Chapter 8: Chapter Eight

Going to Mount Octover wasn’t just fun. Callisto also realized how much his parents loved each other. The way his father carried his mother—even though she was only pretending to be tired—showed how patient and caring he was.

Now, sitting on the edge of his bed and scrolling through the pictures he had taken during the hike, Callisto swore to himself that he’d never go back to that cave. The memory of being chased by a huge snake still played vividly in his mind, sending chills down his spine. It could have been his last day if he hadn’t been so lucky.

During his hike, Callisto had discovered some exotic plants in the forest, including a group of Venus flytraps feeding on bugs. As he ventured further, he came across a cave and decided to enter. The place was dark and deep, but his curiosity drove him forward. Eventually, he stumbled upon two enormous eggs inside.

"Perhaps they belong to some strange animal," Callisto thought to himself. Suddenly, he heard the unmistakable sound of a snake slithering closer.

"This is bad!" Callisto screamed internally as the huge head of a snake came into view.

It was a 36-foot reticulated python, and it nearly bit him before he sprinted out of the cave. His parents were bewildered when he emerged from the jungle, drenched in sweat as if he had just stepped out of a shower.

"Mom, Dad, we have to get out of here! There’s a huge snake in the forest!" Callisto exclaimed, gasping for breath. "I’ve never seen a snake that big before!"

"What?" Is that true? Dorothy asked in a shocked tone. "This is what I’ve been worried about. There are a lot of dangerous animals in that forest! You shouldn’t have gone there without our permission."

Callisto put down his phone on the bed and let out a long sigh while looking at the ceiling. It was a tiring day, but everything was worth the adventure anyway. He felt so young, dumb, and bold again.

"Are you not asleep yet?" Dorothy asked, glimpsing through the door of Callisto's bedroom. She opened the door and walked towards him.

"Mom, please tell me the truth. Is there something about my sister that I don't know?" Callisto asked, looking at his mother's face.

Dorothy didn't expect her son to ask her that question, but she knew that this day would come, and she'd have to tell him the truth that Ruth wasn't his real sister and she was just adopted from an orphanage.

Ruth's parents leave her without anything. Even the sisters in the orphanage didn't know her name. Sebastian and Dorothy were sad for the fate of that girl, so they decided to take her with them and gave her a name.

"And why are you asking me that, huh?" Dorothy asked.

"I just want to know, Mom," Callisto replied. "I've seen in the pictures that I and Ruth didn't have similar looks. She didn't look like you or Dad either, so I'm confused if she's really my sister."

"Yeah, of course she's your sister, but you're not related in blood. I'm sorry for not telling you about this, son, but I and your dad want you to treat Ruth like your real sister. That child is pitiful. Her parents abandoned her. I don’t know why there are people like them," Dorothy said with so much kindness in her voice.

Callisto couldn't blame his parents either for being kind, and they always tell him to be kind also because kindness is a wonderful way to tell another soul that there's still beauty and hope in this world and in dark times.

"You're so kind, Mom," Callisto said. "I'm not disappointed if you didn't tell me this. You just want me to be kind to Ruth even if we're not related in blood. Don't worry, Mom; I'll always treat her like my real sister even if she sometimes acts so bossy."

"Thanks, son," Dorothy said, giving Callisto a warm embrace before leaving his room.

Callisto covered himself with the blanket. He closed his eyes, but he couldn't sleep with his racing thoughts, thinking about the questions that had never been answered even by the most intelligent man on earth.

"If the universe is expanding, and the Earth is just a tiny, pale blue dot, do people even matter? Are the problems and struggles of these tiny human beings really that significant? If we’re already this small compared to galaxies, and aliens probably exist, then how much smaller are viruses and bacteria?" Callisto stood up and jumped, as if driven crazy by his own thoughts.

Callisto couldn't silence the voice in his head, so he decided to go out for a while. He opened the window and jumped out like a thief, then he continued to the road where he met four street guys who looked like addicts.

They were smoking cigarettes and drinking alcohol and shouting as if they were looking for a fight. They blocked Callisto from taking his way.

"Hey, boy! Where are you going?" Samson asked, showing an unsettling smile on his face, as if he were planning something crazy. "We don't let anyone pass here without paying."

Samson tried to grab Callisto's shoulder, but because he was drunk, his moves were slow and predictable, and Callisto easily avoided them. He fought back by punching his belly, which made him cry out in pain.

But birds with the same feathers flock together. They couldn't stand seeing their friend lost against a thin-looking boy and helped beat Callisto. They were bigger in number, so they easily caught him.

They punched Callisto in his face and stomach; they even removed his pants to embarrass him. Blood trickled from his nose. They didn't stop until he could fight no more. His face was full of bruises, and his lips swelled. Fortunately, those boys had some mercy on him as they immediately left when he collapsed on the road, afraid that those cops would put them inside the jail.

Callisto thought of taking revenge, but he realized that it was all his fault in the first place. If he didn't fight them and just be friends, perhaps they wouldn't hurt him either. He thought of how impulsive he was.

As Callisto regained his consciousness, he found himself inside a room that didn't belong to him, lying on a bed. He remembered what happened, but didn't know who brought him to this house. He looked around but saw no one, so he wore his clothes and opened the door when someone emerged at his front.

"Linley?" Callisto asked, seeing the girl in her casual clothes.

"You're finally awake," Linley replied. "Do you remember what happened?"

"I remembered," Callisto said.

"I found you in that street, unconscious, when I was on my way to school, so I decided to be absent today and bring you home. I hope you're just fine; you were full of bruises and not moving. I thought you were already dead, but you're lucky," Linley said in a worried tone.

"Thanks for saving me, Linley!" Callisto replied and gave the girl a tight hug from the back.

"Welcome." Linley removed Callisto's arms around her, acting like she didn't like what he was doing, even if her mind was racing with thoughts, screaming that she didn't want him to let go, that she wanted him to hold her forever. "You have to go now. Your parents are probably worriedly looking for you."

"Bye." Callisto whispered and grabbed an opportunity to kiss Linley's face before leaving.

Linley was surprised and confused why Callisto did that. She started to think if he also had feelings for her like she did, but she didn't want to believe it, knowing that some guys only want to have sex and not love.

Callisto couldn't thank Linley enough for saving him. He could have died on that road if she hadn't rescued him. He went back home and continued to the kitchen, where his parents and sister were having breakfast.

"Good morning, Mom, Dad," Callisto greeted with a smile on his face, trying to act normal though some parts of his body still ached.

Dorothy and Sebastian were surprised to see their son with bruises and black eyes on his face. It seemed like he had gone through a fight early in the morning.

"What happened to your face?" Dorothy asked worriedly as she approached Callisto and examined his face. "You're full of bruises. Did you go to that mountain again?"

"I'm sorry, Mom. I had a fight with those street boys last night," Callisto replied honestly, as he knew that there was no point in lying to his mother.

Callisto whimpered as his mother accidentally touched the bruises on his face. He knew she'd be mad at him, but he was ready to hear all her scolding, knowing that it couldn't change something that already happened. All he could do was learn from his mistakes.

"You should apply some ointment and bandages to your wounds; you look so pathetic," Dorothy said, as she didn't want to blame her son for what he did and focus on solving the problem instead.

Callisto didn't say anything as he continued towards the table and sat down on the chair. He filled his plate with food and started eating. He felt uncomfortable with the way his father would look at him, telling that he was disappointed with the way he acted recently.

After having his breakfast, Callisto continued to his room to rest his body. He knew it would take time for his wounds to heal, and he wouldn't be able to go out for a while or go to that mountain, and that was more than being grounded as a punishment.

"What happened to your face?" Ruth asked, as she suddenly emerged behind her brother, who was looking at his reflection in the tall mirror.

Callisto remained quiet while putting something, such as a cream or an ointment, on the contusions around his eyes. He noticed the worried expression on his sister's face, as if she understood what happened.

"It's just a little bruise, baby girl. You should go back and finish your food," Callisto told his sister.

"I have eaten my breakfast already. May I touch them?" Ruth asked. "Don't worry, it won't hurt."

Callisto turned back and lowered himself in front of his sister to let her touch his wounded face, to receive some sort of comfort from her. "Which one?" he asked, referring to the bruises on his face.

"All of them. Once I touch them, they will all disappear," Ruth said, looking directly at Callisto's face.

A little smile appeared on Callisto's face, thinking that Ruth just cared too much for him, though she sometimes acted so arrogantly. "No. I don't believe you," he replied.

"You should believe me if you want them to disappear," Ruth said, never backing down from her words.

"Okay, you win. I believe you now," Callisto replied as he didn't want to argue anymore. He felt the warm air as his sister blew it on his face and even on his lips. He knew it wasn't just air; she spit on his face.

"Please take a look in the mirror," Ruth said.

Callisto stood up straight and was surprised to see himself in the mirror. The black eye on his face and the swelling of his lips all disappeared like magic. He slightly scratched his eyes to see if he was just seeing some illusions, but when he opened them, everything was normal.

"How did you do that?" Callisto asked his sister. He couldn't believe what she had done.

Ruth replied, "It's just a little conjuring, brother," and left.

Callisto scrutinized his face in the mirror once again. It was just here lately, he thought, how could those bruises suddenly disappear? He shook his head, but the incredulity stayed in his mind, so he just washed his face.

When Callisto went to the living room, where his mother was sitting on the couch, embroidering her old clothes. She could almost sew her hands when she saw Callisto. The black eyes on his face were indeed gone.

Callisto didn't know how to explain this thing, as he knew that his mother wouldn't believe it either. She might even think that he had already lost his mind, believing in magic, or perhaps it was from reading too many fantasy books.

"Am I dreaming? Where are the bruises on your face?" Dorothy asked, slowly standing up and walking towards Callisto. She touched his face and examined it but saw nothing more than his normal looks.

Callisto complained, "Come on, Mom, it's just me—"

"Did you apply ointment on your face?" Dorothy asked, thinking that perhaps those creams had covered the bruises on her son's face.

"Yeah, I did. Thanks for them, Mom. Those products were really effective. I don't feel pain anymore," Callisto replied. He still couldn't stop thinking about his sister. She wasn't just any ordinary human, she possessed healing magic.

Dorothy was satisfied by her son's answer and went back to her work, while Callisto continued outside the house, where his father was fixing their old car, which he bought many years ago but couldn't let go of or give up to the junk shop despite its terrible shape.

Callisto knew that it'd be more difficult to avoid his father's questions than his mother's, as they were closer. Sebastian accidentally hit his head on the car when he saw his son going towards him.

Sebastian stood up and said that something was wrong about Callisto, but due to his poor memory, he couldn't remember what it was. Callisto inhaled deeply, relieved that even if it was because of his father's amnesia, he was saved.

"How's the car, Dad?" Callisto asked. "Will you let me finish fixing that? You know, I was the one who used that when—" Callisto stopped talking when he noticed his father, who was just looking at his face, bewildered.

"Okay," that was the only word that came out of Sebastian's lips before he left.

"What's wrong with that man?" Callisto asked himself, as he sometimes didn't really understand the way his father would act. "He's so unpredictable, as usual."

Callisto got below the car and began fixing its throttle. The drips of fuel stained his white tank top. But he needed to fix this thing, or they wouldn't be able to go back to the city. Callisto already missed his city life; although it was noisy there, he never had a fight with anyone.

"The people in this town are really different from the people in the city. Most of them are crazy!" Callisto thought.