Blake Heritage (English)

Chapter 7

Walking back, although he was still exhausted and starving he couldn't help but feel an overwhelming sense of calm. Nevertheless, he remained lost. He simply did not understand what had happened last night. Despite an iron will to search deep within him, to remember even the most granular of details, nothing came back to him! Just darkness, a veritable black hole. On their ways back, both Blake and the girl, separately but at the same time, tried to elucidate the events from the previous evening. Blake was sure he would see her again because who wouldn't return to the place you found yourself one morning, with nothing but a blackout and crippling fatigue to show for it? What he especially feared was the reaction of his parents. Consumed by his confusion he had not thought for a single second of the reprisals that faced him at home. Blake had always been deprived of going out and it hadn't bothered him until now. He must return to investigate this mysterious estate. He just knew that place was hiding something but, if his mother decided to punish him the opportunity to find clarity would be taken away from him.

It was time to face them, and to perhaps escape the punishment that currently seemed inevitable. Blake had barely pushed the door, and Elena had already called him to sit at the table with breakfast ready. He sat down, waiting for their questions and reproaches, but they never came. Eden and Elena acted as if nothing had happened. He had been so apprehensive about their reaction, that he was dumbfounded by their reaction - to ignore? Blake told himself they probably wanted to be forgiven for last night. Although he found the situation strange, he was so exhausted that he quickly finished his meal and went up to take a well-needed shower.

Blake woke up around 11 p.m, completely disconnected from reality after sleeping all day. He still felt as weak as he had this morning. It's as if he hadn't slept at all. Blake decided to go down to the kitchen to eat and drink something. Eden and Elena were in one of the living rooms and were discussing amongst themselves. His mother saw the light turn on and then chose to go talk to her son.

— How do you feel?

— Much better. Thank you.

— Are you sure? Elena insisted.

— Yes, well I think I've fallen ill, my body is aching and I have got a terrible headache.

— You probably caught a cold on your night out. Eat something, you'll feel better. There's some chicken with a little ravioli in the fridge for you. I thought you might be hungry when you woke up.

— Thank you, how come you didn't wake me up today like usual?

—Well, I see that you are growing and I'm trying to let you live your life now. I was perhaps a little overbearing whilst you were growing up, but now that you're almost eighteen and want to leave, I'd like to enjoy the time we have left together.

— Ok... Blake didn't understand what was going on. I still have a year left here, and when I go to college, you'll obviously come visit me. I know I said I didn't want to talk to you anymore, but I was angry and strangely enough, I'm not anymore.

— Yes, I'm sorry about all of that. Enjoy your meal, I'm going to bed but make sure you savor these last few carefree moments. You're no longer a child, and you will hear lots of things but don't be mistaken - the adult world is ruthless.

— Don't worry. Good night!

— Good night.

He got up from his chair and kissed his mother. For the first time, he noticed the melancholic sadness in his mother's face. It was surely the weight of one of their many secrets that slowly gnawed at her, day after day. Anyway, he didn't care about it anymore. He had become accustomed to ignoring the strange and mysterious behaviours of his parents.

The next morning was the start of a new week. Blake felt much better, but the idea of going to class demoralised him. Even though he knew he would graduate with a perfect record in about seven months, the mornings were still difficult. The high school filled him with nothing but dread, but he had to continue attending because wasting all his hard work would be even more futile. Like always, Blake set off by foot, seeking out the fresh air which helped motivate himself for his future university career. His dream was to stay in the South, far away from the deep North where the sun was rarely seen. He could already envision himself lounging in his Malibu apartment: warm air stroking his face accompanied by the sound of the waves hitting the beach like a sweet melody. Blake wanted to learn how to surf like all the Californians. He imagined himself surrounded by friends who understood him, not knowing anything about the strange circumstances surrounding his family and isolated childhood. He just wanted to be normal, to have a fresh start.

Blake was always on time. Paying no attention to anyone, he went straight to the bottom of the classroom and sat right by the window. He knew it was a cliché, the "weird" kid always sitting in the back row, but he had no choice. All the seats had already been taken when he arrived. Blake held a cold and closed off front these days, which was quite the opposite from when he arrived. He had adopted this behaviour to quell any potential boring conversations with the other students and it worked perfectly well. There was a time when he had tried to make friends but, not one of them had ever took the trouble to come and talk to him. Blake had everything going for him and had discovered that jealousy amongst peers had always lead to high school drama. The few polite gestures he received from the students were undoubtedly signs of respect and fear.

Class went on normally, those most keen tried acquiring the teacher's attention in an attempt to stay in his good graces, whilst the rest uninterestedly judged. After only 20 minutes of the lesson had passed, the sound of a sports car screeched outside.