16 16. Eli
I like to tell everyone that I am a normal kid.
And yes.
I really was.
As far as I can remember, my father was never around. It was just my mother. And that is normal.
It's strange because if you take a step back, and maybe tilt the camera towards a more retrospective angle, anything can be normal. Every single thing in the world has the potential to be something more than it is.
Even mosquitoes.
But whether or not they reach this potential... I'd just leave it at that.
And my mother? Oh, she's amazing. I could vouch that she is one of many that have superpowers and I love her.
Again, but I had grown up all alone. In the absence of adults. And I was learning from people who were not my family, or people I didn't even know of. I may have learned more from strangers than from my mother's tired lectures. By then I had developed a resistance against actually doing what I was told to do.
I was learning but I was never taught.
When I told my mother who I really was, she just slapped me and screamed no. But I still told her everything and when I was done, I walked out on her.
She had said no and I immediately went to a club.
Not your average club.
The kind where I belonged at. And the kind where I could let loose and get somewhere. Blinding music, quiet people at the sides, a swarm of bodies just moving against each other and Liam was standing still, staring at my swollen cheek. He bent towards me, two people still between us and he yelled,
"Do you wanna go get ice cream?"
·
That was the first time I met Liam and his bed was cold when I fell into its softness. We didn't get ice cream, his hands were on my chest and my cheek was stinging.
·
And what's the point of all this?
Good question.
Maybe I'm not the best person to be given orders and right now, I may or may not have this overwhelming desire to just do a split right in the middle of the party hall.
If I could do a spli–
"Adian."
I blink, and when I focus my vision back, it's dark out. I could barely see the trees passing by the windows. How far is this venue from Adian's place?
It is completely dark inside the carriage, I can't even make out my own hands even as I move them.
A flash of light passes by.
I look up at the window, and there are lamps. Street lamps that seem to be burning probably on oil and there is a whole line of them quickly appearing. The carriage rocks slightly and it slows down to a smooth float along the paved pathway.
I lean and try to look out of the small window as much as possible. We have reached the destination and man, it's extremely gorgeous.
And unlike the Drane estate's pathway, this place is completely lit with lamps hanging here and there from all attachments possible
Oh…
I stare at the huge monument of a house as it comes into view.
Completely lit by lamps, with royal blue roofs and huge white pillars is the estate of Welstone.
"We should totally do that." I say in a daze, my eyes sparkling at the lights and I feel a sudden need for unnecessary human interaction inside my chest.
"What do you mean?"
I can faintly see that Elian is frowning.
"That." I say and point outside, wildly gesturing at the big white ornamental house. His face is patched in shadows and light but he shakes his head at my words.
The carriage eventually curbs and eventually slows gently to a halt.
"I don't see the need for that."
I swear he just sighed right now and his silhouette moves, his hand moving under his cloak to button up his open suit.
·
"Need? What's a need? We can throw a celebration anytime." My eyes follow him as he looms upwards, moving out of the carriage.
"A celebration needs a purpose."
I move towards the door, and he reaches out a hand,
"Fix your suit."
I tug the hem of my vest because that's how people fix their suits? Well, apparently not. Because Elian sighs at me, he's always sighing that he reminds me of my mother.
"We could celebrate our marriage."
Elian glares up at me as he roughly unbuttons my vest, and he takes one look at the crumpled shirt underneath inciting yet another sigh.
"We have to hurry." He informs me, shaking his head to dismiss the mess that my shirt is in.
I shrug with one shoulder at his reaction. If nobody is gonna see it, nobody's gonna know.
He pulls the sides together and buttons up my vest, then he hurriedly pulls the grey cloak over me.
I look at his shadowed face, his crumpled forehead, glittering eyes that reflect the light off of it, and turning my gaze behind him, I gasp.
That is beautiful.
Glowing behind him is the entrance hallway to the party hall and it is littered around with people moving about in clothes that throw shame upon what we wear today. And that's not the point.
The point is the chandeliers. Yes, again. But the thing is once you have seen chandeliers, you don't ever stop being amazed by them. It never stops and this one is exquisite. The hall that goes on and ends with a speck image of the room is completely white and lighting it is several chandeliers in a row. And they sparkled in rainbows.
"Oh my God." I stare up and without looking, I grab Elian's hand. His grip tightens and I step down.
My eyes zoom from one end to the other, at all possible angles of the architecture. It is humongous, so much that Elian seems much smaller as we walk towards it.
"Close your mouth." He mutters under his breath and I nod absently.
An obstruction to my awestruck moment and Elian impatiently tugs at my hand, pulling me forward. I look at him, my face scrunched up slightly without meaning to.
"Shall we?" He rumbles impatiently and tilts his head towards the monstrosity of Victorian extravaganza.
I slip my hand onto the crook of his bent arm and smile at him in response.
····
"A birthday celebration." Elian bends down slightly and speaks near my ear. I frown at him in confusion,
"What?"
We are still walking along the hallway which I now realize is unnecessarily extended.
"It's a birthday celebration."
"Ohh…" I nod, keeping my eyes looking ahead, "Wait, but we didn't bring any gifts?"
Elian stops immediately at my words and gives me a funny look. I tug the necklace, feeling it close around my neck for some reason.
"Don't give me that look." I remark defensively and clear my throat.
"My apologies." He drawls, assuming the walk down the hallway red carpet.
I'm quickly realizing that people are merely showing off their outfits as they walk by.
"We send our presents in advance. It's the practice around here."
"Wait, whose birthday is this again?"
Another look. This time, he is visibly irritated.
This man is certainly not to be a father.
"Vincent and Vance Welstone. Viscounts and they happen to be twins. They are turning 25."
"Identical twins?"
"Yes. They are very similar physically."
"Oh. Okay." I nod thoughtfully, and Elian continues in a conspiratorial voice, suddenly getting into this ramble of information.
"The first one you meet will be Vincent."
I hum in response, losing any sort of interest I had in this conversation. I meet eyes with a girl, half of her face is covered behind a handheld fan, framed by burgundy curls and she stares at me with big round eyes.
"Eli!!"
Suddenly a force from behind flurries straight into my right side, knocking me off my footing. I let go of Elian's arms and stagger over to the side, a dull pain throbbing in my right arm.
I grit my teeth and turn back, ready to punch whoever it was.
But I halt, and my whole body does as I stare at the sight in front of me. A blond mop of hair and striking red frock coat sticking onto Elian whose face shows that he's quite used to this treatment.
With his back turned towards me, I can't quite see the face of this person but his back is broad, almost as broad as Elian's. His tall lanky feet are on tiptoes as he leans his whole weight onto Elian and his arms are wounded around Elian's shoulders.
My eyes gravitate downwards and what looks like rhinestones gleams brightly on his white shoes. I raise my eyebrows skeptically.
Did this man just say Eli?
