MICHAEL
Ella tiene el control
—Here we are, what do you need from us?
—First, take a seat wherever you like, and you know perfectly well why I called you.
—This is stupid, I told you, Aida, it was a waste of time coming here. —he says, annoyed.
—Aitor, I only asked for one damn thing before you came here and you two can't even fulfill it.
—You're wrong about that, we have fulfilled the pact. —defends Aida, who is sitting on one of the sofas in the room.
—Please, do I look like an idiot to you? You think I don't know you've been checking out boys and girls from school for your little games.
—You were wrong about that part, they've been checking us out, we can't ignore them when they want our attention.
—When I said nobody from school, I meant nobody, Aitor. —I say through my teeth.
—Well, there's still an entire country to have fun, relax Michael. 'they're just so stubborn'
—Understand, brother, he still hasn't gotten over his little sister's death, that's why he's so worried about those kids from school. —this idiot knows how to provoke me.
—You know very well th...
—Feeling very curious about how her death happened? —she says as soon as she steps into the room, catching the attention of the three. —Why are you all looking at me like that? Do I have something on my face?
—Who let you in? —I ask.
—Your mother, apparently I'm to her liking. —she pauses to glance at the Mendes siblings. —Now, you'll tell me how our dear Cansu died, since I've had little information on it. The only thing I know is that the three of you were present and that's the big secret that's kept you together until now. —their expressions turn amused, but not like a normal girl wanting to be nice with others, more like one wanting to play with others' minds.
" —Her favorite games are psychological, she always uses them, she will always look for a way to control you.
—What happens when she can't have control over something or someone?
—That's when her obsession starts to grow, her patience decreases and her anger along with her hatred for not having control starts to dominate her, and it's much worse than her madness. It's best to give her what she wants from you. "
—Will you tell me, Aitor? —Nefertary's voice pulls me out of my thoughts.
—Find another idiot to get information from.
—I'll take your advice. —those words came out playfully, madness clearly visible on her face, how fun it is for her. —Aida, will you tell me? —Aida just looks at me and I notice it makes her uncomfortable; with my silence, I know she stays quiet.
—Nobody's planning on telling me anything. —her amusement vanishes, she looks at me full of hate, blaming me for not getting answers. 'she can't be this unpredictable'
—In due time I'll tell you, if you're so interested, you'll have to wait.
—My patience doesn't last long, Michael, keep that in mind. —she looks again at Aida and Aitor, though more relaxed this time. —Now I want both of you to work for me and become part of Mathias Ludwig's circle of friends, do you accept or not? —she says happily, it's incredible how quickly her expressions change, hard to understand what she's trying to do.
—It's obvious no, we're not interested in your proposal. —Aitor responds grumpily, pretending to read the book he grabbed from the dresser.
—Don't make hasty decisions, think about this… you're in a foreign country you don't even know, how will you keep your sadistic little games hidden from the police? Where will they take place?… I can keep all your crimes hidden from the whole world if you're on my side, of course. 'she will use everything she knows about you'
—What kind of work do you want us to do? —Aida asks.
—Nothing out of the ordinary, the same you've been doing for 5 years, only now with people on my blacklist, of course. Also, I'll pay you for it. —Aida thinks about it for a moment.
—We accept, but we don't want the money, and the thing with the boy will be easy, you don't need to worry about that. —without much thought and accepting for both, the other has no choice but to agree, it's a Mendes siblings rule. Nefertary gives them a satisfied smile.
—I wouldn't be so sure, Aida, since for him you're not to his liking.
—Leave it in our hands, also I want a cabin for tonight.
—You don't waste time, Aitor, you'll have it, you can count on that. Meanwhile, Lorenz, I'll pick you up at 6:00 PM, I want you punctual.
—How will you communicate when everything's arranged? —Aitor asks Nefertary before she leaves the room.
—You don't have to worry about anything, they'll call you when everything's ready. —with that, she leaves.
—Now I understand the rush you had to come to Switzerland as soon as possible. —says Aida.
—She's crazier than us, isn't she? —adds Aitor, still pretending to read the book.
—You're absolutely right, Switzerland will be more fun than you two think, you'll love this country more than you have any idea, I assure you that.
—Does she know everything about us?
—You'd say almost everything, there are two things she doesn't know.
—Leaving aside Cansu's death, what's the other thing this chick doesn't know?
—I'll tell you when I've told her first, since it was a promise I must keep.
—You're more of a breaker of promises than a keeper, Michael, this chick clearly seems very unstable, in a good way. 'you two will get along very well'
—I'll have to tolerate her presence, she's very nosy about other people's lives.
—I expected that coming from you, Aitor, only your little games are to your liking. —at that moment, there are two knocks on the door.
—Sorry for the interruption, guys, but I brought fresh cookies.
—You haven't interrupted anything. —Aitor says happily seeing my mother enter the room, who takes the tray of cookies. —Now, if you allow me, let me try these delights.
—Take as many as you want, I'm making more in the kitchen anyway. —she gives him a smile.
—I wouldn't have told her, Mrs. Angélica, now she won't get rid of you.
—Aida is right about that, mother.
—They turned out delicious. —adds Aitor with his mouth full of cookies, ignoring what Aida and I said. —I'm afraid I'll have to propose to you tonight if you keep cooking like this. —that makes my mother laugh.
—You'll have to face Dadmir first, Aitor. Now, if you need anything, I'll be in the kitchen. —with that, she leaves the room.
—Only your mother knows how to make this idiot behave like a seven-year-old kid, besides I think she didn't leave us any cookies. —that makes me laugh.
—I'm leaving, the cookies are running out and I need to go get more from the kitchen, I don't promise I'll come back because I won't.
—And for that simple reason I was thinking a million times whether the meetings had to be at my house or at the institute. —that makes Aida laugh, that boy is capable of finishing the whole kitchen. —Got plans, Aida?
—No, why do you ask? —then I give her a greedy smile, making her regret her words.
—Then you'll come with me to a bookstore, I need to buy some books.
✧────── ༉───✦───༉ ─────✧
—I don't understand why you need so many books from the same author. —she says irritated for the fifth time.
—I explained it's a saga and I need to have all the books.
—But Mich, you already have three, that's all of them, I don't know what else you're looking for. Besides, I don't see what's interesting about those books, they're just pages with words on them.
—Aida, you're talking about a trilogy and it's not. Besides, books aren't just pages with words on them, each book is magical, with a great story or adventure waiting to be read, with characters you can fall in love with or hate as if they were real, who will only live in your mind since they won't come out of those pages. It's an escape from reality, in conclusion.
—Well, I don't plan to live that, since I love the real world even if it seems like shit sometimes. Besides, have you seen how thick those books are? —I roll my eyes. —You'll die before finishing reading them.
—One day you'll find the book that makes you enter the world of readers and you'll realize it's not boring at all.
—I doubt it, look how many times you've forced me to come with you to bookstores and I end up complaining about them.
—Yeah, and when you do, it makes me want to kill you. —I whisper to myself. —For your good luck, I've already found them all.
—Does that mean we're leaving? —I nod.
—But first, we have to pay for them.
—I don't understand why every time you come to buy books you have to bring me with you.
—When I come with you, the girls think you're my boyfriend and they don't come to talk or ask me for IG. —she stops to laugh.
—Michael Lorenz, you're the only guy who doesn't take advantage of the situation, what you do is stupid.
—Yeah, laugh all you want.
—I should charge you for the company.
I paid for the books and we went to a café a few blocks from the bookstore for a few hours. During that time, Aida didn't stop complaining about everything that bothered her in this world. When we were in the car, she preferred I drop her off at a mall rather than the school and I returned to the mansion.
—How's it been going, my son? —my mother asks when she sees me arrive.
—Let's say it's been fine. —I walk to her to kiss her forehead. —Aida was very unbearable today, has Aitor left yet? —I ask, stepping back from her.
—He left an hour ago, he had things to do apparently —you'll have a very busy night, mother —Someone's waiting for you in your room.
—Then I'll leave, I won't keep my visitor waiting. —I head to my bedroom.
Upon arriving, I open the door and enter, I find those hypnotizing eyes, full of hate hiding her sadness: Nefertary. That girl who thinks she knows how to control herself and believes she controls others, the one who hides her fears, the one who pretends to be perfect.
—Why did you arrive an hour early?
—Besides the fact I have nothing to do…
—Exactly, where are we going?
—If you're going to be part of my world, it's only fair you get to know it.
She gets up from the bed and walks toward the exit, from my side I have nothing else but to follow her. On the way, we run into my mother before leaving the mansion.
—Where are you going, kids? —she asks us with a smile on her face.
—We're going to a friends' gathering, I'll also show Mich the city. —Nefertary answers with a smile and her unique neutrality.
—Well, I just have to tell you to have fun, especially you, Nefertary, you need it. —saying that, we say goodbye to my mother and leave the mansion.
Outside, a car was already waiting for us which we got into to leave.
✧────── ༉───✦───༉ ─────✧
An hour had passed, we still hadn't arrived at the place, which was annoying me because my curiosity was growing and I didn't like it at all; it's the worst thing humans can do: want to know something.
—We'll arrive in half an hour, don't be so anxious. —I look at her and she gives me an amused smile. —Change that face, Michael, you look very serious.
—Should I listen to the most unstable person in the country? —her smile disappears for a moment.
—Don't provoke me, it's better you stay calm.
—I don't want your calm.
—What's your reason for wanting to make me angry?
—I have none or… maybe I do, Ibagon? —I imitate one of her smiles.
For the rest of the trip we didn't speak. We finally arrived at a cabin which we entered; it didn't look so abandoned nor so luxurious. In one corner there was a door hiding a staircase going down.
—Don't tell me there's an underground vault a few meters away? —I ask, amused.
—And not only that, ehh. —that crazy gleam in her eyes appears again. —This place is my true home. —she adds as we enter the staircase.
—You could say it's your fun place. —I whisper.
—Well, this place has many rooms with different uses, labeled alphabetically and with Roman numerals.
—Welcome, Miss Ibagon. —a man says handing her a portfolio. —They're waiting for you in room H. —she gives him an approving smile.
—Mich, I'm afraid to tell you that… —she leaves the sentence hanging. —Just follow me, dear, you'll realize on your own later.
We keep walking down the hall, where I notice every room has windows where you can see inside.
—Sometimes there are spectators, only the center of attention won't see them. —she glances at me and looks forward again.
Arriving at that room, where two men guard the door, through the window we can see a man tied to a stretcher from head to toe, half-naked.
—Open the door. —Nefertary orders the men, who comply. When it opens, the man's screaming cursing reaches our ears.
—Dear friend! You don't know how happy I am to see you.
—You damn bitch. —the man yells at her, looking at us with anger.
—I've lost count of how many times I've heard that phrase. —this girl fears nothing, she loves being hated by people. —Well, my great friend… or no longer so great… trying to take more than you should and fool us, uhm, I didn't think you could sink so low.
—I said I'd return it.
—Indeed, but your deadline ended and well, the others want… you know perfectly well what they want from you. Lorenz, this man was my partner and also of other friends I have. The great citizen you see here thought we wouldn't find out he stole and swindled us. —she adds sarcastically— We forgave him, gave him another chance, and he failed us again. —pretends to be sad.
—And what does that have to do with you? —I ask.
—You'll kill him or I'll kill you. —the man screams, curses, and says nonsense again. —I guess you noticed the tables with very exotic toys. —how could they not stand out, I roll my eyes.
—Let me guess: if I kill this man, which judging by how he screams for his pathetic life, doesn't seem likely… I prove I'm worthy to enter or know your world. —she looks at me amused, confirming the answer. I head to one of the tables feeling her gaze heavy on every step I take, and I choose a dagger.
—They never go out of style. —she looks at the dagger in my hands then at me. —What will you do to him? I'm so interested to know, since his life is worth nothing. Have fun with him, Michael. —the guy continues with his stupid drama.
—Shut up or I'll have to cut… —I stab him in the neck, making blood splash on my face and also on Nefertary, who was very close too. The guy starts convulsing and choking on his own blood, causing him to die instantly. I look at Nefertary, who watches me stunned and disappointed.
—He needed to be silenced somehow. —I say very normally.
—How boring you are! What happened to the screams of torture, baby? —she complains. I shrug. —You didn't even give the poor guy a dignified death.
—If you expected me to play with him and the next ones, forget that idea.
—What I just saw is disappointing. —she pulls the dagger from his neck and starts making an incision from his neck to his belly button.
—What are you doing?
—It's obvious, don't you think? I have to do it before the body cools down, this makes money.
—As you say. I need to change. —she calls one of her men to come in.
—I need a container and take Lorenz to the main room, give him new clothes too. —the man nods. —Follow him, if you need anything else, tell him.
—Okay. —with that said, I approach to follow him.
—Michael Lorenz. —I stop before leaving to look at her. —Welcome to my world.