Rob's POV:
Vin locked everyone inside his Play Room. Everyone was making a face at him, but he didn't seem to notice... or care. As for me, I don't mind his childish act, as long as he lets me do my job properly.
I don't know how I ended up being his home tutor. But still it wasn't that challenging to bring a sigh out of me. But it was close to it.
I pushed my glasses a little up before looking at everyone. All family members were sitting on an L-shaped long couch.
On one end of the couch, master Enzo and Nero were sitting while on the other end Laure and Leà. Vin as always sat in the middle making a bored face at me. I know he's cursing me severely inside.
Well, I don't like to be in this position too but I don't really have any other options. Only if Dane was a little more smart...
Sigh. There I had it.
I unlocked my tablet to open the folder named History.
"What are you going to teach us?" Vin looked excited for some reason.
"Renaissance age." I answered.
"Ahaa..." He shouted as soon as he heard that "Rob, you don't need to teach that topic. I know it already. Everyone, let's leave this place." He stood up and started spinning on his feet.
"..." I just stood still, looking at Vin who was lying shamelessly.
"Oh, come on, don't look at me like that, I really know Renaissance. I took a lecture on that in class." He yelled loudly, reading my face like always. How did he even do that!? "You don't believe me? Fine, I'll show you my notebook. I had noted down the whole lecture." He exclaimed while walking towards the door.
He thinks I'm stupid! He was freaking lying with full confidence but I know him better. It's way too obvious that he's trying to run away...
Inwardly sigh. I glanced at Dane who knew what to do.
"Hey Danny, let me go! What are you doing?" Vin shouted in his ear-piercing voice as Dane caught him near the door then lifted him up and dropped him near the couch. Vin looked left and right, and received four mocking smirks from two sets of brothers. I too wanted to laugh at his foolishness.
"Signorino, if you already know Renaissance age - as you asserted - then let's study something else." I said flatly, staring down at him.
He first gave me like a dozen looks then stood up to come near me. I turned my neck to look at him, he placed his hands on his waist and looked at my tablet.
"..." What does he want now?
"Fine, show me what you got." He said calmly. I blinked a few times trying to understand this oddly new situation. After all, he's not someone who just listens without doing anything silly or troublesome. "I'm not planning to do anything silly or troublesome. Just show me already before I change my mind." He said in his normal voice.
I was... shocked inside but didn't show it on my face. I cleared my throat and opened the folder named Literature. In that folder many other folders appear such as History, Drama, Poetry, Novel...
"History is already done so let's just delete this folder." He said and spread out his finger to delete it.
"NO!!" I heard my voice coming out too loud; everyone in the room looked stunned for a second. Even Vin placed his hand on his chest, looking at me astonished. "Signorino, let's not delete or burn anything before exams, okay?" I half requested politely otherwise he wouldn't listen to me.
He made a pouty face then just rolled his eyes. I calm my-inner-self down and clicked on the folder named Drama. He leaned forward to look at it.
"We already finished studying Hamlet and I know the other one. I took a lecture on it." He states seriously for once. I just kept looking at him in awe. Who is he and what did he do to our crazy signorino!
"What, you don't believe me! I know everything about Othello but I didn't note down that lecture." He made a bored face. I blinked and looked at my tablet again.
"Then we only have two subjects to choose from - Poetry and Novel. What do you want to study first?"
"I don't want to study anything stupid like poetry. Total waste of my precious time… Huh! Poetry is all about a bunch of useless words put together to make a sentence that doesn't make any sense." He yelled at me for no good reason.
Well, he has his own definition of Poetry. I just took a deep breath and finally opened the folder named Novel. He leaned on my shoulder to see more clearly. He kept skipping the novels one after one - just looking at their cover pages.
Don't tell me he's gonna choose it by the cover he'll like. Damn, I never felt the urge to roll my eyes...
Suddenly his finger stopped on the screen, he looked at my face, his eyes showing a sparkle I don't really like. I looked at the screen and sigh hard at the novel he finally chose.
A Farewell to Arms
By Ernest Hemingway.
He ran to his seat and brought me the mic. I just looked at his face. Is he for real? I took a deep breath and held the mic near my mouth.
As soon as I read the book title out loud, I looked up. Both Signorino's brothers were smiling at me teasingly showing their perfect teeth. Master Enzo just shook his head a little and continued typing something on his laptop.
I started reading about the main storyline. Well, I'm not gonna read the whole thing!
Only a few paragraphs in and Vin started yawning, and that's normal so I looked at others.
It's not even freaking five minutes and Laure already fell asleep on Master Enzo's shoulder, who was minding his own business. Wait, when did she change her seat?
Master Nero was playing with his cellphone ignoring everything around him while little Leà looked at me like I'm the same as the teacher whose lectures are boring as hell. Am I?
Even my fellow guards look at me like I'm the most boring human being in this whole wide world. Great!
Now I felt insulted!
I put down the tablet and mic on the table. Everyone looked at me blankly, slightly puzzled. I ignored them and took off my jacket. Fold it in half and placed it on the table too. I unbuttoned my cuffs and folded them up. Then I undone my collar button to relax myself a little.
"Are you going to do a strip show to cheer up everyone?" Vin asked suddenly, making my eyes widened and my neck flushed.
Leà giggled and master Nero lifted his head to look first at her then at me. He lifted his eyebrows at me. I ignored all the eyes fixed on me, and I admit I was blushing... inside.
I walked forward and opened the file folder that I've borrowed from a certain someone in college. I look inside to find what I need. Then I took out a set of papers stapled together. Vin leaned forward to see just out of curiosity. I held the mic...again and started reading from the notes. As he saw what I was doing he made a face and leaned back again.
I started to tell the story...again. But this time something changed as I continued reading, I noticed everyone actually listened. Even I like the way the story goes. It was well written, a perfect summary for a novel. I didn't notice that I was smiling.
Master Enzo lowered his laptop screen and started listening with interest, even Laure opened her eyes. Leà looked at me like I was telling her some kind of bed time story. Even though he didn't show it, I knew master Nero was listening too because his fingers stopped moving and just hovering over his cellphone's screen until the screen went black.
.
Knock! knock!
I paused and turned to look at the door.
"Who the hell come! Wait, I'll check." Vin half ran half walk towards the door, I just rolled my eyes while Dane caught him...again.
Vin was returned to where he was before, Laure kicked his back lightly for no reason while his brothers laughed at him. He smiled shyly as his escape plan failed for the second time in just the last half an hour.
Dane opened the door and Rex appeared. He looked around furrowing his eyebrows. He walked towards master Enzo and gave him some files.
"Hey T-Rex, what are you doing here?" Vin asked but even before Rex could answer he continued "...well, now that you've come, sit with us. My Robot is telling us a story." He said excitedly.
"Signorino, I have work to do." Rex tried to excuse himself.
"Dane! Lock the door! No one can leave until our Robby get satisfied!" Vin shouted too high near Laure's ear and almost got kicked. He scooted towards Leà while yelling why Laure would even sit beside him. Rex just looked at everyone giving his signature irritated look.
"Rex, tomorrow is your day off. Just sit with us." Master Enzo said in his deep commanding voice, but still moved away giving space for him to sit. Rex sat down making an annoyed face. Master Enzo smiled a little and looked at me as if telling me to continue.
I started from the beginning so that our newcomer can enjoy it too. But as Rex heard the damn title he looked at me amused I just rolled my eyes a little.
What is wrong with everyone!
.
.
[A Farewell to Arms is the story of an Italian soldier Frederick who got injured during World War I in Italy. Then he met a nurse in hospital, Catherine. Frederic Henry falls in love with Catherine Barkley as she tends to his wounds.
Then Frederic is called back to the front where a mess up retreat causes Frederic to desert. Then a moment came when Frederic Henry realized he no longer wants to fight in the war.
So, he bid "farewell" to the Italian army. And says hello to the lover's arms of Catherine. He ran away with her to Switzerland.
Everything was going smoothly like an average love story where a hardened, dutiful man meets a pretty blonde and they fall in love despite the odds and live happily ever after... until the ending, after which the words 'happily' and 'live' no longer apply.
The novel ends tragically when Catherine dies in hospital. And Frederick left her there and walked away in the rain.
In this way Frederick had to bid another "farewell" but this time to his lover's arms.]
.
.
I stopped reading and looked up at everyone. All of them looked at me in awe. Vin and Leà got emotional, Vin encircled his arm around Leà while she sniffed a little. I nearly rolled my eyes. Nearly.
Everyone was silent as if mourning at the tragic end of the story. Some of the guards look down making sad faces. I recognized four of them were ex - soldiers.
Ahm, I cleared my throat and continued reading.
"Love and War are the main themes of this novel. Arms serves as a double meaning in the plot. Frederick bid "farewell" two times but to different arms. First to 'arms' as weapon, second to his beloved 'arms'."
I stopped as I read the special note from her, the owner and writer of these notes. Everyone was waiting for me to continue, so I cleared my throat and read.
"Moral of the story: one should recognize the brevity of life and take advantage of life's joys while it is still possible."
Almost everyone nodded their heads as if agreeing what I just read out loud. I saw the name of Amy as she wrote her thoughts about the novel. I decided not to say her name out loud in front of everyone and continued reading casually.
"Dealing with death or the impending death of a loved one is a painful, universally relatable experience. Whether the end comes suddenly or slowly, it will be equally heartbreaking."
I took a deep breath as I lowered my arms holding the mic and notes.
For the first time in history, I didn't know what to do...strange.
"Love leads to pain..."
Everyone turned to look as the new voice echoed in the silent room. Rex was staring at the papers in my hand. I looked too and saw four words written behind the blank side of the paper.
I tilted my head a little. Well, I can't comment carelessly about what Amy wrote there so, I just put the papers back in the folder file carefully.
_____
In master Enzo's office late at night...
"Did you do as I asked?" He asked in his deep commanding voice.
"Yes, I'm working on it." Rex replied shortly.
"Good. Make sure no one knows about this."
"Yes, boss!" He then turned to leave.
"And Rex..." Enzo's deep voice made him stop. "Enjoy your day off!" He said lightly.
"Roger that!" Rex's lips twitch but he left before his lips could form a full smile.
Enzo, left alone, was now spinning his signet ring while thinking about something.
"Amy..." He sighed looking at the pictures he got.
_____
AMY's POV:
Who in the hell said Sunday is a Fun-day! When all you had to do was work, work, work...
All the pending chores of the week had to be done on Sunday.
I did the cleaning, and my small house turned into a freaking giant mansion when I had to do this. It took me as long as hell three freaking hours to finish everything.
Then I did the laundry. Maybe it's time that I seriously consider stopping changing clothes every other day. It's not like I left the house unless necessary. And I mostly live alone. I had a roommate but she only spent like a week in the whole damn month here. Well, she's a flight attendant so she was usually out of the frame. I cleaned her room too by the way.
.
Now that everything seems likeable and perfect, I realized I had to do some grocery and stationary shopping.
Sigh, I need another Sunday in the damn week. ASAP!
.
I wore blue jeans with black extra large T-shirt and above that I wore my black favorite hoodie, just to cover myself up. I washed all of my scarves earlier so for now a hoodie is the only option, I hid all of my hair inside and zipped up.
I took my shopping bag, cellphone, wallet and keys before leaving the house.
.
.
First, I bought the stationary stuff because I have a lot of study to do. Yesterday, I wasted the whole day resting and doing nothing because of my arm... and hand.
Now I'm feeling better and the bruise on my arm fainted a lot but the bruise on the wrist turned into greenish yellow, looked ugly as hell.
Sigh!
.
As I walked out of the grocery store, I felt as if someone was watching me. I looked around casually, but didn't find anyone suspicious.
Well, I don't need to meet whoever that is... For now, let's just run back home as soon as possible. I held the strip of the bag tightly and took out the cellphone from my pocket. I typed the message with one hand and sent it to my roommate, just like last time.
.
I was half running on the sidewalk when I felt like someone was following me. I was near my house when something hit me and I turned to walk the other way.
I can't let him follow me to my damn house!
As soon as I turned... I didn't even wait for a second and freaking run for my damn life.
.
A few breathless minutes later...
Somewhere in my neighbourhood, I stopped and bowed down to catch my breath. As I was trying to calm down, I saw a skateboard in front of me.
Someone came and stopped right in front of me. And my soul almost left my body.
"Excuse me, miss, you've dropped your keys." I heard a not-so-familiar voice.
I looked up at once and was amazed by what I saw. I blinked once... twice... But the scene didn't change.
A young man maybe in his mid twenties was standing holding up his skateboard to his side. He was wearing white shirt and sneakers, and his hat and pants were matching camel brown colour.
What a style! I didn't get to see his face as he was wearing a mask. But two strands of hair were coming all the way down to his jaw line. As he turned his head a little, I saw a shoulder length ponytail.
I wonder what he looked like with his hair left open...
Bloody hell! Why am I wondering anything because of a stranger!
He held out my keys to me and for some reason I thought he was taken aback by looking at... me? He kept staring at me, making me self conscious.
W-what... is there something on my face? I rubbed my face with the back of the hand that was holding the cellphone.
He seemed to look at the screen as his eyes stared back at me.
Yeah, I dialled 911 but didn't call, like last time. I just looked back at him waiting for a comment or anything but nothing came.
I brushed away some of my hair from my face and his eyes widened a little. He gazed at my wrist then at my face again. I pulled my sleeves all the way down to hide the ugly bruise. Why do I get an uneasy feeling?
I looked down at his hand and took my keys. For a second, we stand still...
"Thank you!" I finally said and turned around to leave.
He just stood there.
****