68 Mrs. Catherine

A worker stared as they walked past, seemingly surprised at the fact that someone dressed so finely would stain their clothes holding a child from their humble orphanage. She continued to stare before approaching Julian.

"'Would you like me to hold him for you?'" the lady asked, tapping Julian's shoulder.

Julian turned to her, malice shining so brightly in his cold blue eyes that his stare alone made her jump back

"'No thanks, I can hold him myself,'" Julian spat. He looked down at the arm she had touched in abhorrence, "'please refrain from touching me. This suit is worth more than your liver. I'm sure you wouldn't want to sell both to replace my suit.'"

The worker flinched, backing away from Julian significantly. "'N-no sir…'" she stuttered, clutching her quivering hand, "'w-would you like me to lead you to the office.'"

"'That is your job isn't it?'" Julian scoffed.

"'Sir… please don't be rude to Mrs. Catherine,'" Matheio asked, feeling empathy for the worker. The way she shook reminded him of how scared he was to be up there in Julian's arms. He looked down at the worker, "'Sorry Mrs. Catherine.'"

The worker stared blankly at Matheio, then clenched her jaw, despising the fact that she had to look up to the boy she had been working overtime for.

"'Mrs. Catherine?'" the worker snapped, "'what did I teach you about calling your elders by their names?!'"

She raised her hand to spike him when a strong force stopped her in her place. She shuddered, feeling the enmity of the presence towering over her. 'Fu*k,' she thought to herself, realizing her mistake as she struggled to free her hand, barely able to even move under the stare of Julian.

"'Never lay your filthy hands on him again,'" Julian snarled, flinging her hand away and in result, pushing her backward a few feet.

She looked up to Julian's tall, broad back in which Matheio laid his head, and replied in submission, "'Y-yes sir.'"

She led them down the twisting hallways of the orphanage and Julian peered into the slits on the top of each door he passed, looking into a room full of kids or empty rooms. It seemed that the further into the building, like Matheio was, where no visitor would wander was the least populated. As if the workers themselves have given up on the kids in that area and refused to move them up into rooms where they would be noticed and more likely to be adopted.

Soon they reached the office, on the first floor where kids were running around freely, having more freedom than Matheio ever got in a week. He peered at his free age mates somberly, wondering why he never got the chase to do that.

"'We have arrived sir,'" the worker declared, opening the door into the office for Julian and then stepping aside.

He turned back around and walked into the office, striking a conversation with the giddy Matheio.

"After that, I brought him home the day later-" Julian paused, looking at Gradis to make sure she was awake and continuing when he locked eyes with her attentive eyes, "We came home the way I told you earlier and Matheio was kinda depressed, but I fixed that and tried to find a way for him to get along with dad."

"Which was…" Gradis prompted.

"The PJ," Julian sighed.

He regretted that action, so much that we wished he could go back in time to erase it. But… he knew even if he went back in time, he wouldn't change it. Because if he didn't do that, he would've never known how broken Matheio had gotten and it would have hit them later, in a worse state.

"It was a few days after Matheio came home and I went shopping with father, a rare event that I had taken advantage of. But not to my surprise, it turned out I was the one doing the shopping, while father double-checked the department store and mall's state, since it was under his name," Julian recalled, "In the end, I managed to get father to mindlessly pick up a PJ for Matheio, and to my surprise at that time, it was the exact style father would have worn to sleep. Except with a price-tag a few hundred less than his and in a tinier size that was perfect for Matheio."

He took a breath before continuing, "the meltdown happened a few hours before his bedtime as we tried out his new clothes. When I brought it out, he did an excited squeal and nothing was wrong. He was simply excited to try on something father bought for him. But then...I put it on him and ushered him to a mirror to look at how well it fit him."

Julian flinched, remembering Matheio's reaction. "Nothing happened at first. He just stood and stared for a second then whispered to take it off. When I didn't reply he start yelling and screaming, his fingers clawing at the sleeves of the PJ in an attempt to take it off."

"'TAKE IT OFF ME PLEASE!!'" Matheio shrieked, his hands scratching his arms violently, leaving marks on his skin.

"'MATHEIO! WHAT ARE YOU- STOP IT!!'" Julian yelled, attempting to help Matheio but he was pushed away.

Matheio shook vigorously, pulling at the buttons of the shirt and then yanking the neckline of the top of his PJ.

"'TAKE IT OFFFF!!!'" He screamed, tears rushing down his face uncontrollably.

He pulled on his pants, yanking them off quickly and scratching his legs to get the feeling of the bland clothing off him. Blood ran down his little leg from a cut he gave himself with his uncut nails.

"'HOLD STILL!'" Julian commanded, grabbing Matheio firmly by the shoulder and pulling him into his embrace, restraining him in his big arms, then pulling the PJ shirt over Matheio's head.

"'IT'S OFF!'" Julian screamed, shaking Matheio.

Matheio shivered, his eyes dulled and hazy as his hands twitched, restrained by Julian against the urge to claw himself until every surface the PJ touched, bled.

"He looked...dead," Julian muttered, the cold word, stung his lips.