章 44: Bright star
Same as before, when everything was said and done, Michael asked Anna to stay with him for a minute. Dimitri winked repeatedly like he was having a tremor and pulled the curious Sofia away.
"Hi."
"Hi."
"How have you been? I'm sorry, but you look like you've seen a ghost."
"I'm fine," Anna tugged at her ponytail, giving nothing away.
"How is your work with Old Zhao?"
"It's great. We spent more time together this past month."
"And the formula? Do you have any good news for me?" Michael tried to make the girl smile. To his concern, her eyes didn't light up when she mentioned working in the laboratory. It was the first time he saw her like this.
"Ah, yes. Teacher figured it out in two weeks."
Anna reached for her school bag and searched around. Suddenly, one of the side pockets on it opened, and a book and a hairbrush fell out.
"Omar Khayyam? I didn't know you read his poems. 'Better to fast than eat of every meat, better to live alone than mate with all.'" Michael declared in his native tongue. "Sounds way better than in English."
"No, it's not mine. It's… here!" Anna produced a notebook with four pages full of her neat handwriting and rushed to grab hold of her possessions. As soon as she got them back, the girl tried to leave.
"And the brush – why are the hairs on it black? What are you not telling me?" Michael's mind worked in overload, but he still couldn't explain the girl's behavior.
"No, no. I'll go."
"Anna!" he caught her by the arm and forced her to look him in the eye. "Don't tell me if you want. But please, tell someone."
She searched for something in his eyes, begging him silently to understand her. She didn't have the strength to voice it out. But as attentive as Michael was, there was no chance he could guess at what she hid from everyone for weeks.
"My mother. She's sick."
"How, what?" he glanced at the objects in her hand, "How sick is she that you read to her and brush her hair? How long has this been going on?"
"A month and a half. She was in the hospital the whole time I've been here. But about six weeks ago, she…" Anna bit her lower lip and looked away. With a jerk, she twisted out from Michael's grip and took a few steps back.
"How bad is it?"
"She hasn't woken up yet. I don't know if she will."
"Have you been living alone?"
She shot him an incinerating glare, "This is not about me, it's about her! How can you understand, both your parents love you, they moved here to be with you! Who do I have?!"
"Anna, please. I'm just trying to help."
"What can you do?" she collapsed onto a chair and used her hands to cover her face. "I've already tried everything. I asked her to wake up, I've prayed so many times. It's like there's none of me left. Like I'm cursed to be a shadow."
How could he miss it? Did he get so caught up in his own struggles that this was all a surprise to him? For six weeks, this girl lived alone, had to take care of herself and her unconscious mother.
It began during the last week before the comet's advent. Michael was awaiting the end of the world, and that week was like a blur, he barely remembered a thing.
"When you got hurt after saving Carina, it didn't hit me at first," continued Anna. "I just stood there, feeling so alone. They carried you away, half-dead, but your body was still fighting." She sighed, "For some reason, I never doubted you. Even when you were on the edge of the abyss, you came back. But I'm not as strong as you. I don't know what to do."
"Hey," Michael squatted in front of her and wiped her tears, "it'll be all right. First, we'll talk with Graves."
"He doesn't know. I-I told a caretaker my mom lived in the city and visited our apartment on the weekends. I just couldn't…" She would have stopped there, but gave into Michael's piercing gaze, "I wasn't ready to admit it, even to myself."
"That's fine. Next, you'll move to my floor, apartment 805 is empty. We'll live right across from each other, and you can visit whenever you want. I'll give you a key."
"What? I can't."
"You will."
Anna blinked, confused, "Do you want me to live with you?"
"That's not what I said. You get a key to my apartment, I don't get one to yours. It's for your convenience, so you can drop by to eat or watch a movie. Come anytime. My parents are there too, so I'm not trying to take advantage of you, OK?"
She nodded, her hands so wet with tears she had to use her forearms to wipe the rest. Damp spots spread over the fabric of her sweater.
"And then, I want you to take me to see your mom. I want to meet her. Is that all right with you?"
Another nod.
"Good. Let's wash up and I'll take you to see my mom and dad."
Michael knew he had just crossed a line he wasn't supposed to cross. If he became a caretaker-like figure in Anna's life, she was sure to develop a crush on him. He had a maturity unlike anyone her age, a ready answer to her every problem. He promised her safety and security.
The problem was, he loved Alice. Not the 14-year-old girl Alice was now, but a 24-year-old Alice he remembered. After Leon threatened their lives to keep them apart, they never saw each other again. The rules were simple: if she leaves her mansion, he dies. Michael had no servants, so he was allowed to go to the store, but any other activity meant he would get a piece of her in a box.
Now, did he have to wait ten years for Alice to become that woman again? If she even existed, if she met him, if she liked him. And while this beautiful Russian girl hung on to his every word, was it right to chase an ideal, an image that might never come true?
Superhuman hearing was unnecessary to catch the sound of running water in the bathroom next door. Anna was washing her face, checking herself in the mirror. Today, she showed her weak side to her friend, the most incredible person she knew. He got perfect grades and ran three YouTube channels, one of which she secretly used to catch up on geometry. He was a hero who risked his life to save Carina and made millions from what she first thought was an odd hobby.
And after seeing her at her lowest, Michael didn't push her away. Instead, he pulled her closer, invited her into his life. He never seemed to reciprocate her feelings before, but what if this was a sign that he felt the same way?
Anna lowered the water's temperature, chilled her hands in the cold stream and pressed them against her burning cheeks, 'There's no way I can make a move!'
Michael was looking at Omar Khayyam's book his friend read to her mother. The yellowish pages' corners showed recent wear. Unbeknownst to him, Anna thought she looked weak, but to Michael, nothing painted a picture of a strong young woman better than this book and the hairbrush. 'You think you're cursed to be a shadow? You, a bright star, a role model for girls pursuing science?'
If he had to be honest, she had grown on him. It wasn't love, only a tender affection, but it was more than he expected to have the capacity to feel towards a girl. And, the thought hammered at him time and again, Alice wasn't here. The one he loved was in another world, in another life.
'I'm sorry, Alice. If I keep waiting for you, I might lose what I already have. But, can I call myself a man if I just let you go?'
Furthermore, Anna was too young. Even if Michael's development mostly stopped at 24, she was a teenager, not much older than a child! He took to their company of friends like a fish to water, but a romantic relationship was a very different thing. In another year, Alice might enroll at EIS, and the Russian girl's feelings might turn cold.
The best strategy was to wait. Wait until they grow up, until he is forced to make a decision. There was no need to rush it.
The water stopped. Michael gathered Anna's things and exited into the hall at the same time as she came out of the washroom. They looked into each other's eyes. Both were hoping to see something there, but Anna's previous breakdown drained them emotionally, leaving nothing on the surface.
They liked each other, albeit differently. Wanted to be in one another's lives. And for now, this was enough.
"Wanna meet my mom and dad?"
"Mm!"
.
クリエイターの想い 
BlackInk
BlackInk Hey, everyone!
The most difficult chapter for me so far, but one I'm most proud of.
Also, romance lovers, chill. Enough of that. Time for some comedy and supernatural in the next one!
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