“Auggh! None of this just doesn’t make any sense; Mike wasn’t one to hold grudges much less resentment and even if his family bond was drawing him to remain in the mortal realm, then why would he want to see his parents and sister suffer to this extent?” Nate continued to reason openly after reading several more pages of the book.
Despite getting a better basic understanding of what the sacred night meant for those that truly valued its customs; he still couldn’t find a logical explanation that would suggest that the guy he knew and loved like the brother he never had, would use the opportunity he got to be sort of alive (ghostly) to drag his love ones into the abyss of insanity, would he not rather protect them from behind the scene like a good little angel?
As for Marcel returning home after the sun had set on the holy night, it might would have explaine
“Hold on, what? how… I don’t…” Nate stammered in sheer confusion trying to process the news of Maxwell’s death yet just as surprised by the level of calmness written on the girl’s face. “The director said that my dad was found hanging from one of the vents in the restroom… they think he committed suicide, but I don’t believe he did.” Marcel explained. “What do you mean they think? Don’t they have cameras all over that place, even at a certain angle in the toilets to keep a close eye on unstable patients?” He assumed that a facility with majority of its occupants suffering from depression, psychotic episodes and some with potential suicidal tendencies, that they would have measures in place to monitor and hopefully prevent such incidents from occurring.
“So, what do you plan on doing now?” They obviously couldn’t barge into the asylum, searching the place from top to bottom hoping to find her father without being caught or tossed out at the very least, nor could they blindly roam the streets wishful of coming across her missing mother. “Umm… I don’t know.” Marcel puffed out a loud breath of resignation, slouching onto the nearby sofa completely dismissing her previous worries of getting the boy overly involved in her messed-up family affairs. “You’re not going to disappear for a few hours on me again are you?” Stunned by the sudden question, Marcel swallowed nervously wondering if it was too late to defend herself now that he knew where she had taken off to without informing him, nonetheless hesitantly admitting… “
“This is all a part of your scheme to keep a close eye on me, isn’t it?” Marcel narrowed her brows at the boy behind the driver’s seat of the car, fully aware of his obvious intentions. The very next day she was literally pestered out of bed to take a shower and hurriedly munch on breakfast before been prompted to get out the house and into his vehicle, only then being told that they were heading to a local diner several blocks away, almost at the center of their hometown; to work as a part-time bus-boy and waitress. “Of course it is, the band is splitting up and we need money to get by, so any honest cash is good enough for me.” Nate didn’t even try to deny his methods of keeping her beside him, coupled with the fact that he didn’t want her being all alone with the way things were going with her family and
“Hey guys, let me know what I can do to help.” Marcel passively offered, unsure of how the glaring set of three boys and one girl would respond to them working there… from their silent reaction it was difficult to say whether or not they were in for a smooth sailing or entering rough waters. “Go out in front and just don’t mess up the orders.” One of the guy seemingly in his late teens, probably eighteen years or so, scuffed at her in pure resentment, while the others blatantly ignored their introduction. Apparently they weren’t too keen on being friendly. Sensing the sudden strange hostility now evident from their reaction, Nate brushed aside the negative feeling of their first impression, motioning Marcel through the doors they just came in moments ago, collecting an apron for them
“What’s your problem dude? Can’t you watch where you’re going?” “Knock it off Tony; just let it go before we end up at Acre Hills too.” “Sorry man...” “No way in hell! What?… you think just because you’re related to the old grump that runs this place, that you can walk around here like some big shot? humph! guess again.” The other two boys made no secret of their displeasure, voicing out bitter insults towards Nate as he accidentally brushed shoulders with the one called Tony, on his way to the kitchen carrying a tray of dirty dishes. “Look man, we’re just here to work, that’s all… I don’t need any trouble.” Even if he wanted to hit the loose lipped fellas for their stupid remarks, he surely had a lot to
The day could not end any sooner for the newbie’s at the diner, of course the others; particularly Rex and Sarah, took the opportunity at closing hour to exaggeratingly launch a complaint against Marcel in her presence, thinking that she was one of those girls that was all bark and no bite when it came to answering to accusations made by numbers. “Alright you two, tomorrow’s going be a lot more tight, so I’m going to need you to ‘reach’ here for six-thirty. Rex and Tony will be off until Friday; that means Nate you’ll work the register, Sarah you’ll stay out in front taking orders and you… Rayburn, you’ll be assisting Jim in the kitchen. “Aunty Betty, you know I don’t trust other people handling my ingredients when Tony isn’t here, if she messes things up then the
A part of Marcel knew that Nate was trying to deflect from being completely honest in answering her question pertaining to the reasons behind him suddenly dropping out of school, yet at that moment the rest of the mysteries seemed much more important than his educational status. “I don’t know what’s going on, but we’ll figure this out together.” He assured, pulling up at the entrance of his home and parking a few meters out in front. “Puff! My life is so complicated; I really wished I had a time machine to go back to that night when it all began… if I didn’t insist on going out…” “M, stop doing this to yourself; none of us could have predicted that things would turn out the way it did.” Nate interrupted, leaning to his right; stretching closer towards Marcel in the
Present day…. Unexpectedly, the following morning Nate was the one to be disturbed from his pleasant slumber, not realizing the space beside him was empty and the warmth of a certain beauty was missing, until he felt an irritating object poking at his nose, jaws and even his closed eye lids. “Hmm… M, what are you doing?” The boy subconsciously grumbled in a low husky voice, wondering what on earth she was up to, literally poking around his face. “You look so sweet when you’re not awake, pretend I’m not here.” Marcel continued to hover at the side of his bed, resting one elbow on the mattress with her chin in her palms and her knees bent on the carpeted floors below, while her free hand stubbornly traced the outline of his near perfect facial features.&