Chapter 64 - Promise me

As Misha had predicted, meeting Gabriel after his birthday party was stupidly hard, to the point where it was about to drive the child crazy.

Once again, Gabriel's stepmother locked him up in her villa, far away from the town. She still allowed him to call, but she would be standing near the teenager every time he was on the phone, perking up her ears.

The few conversations the boy had with Gabriel were, therefore, short and somewhat perfunctory. Since Gabriel was pretending to have amnesia, there were many subjects they couldn't talk about, especially s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e ones about his family.

Although Gabriel had promised to tell the child everything about what was going on at his home, he couldn't do so on the phone, not with Angela eavesdropping on him. Thus, Misha was as clueless as before. He could have asked his sister about the teenager's family situation, but he wanted to hear it from his mouth, not from Masha's.

Knowing his sister, she wouldn't tell him anything, anyway.

After a few boring phone calls, Masha, who was always sharing her phone with Misha to talk with Gabriel, decided to start a truth or dare game to pass the time.

Well, considering their present situation, she got rid of the dare, though. In short, they would ask questions to each other, simple ones or stupid ones. The point was to learn more about the other person. Even though Misha knew fairly well the teenager, or at least, the gentleman-like persona he had chosen to borrow in their past life, he still learned quite a few things about him.

First, Gabriel didn't like bugs, finding them relatively disgusting. Thus, for him to throw up after eating the worms-flavored muffin was very natural. Second, blue was his favorite color, and so on and on.

Of course, the teenager had to be careful with how he answered the questions since he shouldn't know himself too well; Angela was still eavesdropping, and a slip of the tongue would make things complicated.

For the bugs, he explained that he had seen a few crawling up the walls of his present bedroom, and it made his stomach churn a little. As for the color, he said he didn't know if it was the color he liked in the past, but right now, it was the most beautiful one in his eyes.

Misha couldn't help but marvel at how much of a smooth speaker he was. No wonder he fooled him in their past life. Even in this one, if he didn't know better, he would have believed every word that came out of that sweet mouth.

When it came to his turn to answer Gabriel's questions, Misha stuttered for a second. He had no idea what his younger self liked, except for dinosaurs and pranks. Hence, Misha decided to base his answers on his likes and dislikes as an a.d.u.l.t, telling himself that they shouldn't have changed too much over the years.

Probably.

Every time he answered, the boy couldn't help but glance at his sister, watching her reaction. Upon seeing her smile, he felt reassured and a bit more confident, becoming bolder and bolder. What he didn't realize, though, was that when he turned his head, Masha's smile faded a little, and unknown emotions flashed in her bright blue eyes.

All in all, the phone calls were peaceful and filled with laughter.

When Gabriel's birthday came in November, almost a month after Misha's, things became a bit complicated. The boy wanted to see the teenager, but Angela only allowed Masha to come. It resulted in the child pouting for days.

Then, the said day came, and Misha tried to sneak in the car, planning to hide in the trunk. Sadly, his mother caught him in the act, and he had no other choice but to stay at home and wait for his sister's return.

Maybe it was better this way. Knowing his bad temper, he would probably have chewed out Gabriel's family until he had no voice left. Of course, that was based on the premise that he didn't outright punch them in the guts or other s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e areas the moment they met.

Even if his body was small and weak, the boy still knew where to hit to hurt people. After all, men all had the same weakness. And as for women, he could always improvise.

In the end, Misha couldn't go and could only grab his sister when she came back, asking her how the birthday party went. Strangely enough, she didn't have anything good to say, but contrary to her little brother, she was able to control her temper and didn't make a mess. No matter what, she didn't want to destroy Gabriel's efforts in a fleeting moment of anger.

However, Masha had many complaints, and once at home, she kept on ranting for hours, venting her pent-up frustration.

Sitting by her side on her bed, Misha dutifully listened to her ranting, nodding his head now and then. The frequent insults revolved around how much Angela and Jake were hypocrites and how cold-hearted Gabriel's father was. Only Tristan was spared from the overflooding curses.

Of course, Misha chimed in from time to time.

After that, days still went on without meeting the teenager. Misha's sole connexion with Gabriel was his parents' cellphone─that was now monopolized by Masha and, to a lesser extent, Misha. But even then, the phone calls weren't daily; the teenager could only call three to four times a week.

In this way, December arrived, and soon the holidays followed. Thus, the school was put on hold for a few weeks, and Misha was stuck at home, pacing his bedroom back and forth.

Christmas Eve was nearer by the day.

It was on that fateful day that his mother died, ran over by a drunkard. Compared to the first timeline, things were heading in an entirely different direction. Still, Misha couldn't help but feel nervous, so much so that he lost sleep over it.

The horrific image of his mother's crushed body was etched on his mind. He could never forget that gruesome sight. It had haunted his night for so many years, waking him up in fright so many times. The nightmares were especially vicious at this time of the year.

Misha took a deep breath, shaking his head to chase away the bad memories, but they refused to leave. As a result, his stomach was in knots, and his appetite ran away.

Today, his sister's excited voice snapped him out of his waking nightmare. Slapping his cheeks, the boy swallowed his saliva and walked up to the door of his bedroom, opening it slowly as he tried to ignore his inner turmoil, but to no avail.

"Sorry, I didn't hear you. What did you say?"

"Were you still sleeping? I didn't intend to wake you up."

Misha shook his head, offering a wry smile. The number of hours he slept was decreasing every night, slowly reaching a pitiful number. As for his afternoon naps, it consisted of him rolling in bed and staring at the ceiling.

"Well, it's good if you were awake. I said that I have good news. Gabriel will be able to come with us to our grandparent's house on Christmas eve! Apparently, his family won't celebrate it this year. His father is away on a business trip, and his stepmother has to work too. That's what Angela said. The truth is surely far from this, but who cares? We got to spend Christmas Eve with Gabriel!"

Hearing his sister's words, Misha froze on the spot, while his mouth became dry. "Really?"

"Yes," nodded Masha, suspiciously sizing up her brother. "You're not happy? I was sure you would be thrilled, though."

"Y-yeah, I'm happy, very happy," stuttered Misha, adding with a stiff smile. "I just had a nightmare while napping, it's nothing. I will be fine soon."

"You seem to have a lot of nightmares lately," said Masha in a soft voice, gently ruffling her little brother's hair at the same time. "The dark circles around your eyes are quite impressive. I wouldn't be surprised if people mistake you for a panda."

"As long as I don't end up in a zoo, I don't care," shrugged Misha, rubbing his head against his sister's hand. It felt warm and reassuring, easing his nervousness a little.

"If something is bothering you, you can talk to me. I will always be there for you, so don't worry and empty your heart whenever you need to."

"Thanks."

The boy's trembling voice was almost inaudible. He couldn't help but think of their past life. His sister hadn't always been there for him because one day, she took her own life. She had listened to his problems from as long as he could remember, but he never did so.

"But I'm not lying, I'm really fine. It's just stupid nightmares about giant bugs and bloody T-Rex, nothing worth mentioning."

Misha slightly bit his lips, hesitating a second before saying, "And you too, if there something bothering you, don't hesitate and talk to me. It's not because you're the oldest that you have to keep everything to yourself. I will gladly listen to your problems anytime."

The hand that was ruffling his hair stopped abruptly. Then, two slender and white arms wrapped themselves around his tiny body, hugging him tightly. Laughing, Masha said near his ear:

"I've got such a cute and s.e.n.s.i.t.i.v.e little brother! I'm so lucky!"

Misha hugged her back, and he whispered, "Don't change the subject. If you ever feel burdened, don't keep everything to yourself and talk to me. Promise me, please."

"…" There was a short silence before the teenage girl answered, "I will. I promise you, I will."