Chapter 11: Chapter 11: Cui bono?

Chapter 11:

Cui bono?

After Luca’s abrupt trip home, he still communicated to Felix by phone, but he was unable to return to the orphanage as he had become too busy, much like Felix, who had officially begun to enter Father Michael’s role in the church as he was on sick leave. 

Months had passed, turning winter into summer with a swift slight of time. Luca had finally graduated from his undergraduate program and he had recently been accepted into his dream law school, The Friedrich Bellford School of Law. Fortunately, the school was situated in his country, and while it was some distance away from his home, he found that it was located only twenty miles away from the orphanage, allowing him more time to visit when he was not busy with his law program. 

Though, his schooling would not begin until the fall, allowing him some time before he would start. While Luca’s mother enjoyed him staying at home with her, she was nervous about her son who always wanted to go out and explore, “having fun”, she had said. Though he had previously studied abroad, there was an adventurous streak in Luca’s eyes he could not hide. As he attempted to make plans for his summer vacation, contemplating the funds he had saved through his employment over the year, he received a surprising call from Felix the first day of May, only days after he had graduated. 

“Luca? I heard you graduated recently, congratulations.” Felix’s mellow voice entered the call, and Luca smiled into the phonepiece as he stood in his room, looking over the travel brochures that had accumulated on his desk. “You must be excited to start your law program soon, huh? What are you thinking of doing in the meantime?”

Luca rested the phone on his shoulder as he rummaged through the paper brochures he had printed off, looking at them in person before he could decide. “Since I have some time, I was considering taking another trip abroad, maybe back to the States or to the mediterranean. I’ve always wanted to go to Malta.” He said with a hum, as if thinking deeply.

There was a pause before Felix spoke again, his voice light, “Luca, there’s something I’ve been meaning to ask you. I hope you don’t mind.”

“Of course. What’s up, Felix?” Luca shifted the phone back to his hand, resting the receiver next to his ear with an inquisitive expression. 

Holding his cellphone, a smile lined Felix’s lips as he stared forward, glancing out the window as he said, “Lately we’ve been a little understaffed at the orphanage. Ms. Lowell has been having some trouble finding workers, and she’s getting older. I’m worried about her hurting herself, and…” He paused before he added, “I was hoping to ask if you could come help at the orphanage this summer.”

Hearing Felix’s words, Luca set down the pamphlet in his hand and said worriedly, “Has Ms. Lowell been having a hard time? I told her to take it easy while I was gone.” Luca sighed into the phone, his brows knitted as he said, “She hasn’t hurt herself, has she?”

Felix rubbed the back of the phone with his finger, “No, but I’m worried about her. You know how stubborn she is.” He chuckled as he said, “Sometimes it feels like she only listens to you.”

Luca laughed, “That’s the truth.” He looked at the variety of brochures on his desk before he thought for a moment and said, “How long would you need me? I can change my plans if I need to, just let me know what I need to do to help.”

Felix’s laugh entered the phone, “Save your money for law school. Room and board will be covered. Meals too. All we need is you, Luca.”

Hearing Felix’s pitch, Luca could not help but say, “Such a tempting offer. What if I wasn’t able to accept it?”

The other end of the phone fell quiet, as if they were contemplating something, but before they could speak, Luca fell into laughter again, his innocent laugh filling the phone. 

“I’m joking. If you and Ms. Lowell need me, I would rather be there with you. I can’t help you abroad, now can I?” Luca smiled into the phone, his voice sweet to the listener’s ears. “I actually wanted to discuss something with you and Ms. Lowell next time I see you both in person. When I come over the summer, I’ll ask you then, so don’t let me forget, alright?”

Felix’s clenched fingers loosened as he stared forward again, his eyes fixated at a certain point, his smile returning to his face as he gently tapped his fingers against the desk. “That’s a funny thought.” Felix joked as he then said, “I won’t forget, so don’t worry. Just remember to come visit when you’ve finished packing up.”

Holding the phone in his hand, Felix’s fingers brushed against the side of the phone, his eyes falling dark as he stared out the window of his bedroom, staring past the open curtains towards the edge of town, where vigorous construction efforts had well-since begun. What they were constructing was indistinguishable, it seemed, but the more that was built, the larger Felix’s smile became, until he could almost not hide his joy.

The pair exchanged a few more words, some laughs shared, before Luca said goodbye and hung up the phone, leaving the receiver to dial in Felix’s ear, extinguishing Luca’s voice completely. Slowly, he lowered the phone by his ear and grabbed the pen from his desk, a list scribbled in Felix’s neat, cursive font. The list was neatly arranged, listed with a variety of bullet points and marked with different shades of ink in areas.

The first two items on the list had been crossed out with a single clean stroke, while the rest of the list was still neat and readable with no lines covering the words. As Felix held the phone, however, he lifted the black ballpoint pen and lowered the metal tip of the pen to the paper before he crossed off the third line of the list. The crisp sound of the pen passing the paper made Felix smile, his eyes full of a boyish glee. 

Under the line he had just drawn in the notebook rested a single line of words:

Get Luca to come back home. 

… 

The damp heat was uncomfortable, but not as unbearable as it would be in June. Living near the water’s edge, there at least was some chill from the ocean air that cooled Luca’s home, allowing them to keep the windows open to allow in a breeze of fresh air. 

His mother’s arm had long since healed, though she did sometimes feel a tinge of pain in the same arm. Though it worried Luca, the doctors had mentioned it would go away as the injury healed. While Louisa just turned fifty-five, he still worried about her, and leaving for the summer to go to the orphanage made him worry even more. 

“You refilled your medications, right? And you wrote down your doctor’s appointments on the calendar?” Luca asked, running around the house as he checked the calendar and the medicine cabinet, as if he had to see for himself his mother would be fine for his short trip away. 

“Honey, for the last time, I’m fine. If you keep running around like this, you’ll be late for the next bus.” His mother sighed, rubbing her wrinkled temple with a bittersweet smile. “Call me once you get there, and say hi to Felix and Ms. Lowell, alright? Make sure you call me often.”

Luca smiled as he finally calmed down. He walked to the door, slinging his duffel bag over his shoulder as he leaned down and kissed Louisa’s right cheek, saying a quick goodbye as he left their home and began to walk down the busy road of their moderately-sized town to the bus stop. There was only a short wait before the next bus came to a stop in front of Luca, allowing him to board the bus with quick steps. The bus was not particularly full at this time, so Luca had his choice of many seats. As he walked down the aisle, he came across a familiar face, however, and he felt compelled to stop. 

“It’s you!” Luca said with a surprised smile as he sat in the seat across the aisle from the older woman. “We spoke on the train before.” Luca was very social and enjoyed talking to strangers once he had moved from the orphanage and regained his childhood confidence. 

The woman, a short, frail-looking woman  with white hair, saw Luca on the bus and smiled back at him, her dentures clean and straight. “It has been some time, young man.” Her hair was neatly tucked into her floral tweed hat, and she wore a dull, thin brown jacket over her summer dress, her pearl cross brooch still attached to her jacket like a charm.

Luca smiled in response, “I hope you’ve been well.”

The pair exchanged pleasantries until they were about to reach the train station. The sign at the front of the bus flashed as it changed to Sheffield, the larger town near Leighwye. The train station there was often busy, as it was the last stop before hitting the countryside. To travel to Sheffield meant you were most likely travelling to the countryside. 

Seeing the stop, the older woman looked at Luca with some concern as she asked in a low tone, “Are you travelling to Leighwye again, young man?”

Again? A chill travelled up Luca’s spine as he held his duffel bag closer to his side. Why would this woman remember where I got off before? Though they had indeed travelled to the train station near Leighwye, Luca had only mentioned he was going there in passing months ago. It was not just the woman’s words, it was the way she said them that Luca found unsettling. 

Luca let out a small breath, as if to calm himself. She’s just an old woman. What harm can she do to me? He thought as he responded with an awkward smile, “Yeah, back to Leighwye for now.” He let out a nervous chuckle, unconsciously rubbing the back of his head with his left hand. 

As the bus lurched slightly, preparing to stop, Luca saw the old woman fall forward towards him. Unconsciously, he reached out to her with his left hand, barely moving it away from the back of his head before it was grabbed by a thin, bony hand. The hand was cold, gripping his forearm like a thin, sharp cord, rendering him immobile. 

“M’am, ple-” As Luca was about to push the woman away, he heard a voice from across the aisle, a voice that seemingly did not belong to a thin, ageing old woman. 

“I cannot stop you from making a foolish mistake, but be warned you are risking your life for a nugatory endeavour.”

Luca’s eyes widened as he attempted to pull back his hand, however no matter how hard he tried to retrieve his arm, the woman would not release him. Even those around him, who he felt would have found the exchange strange at least, seemed not to notice, being pulled into whatever they were doing during the ride, as if what Luca was witnessing was not at all real, but  a terrible dream of his. He knew from the chill on his wrist, however, what was happening was real. 

“Festina lente, care Luca.” The words the woman, no, creature spoke were Latin, Luca knew from his Latin courses growing up, but he could only remember the words, not the meaning behind them. 

As he found himself frozen in thought, waiting for the end, the grip on his hand suddenly loosened. Luca quickly stood to his feet, lurching forward slightly as the bus came to a complete stop. As the doors opened, Luca hustled down the aisle and ran through the bus doors, refusing to look back as the muffled voices of the passengers left the bus, some looking confused at Luca, as if he were running late for the next train. 

Panting, he did not stop until he was resting inside the train station, surrounded by people walking, talking and shuffling around the bustling station, making him feel a little less alone. His duffel bag weighed on his shoulder as he stood next to a pillar, holding his phone in his hand as he looked at the time with a sigh, trying not to think of the strange woman. I have to buy my ticket soon, otherwise I’ll miss the train.

There were various electronic booths as well as a booth staffed by two attendants, helping people purchase their tickets and prepare to board the train. Luca, carrying cash and his debit card, walked to the machine and began to press the buttons on the screen as he reached into his left pocket, feeling for his leather wallet. Just as he stuck his hand inside, he felt a cold, metal-like object inside. Curiously, he pulled out the item, still standing in front of the machine.  

Inside his pocket was a brooch, a small pearl brooch.

You are reading story Misted Winds at novel35.com

It was unmistakable, it was the old woman’s. Luca felt distraught, but he maintained a steady expression as he paid for the train using the cash in his pocket, careful to not brush against the strange cross brooch with his fingers. Once he received his ticket, he stuffed it in his opposite sweater pocket and made his way towards the waiting platform, walking slowly as he found an empty bench to sit on, feeling the tenseness in his body release somewhat as he rested the back of his head against the wall, unable to bring himself to touch the brooch to throw it away.

As he waited for the train to arrive, he texted Felix, feeling his unease settle slightly as he asked a strange question, remembering what the strange woman said. 

‘Festina lente, care Luca.’

It had been years since he had studied Latin, and he could faintly remember some common phrases, but the words the woman said were only familiar enough for him to recognize the dead language, not enough for him to understand her. As Luca thought of the Latin words, he found himself texting Felix before he could stop himself, asking the young priest.

‘Hey Felix, I have a question about something.’

Surprisingly, Felix responded only a short minute later. ‘What’s up?’

Thinking fast on his feet, Luca responded with a lie, ‘I was reading a novel, and they mentioned a phrase in latin. I think it was… “Festina lente, care”. What does it mean?’

Felix’s text did not take long to send through, ‘Hold on, let me find my dictionary. I can translate it for you.’

Luca anxiously waited in his seat, his palms resting on his thighs as he anxiously watched the train arrive. He had already been waiting for twenty minutes, but he did not receive a response from Felix on the Latin translation. Reluctantly, he had to grab his bag and board the train, scanning his ticket once he had boarded. As Luca sat down, he rested his duffel bag in the empty seat next to him, effectively allowing him to sit alone while he unlocked his phone and opened the messaging app.

If the message comes after the train leaves the station, I probably won’t see the message. Luca thought reluctantly, staring at his cracked phone screen one more time. 

Just as he had placed the tip of the phone back into his empty pocket, the phone vibrated in his hand and 

‘That’s a strange phrase, but I think I found it. “Hurry slowly, dear” is what it directly translates to. What a strange phrase, huh, Luca?’ Felix wrote in response. 

Looking at the words on the screen, Luca stared at the keyboard and then wrote, ‘It really is.’

The message was sent as the train departed the station, and Luca rested his head against the glass of the window, feeling a wave of fatigue gnaw at him as the scenes in front of his eyes began to blur. The train ride felt long as Luca rested his eyes, his brain still buzzing with alertness.

…

It was the late afternoon, nearly past suppertime as Luca exited the train and called for a taxi, using the same number for the Glendale Taxi Company that he had come to know from his last trip. As he began to type the number in his dialpad on his phone, the number appeared in his previous call list, and he did not hesitate to call the number again. 

After speaking to the taxi company and requesting his taxi cab, he ended the call and sat on a bench within view of the street inside the train station. It was hot outside, and he did not feel like sitting in the heat when he could enjoy the cool air indoors for another moment. As he sat, he felt into his pocket again and pulled out the small, pearl cross. The pearls were not all even in shape, but fairly round, glowing with a faint lustre. 

Are these real? Luca pondered as he held up the cross to the light, peering at the brooch with a squinted gaze. The pearls reminded him of Lousia’s saltwater pearl necklace that she treasured so much. He had always thought the pearls were ugly, even as a child, but seeing the pearls on this brooch, he felt they were of better quality, but still tasteless. 

While he wanted to throw the brooch away, he felt the item must have been pricey, especially if it were made with real pearls. Instead of throwing it away, Luca felt he could at least have Felix bless it before he brought it home to give to Lousia. At least then the poor energy of the old woman would dissipate from the jewellery. 

As Luca pondered to himself, he saw a yellow taxi cab pull up to the front of the train station. He hurried and stood up, adjusting the strap of the duffel bag on his shoulder as he hurried outside, approaching the cab with the same font reading “Glendale Taxi Company”. When Luca approached the passenger’s side door, he was about to talk to the driver before the man said in a gruff voice,

“I didn’t expect to see you again here, kid.” Surprisingly, it was the same man that had picked up Luca months ago. “You’re not going to Leighwye again, are you?” A half-finished cigarette hung from his fingers, the windows rolled down to the base of the door. 

Luca, holding his bag strap, smiled and said, “Yep, I’m going back to the orphanage.”

The driver sighed, flicking the burnt ashes of his cigarette out the window as he said, “Get in. I’ll take you there.”

Luca thanked the man as he opened the back passenger door and sat down in the seat, fastening his seatbelt after he put his duffel bag on the seat next to him. Once he was buckled in, the driver began to drive forward, taking them away from the 

The radio was turned so low, it was difficult to hear the words of the bluegrass song playing, but Luca did not mind the silence as he stared out the window, leaning his head against the surface of the glass. It was hot inside the taxi, but with the window in front rolled down, a cool breeze drifted through the cab, easing Luca’s discomfort a bit. 

The closer they drove to town, the more Luca noticed things had changed in the past six months he had been gone. He could not help but sit up in his seat, his eyes glancing over the outside of the town with a raised brow. It was strange. There had never been such large-scale construction in the small town before, but now there were machines everywhere, including excavators and forklifts, all full of heavy equipment. Currently Luca could not tell what they were building, but it included digging deep into the ground around the city limits, and Luca found himself growing more and more curious as he watched a group of construction workers placing steel beams into evenly-spaced holes in the ground. 

“I wonder what they’re building.” Luca said aloud, attempting to curb the quiet tone of the taxi.

The taxi driver looked out the window and said with a frown, “Whatever it is, it’s nothing good.” 

Luca was curious. “Why do you say that?”

The driver flicked the remainder of his cigarette out the window as they entered town, the taxi slowly passing by the various familiar businesses and other buildings. “That’s not city workers. That’s a private construction company.” The driver turned down the radio, which had already been silent most of the ride and continued, “Some bigshot must have bought up land here and is planning to renovate the place. For small towns like this, that’s bad news.”

Luca nodded his head, thinking to himself, I should ask Felix and Ms. Lowell when I get back to the orphanage. They should know what’s going on. While he was morbidly curious, he felt the driver’s current temper was poor, and he did not want to further aggravate the man. 

After a short distance down the dirt road, the pair finally stopped the taxi in the short driveway of the orphanage, stopping near the mailbox. While the parking lot for the church was empty, the driver seemingly refused to pull in farther, making Luca shrug as he opened his door and stepped out of the taxi. 

Once Luca’s feet were on the ground, the driver turned back to Luca and said in a low voice, “Hey, son. If you ever need to leave town, you call me first, okay? I’ll give you a special rate.”

Luca felt a little awkward, but he decided to accept the older man’s goodwill. “Ah, thanks. I’ll do that then.”

The taxi driver frowned and repeated, “I mean it. Stay safe, son.”

After stepping back from the cab, Luca waved to the strange driver and began to walk to the front of the orphanage, each step flattening the pristinely-cut green grass under his feet. The air was full of the scent of freshly-cut grass, wildflowers, and pollen. It was the scent of the countryside, a scent Luca had found himself growing to miss over the past few years. While Luca walked, the door to the orphanage office opened, and he saw a tall figure step out. 

“Felix!” Luca waved as he ran forward, ready to greet his friend. 

Standing on the porch was a familiar light-brown haired figure. As they saw Luca approaching, the smile on their face grew, appearing innocent and angelic as they opened their arms and greeted their old friend, wrapping the shorter man in his arms as he rested his nose on Luca’s shoulder, as if inhaling his scent.

“I missed you, Felix.” Luca said, wrapping up his old friend in a large hug.

Smiling, Felix responded in the same loving tone, “I missed you too, Luca.” The arms around Luca tightened, his eyes falling dark with a deep, obsessive love as smelled his darling’s sweet, bright scent that he had missed in the past months. 

…

---

Had enough done to post another chapter! Working on getting YMtK's next update done soon, but so far I'm struggling with work and other life things. I'll be working hard to get this up and running as much as I can in the meantime.

Thanks for your patience~~ >y<

You can find story with these keywords: Misted Winds, Read Misted Winds, Misted Winds novel, Misted Winds book, Misted Winds story, Misted Winds full, Misted Winds Latest Chapter