Forget-Me-Not

Chapter VIII: Rift

Somewhere in the village, a hardworking and loving brother was dead busy with running errands, taking orders from the elders and literally setting off on a run to get what they needed. The worn out sweater wrapping his torso didn't do much in taking combat against the cold. It wasn't a minus 0° but anyone who would go outside the house without a protection would no doubt have a hard time. There were four sweaters at home; A navy-blue, black, and dark-brown for his brother and an old maroon that belonged to him. He could always take one of Raine's sweaters which were way thicker and cozier for he was the one who had been working outside, but he wouldn't since he'd personally bought them for him.

He was now down to the last errand because the other shop owners who used to call for his help had cancelled all the works for today for some personal reasons. Ray was jogging down the pavement, turning to an alleyway on the left, and walking straight ahead again. There was nothing but one goal in his mind, to earn money. Money ruled the world, anyone who would retaliate against that was a total bullshit for he didn't understand a thing in the reality of life.

If you asked this young boy about commitments and stuff, he would have a definite answer for that, "Not until kuya Raine gets married". He knew very well more than anybody else that he couldn't take care of his brother for the rest of his life. Once he met the woman who would love him more than anything in this world and take care of him the exact same way he did, that would be the time Ray would start thinking for his own. That's how it worked for him.

The boy knocked on the door of the house where the product was addressed to, he handed it over to the owner then did the other necessary stuff. After that, he stormed away and went home straightly. It was around 1 in the afternoon, too early for his usual 6 pm cut off. It was advantageous for him since he wouldn't need to exhaust himself for the day, it was just like taking a break. However, it was also disadvantageous for the quota would not be reached even half.

He walked on the doorstep of their house and reached for the knob to twist it open. It'd always been quiet inside since Raine was not into music or any hobby which required a lot of noise, but it was oddly quieter than usual given the fact that the other always met him by the door in a daily basis, something was off.

"Kuya Raine?", he called out.

There was no response. Unwanted thoughts began accumulating in his mind. He checked all bedrooms and other parts of the house where Raine could be lying down on all fours after falling asleep, but he was nowhere to be found. The boy didn't waste time as he ran off outside and began the search operation. He knew his brother had transgressed the rule again and had gone off on his own to who knew where. Everytime this happened, his heart would always race, giving him utter restlessness and fear about losing him. With his mother already resting in peace and his dad living his ass in contentment somewhere in the universe, Raine was the only family left to him now, he couldn't lose him even if it cost his own life.

He checked all the possible places Raine could be lurking in, he sprinted to the location of the calabur tree where he'd once found him after sneaking out, and when he failed, he ran towards the bushes and line of trees until he reached the pavement again to continue searching. His mind was clouded with all sorts of negativity and that caused him to stumble on his feet every now and then as he ran in a constant pace. He inspected each alley he passed by and asked the residents if they saw someone based on the description he gave them. There was no luck, sadly.

The flower shop, he must be there.

With the thought in mind which was his last resort, Ray ran as fast as he could until he reached the facade of the shop. He hurriedly flung open the twin wooden doors with glass pane which of course, startled the few customers inside as well as the shopkeeper. He rounded off corners of flower racks, making sure that he'd checked even the tiniest spots inside. He was totally unsettled, his panicky gestures were clearly signifying that. The dumbfounded shopkeeper approached him to see what was happening.