Chapter Text
CHAPTER ONE
REVELATION OF SORROW
The roosters crowed in the early morning that was once filled with crickets chirping. Elias, who was awakened by the sound he heard every morning, groaned in annoyance. But he knew he had to wake up and get ready instead of staying in bed for another hour, ignoring everything that interrupted his sleep.
He sat up. Everything was vague, and his eyes were still foggy from hours of it being closed, the half of his heart still in whatever dream he had been having. He made his way to the window, where the mesmerizing view of the mountains lay before him. After a while of admiring the nature that surrounded him, he finally became fully conscious and picked up his shirt and flannel.
He was wearing jeans and a plain white shirt under a red flannel that had been given to him by his dad on his 14th birthday, two years ago. He looked at himself in his mirror, which was half-cracked—considering it was an antique from his great-grandmother—and sighed.
He was then interrupted by his father.
"Elias, we have to go. Taking a little more time will make us late," his father, Luk, said in a cold tone. Elias knew that his dad had worked all night again and stayed up. Ever since his mother passed away, Luk had worked himself through the nights, trying to bury the deep pain in his heart—the pain he felt when his greatest love passed.
Elias looked at him from the reflection of the mirror and gave a weak smile, the kind of smile that hesitated to form. His dad closed the door after reminding Elias that they had to go. Elias knew that he and his dad had never become close again like they were before his mom had passed. They barely talked to each other, knowing how empty their house felt after the incident.
Elias shrugged the feeling off and looked at himself in the mirror again, giving himself a smile to convince himself that everything was fine.
The wind’s breeze blew into Elias, who was sitting in the back seat of their car, which felt like it was going to collapse at any moment. The car abruptly came to a stop.
"We're here," Luk said, looking at his son in the rear-view mirror. They got out, and Elias was amazed by what he saw.
They were standing in a cul-de-sac with a large fountain in the middle, towered over by a huge mansion—the kind of mansion you would see in movies that clearly showed a character was wealthy. Elias remembered that this was the job his dad had been talking about. He had discussed with him that a wealthy man had hired him for a job.
The wooden brown double doors with gold knobs, set between two quartz pillars, then opened.
"Ah, you must be..."
The man, wearing a classic butler suit and polished black shoes that shone like they had never been touched or used before, squinted his eyes like he was trying to recall something on the tip of his tongue.
"Luk Montero! Yes, sorry—I have memory problems. I am Xander Fontaine, the Elsens' butler." The well-dressed man exclaimed, trying not to make things awkward.
"Yes. I'm here for the job Mr. Elsen hired me for," Elias' dad said, smiling, trying to look presentable, even though he was wearing an old shirt and jeans that looked like they had been through years.
"Come on in!" Mr. Xander said, beckoning them into the mansion.
The mansions foyer was just as amazing as the front view of the mansion. Red carpets were flowing over the floor, huge steps of stairs were in front of them, it was filled with furniture that was made with wood that clearly appeared to be special, and a beautiful crystal chandelier hung by the high ceiling that emitted lights that weren't too bright nor too dark.
Elias' mouth opened. He was obviously distracted by the well-made furniture that sat in the mansion. But that was when he spotted a figure facing a window. The man---or woman had brown short hair that seemed like it had very expensive maintenance and was wearing a polo.
"Elias? Come on." His dad stated like they were waiting for him for years.
Elias gave a smile that said I'm sorry without uttering word. They walked through the halls of gold framed paintings that probably were painted by the top greatest artists. While walking through the halls, they finally stopped, and they stood before the front of a door.
"This is where you guys will be staying.'' Xander said, pointing at the door as he shortly opened it with a key that was tied to a ring of numberous keys that jangled everytime it would be held.
Elias' eyes widened.
"Staying here? What does he mean?" He thought to himself, confused as to why Mr. Xander had said ''staying here'' when all he knew was that his dad would be having a new job.
Elias looked at his dads eyes and stared, signalling that he was confused about what Xander kept saying. His dad looked back for a slight second before looking back at Xander and listening to what he was saying.
They went inside the room, and of course. It was also as great as the foyer. It had two beds that were very tidy and looked like new. There was also a huge window displaying the town, with civilians walking by and a deep forest surrounding it.
The door shut, leaving Elias and his father in the room. His father was starting to adjust to the place, while Elias, still confused, just kept staring at him, wondering what the real reason was for them being there.
“Dad, what did Mr. Xander mean when he said this was where we were staying?” Elias asked, finally breaking the awkward silence that lingered in the room. Elias' father stopped unpacking their bags for a moment, showing hesitation, and looked at him.
“Elias, I'm here for the job. But there’s something I haven’t really talked to you about,” his father muttered, nervous as he stepped closer, like what he was about to say was a top secret that could get him killed if revealed.
“We’re staying here—at least, I am,” his dad revealed.
Elias raised one eyebrow, stunned by the revelation but still confused by the last part.
“What do you mean?” Elias asked again.
“You see, Elias, Mr. Elsen gave me a deal where I get to work here and earn money.” He paused, hesitant. “But only under the condition that you accompany his son to his boarding school,” his father said regretfully, sighing as he placed a hand on Elias’ shoulder.
“What!?” Elias yelled in anger and confusion.
“Why would you do that!? You never even told me!” he shouted even louder.
“I thought it would be good for you—for us! You’d be getting an education, and I’d be earning money to pay off our debts!” his father reasoned, filled with regret and wishing he wasn’t in this predicament. He had expected a reaction, but not the screaming match that followed.
Elias looked at him with rage and sorrow, then stormed off and made his way to the door.
“I’m sorry, okay, Elias!?" his dad apologized, trying to catch up to him. But there was no use of it.
Elias just opened the door and slammed it shut in his dads face. The slam echoed through the halls, replacing the silence with a loud bang. He wandered around the house in rage, not knowing where to go to release the emotions weighing on his heart—until he went outside and sat in the garden.
He sat down, letting the green grass sink and brush against his jeans. He was filled with rage; he hadn’t thought his own father would keep something like this from him. Elias grabbed a pebble and started tossing them in the direction he was facing. He spent a few minutes in the garden—five, maybe ten—he didn’t keep track.
Then, suddenly, a shadow towered over him.
“Dad, I don’t wanna talk—” he began, looking over at the figure behind him, but abruptly stopped. It wasn’t his dad—it was a boy. The boy looked the same age but slightly older.
Elias stared for a few seconds, then snapped back to his senses.
“I’m sorry—I thought you were my dad,” he said, embarrassed, and turned back to face forward, letting the sadness consume him again.
“It’s okay,” the boy said with a slight chuckle. He sat down beside Elias and looked at him.
“My name’s Alexander, by the way. Or just Alex,” he said with a smile scrunching up his face.