Chapter 102: The Revealed Past
Chapter 102: The Revealed Past
‘I’m tired,’ Nelly almost said it out loud but she stopped herself when she turned around and saw the look on Stacy’s face. She was genuinely concerned about her. It warmed her heart. Since her mother’s passing, it’s hard to find genuine concern. Except for her brother, of course. But he always fusses too much about minor issues to really point out the real concern.
“Thanks,” she could feel tears hanging at the edge of her eyes. “Of course! That’s what friends are for,” Stacy beamed at her.
Friend. Nelly’s heart skipped a beat. The word was so foreign in her life. Coming from a poor single parent family, the other children in elementary school wouldn’t play with her. As she grew older, the discrimination from other classmates eased tremendously but she had gotten used to not having friends. The only friend she ever had in her life was the elder brother she shared a lollipop with when she got lost years back when she was really young.
She smiled. “Having you around makes living in this place much more bearable.” Stacy nodded, “Right! Let me grab some food from the kitchen real quick. Wait for me,” she bolted down the stairs, “one minute!” She screamed from the ground floor, making Nelly chuckle. Right. Life wasn’t so bad with them around.
While the ladies bonded by the door, the men were on their way back to Neil’s room. “Seriously, guys! I’m injured, not paralyzed. I can walk,” Neil’s protests echoed through the corridor. “Shh! Do you want Nelly to hear you?” Jack scolded, causing Neil to snap his mouth shut immediately.
Chad chuckled. “Those ladies really have immense power over us,” he said humorously. “Us,” Neil repeated his word, mulling over it while Jack smirked at Chad. “He’s right, though,” Jack confirmed, “just look at how fast you nod when Nelly tells you something.” Neil shook his head, “she cares about me. Everything she says makes sense.” Chad made a loud sound of approval. “Right! So you listen to her and stop insisting on walking on your own.”
Jack burst out laughing. “Good one, Chad!” Neil could only sigh. “This is absurd. I must heal quickly. I’m done lying on the bed all day.”
“In order for that to happen, you have to listen to your sister’s advice and stay put until she says otherwise,” Jack broke it out to him, sounding proud for some unknown reason. “Yeah. You injured yourself. That’s the price you have to pay,” Chad agreed. “Both of you are really brothers, taking turns berating me!”
“Nelly can do it. Why can’t we? Aren’t we your brothers?” Jack responded. Neil immediately shook his head. “I only accept nagging from my sister.”
“Bias,” Jack shot back. “Siblinsist,” Chad murmured. “Sexist,” Jack replied. “Rasist,” Chad continued. Neil rolled his eyes. “Would you stop?”
“No,” they said simultaneously as Neil lowered himself on the bed. Jack held his hand out and Chad gave him a high five. Neil rolled his eyes again. “Both of you are impossible. Just go.” Jack pouted, “are you chasing us away?” Neil slowly lowered himself into a lying position. “Yes. You are noisy.”
Jack’s face lit up visibly. He climbed on top of the table and sat there with his legs crossed. “I’m staying here!” Chad shook his head at his antics. “I’m leaving. You take care, Neil. Don’t tear that wound apart again.”
He disappeared too fast for Neil to shoot back. “He just had to poke at where it’s painful the most!” He gestured at the closed door palm up. “So that someone here won’t forget and start the whole episode of ‘just going to the loo’ or ‘just going downstairs’,” Jack said with a flat tone, causing Neil to roll his eyes for the umpteenth time. “Whatever. If you are going to keep reminding me about it, just get out.”
Jack laughed. “All right, sir. I’ll stop,” he did the action of zipping his mouth but immediately started another topic. His body leaned forward with interest. “Bro, I need to ask you something.”
“What?” Neil deadpanned. “Where is the city you used to live in?”
Neil furrowed his brows as he turned to look at Jack. “There are many cities I’ve been to before coming here. My old man was a wanderer. Why do you ask?”
“I mean, the city Nelly comes from.. the one both of you used to live together with your parents,” Jack rephrased his question, ignoring the counter-question from Neil.
“I forgot what it’s called now, but back in the days, they called it the St. Jude’s,” Neil’s figures furrowed in concentration as he tried his best to recall.
Jack deflated visibly. That wasn’t the city he used to live in. So the girl he had met in the past wasn’t Nelly. That’s understandable. Life wasn’t always sunshines and rainbows. The universe wouldn’t so conveniently arrange them to meet after so many years. The probability was simply too low.
“Why’d you ask anyway?” Neil’s voice brought him back to reality. “Nothing. I saw her picture when you left earlier. I thought she looked like someone I used to know.”
“Really?” Neil was surprised. “But you stayed in the orphanage. I don’t think she’s been to any..” Jack shook his head. “I was sent to the orphanage when I was eight. I used to stay in Argent City.” Neil nodded, “makes sense.”
He was still nodding absent-mindedly when his eyes widened. “Argent City was that neighboring city!” It was Jack’s turn to be confused. “What neighboring city?”
“Our cities were beside each other,” Neil explained, “there was a grove in the middle of our cities, bringing the two settlements apart.”
Jack scratched his head. “I lived in Argent for eight years. Why didn’t I know about this? You are not making this up, are you?”
Facing Jack’s doubt, Neil was even more engrossed in proving himself. “I know this because we lived at the edge of the city, near to the grove. Once, Nelly even got lost in the trees. My mother and I were so worried. We looked everywhere for her. We thought she would be crying when we found her but she was so happy,” Neil smiled and shook his head as he reminisced about the past.
Jack took in a quick breath. A sudden realization settled.
That would be the time they meet.
The girl he always had in mind is indeed Nelly.