job, but it took a toll on their relationship."

"Are Griffin's parents still alive?"

She shook her head before answering, "I am not sure. All I know is that Sylvester eventually lost contact with Bastien. The more Bastien received money, the more he bought and sold drugs. To make matters worse, he met Abril. She was a recovering drug addict who tried to help him become a better person. Unfortunately, Abril got caught up in Bastien's lifestyle. She became a target when he owed some powerful drug dealers some money. Griffin was born amidst a very chaotic period in Bastien's life. He was on the run, trying to keep Abril and his baby safe. " She explained.

"Oh my goodness. Perhaps, Griffin would have died, if he wasn't abandoned." I interjected. 

"That is exactly what I think. But I think Griffin saw things differently when he was being raised. After he found out that Sylvester and Valencia were not his parents, he changed. He became colder and more wicked. A maid once told me that he  strangled a dog to death, for fun when he was fifteen. It is probably not true because he never seemed like the kind of person to inflict pain on others. But then again, how well do we really know anyone?" 

If Sonia was right, then I may be safe. But if she was wrong, I may be forced to marry a monster.