One Decision

42. All He Had

Athena

The attic looked the exact same. Dark, dusty, boxes along one side, neatly covered in black sheets with mounts of dust and cobwebs.

I turned on the flashlight I brought with me. There wasn't a source of light other than this. I automatically worked out the theory that Ace did not want anyone to get in here, ever, and if they did, he wanted to make it hard for them.

I slowly stepped forward, removing the webs with each shift. The hefty amount conveyed the message that no one has ever been here. Maybe no one knows.

The wooden floors creaked under my weight, I was afraid it would break through and I would fall headfirst through the floor. Swallowing my fear down, I headed to the left of the attic, eyeing the cloth that covered the wall.

I am sorry Ace, but I wanna know.

Taking a deep breath I held it in, pulling my lips into my mouth as I ripped off the cloth pinned to the wall. I immediately backed off from the rising dust to save my eyes. I looked up after a few moments when most of it was settled on the floor while some lingered low on air.

....what?

I stared at the pinboard in confusion, stepping forward to have a closer look at the pictures pierced on it. It looked like it was the record of his family, all the years through. The pictures had a yellowish touch, they were starting to lose their color, due to time and poor maintenance. My eyes settled their gaze on the topmost picture.

A young man with so much resemblance to Ace caught my eye. His hair was chocolatey and messily good, just like Ace's. A smile was stuck on his face which made me smile, such was the warmth and happiness in them. His bulky arm was around the waist of a lovely smiling woman, her stormy grey eyes staring into my blue ones.

His parents.

The obvious realization dawned on me. Never, ever saw them in real life. 

"It's an honor, Mr. and Mrs. Williams." I mumbled under my breath, the couple's smiles burning into the back of my head.

Lovely.

I traced my dust-covered finger across the next picture. His parents had the same happy smile, but in their arms was a cute little boy, not more than 4 grinning at the camera with his fingers stuffed into his mouth.

My smile widened knowing it was the baby Ace, adorable and innocent.

The next one made me frown. Ace was standing pretty tall in this, a grin covering his boyish features with a baby asleep in his arms. 

He had siblings?

I would have never known.

The next photo was all of their faces in the frame, grinning into the lens. His parents were a bit older and had glasses on, Ace's face features were getting more defined while the girl looked like she was in middle school.

Cuties.

The torch almost slipped from my hold seeing the next one.

There she was, her slender arm across Ace's chest with the Williams' around the dining table, her bewitching green eyes holding the slight bit of manipulation and danger as she smiled sweetly at the camera.

Eva.

I unpinned it from the board, staring at her face more closely. Eva looked younger, happier, and more...free.

The version I had seen in person is more hidden, dimmer.

My eyes strayed to Ace holding her. I smiled sadly seeing his smile, the happiness flowing through his face and eyes. She really did make him happy, I have never seen that wide smile on his face all this while.