Screech! Screech!"
"Please don't... Mom? Is that you? No! NO!"
Karl's eyes snapped open. He was upright before he was even conscious, his breath hitching in the cold air. A silver breeze from the open window ruffled his dark hair, but it did nothing to cool the sweat on his forehead.
Huff. Huff.
It was the same every night. The same jagged, screaming shadows. He gripped the silk sheets until his knuckles turned white. Am I going crazy? he wondered. Maybe Will was right.
Kevin's voice echoed in his mind: You are nothing. Karl gritted his teeth. "He's a filthy slum-rat," he whispered. "He's trash. Why do I even care what he—"
CRASH.
The sound of something heavy falling downstairs made him bolt upright.
There was a few moments of silence which was broken only by his own heavy breathing.
"Binnet? I know it's you. Come on."
A soft, rhythmic meow responded from the hallway.
"Binnet, please."
The door opened. Binnet stood there, looking small and unassuming. His hair was a slate gray that matched his eyes. To any outsider, he was just an old butler. But Karl had spent seventeen years watching this man move decorative boulders around the estate as if they were made of foam.
"Ahem. Forgive the intrusion, Sir," Binnet said. "I was merely checking to see if you were asleep."
"Binnet, how many times do I have to tell you? I'm not a child. And drop the 'Sir' thing. Please. I'm really sorry about the morning."
"Oh, no, son," Binnet stepped in, his eyes softening. "I know you. No matter how much you try to hide..."
"Please, just shut up," Karl snapped. "I won't be a coward like the man who left us to rot."
Binnet sighed. "Perhaps you are right. So... mind sharing with this old man how your hand got hurt?"
"It's nothing," Karl lied, looking away. "Just lost control over a comment by a scum who is just like a shoe... always under your feet."
Suddenly, a soft blue light pulsed from the device on Binnet's wrist—a high-end Aether-link notification.
"Who would be calling this late?" Karl asked.
"I shall look into it," Binnet murmured, disappearing.
Karl stood up and poured a glass of water. The cold liquid calmed the "drought" inside him. He pulled back the curtains and looked at the moon hanging over Aether City.
"Reminds me of your mother," Binnet's voice returned.
"Oh really? How come?"
"She used to stand there by the balcony staring at the moon, praying your father was safe."
Karl stiffened. "Anyway... who was it?"
Binnet hesitated. A small frown appeared on his forehead—something Karl hadn't noticed in a long time.
"I'm sorry to bring the news, Sir... your grandmother is on her last breaths."
The silence was heavy. "Great," Karl whispered. "Let's go then. Who knows what else I'll lose today."
"I will get the car ready, Sir." Binnet paused. "Sir? Mind if I say something?"
Karl didn't turn around. "Go ahead."
"I don't think you would like to walk without shoes. Be ready, Sir."
He left. Karl stood there, confused at first, but then a small smile appeared. He remembered his own insult to Kevin. Binnet was telling him that even the things he walked on—the people he looked down on—had a worth he wasn't ready to understand yet.
Sometimes, Karl thought, you were never my dad... but you've always been more than that.
By dawn, they arrived at the hospital. Aether City was a shimmering paradise of technology, glowing under the golden sun. But as Karl stepped out of the car, he coughed.
Cough. Cough.
The air quality was dropping again. Everything was annoying him today.
They entered the VIP wing and reached a room decorated more like a birthday suite than a hospice. In the center, on a bed surrounded by holographic monitors, lay his grandmother. Her eyes bore into him like she'd been waiting seven years for this moment.
"I think I will wait outside, Sir," Binnet whispered.
Karl sat beside her. "Hey, Gran. It's been a while."
"Just like your father," she wheezed. "You—"
"Gran, please... don't. I'm sorry. How are you feeling?"
She looked into his eyes and her bluish lips moved,"Never felt any better son. I have so much to say and no such time. I should have met you sooner. I couldn't I'm really-"
"It's okay gran... I'm great too...see as good as ever." Karl bent and took her hand in hers.
Half an hour later:
Binnet was standing by the wall outside. His hand hid his face. The door slowly opened and Karl stood there, his face was devoid of any emotions, his eyes had no tears, something he hadn't shed for almost three years. Binnet steeped forward towards him and patted his shoulder. Karl didn't say anything and just exited the hospital.