CHAPTER 01
"Who the hell are you?" Evan asked while still holding the glass.
A tall silhouette blocked the light. Evan saw green hair covering the right side of the man's face and the shaved side of his head, making him look cool. His lime green eyes reflected the light in the bar. Stunned, he watched as the man stepped into the light, revealing his alabaster skin and pinkish lips.
"My name is Theo. What's yours?" he asked with a smile, taking in Evan's curly brown hair, hazel eyes, and porcelain skin with pinkish lips.
As the footsteps grew closer, Evan trembled more.
"How are you, my love? Do you feel cold? How about we warm up in bed?" Mark said with a grin.
"Mark?!! You psycho! Let go of me!" Evan shouted, his pulse racing with panic.
"Then what? You'll go back to him? To that Theo?"
Evan flinched and opened his eyes. It was a dream—or a nightmare, perhaps. Blinded by bright white light, he heard someone speaking.
"Doc, the patient has woken up."
The doctor quickly checked the patient's vital signs.
"Sir, can you tell me what your name is?"
"Mark..."
"Okay, Sir Mark, do you remember anything?"
"Fire, bomb, explosion, pool," Mark replied, memories slipping like water through his fingers.
"Okay, Sir, will you remember any family members?"
"No, I don't," Mark responded, his voice laced with confusion and fear.
The doctor wrote everything down.
"So, Sir Mark, your bills will be covered, and so will your medications. If one day you remember who your family members are, or if by chance you find the means to pay, you can do so. You can also pay me through your services. But for now, you should stay here in the hospital; you’re not fully recovered. By the way, my name is Doctor Sebastian; you can call me Seb," he said, offering a reassuring smile.
"Thank you, Doc," Mark said.
"No problem. If you need anything, just call me. There's a buzzer over there," Seb replied.
"Doc, how long have I been here?" Mark asked.
"You've been here for one year and six months. We thought we would lose you at any moment, but you fought, and now you’re alive," Seb responded.
"Thanks, Doc," Mark said.
Seb went out, and Mark saw a remote. He turned on the TV, found a music channel, and started watching and listening to the station.
"Next up is the song 'Missing Lover,' written by T. Drix and performed by Scott and T. Drix," the MC announced.
~Is it cold out there or warm like the summer? I've been thinking about you; can't you come back to me? Darling, I've been all alone; I'm waiting for your presence...~
Mark liked the song and became hooked on it. He asked Seb if he could borrow a gadget to search for T. Drix and soon became a fan.
Everything felt like a dream to Mark; he missed someone he couldn’t remember—a scent like roses in the spring breeze, butterflies fluttering away, dandelions flying, and birds singing—a man standing far away with a smile as bright as the sun. Those memories, though hazy, filled him with a bittersweet longing, like whispers of a past he desperately wanted to reclaim.
**Theo's POV**
Piano keys, violin, flute, harp, and guitar were all he heard in the room, just like in the old days.
**YEAR 2001**
I was running in the garden, playing hide and seek with my cousins Thunder and Thalia. Thunder was “it,” and I was running far away.
“5…6…7…8…9…10…11…” Thunder counted.
As I went to find a place to hide, I entered the music studio of the Ueiss family, where we pursued our hobbies if we were musically inclined. The room was filled with instruments, and I fell in love with the rhythm, even though they played different songs.
“Baby Theo, what are you doing here? I thought you were playing with Thalia and Thunder?” Tony asked.
“Yes, Uncle! Actually, we are playing hide and seek, and I’m hiding here…” Theo replied.
“Oh, okay. You can sit with your Uncle Tim at the piano; they wouldn’t see you there,” Tony suggested.
“Uncle Tim, can I hide here?” Theo asked.
“Sure,” Tim smiled.
I sat with Uncle Tim, and he let me play with him. It was amazing as he taught me how to play the piano. Uncle Tim is an architect; he only comes to the Ueiss mansion when there’s an event, while Uncle Tony is a physicist. They are my father’s cousins. My great-grandpa, Thazion Ueiss, had 10 sons and 2 daughters. Meanwhile, my grandpa had my dad, and my dad only has me, just like my cousins Thalia and Thunder. Uncle Tim, or Timothy, is Thalia’s dad, while Uncle Thomas is Thunder’s dad, and Uncle Tony is still single.
I didn’t notice the time passing, and by then, I had learned how to play the piano, guitar, violin, drums, DJ pad, harp, harmonica, flute, keyboard, and electric guitar. Each instrument brought me joy and a sense of freedom, filling my heart with dreams of one day performing for a crowd.
“Paging Baby Theo, Thunder and Thalia are looking for you. You’ve been hiding for too long; it’s been 3 hours! Come to the headquarters office,” Thomas announced.
“Oh no, Baby Theo, you have been hiding that long?” Tony asked.
“Well, I learned how to play instruments. I wanna be a musician,” Theo said.
“That’s cool! Then fulfill that dream in the future. No matter what you choose, it’s up to you,” Tim advised Theo.
I went to the headquarters, where Thunder and Thalia were waiting for me. It was already 7 PM when we headed to the dining house, which looked like a restaurant. Currently, there were 396 people in the villa mansion. The Ueiss family has a vast estate with 12 mansions, a large dining house, an identification gate, a music studio, a pool resort, a headquarters, a storage room, a hospital, a garden, a repair house, a servants’ lounge, a forest, and 2 parking lots.
“Hey, Theo! Come here, let’s eat!” Thunder called.
“Okay,” Theo replied.
I slowly walked along the pathway toward the dining entrance when suddenly I noticed the nurses running around, seemingly searching for someone. I became distracted by them when a woman in a hospital gown ran past me and headed to the identification gate, with head nurse KC shouting.
“Oh no, Trisha is running away! Capture her and tie her up!” KC shouted.
“Theo, come here right now!” Tristan called.
**TO BE CONTINUED**