The darkness in the basement isn't just ordinary darkness. It's more like a monster that creeps inside me, devouring parts of me day by day.
As if I'm living in a hole where the air diminishes with every breath.
Today was different—different in the worst possible way.
I woke up to Arthur's shouting,
"Get up, you insect! My mother wants you upstairs."
I rose with difficulty, my legs barely supporting me. I knew that any request from my mother meant a new disaster.
When I reached the living room, my mother was sitting on the couch, one leg crossed over the other, her eyes gleaming with a look of contempt I had grown accustomed to.
"Leon, we have guests today. I don't want them to see you, do you understand?"
Guests again... No doubt my siblings told her about yesterday's incident. I won't see the light for another day, then.
I nodded my head. I was used to hearing that, but what happened next was different.
"Therefore, you will stay in the backyard under the rain until they leave."
I was shocked and swallowed hard because this wasn't what I expected. I thought I would stay in the basement... The weather was cold, and the gray clouds seemed laden with rain that hadn't fallen yet.
I tried to speak, but my voice was weak.
"M-mother... I... I'll get sick."
"Perhaps that would be better," she said coldly, gesturing to the servants to take me away.
I was pushed outside while I looked back in despair. The servants are no less brutal; they are just as cruel. No one cares. These two women glare at me with cold, harsh looks as if I have a bad history with them.
I started to move a few steps away from them, but when I looked back, one of them was holding a bundle of money, and the other was smiling. I was young, so I didn't understand this malicious gesture.
But... I learned many things later.
Many bad things.
The rain began to fall heavily. I could feel it seeping into my bones.
The cold gnawed at my thin body. I found myself running toward a nearby tree and stood under it to shield myself from the rain.
I sat down and wrapped my hands around my knees,
Trying to pull my knees to my chest in a desperate attempt to stay warm.
From a distance, I saw my siblings behind that window. I could see them from my place here, sitting under this tree. They were laughing with the guests, wearing elegant clothes, their shiny hair, bright eyes, and charming faces. They were like a work of art that didn't belong to this miserable world I lived in.
After long hours, this harsh day ended, and I returned to the basement.
My body was shaking violently, and my arms and fingers were cramping as if the blood had frozen in my veins. I tried to take off my wet clothes, but my hands were trembling too much.
I don't even have other clothes to change into. It would be a disaster to stay naked in this basement, which is no less cold than outside.
I approached one of the pipes in this basement. Cold and hot water pipes pass through here. Sometimes the water is warm, making the metal pipes warm enough for me to take off my clothes and leave them on top to dry, like now.
But sometimes they become so cold that they make me feel like I'm in a morgue refrigerator.
I turned on the faucet, taking advantage of the warm period, and washed my face, hands, and arms, which began to pulse with life after the warm water revived their frozen veins.
There were pieces of glass from a mirror I had previously broken.
I looked at the broken piece of glass that I hadn't bothered to clean up. I saw my reflection.
The birthmark on my face appeared more prominent under the dim light.
A black birthmark from my left forehead, curving like a crescent until it reached the side of my mouth.
"Why me?" I asked myself in a faint voice.
"Why was I created like this? Was I meant to be a lesson for others? Or am I just a silly joke?"
The more I thought, the more I felt my head would explode.
After that, I heard the meowing of that small kitten. I had almost forgotten about its existence.
I couldn't believe what had happened. "I swear I don't know how this kitten got in here..." I muttered to myself as I examined the small kitten that I found myself strangely preoccupied with. "How did its mother die? I don't see any marks or anything unusual... Was it an accident?"
Of course, after I went and buried its corpse in the garden behind the palace in the middle of the night, as I had done the night before when everyone was asleep, after I finished burying it, I returned directly to my room in the basement and slept that night.
But that small kitten, and on the following morning, began to annoy me with the sound of its meowing in my ear. Fortunately, the basement was far from my siblings' rooms and also far from the servants' rooms in this palace. I felt as if I lived in another world. True, I lived below, but not directly. Their rooms were about a hundred meters away from me. Even if I was beneath them, I wasn't directly under their rooms. "This is madness, isn't it?" My thoughts were racing in my head.
And over time, I realized that the huge distance they had separated between me and them wasn't a coincidence but was carefully studied. "Why did they do this? Why?" I wondered repeatedly.
While the kitten continued to meow loudly, I said to myself: "Despite its annoyance, no one will hear it." The place where I lived was completely neglected, away from everyone's eyes.
No one comes to this basement, no one smells its odor, not even the servants.
This harsh situation had something of coexistence, as the kitten would at least be able to stay safe as long as I put it in one of the many boxes that were here, in case some kind of miracle happened and someone came here.
As midnight approached, I decided to search the kitchen for food, as it was the right time for that. "I'm forbidden from entering the kitchen, as well as many other places in the palace. I'm not allowed to go anywhere, almost." This matter hurt me, but I couldn't do anything about it. "How can they even prevent me from moving freely?"
I sneaked into the kitchen, my eyes scanning for something to satisfy my hunger.
In the refrigerator, I found a small bottle, quarter-filled with milk. I quickly picked it up and tried to leave quietly, but suddenly I heard footsteps approaching.
"Damn, this is unexpected!"
A maid entered the kitchen, so I hid behind the door at the right moment, and despite being nervous, I managed to escape from her after she turned her back at the appropriate moment.
I returned to the basement and tried to feed the kitten, but it was difficult. It was clear that this kitten was young, still in the nursing period.
I tried pouring a little into my hand and began trying to bring my palm close to its small mouth, and finally, it started to drink.
Days passed.
The kitten was growing quickly, though it was still small. It became more active, though it really annoyed me intensely because it kept biting my toes whenever I tried to sleep.
But I was happy because it at least filled my emptiness, even if it was just a small kitten. "You are the first creature to comfort me in this hell."
But despite that, true happiness was missing from my life. There were traditions in our family that my mother always reminded me of during holidays: "Putting money in children's shoes after the holiday." I knew I didn't deserve anything, but for the first time in a long time, I decided to check.
I couldn't believe my eyes when I found my shoe seemed heavier. "Did they finally remember me?" But this feeling quickly turned. When I lifted the piece of cloth covering the shoe, I was surprised by a very foul smell that filled my nose, making my mind spin. "What is this? Who did this?"
While I was wondering, I heard laughter from the top of the stairs—my siblings' voices. That was the worst thing that could happen at the beginning of this day. "Oh, what have I done?" Their voices were approaching quickly.
Arthur said sarcastically: "Do you like this smell? It's the smell of cow dung, just like your dirty face."
Everyone laughed while I closed my eyes in frustration. This was really worse than I thought. There are no words to describe this vulgar situation. I never imagined they would go this far.
Yi Lian said: "Hehe, it was a great idea, Sarah. You're truly evil, but strange, he didn't cry?"
And Karma began to mock her words and said: "Crying? You want him to cry? No need for all these ideas."
Then, unexpectedly, Karma threw the shoe soiled with feces in my face. They all laughed, and I stood frozen in place, unable to do anything.
Unable to speak.
What made matters worse was the blow I received from Arthur, which made me bend to the ground, screaming in pain. "Haha, look, he's crying now."
Their laughter grew louder after that.
Yes, I couldn't bear it. I was crying while extending my hand to my face and hair to remove the pieces of filth from me, while everyone spoke harshly.
Yi Lian: "I can't believe our beautiful mother gave birth to someone as disgusting as you."
Arthur, with some sarcasm and a bit of contemplation: "This is a mystery we've all failed to solve."
Karma: "How do you live in this place? Even monsters wouldn't adapt to this basement, but it suits you." He said this while looking around, examining the details of this old basement eaten by moisture and the smell of metal and rotten wood.
Sarah, in a voice that seemed annoyed and cold, was the worst in my ears in terms of words: "Haven't you thought about suicide before?"
Her words killed everything inside me. It was an explicit form that summarized all meanings of contempt.
I felt that something inside me had died.
After they left, I remained staring at the ground, tears still falling on this cold cement.
Their words were strong and... enormous to the point that I couldn't absorb them.
After a period of suffering, I decided to wash myself of that filth. Fortunately, there was a bathroom in this basement, and water was the only thing available, but the clothes I was wearing had been soiled with what you know.
And I had to wash them while enduring the smell as I was wearing only old underwear. "You see? Despite being in a rich palace, my life is more like that of a homeless person."
I turned on the water, and the water was literally liquid ice. I had to endure that tremendous cold and that deadly coldness of the water while feeling my heart was about to stop every time I lifted that bucket to wash what I could of my body.
I was sick, and my temperature was high.
Fever isn't something new; it has always accompanied me throughout my life.
I was sick with it most of the time.
And with this cold water, it seems as if I'm hastening my end, but I wasn't careful about preserving my life in the first place.
Or perhaps it's this disgusting smell that I want to remove, even if I die.
Days passed, and the small kitten began to grow stronger. It became more active and noisier. It became difficult to hide, but I couldn't bear the thought that one of my siblings or the servants might discover it.
And one night, I simply couldn't sleep, not because I love sleeping, but because it was necessary so that my body wouldn't burn what remained of energy. These were desperate attempts to extend the duration of my miserable life.
Hunger.
It's the only thing that's impossible to get used to because it's a pain that doesn't go away with time but becomes more bitter every day your stomach is empty.
The hunger I suffered wasn't just hunger for food.
It was hunger for attention, affection, and the feeling that I exist and am not just a shadow sleeping in the basement, not just a corpse whose chest rises and falls, indicating breathing.
Oh, anyway.
I rose heavily and felt, as usual, that my body and ribs were bent. I left that basement and climbed its wooden stairs, which made a sound each time I ascended to reach that metal door that made a resounding creaking sound due to its rusty joints and screws.
The palace was empty and deadly quiet, to the point that my steps echoed, making me afraid someone might come out to me.
And I found myself walking in this wide golden corridor, as if the luxury of this palace was mocking my lifestyle.
Everything seemed... against me.
I went out through the gate
And reached the garden.
The Martinez family garden.
I began to wander in it.
It was extremely beautiful. The servants take care of it every day perfectly. Flowers of every kind hanging above each other in a circular pattern, with two rings to pass through and exit from.
And in the middle, majestically, a silver fountain in the center shaped like beautiful jugs. The water continues to flow without stopping due to the advanced dynamics that filter the water and return it to the fountain automatically.
I approached it, and the moonlight was reflecting on its clear waters.
I began to contemplate the flow of water.
Then I looked at my reflection on the water, my face against the moon.
A contrast that could almost be deadly.
I continued to stare at that black birthmark on my face and found myself touching it. It was truly a main cause of my suffering.
If it hadn't been there... perhaps I would have lived a life similar to my siblings'.
After that, I heard a sound and hid behind the fountain.
I saw Histori in the garden, and he seemed as if he was searching for something in the sky. He kept looking up toward the stars.
Regardless of my siblings, Histori is the only one who doesn't bully me, but he also doesn't look at me at all, as if I'm a person not worth bullying.
The last time was the only time I spoke with him.
His appearance was cold and calm, not showing the hyperactivity that children enjoy.
With his cold red eyes and black hair.
He seemed as if he was thinking deeply. I couldn't help but ask myself,
"What is he thinking about?"
Suddenly, he began to walk in the direction of the forest after passing the garden.
Yes, the Martinez family owns a forest behind that garden, but it's not small. One can easily get lost in it, even if you've memorized it by heart. Remember, we're in the middle of the night.
I swallowed hard, and I don't know how I began to follow him, my curiosity driving me to pursue him.
I tried to follow him carefully and hid behind a tree. I saw him standing in the middle of a place that resembles a circle where trees are absent, making the scene clear to me.
He was raising his head and staring at that full moon with cold eyes, standing in complete silence, and nothing could be heard except the sound of the breeze caressing his soft black hair.
I was still behind the tree, watching, and even after 5 minutes, Histori remained as he was and didn't move a single finger.
But my curiosity also remained the same.
I found myself waiting eagerly.
What is his next step?
Or what will he do? Will he stay like this?
I can't believe he comes here in the middle of the night. Does he do this every day, and why?
Many questions were spinning in my mind.
Days passed.
And I didn't quit my habit of following him. Watching him every night became my main preoccupation, and I noticed that he always stands in exactly the same spot every midnight.
And I watch him from behind the same tree.
I began to feel that he was lonely... like me.
But why does he act like this?
Until, by mistake, I stepped on a twig. Despite the faint sound, Histori turned and looked behind the tree where I was hiding.
And he said, "Who's there?"
The blood froze in my veins.
I began to get very nervous. What would happen to me if he discovered me?
His voice interrupted my thoughts: "Come out. If you don't, I'm coming to you."
Damn.
He's not joking.
My heartbeat began to accelerate intensely. It seems I'll be moving to hell from level 2.
At that moment, I began to hear his footsteps. He had started to move toward me.
"What will I do now?" My heart was pounding, and the blood was freezing in my veins. This was the moment I had feared all along, the moment I discovered that I had been living on the edge of danger all this time. "Why did I follow him? Why did my curiosity drag me behind him?"
I... I was in real danger now. At that moment, I couldn't move, as if I had frozen in place. "Will he discover me? Will I pay the price?"
My mind clung to those dark thoughts while I wished I could disappear, but those sharp eyes watching me made me surrender.
While his footsteps were still approaching me.