The memories of that day killed my appetite: cops flying around, killing those violent terrorists while they kept looking for me, that traitorous bastard, and lastly… the deaths of Elena's father and subsequently, Elena's death.
I grew more hesitant with each step I took; hadn't it been for the maid behind me, I would've made a run for it and returned to my room. I wasn't feeling ready to take on the barrage of insults Elena was going to throw at me.
The maid was right behind me, gently pushing me forward whenever I hesitated to make the next step, in complete silence.
When I reached the ground floor, I saw the large garden; candlelights lit the place; many butlers were present to keep an eye on the flames, making sure they wouldn't ruin the garden.
It all looked impressively stupid; some normal light would've done their job just fine. This felt like a waste of manpower. The candles didn't even light the room properly.
On the table there was a feast, too much food for us to eat; there was some roasted chicken with some potatoes, steak, and many different kinds of salads.
The rest of the family was already there; my mother and father still hadn't touched a single item present on the table, with the only one eating being Elena; she was enjoying some breadsticks.
The moment our eyes met, she slammed her fist against the table and tried to leave, but my father persuaded her not to.
Let's just not make this more painful than it should be; give me my portion, and I'll finish it as fast as possible. I don't want to stay here longer than needed; I wouldn't like to ruin this perfect moment between you all.
I felt a bitter and acidic taste in my mouth before I could even put food in my mouth; the silence at the table was unsettling, the tension in the garden was through the roof.
As the maid adjusted the chair for me, I noticed she exchanged a couple of strange looks with my mother.
This is… awkward.
The first serving was a soup, a tasteless slop, with chewy bits of vegetables and cuts of meat. There was simply too much of it, of everything… There was rice, pasta, steak present on the table, and more.
As I turned around, I saw many servants ready with even more food. Just watching them carrying those absurd quantities of food made me feel exhausted.
Mom, what is this? Do you think we can just eat all of this? Or is this what you usually eat? This is enough to feed a small village; we're just four people here. What do you expect us to do here?
I rapidly finished the first meal, stuffing my mouth like a savage beast. I didn't care about the mean looks sent my way; I just wished to be done with that useless waste of time my father ordered.
When the second course was served, I started to feel less confident; it was rice with lentils. Among the lentils were some pieces of meat, carrots, and more. The plate was large enough to fill my entire stomach.
Rice again? We already had pasta and rice earlier; just how much is enough for you?
Every bite of food felt like hell; eating what were once my favorite dishes and not being able to feel a thing was exhausting. I was envious that Elena could still enjoy her meals; every reaction from her felt like a stab in the gut.
She was hesitating to eat many things; the colors of the food kept surprising her, and most of the time she mixed the food to see if the color was just on the outside or not; her face would light up whenever she took a spoonful of food.
Among the sounds of mouth chewing and cutlery clashing against the plates, I was the first one to break the silence.
"So… Why did you call us here, father?" I asked him once I had finished licking the dish clean.
"Is it a crime to want to eat with the rest of the family?" He asked me in return.
You… you know that Elena fucking hates me; why would you bring her along? Why are we even caring for her? Is she that important? Even though all she did was cussing me out? She is still glaring at me, for fuck's sake!
"I didn't know you had become so petty; you're behaving just like your uncle." He added, shaking his head in disappointment.
"So what? What's wrong with it? Did I say something wrong? I don't think—" Before I could finish arguing, my mother slammed her fist against the table.
You…
"If I can't speak out, then I'm done here; have a good night!" I shouted as I threw the spoon in my hand at her.
I originally wanted to flip the table, but I knew it was most likely too heavy for me to do so, and not wanting to embarrass myself, I decided to simply throw the spoon away; it just came naturally to throw it at her.
The spoon then bounced on an invisible wall in between her and me.
Yeah, sounds about right…
The maid tried to calm me down, but I was already over with that situation. I had enough interaction with that woman for the past week, and if she wanted to act like she always did, I was more than ready to leave the table.
You're never going to change, I guess, always absent, always occupied, never interested in me… It took someone kidnapping me for you to finally care, and look how much that lasted—barely a week, and you're back to ignoring me almost every day.
The maid tried to calm me down and stop me with whatever method she could, but I ignored her; I shrugged her hands off as I rushed to the stairs.
Fuck off!
I wanted to shout at her, but I couldn't. Tears were starting to form around my eyes; I was feeling more and more alone with every passing second, and I didn't want to show it to them.
Men don't cry.
I repeated to myself as I rushed through the stairs as fast as possible, I was in such a careless rush that I ended up tripping on the stairs, hurting myself pretty badly. I groaned in pain, resisting the urge to call for help and simply kept moving forward.
I felt as if my heart was about to get crushed; it was being squeezed. I wanted to scream and break something to vent my frustration, but there was nothing in my way, just an impertinent maid who was calling out to me.
Tired of hearing her voice, I summoned Colorful Madness in my right hand, turned around, and fired at her.
"Stay away from me!" I shouted, my voice was trembling, and tears fell down my cheeks.
The shot missed her by a long shot, but that stopped her from taking a step further. Once I was sure she wasn't following me anymore, I headed to my room and slammed the door shut, locking it with a key.
I then jumped on the bed, hugged my large pillow, and used it to suffocate my screams until I managed to calm myself down.