The Bear House

Act 2. Chapter 2: A study on the boy who does not belong

Act 2. Chapter 2: A study on the boy who does not belong

Colin slept through the night, waking up at 8 am in the morning the next day. It was a Saturday, which means his mother will be attending her yoga lessons. Unlike Mr. Meyers, Ms. Keller is an active person, and she does not appreciate Colin waking up so late.

"Nice of you to finally join us, Colin?" Ms. Keller said sarcastically as she was being served some tea and pancakes by the very awake Arthur Goldie in his grey leather gloves.

The sun is glaring at him, with all the gigantic anti-privacy windows letting every bit of sunshine in. It doesn't help that the white paints are making Colin's eyes pang with brightness even more. "It's just 8:00 am." He said, like how he usually tell his father.

Ms. Keller was miffed. She's a Senior Vice President in this company, everybody is scared of her and she expects respect from everyone. She bangs her tea cup on its saucer, which made a high pitched 'clang', hurting Colin's ears even more.

"I will not have this behavior, Colin!"

As if she could even be more stereotypically bossy. Colin thought. Arthur chuckled, as if he could read his mind. Honestly, that chuckle just irritated Colin even more.

He thundered through the stairs towards the kitchen, pulled the chair that earned the floor a little scratch, and sat down quite begrudgingly.

"What in the bloody hell was that attitude, Colin? You're ruining my day! I took you in so you could have a better life, not to be an ungrateful piece of shite. I guess your time in the Bear House is up, because your stupid destructive attitude you got from your father is now showing up again!"

Colin's heart raced. He didn't want to displease his mother. The sun was just very bright and sleeping so long from 3:00 pm to 8:00 am got him so lethargic and irritable. In a small nervous voice, he apologized. "I'm so sorry mum. My head just hurts."

"And my head hurts every single day, Colin. Tell me who got it worse?"

Colin looked down, not bothering to answer anymore. He had never been under his mother's care, and he did not want to have a fight with her when she took him in pity. He wants to show that he's thankful, not to show that he has unpleasant behavior.

"And you!" Ms. Keller faced Arthur. "I thought you are fixing his head. Whatever the hell is this shit?"

Arthur put down the tea pot he's holding and set his arms to his back. "Colin has just been under tremendous stress, Madamme Keller. I gave him a strong chamomile tea that enabled him to sleep from the afternoon till morning, and that will leave him groggy. He is fully awake now, and as you see, very apologetic."

"Whatever. Fix him quick!" Ms. Keller stated as she pushed herself out of the chair and loudly stalked her way out of the house.

Colin cannot even put his hands on the table to start eating. He's looking down at his hands, a batch of tears threatening to come down.

Fix him quick. Fix him quick. Fix him quick.

That's right, because something's very wrong with him, and it's a headache for the people around.

Arthur sat beside the forlorn boy. "Colin, I hope you are not thinking what I hope you are not thinking."

"What else could I be thinking? I told you, I don't belong anywhere." Colin ruffed, getting irritated of Arthur's incessant psychiatric predispositions.

"Well, maybe that is true." Arthur stated, which earned him a glare from Colin. "To be honest, you are old enough to decide yourself where you belong. You can leave..."

Colin whispered-growled. "If you're talking about running with you to Denmark... Actually, why do you wanna do that? Am I a textbook case? Do I make a good psychology book example? Is that why you're volunteering for me?"

"Yes, Colin, you interest me." Arthur said monotonously, his eyes widening. He set his arms together on top of the table and leaned forward closer to Colin's face. "What's with you, for example? All the other victims get mauled up by bears. Are they boring? Why are you still alive? Why didn't you die? How did you keep your own mind? Why did Uncle Noah try to keep you for so long? Was he just bored? You're not so easy to control. Why? You're just a commoner. A boring commoner who does not belong anywhere. Is it because of your unfortunate life, lacking of love and motivation? You're a freak, Colin. You interest me."

Colin was glued to his seat, his breathing hitched and fast, yet trying not to breathe at the same time. His eyes widen equally, but of reasons such as shock, fear, and intimidation. Arthur overwhelm him, and with such sensitive position since this morning, it overwhelmed his emotions as well. His eyes water, but dare let them fall.

Arthur's features soften. Suddenly aware of the position he put Colin in, he retracted his body from the boy and busied himself clearing the tea set. "I'm sorry Colin. I will be honest with you, I'm here because you happen to be the only survivor of our estate. However, it doesn't mean that I do not want to help you recover."

It took a long pause from Colin. He nodded his head, and with a croaked voice, he said. "Okay."