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From the shadows behind the rundown fountain, someone appeared. The dim light made it hard to distinguish features. Was it Theo? I threw that whimsical thought into a wishing well.
"Oh, I'm sorry, I thought you were-" I approached the stranger slowly. It was a guy, about my age. Dangerous. He blinked, glancing at me as if he was just now remembering something important.
"Good night? Who are you?" With the corners of my eyes, I searched for a way back.
"Don't you remember me?" he approached the fountain, palms in front of him, as if to show there was no danger. Hah, he underestimated what living in a big city taught me.
"That's not what I asked. Answer me or I'll scream!" He laughed soundly and stared at me firmly in the eyes.
"Oh, that kind of thing, you could say I'm your maid." Great, on top of being a stranger, he was out of his marbles. I should have never let my guard down and left my phone back at the house…
"Sure! It's the 21st century, that could happen. You can be anything nowadays, aha." I instinctively stepped back, on the brink of bursting out laughing at the absurdity of the situation.
"Harriet. I am the housekeeper's son. Claude, the youngest of the Olives,” he said seriously. “I literally live right there.” He pointed to a smaller house in the middle of the garden.
"Oh, my mom did say something about that…" I approached slowly. With proper lighting, his red hair stood out and his face was familiar.
"I remember you. We built forts in the forest back when we were kids." He sat in a cleaner spot on the fountain.
“Sorry… I forgot most of my memories of that time.” I smiled, hoping he would move on.
“It was nothing important, either way.” He looked down at his shoes. “Did Lily arrive too?”
“At the exact same time as me-” He suddenly seemed down in spirits. “Is everything okay?”
“Just disappointed. You see, she used to meet me here…” I stood wide-eyed. “Not at night… I mean just normally-”
“Yeah. I will just let that go.” I strode forward determined to sit beside him. Lily also had some secrets, it seemed. “So are you friends with my sister? Before you ask, she is technically my cousin.”
“I know that. But how are you so similar?” He tilted his head.
“Nurture.” I flashed a smile. He seemed taken aback. Were we that similar?
“Whatever. She is really funny, isn't she?” I could physically see his attempt at continuing the conversation about Lily.
"We will have this conversation once. Siblings need to be praised but much more humbled.” His cheeks filled with a tint, resembling his hair. “What do you want to know?”
“Everything. You see, I also study at your university. I come back every weekend… Not important,” he paused. “I thought we were friends or more even, but this past week she just ignored me. We even had a group project to finish…”
Oh. Wait, does this mean that she had someone else while Theodore was gone? And she just ditched him without warning?
The mere idea that my sister could do this was foreign to me. Did it make me feel less guilty about me and Theodore? For sure. Whatever is about to happen these following days, honesty seems to be due between us. Tomorrow is the day.
I tried to subdue my reaction and answer without the bias of the situation. “Well, she is the same, no matter the age. Strong, smart, and beautiful, but she has space to grow when it comes to relationships.” Holding back a smile, I swung my legs and arms in a strange pattern to emphasise the point.
“So it does have to do with that black-haired guy.” He chuckled, reading between the lines. “Is he her boyfriend?” Petrified, I had two paths to take: being petty after learning new information or being a good sister.
“Talk to her, just not tomorrow. Then you can ask her about him.”
He nodded. “Are you aware you talk like an old shaman?” he asked half-jokingly. "I am looking forward to seeing what is happening tomorrow," said the laughing boy.
"That's tomorrow. What are you doing here today and at these hours?" I asked playfully.
"The fountain, we tried fixing it all evening, but I guess the years don’t forgive." I couldn't tell if he was lying or if it was the truth. Just that he was a peculiar sort of individual. “Maybe it had fixed itself somehow, I know it’s dumb, but yeah…”
"This entire place is wonderful. I can tell your family takes care of that, of this abandoned castle. It's an old fountain, just replace it," I said nonchalantly. However, the lack of an old statue would reduce the cursed manor vibes this place sometimes had.
"I'm glad you can tell. About the fountain, Mrs. Allard says-" He started a phrase, but I already knew the ending.
Getting up, I could feel my jeans had tarnished my green vibrant moss. "Well, boy maid. I'm leaving," I said with my lips pursed, waving goodbye.53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡvX7mVduD8R
He waved back, and I swore he almost laughed at my bad joke. Now laying on my bed I cannot help but wonder. Could he be lying? Either way, it seemed that talking with Lily would be the right choice53Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡZ4wojGvGWY
