CHAPTER SEVENTY-NINE:
Burned Down to Ashes
--
The next day, Kai went to visit her again. Tyler only dropped him together with a maid, Kai said he has
an important meeting to attend to. Althea could careless, she only let his words past her ears. The
whole day, she remained idle. Jack visited at noon, after his classes. Becca went out with him after
that, saying she has something to do in the shop. Maybe to attend the flowers, Althea thought.
It was only her and Kai left in the room when her phone rang. It was Melanie.
[“How are you?” She said, Althea can hear the tiredness in her voice. Becca already told her what
happened to her parents, so she already knows her situation and has no plan to make her come back
immediately.]
Althea was leaning on her bed; Kai was sleeping next to her. She looked down at him and gently runs
her hand on his hair. “I’m okay now, you don’t have to worry.”
[She hears a sigh, “That’s good.” Silence. There was the familiar silence Melanie always has when
talking to somebody. “Uhm, I- is it okay to not-“]
“Yes,” Althea said, sighing. She throwed her head back at the ceiling. “Yes, yes of course. It’s your
parents. You should take care of them while you still can.”
“…” Melanie was taken aback, wondering why she can hear bitterness on her voice. Then she
remembered what Victoria said in her birthday. Right; her parents are dead.
[Melanie nodded even though she knows that the other can’t see her. “Thank you. I hope you recover
soon. I’ll be back after they discharged.”]
Althea also nodded. “No problem. I hope your parents will recover soon too, and you can take your
time, just be sure to be back.”
Hearing her crack a joke, albeit lacking her usual energy, Melanie broke into a smile that made her
father- that was sitting on a bed across her- tilt his head in confusion and asked-
[“Hey- is that your girl-“
“Thank you, Althea.” Then she hangs up. After putting her phone down, she gave her father a stare.]
Althea was not able to hear that, so she only put her phone away and drifted to sleep. Later, she was
woken up by the doctor and nurses, after having a general check-up, both her and Kai were left alone
again. Kai was already awake, eating the foods Tyler bought for them. Althea was silently watching him
eat, while leaning on the headboard and piles of pillows.
She can hear him munching on the apples before her thoughts drifted away. Her mind returned to her
conversation with Charlotte. Kai noticed her stares, he looked up and sent her a questioning gaze.
Althea smiled and reached out to give him a pat on his head. “How are you fairing there, Kai? Is there
someone giving you a hard time?”
Kai paused his munching and gave her question a thought. “It’s okay- it’s fun there.”
Althea paused. “So, you like it there?”
“… I do. But if you tell me to go home with you, I’ll go with you.”
Althea pursed her lips before stretching her hands sidewards, she beckoned the little boy to her arms.
“Come here, son. Give your mom a big hug.”
-
Later that evening, just before dinner time at 7:30, Emily called her, bawling, and cursing at her
because she didn’t tell her about what happened and only heard it after Melanie called her. Althea kept
on sighing as she repeats her apologies. If Marjorie wasn’t there, it will take hours before they calm this
woman down. Althea was in a verge of hanging up the phone, but with Kai staring at her with his cute,
little innocent blue eyes, her conscience can’t. Groaning internally, she decided to bear with it.
[“I’m sorry Althea,” Marjorie said. She took the phone away from the other. “She’s just upset. She wants
to help you with anything as long as she can, but she can’t believe that she was already too late.”]
Althea laughed and reassured them. “It’s okay. I just don’t want her to worry about it. I don’t want to
bother her too, since she has a lot on her plate.”
[“Shut up,” Emily managed to take the phone from Marjorie. “When did you became a bother? You
have to tell me things- whether small or big, I don’t care- in the future, okay? Or else I’ll go there and
smack you myself if I hear things from other people again.”]
“Okay, okay- I got it already, geez.” Althea laughed. “Any ways, Kai is here, do you want to talk with
him?”
[“Really?! Sure!”]
-
After dinner, Tyler went to the hospital. When he opened the door, Kai turned to look at him with
shinning eyes. Tyler was confused at first, but it was cleared up after Althea explained.
“Oh,” Tyler nodded. “Then I’ll take care of Kai until then.”
“5 days,” Althea also nodded her head. “After 5 days I’ll be discharged from here. Since it seems like
Kai is comfortable with you, I’ll take it as you are taking him very well. After I get discharge, I’ll take him
back.”
Althea expected him to be happy and thank her with his small, composed smile. Who could have
thought that he will thank her with a smile he always gives her when they were still together?
“Thank you, Althea.” He smiled widely, his eyes turning into slits, but in the gap of those slits peeks his
green eyes, like peeking spring after winter.
Althea heart throbbed in fear and another familiar emotion that she hasn’t felt for a very long time. It
was small, like a fire spark, as it was overwhelmed by fear. Especially as she can see his shadow right
at the corner, silently staring like a predator marking its prey.
‘He is dead Althea’ Charlotte’s words loosened the gripping hand on her throat. She could breathe
again. ‘He is gone.’
Althea looked at that corner again and he was gone.
“Althea?”
She looked back at Tyler only to see him looking at her worriedly. Althea gave him a small smile.
“There’s nothing to thank me, Tyler. This benefits the both of us-”
Not that she knows what kind of benefit this set-up gives Tyler though. From what she sees, having Kai
in his house is nothing but a troublesome thing.
Tyler laughed, then thanked her again.
Althea then watched them bid goodbye to her and left the room hand in hand.
--
Five days passed rather quickly.
In that span of short days, Jack and Becca just occasionally comes to check on her. Althea made
Becca to go home since she can manage herself. Melanie called her two times in a span of five days,
while Emily called her three times.
Althea was glad when she managed to stop the two to go to her when she accidentally said that she
was alone. Sometimes having many people that worries about you is bothersome. It’s overwhelming
and suffocating. She’s glad though, but it was just too much.
Anyway, also in those days, she can see how Tyler and Kai was getting close to each other. She has
no idea how the two spends their times together but seeing how Kai sleeps comfortably on his shoulder
(when he was careful not to depend on adults), and how they act like father- and, uh, son, Althea was
pretty sure that some short of connection was formed between them.
Then, the day of discharge.
Becca was the only one that assisted her. Tyler wants to come but he was pushed back by his work.
Althea told him not to and she will only go to his house and fetch Kai herself. The idea was for her to go
back to the shop and rest early and just make Tyler send him to the shop after his work, but for some
reason, she changed her mind after sitting on her car.
And then, after fetching Kai in his house- or mansion- she doesn’t know, they were just passing by an
ice-cream parlor when Jack called Becca.
After hearing the news, Althea has no idea whether to laugh or cry.
Her shop, just her shop, was intentionally set on fire in the middle of a day. The suspect was caught
after, but he only said that he was paid by someone to burn that place. He was only given half of the
pay and a paper that contains the time and place that he has to burn.
Althea was mad, of course she’s mad.
The shop she built with the help of Charlotte was burned down to ashes.
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