XXXII

Kimi pressed his face into the window, his dull, grey eyes reflecting the glow of the rising sun. The bags under his eyes were heavier than before. He blinked, looking to the side as he spotted creeping dark clouds at the edge of the horizon.

I guess the rainy season will start early this year in Rhodes Isles, he thought, placing a hand on the window.

For minutes, Kimi silently watched the blazing sunrise. His thoughts was lost and empty, only getting bursted into attention by the sound of a loud knock.

“Kimmmy? Are you awake?” Silver called out from the other side. “It’s almost time for breakfast.”

Kimi exhaled through his nostrils and placed a hand to his quickened heart. He had assumed that it was one of the servants. He cleared his throat and said, “you can come in Silver.”

The wooden doors creaked as they moved open. Silver’s tuft of pale hair came into view before his face did.

He pressed his fingers into the door as he frowned lightly at the nightwear Kimi was putting on. He had given it to him last night. “You’re not dressed yet?”

Kimi quirked a brow. “Does today look like a school day? And besides do I have cloths to actually wear?”

Silver shook his head lightly and stood fully into the room. He fiddled with the edges of his shirt, his gaze stuck on the untouched bed. “Couldn’t sleep?” he asked softly.

“Never had to,” Kimi answered simply.

Silver’s face heated at that. He cleared his throat and said, “if you’re ready you can come downstairs for breakfast.” He turned around, gripping the door’s handle as he tried to pull it shut. “Maybe you should be quick about that because Ravenna hates lateness.”

Before Kimi could reply to that, Silver had already shut the door. He rolled his eyes and turned back to the window. As he caught sight of the dark clouds, he squinted as he watched them suck up the light of the sun, killing any white cloud in sight.

Kimi scratched his head and looked at the gargantuan walk-in closet that was in the corner of the room. “I don’t even have my cloths with me,” he mumbled as he walked to the bathroom.

Kimi lazily showered, calmly brushed his teeth and blow-dried his short afro for a whole hour. When he was done, he looked at the grandfather clock and smirked lightly at the time. It was almost ten o’ clock.

By now they should have left and I’ll eat alone in peace, he thought, tugging on his hoodie over his pyjama top.

Kimi stepped out of the bedroom and looked from his left to the right, searching the empty hallway for anyone. He licked his dry lips as he moved away from the door. After walking for minutes through the winding hallways, Kimi stopped and rested against a wall, clearly lost. He leaned forward to catch his breath, sweat gathering on his forehead.

“Young Master what are you doing here?” Ravenna asked as she spotted him. She walked to him, folded her hands behind her back and smiled brightly. “Lord Caedis sent me to call you. It seems like you’re lost.”

“Oh? It’s not obvious? Then I should freaking try harder,” he mumbled as he straightened himself.

“This way please.” She spread out an arm and motioned down the hallway.

Kimi spared her a light glare as he walked past her. “You guys should have a freaking map of this house plastered on every wall.”

“I will discuss it with—um... Young Master?”

“What?” he grumbled under his breath.

Ravenna pointed at the stairs beside them. “You should take the stairs.”

“What stairs—oh,” he mumbled, looking at the large stairs that he had just passed. He rolled his eyes and walked to it.

Ravenna silently followed Kimi down the stairs and the moment that they got to the ground floor, Ravenna pointed at the set of double doors on the side. Kimi heaved a long sigh and strode to the doors.

“Let me,” Ravenna said, rushing to pull the door open.

It’s just a breakfast with Aurum, he thought, stuttering a sigh. Nothing could go wro—

Kimi stiffened as the door moved open. Inside the huge dining room was a room full of cadavers. He gripped the edge of his hoodie and tugged hard.

“Finally, you’re here,” Homer grunted, turning his head to look at Aurum who was sat at the head of the head of table. “Can we start eating?”

Aurum ignored his question and stood. He moved to the empty chair that was beside his and pulled it out. “Kimi?” he asked softly.

It’s just a breakfast, Kimi thought, his eyes instantly drifting to the servants that marched into the room from a side door, pushing trollies of piping hot food. A normal one at that. He gulped, completely stepping into the room. I hope.

Kimi shuffled to the chair that Aurum was holding out for him. He gave Aurum a hard look before he got into the chair and sat on it. He watched as Aurum rushed back to his seat.

“Alright!” Aurum rubbed his hands together and gestured to the table of food. “You can start.”

Without delay, the table of almost twenty people became lively as they started passing plates around, their gazes on the food.

Kimi lifted an eyebrow at the awkward action, confused at the display before him. “Why...”

“If you’re wondering about all the scrambling, the almighty Aurum Caedis had told us to wait for you,” Homer said, folding his arms on the table. “He’d spank our butt if we’d disobey him.”

Kimi frowned in confusion, giving Aurum an awkward sideglance. Aurum’s eyes shifted away from his face.

As soon as Homer noticed it, the corners of his lips quirked up. “Oh? If you don’t believe me you can ask dear Uncle Anxo’s butt. It can tell you all about everything.”

“Homer!” Haruna said from her position beside Meraki.

Meraki simply coughed into a fist and passed a plate of sausages to his wife. He picked up his utensils and peered at Kimi who was sat parallel to him.

Anxo hissed at Homer and loudly slapped the top of the table. “Watch your mouth you fledgeling!” He glared at Kimi and hissed, “besides I don’t know why Lord Caedis is favouring this shrimp over—”

“If you annoy me just the slightest I’m going to tell Aurum to spank your butt and and he’s going to do it,” Kimi droned in an audible voice, his expression blank.

The table paused abruptly at his words. Everyone looked at him with shocked expressions. He simply gave them a cold glare, his lips pursed into a thin line.

“Kimi,” Silver complained under his breath, his expression flustered.

Elvira snorted in amusement, breaking the shocked silence. “I vote him for mayor over Rhodes Isles,” she said, fingering a banana.

Anxo’s face flushed in anger and embarrassment. He growled lowly and stood up, the chair screeching against the floor. “How dare you speak to me in such a manner?! I—Anxo da Seiva—has never been insulted by a mere mortal.” He pointed at Kimi and hissed, “and a child at that.”

“Then good.” Kimi picked up his napkin and unfolded it. “There’s freaking first time for everything.”

Aurum coughed lightly in surprise, his lips quirked in amusement. The Level Os started murmuring amongst themselves.

Anxo’s face reddened and he growled, “why you—!”

“Anxo beat it. You just said it yourself that he’s a mere child so just shut it, sit down and eat,” Aurum said in a light tone, pent-up laughter making his eyes shine.

Anxo growled in anger and pulled his chair to himself and sat down. He started mumbling in Portuguese, his face reddening with each word he said.

Kimi simply raised his hands to the skin under his eyes, pulled on his skin and stuck out his tongue at Anxo.

Homer choked at that, his face red in shock.

“What have we wrought?” Tobe asked quietly, toying with the food in his plate.

“Kimi Mikaelis apparently,” Jiaozi answered from beside him.

Anxo roared a growl and stood up. “I can’t do this!” He stomped out of the dining room, his face extremely red.

“Dad!” Maria said, getting to her feet. She spared Kimi a cold look before she rushed out of the room after her father.

“That was...” Aurum dragged out the last word, lost for words.

“Fucking awesome,” Homer completed for him.

“Homer!” his mother and siblings yelled in unison. Homer shrugged in innocence and continued eating.

Aurum shook his head at the slowly dying commotion. He sighed, standing up as he walked to the cabinet that was in the corner of the room.

“Lord Caedis please sit. I can get whatever you want,” Ravenna said, moving away from her position by the door.

Aurum just waved his hand at that. He crouched and pulled the cabinet open. In it was a small, old radio. He took it and stood, lightly dusting it.

“Why don’t we listen to some music after all that yelling?”

Kimi scoffed, taking the plate that Silver passed to him. “The one who actually needs it isn’t here.”

“Well...” Aurum puffed out air from his mouth, toying with the radio’s switch. He clicked his tongue at it, frowning as he muttered, “how do you turn this on again?”

“Lord Caedis let me,” Caim said as he stood. He sped to Aurum and took the radio from him.

“Oh,” Aurum said in surprise as he watched Caim pull out the radio’s antenna. At that a soft tune began to play. “I must’ve forgotten,” he mumbled, sheepishly scratching his hair.

He thanked Caim and took the radio out of his hands. He moved back to the table and placed the radio beside his plate.

Kimi watched him as he sat down, his face holding a confused expression. “You don’t know how to operate a freaking radio?”

Aurum shrugged a shoulder. “When you’d spent a decade in a coffin you’d forget how to use some of your things.”

Kimi scoffed a laugh. “So what? Trying to say you freaking own this house?”

“Yes I do.”

Kimi flinched, his eyes drifting to Meraki. “But I thought...”

“Well I actually own the mansion and gave it to Meraki when—”

“ANIKI!” a girl screeched as she ran into the room. Everybody watched as she ran towards where Rin’s family was sat. She raised her hand as she got closer to them.

“Eien,” Rin said coolly as he picked her up and sat her on his laps.

“Rin!” she said, wrapping her arms around his neck. “When did you get back?”

“Yesterday. You were sleeping when—”

“Eien respect your elders and get off your brother this instance,” Yūgen mumbled swiftly in Japanese.

“I’m sorry,” she whispered in a sad tone, sliding off her brother.

Kimi stared as Rin helped Eien into the chair that was beside him. His brows raised in surprise at the slight smile that graced Rin’s lips as he dished food into his sister’s plate.

I see weirder and weirder things each day that passes, Kimi said as he started digging into his food.

They all ate in silence, the soft tunes playing in the background. It was only when the tunes were suddenly disrupted did they look up form their plates.

“We apologize for interrupting this music break,” a lady from the radio said. Aurum increased the volume and her voice boomed loud as she continued. “Another set of murders had been had been reported today. Earlier today around five am, the bodies of Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelmas had been found in their home that happened to have been attacked by a burglar who had broken into the Mikaelmas family house. It was also reported that Mr. and Mrs. Mikaelmas had been killed on the spot. Their daughter had also been stabbed and we don’t know yet if she’ll survive. And also another had happened at the popular Lavender House Hotels at the edge of town. The body of a young man with the name Richard Mikaelan had been found—”

Aurum swiftly switched off the radio. They had already heard enough. By now, the room was already filled with harsh whispers.

Kimi dug his nails into the table cloth, the hand he had around a spoon shaking. His breathing heightened and he stood, his chair tumbling to the floor. Tears flooded his eyes as he rushed out of the room, a hand on his chest.

“Kimi!” Aurum wanted to follow him but Silver glared at him in warning as he stood.

“I’d warned you,” Silver said as he threw his napkin on the table and stood. “Your presence only brings him death and pain.”

Author’s Note: hiya! I decided this chapter to be a filler chapter. Please watch out for an extra update today or tomorrow. How’s NaNo? Please vote and share. Thank you!