Chapter 11

-AIKA-

“SHOULD I, or should I not.” I thought. It was Sunday morning, I had just woken up from one of the most oddest dreams I have ever had. I was at school, in the theatre room, and I was on stage. I was moving my mouth as If I was singing a song, but no words came out, and then in the audience… was Justin and Kevin! They seemed to be singing the same song, but what was it?! That’s what got me to thinking when I woke up, I should call them. Or no, I’ll call one of them. I’ll call Justin; Kevin seemed to have no help in the situation I was in.

            I grabbed the home phone off my dad’s study desk in the living room and ran back up to my room. This conversation was going to be private. I searched for the number that had called me on Friday night, luckily for me someone had saved it to the phonebook (probably was mom). Hue residence… I thought. Here goes something…

           The phone began ringing. In fact, it kept ringing, 6 times. Maybe they’re not home, or maybe they’re relaxing. It is Sunday after all… I was about to hang up after the 9^th ring, but someone answered the phone.

“Hue Family, may I ask who’s calling?”

Not the voice I wanted to answer the phone. “Kevin?”

“Oh God…” I could tell he wasn’t happy to hear my voice either. “What do you want?” he said grouchily.

“Huh, well someone isn’t so cheery in the morning.”

“Hell no. It’s 10:00.”

I sighed. “Listen, is Justin there?”

Then there was a short pause. Oh how I hated those short pauses! It either meant that Justin wasn’t there and Kevin was trying to think of an excuse or Justin was there and Kevin was trying to think of a lie.

“Yeah, he’s here.” He said through his teeth.

“Why did you say it like that?”

“Because I’m tired. You called me at 10 in the morning just to know if Justin’s here?”

“For your information, I called your house. I didn’t necessarily call you. And I want to talk to him.”

“He’s asleep. Call back later.”

“N-no, wait--!” But he didn’t wait. The phone line had hung up before I even finished my sentence.

            I turned the phone off and threw it on my bed. I flopped onto my belly, landed on the phone by the way, but I didn’t quite feel the pain. I couldn’t get to talk to Justin, or Kevin, and it made me really frustrated. I had no idea how this charade was suppose to work out. So many un-answered questions, problems stirring, relationships breaking, and more issues kept popping up. And now that I think about it, I have 2 math packets, an essay to write, and a science write-up all due tomorrow.

 

 

-KEVIN-

I WALKED INTO Justin’s room, being as quiet as I could, hoping he wouldn’t hear me. I was going to slip the note I wrote about Aika’s call under his pillow.

“I hear you.” He was awake. Man, how did he know it was me? It could have been mom, or dad, or James the butler even. “So what do you want?” He rolled over to his other side so he was facing me.

“Uh, you had a call. I told her you were still sleeping.”

“Her?” He sat up in his bed, rubbing his eyes. “What did Aika want?” Man, he was really good at that. And people think it's weird that I can sense people without seeing them?

I sighed. “I don’t know. I don’t care. But call her back I guess, she seemed like she really wanted to talk to you.”

“Alright then.” Justin replied.

I was beginning to leave the room, hoping my goody-goody saint brother wouldn’t say anything else. I hated talking to him.

“Uh, Kevin!” He called from the room. Man, and I was just a few steps to the stairs…

“Yeah?” I called back.

“You left my bedroom door open!”

“Well shut it yourself, lazy!”

Then there was no answer. Thank God, that shut him up. I went to the stairs, I could smell the scent of Jasmine tea and pho soup in the air. Same thing every day, and frankly, I was tired of it. But it’s all we could have for breakfast so that’s what I had to deal with. It was better than the grub they served me at my old boarding school.

“Good morning, người yêu.” My mom called as she stirred the boiling pot of pho.

“G’morning mom.” I sat down at the table, 2 seats away from dad.

“Is your brother awake yet?”

“Yeah, but I don’t know when he’s comin’ downstairs.”

       Mom brought the pho to the table, I took my fork and began to chow down. The taste was not interesting today, it was disgusting. But I was hungry, and I didn’t want to starve myself like those crazy anorexic models, so I ate. Dad constantly glanced at me from across the table. Was I doing something wrong? I thought.

“My son,” dad finally broke out. “I’m very sorry for not being there for you as a child.”

Ok? So why bring it up now? Being here now isn’t going to change anything either.

“I remember always pampering your brother, then you were shipped off to boarding school. I just wanted to apologize for that.” He took a sip of his coffee.

     Wait… He’s sorry for that?

“So, are YOU the one that sent me away, dad?!” I jumped out of my seat, knocking my bowl of pho on the floor.

“KEVIN!!” My mom yelled and ran towards the spill with a wet cloth. Dad gave me that “sit down and shut up” look he now gives Justin. And so I did. I sat down and shut up.

 

-JUSTIN-

“OH, KEVIN..” I had heard the crash from the kitchen. Someone made him angry, but who? It was probably dad, he always made him angry. I sighed and got up slowly, since my body still ached from the bruises I had gotten on Thursday. I was getting a little better though. I can't believe I got jumped...

            I walked to my closet and pulled out a fresh t-shirt and shorts. I dressed myself then got my cane (wow that sounded old) and began to walk downstairs. I ran into James while on my way to the kitchen.

“Oh, young master I’m terribly sorry.” He said, smoothing out the wrinkle he had created on my shirt.

“Please, you don’t have to call me that, or tidy my shirt. I’m ok.”

“But why not, you are the heir to the Hue Family, correct?”

“Yeah… Correct.”

          It was just introduced to me on the first day of school. When my dad picked me up after I had gotten lost on the way home from school, he scolded me and gave me lecture about “being safe and cautious”. I found out that I was successor to our Family Fortune, and that it was decided the previous weekend to tell me about it. Since there were others that wanted our fortune, I had to refrain from going to school so that it would be harder for them to try and kidnap me or steal me away.

            This is a great deal to my family, more money than you can imagine, and it was going to be mine. I didn’t want this to happen to me, but it just happened. I guess it makes sense on why I was so pampered as a child. I was told because I was 10 minutes older than Kevin, so I was the oldest son and therefore I was the chosen successor. Kevin used to be jealous of me when we were kids.

When he was 8 he was sent away to boarding school, I hadn’t seen him since, until last week. Dad said that he would take my place in school. In case the people wanted to kidnap me, they’d end up taking my brother instead. So in other words, all he was to my dad was a pawn in his own game, only there to protect the king, which was me. Dad didn’t care much about the both of us, all he wanted to make sure of was that the fortune was in safe hands.

I’ll admit that the two of us never got along, even now, after 7 years, I don’t like speaking to him. But I do try to be a little more nicer, when I want to, but he just doesn’t want to play it that way with me.

I finally reached the kitchen. I poured myself a cup of tea, got my bowl of pho, and the daily paper off the counter and went to my seat. Imagine how awkward it is, sitting across from the one you despise most (and he looks just like you!) and next to the person who made you that way.

“Alright, now that we’re all here,” my mom started. “Let’s eat!”

“Great.” I said with a fake smile.

           I love my mom. She’s the real parent in this house, the one that really cares for and loves me. She is very over-protective and sometimes yells at my dad for things he does to me or makes me do that seems unfair to her. Honestly, I don’t remember a time when she ever yelled at me. I guess that’s why I’m so nice, because of my mom. If she wasn’t here, and all I had was my dad to live with, I might have ended up like Kevin.

            But she’s not the only one that cares, I know someone else… Aika. I know she’s been calling, calling for me. But I couldn’t talk to her, and even if I could I couldn’t tell her what was going on with me. I entrusted with Kevin that he would treat her with kindness and charm as I would treat her. I hope things are going well. I wonder if she’s fallen for “me” by now. If so, I owe a great deal to my brother. But as long as he doesn’t end up taking her away from me; If that happens, that’s a new story.