When Reid stepped back into the mansion, his eyes had to adjust to the change from dark to light. There was a loud thud coming from the heavy oak door shutting behind him. Reid felt warm once again.
As he was walking down the dimly lit corridor, his mind went awry thinking about the best way to get revenge on his mother's and brother's murderer. According to everyone, their killer was dead. Executed right in front of Royce, they said, but for some strange reason that Reid could not explain, he new that the actual killer was still alive, despite what others may say or think.
Reid had always been getting strange feelings similar to what he feels towards the killer, albeit a lot more minor in comparison, like when he left his phone in his trousers' pocket and completely forgot about it. But it wasn't as simple as he just remembered he had left his phone there. He felt something, like it was pulling him to his phone. He felt the same thing with the killer, except it wasn't like he was being pulled towards the killer. Instead, he just knew that the bastard was still alive.
Reid had zoned out, therefore he had yet to notice the hard stone wall in front of him, but suddenly he felt another weird feeling, like the previous one, except this one felt more urgent. Reid suddenly and swiftly side stepped and doged the hard stone wall he was about to walk into. Reid was both surprised and intrigued by this new feeling. The feeling was quite different from the other two, where the other two were calm and weak, but more so for the phone than the killer. In comparison to this new feeling he had just experienced, it felt worlds apart, because this new feeling felt dangerous and intense, yet he knew instantly that they were the same feeling, just set at different frequencies.
"Could this be an innate talent?" he mumbled in a quiet voice, with a surprised expression playing on his features.
Reid put that thought to rest and turned around to face another heavy oak door. A cold breeze instantly brushed his nose and caused him to shiver as he opened the heavy door. He looked around and saw arched windows that stood like dark sentinels in the night and a massive four-poster bed that occupied the space at right side of the door. Its tall back and front pillars cast long shadows that stretched to the middle of the room.
His eyes skipped over to the mantelpiece across from the bed to the space on the left side of the door, where two size-34 hurls crossed each other like crossbones. A little more to the right sat three black leather couches. They all had a hint of brown. One couch could sit one person and the other two could sit two people each. A drowsy Urias was laying on one of the two-seater couches, sprawled out with one of his arms falling off the black couch. Urias was shivering with the cold breeze apparent in the air around them. He was asleep.
Reid's eyes lingered on Urias longer than expected, so when Reid finally came to his senses, he quietly moved over to his large bed and climbed beneath the covers.
A few silent minutes passed by. Reid usually got to sleep quite quickly, but he just couldn't right now. He got out of bed and closed the open window with a creak. Reid tried not to make too much noise while closing the squeaky window. When the window closed, the annoyingly cold breeze also subsided.
After the window was fully shut, a little hint of chilly cold remained, but that was only natural, so Reid didn't mind it. Reid glanced at the sleeping Urias, who was snoring his head off, but still shivering in the cold. Reid threw a light blanket towards Urias. The light blanket slowly fell and covered Urias's body, making him stop shivering. Reid smiled slightly as he walked back to his bed, and this time he fell into a nice slumber quite easily.
The morning light hit Reid's eyelids, making him toss and turn in his bed. He goaned and opened his tired eyes and just stared at the ceiling for a moment, reminiscing on the last night's events.
He leaned forward on his soft bed, rubbed his drowsy eyes and said in a grumpy, tired voice, "Why are you here, bastard - you woke me up!"
A man with raven black hair was sitting in the one-seater leather couch as if he owned the place. He did, in fact, own the place. It was Royce. It looked as if Royce was having a conversation with Urias, who was sitting to the right of him, on one of the two seaters. Urias, hearing the familiar sound of a grumpy voice, turned around to face Reid. When he did, Reid could see a wide smile, but he didn't believe it for a second. He knew Urias too well for that.
Reid's grumpy expression shifted, his face now displaying concern and annoyment. Urias didn't miss the change in Reid's demeanor and expression, but beckoned him to come over and sit down. Reid slowly exited his bed and slid on one of his slippers. He slowly and groggily walked over to the couch. He was not a morning person. He was also quite dazed. Reid tripped on his other slipper and fell, but fortunately caught himself before reaching the floor by grabbing onto a ledge protruding from the smooth white wall. Reid sat down on the leather couch like nothing had happened and gave Urias a look, prompting him to continue.
"My father wants me to come back to the family. As reluctant as I am, I'm going to refuse. I can't go back to a family where the only reason I'm wanted is for appearances," Urias continued in a slightly apprehensive and reluctant tone.
Urias's father was Consalvo Caruso, one of the nine great family heads, just like Royce, Reid's uncle, was. Urias was an illegitimate child between Consalvo and a women that seduced him. Urias was looked down upon. When he was born, even the servants' eyes didn't meet his own. He was served on chipped plates, and his meals were not as warm as would be enjoyable.
When Reid heard that Consalvo wanted Urias to come back to the Carusoes, all the weariness that may have sneakily been shown on his face instantly vanished as he scoffed with indignation. Urias still had an obviously fake smile dissplained on his tanned face. He nervously chuckled after seeing Reid's response to the matter.
Urias spoke in a tone that resembled the sound of a lost baby bird wanting to fly back to its nest, but not having the confidence to do so.
"I don't think I've ever told you this before, Reid. Or anyone, for that matter. But, ever since I could form a coherent thought, I've always known that my father thought of me as not his son, but more as a stranger living in the house at his own mercy."
Urias took a steady breath.
"But ever since that revolution, I've always had a sort of 'feeling' to have wanted to be acknowledged by my father and prove myself worthy of the Caruso name, but everything went to hell when I was cast out of the estate and forced to live with the poor on the streets. Then, about three months into my new life as a beggar, I made it my whole identity to try and make my father accept me as his child. So, naturally, this choice is a difficult one, but I'm sure you already know my answer. I would like to stay and live with you, fight with you, and protect you. So, Reid, will you keep me at your side until I have the confidence to face my father as the man I want him to finally accept as his son?"
It was quite unexpected for Urias to suddenly give Reid such an explanation for his whole motivation for getting stronger and becoming a better man. Reid responded in an understanding and calm tone.
"Well, good thing, that is, then, because no matter your choice in this issue, I wouldn't have let you walk out of the estate's doors anyway. Also, you should know, I don't know everything, so you can stop thinking so."
After Reid made it abundantly clear to Urias that he was not only welcome, but encouraged to stay with him, Urias began to relax a little more and put the thought of his father to the back of his mind.