deathless (chapter two)

“So, what do you think of my school?” asked Fiona.

“It’s wonderful. Thanks for taking me here and touring me around,” said Caleb.

“No biggie. I know you’ll get pretty bored at home.”

Home. It was once has been in a beautiful ranch back in Portugal with all those large trees and blooming flowers everywhere, plus a lake nearby. But now, home is nowhere in particular. Since his parents divorced, his mom, along with his two younger sisters, moved to New York. He was sent here to Switzerland, his mother’s hometown, with reason unknown. He doesn’t want to go with his mom neither does he want to stay in Portugal. No, that would be too absurd. He wanted to go somewhere in Asia like Taiwan or Brunei. Philippines would also do. Yet, he was sent here to Switzerland where his father and mother first met. Where they were married. Where he was born. Too many memories came back to him since he arrived. And he hated it. He can’t do anything about it. It was a definite order from his grandparents, the Duke and Duchess of Portugal. Does it have anything to do with being the only heir of his father’s title? Caleb suddenly wondered.

“I just noticed, Fiona, people here in your school looks really big time,” Caleb spurted out just to dismiss the thought that suddenly occurred to him.

“Of course. It’s a school for the elite’s, cousin. Have you forgotten?” Fiona is starting to be sarcastic. There are times that she thinks this cousin of hers has been too highly oriented back in Portugal that he had already forgotten what kind of family he has here in Switzerland. Yes, it might not be a royal family, but it sure is a family that belongs to the Swiss elite group. If not, would his father ever marry his mother? “Why? You feel indifferent? If I am not mistaken, you should be used in seeing people like these. You studied in elite schools all your life. Or is that because you’re more used to seeing people more elite than this? Royalties should I say?” Now, she’s being harsh.

“I’m sorry. It’s just what I have observed. So, people here comes in guarded and chaperoned. And maybe there are some who comes with a complete entourage.”

“Well, most of us comes to school in cars driven by our personal drivers. But there is only one person here that comes in guarded, take note: heavily guarded, chaperoned and comes with a complete entourage, as what you have just described.”

“Let me guess. The Swiss president’s son or daughter?”

“Nope. The president’s children doesn’t study here. They study in London.”

“Then, who?"

“The Beaufort’s youngest daughter.”

“Oh, that mysterious Beaufort.”

“Leonard really got you hang on that, huh.”

“Not exactly. I just enjoyed playing one of my antics on him. I really got him irritated."

“He expected to have a companion on that one.”

“So, the Beaufort’s has a daughter? Do you know her? Is she beautiful?”

“I actually don’t know. I haven’t seen her nor bumped into her. And even if I did, I wouldn’t know that it is her. Yes, she’s popular here in school but only a very few people could point you to her.”

At that moment, they passed by a girl, about five feet and six inches in height with a superbly fit body that could be mistaken as a surfer’s, and took Caleb’s attention away from Fiona. She was obviously one studious girl with all the books in her arms and a laptop case slung on her left shoulder aside from the shoulder bag she has. When her eyes met Caleb’s, she gave him a wan smile, which though absurd, actually took Caleb’s breath away. He could not look back at her for Fiona was about to introduce a couple of her friends.

“Laverne, it’s time to go.” Laverne didn’t notice when exactly Deborah came into the scene. She was too absorbed in keeping her balance after she almost bumped into the guy who’s with that Goulbourn girl.

“I still need to do a few more errands, Debbie.”

“Couldn’t you just put it off and do it tomorrow? If you really need do it now, then I’ll get one of your bodyguards to do it for you. We really need to get going. Today is your pictorial.”

“No. There’s no need. I could do it tomorrow. Let’s go and get this curse of a pictorial over and done with.”

“Two days more and the party the whole country has been talking about for months will finally come to pass. Are you not excited about it, Laverne?” Deborah asked her on their way home from the studio.

“You have asked that same question a couple of times already and you know what I will answer,” Laverne sarcastically said, implying the answer Deborah always give her whenever she asks her own undying question.

“Laverne, I know that there are a lot of questions in your mind and you are in need of answers. Just be a bit more patient, sweetie. You will soon get them,” Deborah was trying to sympathize, though she knew she couldn’t. She knew that Laverne is going through a lot of pain, but it is beyond her to help. All she could do is to be there for Laverne. The precious Laverne Gwendolyn of the Beaufort family. Yes, she has siblings. She has an older sister, the eldest of the family, and two more older brothers. But she was the favorite, from their parents to their grandparents even unto some uncles and aunties. She will soon get the answers and the reasons for all her questions. Just two more days and you’ll understand, Laverne.

Soon, Laverne was in the comfort of her room, which is large enough to house three persons. She realized she hasn’t seen her parents for more than a week already. Isn’t she used to it? There are times that they are gone much, much longer than that. But somehow, this trip was different. She was never told the purpose of why her parents are going to Germany. Her parents, most of the time, her mom, would inform her about their trips abroad and its purposes. This time, they didn’t. She just came home one day from school and found out that her parents are gone. It gave her a sudden shudder. What if one day, she would come home and find out that her parents are actually gone? Forever gone? She couldn’t stand the idea. She would be alone if that happens. Her eldest sister, Dionne, is happily settled down in France with a loving husband and twins. So is her eldest brother, Boris, who just married last year and is now living in Scotland. Xavier, her other brother, is in Greece managing one of the family’s companies there. He just comes home every Christmas. They all had their own lives to think about now. Their own freedom. While she is still trapped. Is there any chance that she will get hers? If so, when? She wanted it so badly now. Now, that most of the girls of her age are enjoying life on their own.