Leansei didn't realize the car had stopped. His mind was still back at the grave. Still on the phone call. Still on the fact that his soul was wearing someone else's skin. It wasn't until Tyvan cut the engine that he looked up. Leansei looked at Tyvan with a confused expression.
A tall black gate. Iron. Cold. Beyond it, trees. A driveway that curved. He turned to Tyvan, confused. "Where—" Tyvan didn't answer. He just waited. A few seconds later the gate opened on its own. A quiet mechanical sound. Tyvan drove through.
And then Leansei understood.
Lean has no idea where they are or why he came with Tyvan. Is it because Leansei knows Tyvan is harmless, or is he still acquainted with him after all these years?
The place was absurd. A garden stretched on both sides of the drive, manicured down to the last leaf. In the center, a fountain threw water into the air and caught the late light. The house at the end of it was too big to be called a house. It was a statement. Stone and glass. Columns. Windows that reflected the sky. This was money that had been money for generations.
This is Kean's home.
' Damn. They were supposed to pick me up tomorrow. '
Tyvan stopped the car at the front steps. The front door opened before either of them could move.
Mr. Ferech stepped out. Alone, except for a maid behind him holding an umbrella that wasn't needed. He was tall. His suit was perfect. His face was the same shape as Kean's, just older, harder, and taller.
Tyvan got out first and he respectfully greeted Mr. Ferech and shook hands with him.
Leansei glances at them.
"Mr. Ferech," he said, and offered his hand.
"Mr. Devon," Ferech replied, grip firm. "What brings you here?"
"I brought Kean home. He's in the car." Tyvan nodded toward the passenger side.
Ferech's smile thinned when he looked. Just for a second. Then it was back.
"Thank you. I'm sorry for the trouble, Mr. Devon."
They walked to the car together. Leansei closed his eyes and finally opened the car door.
' What do I call him? Sir? Mr. Ferech? Father? ' The word father felt like a lie in his mouth.
Tyvan was already getting back in his car. "Well then. I should go. See you, Kean." He said it easily, like they were friends. Like nothing had happened at the cemetery. Then he drove away.
Leansei stood there and didn't look at Ferech. He didn't know how.
He still can't get used to having someone by his side or someone to call "parents." He doesn't even know if he can get used to this life.
Leansei had a traumatizing childhood experiences, but despite his young age, he was able to work for himself to feed his own mouth and pay bills and tuition fees.
Leansei thought Kean must be distant from his parents, even though they were a rich and stable way of life. What else does he want from them? Or maybe love and attention, since he doesn't have a good relationship with his father.
"What are you still standing there? Come," Ferech said, voice flat. "I'll show you to your room. Don't bother your mother. She's resting." A cold voice from Mr. Ferech as they walked inside the tall and elegant mansion. Leansei is amazed by the gold and expensive collections and furniture.
Leansei had never been to these kinds of places. He was used to slums and dirty small houses. He had never seen expensive furniture or collections. Leansei never in his life thought that he would see a mansion with his own eyes.
The inside of the mansion was better, gold, crimson, and marble that reflected his shoes. Chandeliers that looked like they weighed a ton. Paintings in frames thick enough to be doors.
He'd lived his whole life in rooms where the walls sweated. He had never seen this much space that wasn't being used for survival.
While following Mr. Ferech, he kept his eyes down until a painting stopped him from walking and unconsciously walk towards it.
It's a family portrait, it was big, centered on the wall of the grand staircase as if it was an important portrait. It is a man, woman and two boys. Twins specifically.
One with dark ash hair. Kean. The other with lighter brown hair. Same face. Same eyes. But smiling.
Leansei stared. He'd never had a family photo. Never even had a camera pointed at him.
"Kean." He jerked. Ferech was already halfway up the stairs. Leansei followed, heart beating too fast.
The hallway was endless. Doors on both sides. More gold. More red. The mansion was pure elegance and had powerful decorations. It was the kind of house you could get lost in. The kind of house that didn't need you to find your way out.
"Brother?" A voice behind him. Leansei turned, It was like looking in a mirror that had been left in the sun too long. Same face. Same build. But this boy was bright where Kean was dim. Brown hair. Open smile. Eyes that didn't look tired.
"Brotherrr!" the twin said, and ran towards Leansei and gave a tight hug. Leansei didn't move. He didn't know how. No one had hugged him like that. Ever. blooded rather.
"Felean, take your brother to his room," Ferech said over his shoulder, already looking at his phone. "I'll have to take this call." Which kept ringing. Felean let go of him and smiled at Leansei.
Felean pulled back, grinning. "Sure, father. Brother Kean, follow me, " He started down the hall. Leansei followed. Halfway there, Felean's smile dropped.
"You're such an attention seeker." The voice of Felean changed to low, and cold. Leansei looked at the back of Felean when he didn't know what was going on.
' Was that all an act? What the hell is happening? '
Leansei thought he could finally have a sibling or feel some kind of feeling of having a brother, but it seems like Kean's has no good relationships with this family aside from his mother.
"You ought to have done more, You feel good enough?" Felean gave him a mischievous smile and pushed his shoulder. "Father's never going to like you again." He bumped Leansei's shoulder as he walked past.
Leansei furrowed his eyebrows.
'Kean just got out of the hospital. And this is how his own brother talks to him. Like he's a stranger. Like he's a mistake.'
Leansei turned. "I don't know what your problem is," he said, voice low. "And I don't know who you are. But if Father says you're my brother, then I didn't expect you to treat me like this." Felean laughed at what he said, making him irritated even more.
"Seriously? You really have amnesia? You can't remember the disgusting things you did?"
' What does he mean by that? Moreover, it's not my business. I can't meddle with Kean's affairs. I don't have the right to control his life just because I transmigrate to his body. '
"Just leave me alone." Leansei said and was about to walk away when Felane grabbed his clothes and pushed him into the wall.
"You really have the nerve to talk to me like that." Felean leaned in, breath hot. "I guess you really don't remember anything. Fine. Just stay out of my way." Then he let go and walked away, footsteps echoing down the hall.
Leansei stayed there for a second, staring after him. He let out a breath he didn't know he was holding.
' What is wrong with this family? Why does everyone hate Kean? What did he do to deserve this? '
He didn't have answers. And he wasn't supposed to want them.
He pushed open the door to what was supposedly his room and shut it behind him. Leant against it. Closed his eyes. Exhaustion dragged at him. Not just from the hospital. From everything.
' I have to find a way to go back to my own life where no one bothers me or I have anything to think about. '
'I have to find a way back. Back to my life. Where no one knows my name and no one expects anything from me.'
He opened his eyes.
The room was massive. It could've swallowed his whole apartment twice. White walls. Dark wood desk. A bed that looked like it had never been slept in. Everything was clean. Ordered. Cold.
There were sticky notes on the wall behind the desk. Schedules. Deadlines. Math test. 3pm. Vcherian Hall. Donation meeting. Thursday. Dad's birthday. Buy gift.
His eyes dropped. A piece of paper lay crumpled on the desk, like someone had started to throw it away and changed their mind.
He smoothed it out.
Three words. Black ink. "IT'S D-DAY."
"It's D-Day." Leansei was confused as he read the note. Nonetheless, he put the crumpled paper where it was placed.
He frowned. D-Day for what? He put it back exactly where he found it.
The shelves were full. Books. Awards. A chess set. But no photos. Not one family portrait. Not even a single frame. It was like someone had decided this room shouldn't have memories.
Leansei lay on the edge of the bed. The mattress dipped under him, soft and expensive.
He looked up at the ceiling and tried to think.
Tried to figure out why the universe had pulled him out of the water and put him here. Why Kean? Why now? What is he supposed to do in this body?
He couldn't.
His head was heavy. His body was heavier. The last thing he remembered was the ceiling light blurring and his eyes were slowly closing and he was unconsciously sleeping in bed.
---
As the wind blew through his hair, and carried the smell of lake water and old soap and the faint sweetness of the jasmine Grandma Delin used to keep by the door. It was held by a soft, firm hand that he was longing for. He was stunned while looking at her wrinkled eyes and sweet smile.
"Mama," he said, cracking his voice as he uttered that word. Grandma Delin gently held his cheeks.
She was in her favorite summer temperament suit, the collar and waist gathered into a pleated skirt, just like the last time he saw her. It was the same feeling when Grandma Delin held him in her arms.
He carefully looked at Grandma Delin's face, and he couldn't even believe that he could see her. Leansei felt an ache in his heart as a tear ran down his cheeks.
He thought to himself that he should never cry in front of everyone, but seeing her again was the thing he wanted most in his life.
"Mama," he said, as he tightly hugged Grandma Delin while she gently tapped his back. That made Leansei cry. "Why did you leave me? Why? Please let me come with you," he begged grandma Delin as tears streamed down his cheeks.
"Silly child, why are you crying?" A soft voice from Grandma Delin made Leansei cry more. The feelings of loneliness, longing, and breakdown from what was happening around him were combined. He couldn't stop crying, as if he was a child that was lost in the streets.
Grandma Delin let him go and tightly held his hand. "My child, you must be lost again." Grandma Delin said as she wiped away his tears. Leansei just looked down as if he couldn't look at her.
"Child.. you have a long way to go and maybe what's happening right now is your chance to be free and to be loved." Leansei slowly looked at her and wiped away his own tears.
"I miss you so much, mama."
"I do too, child. But now you should live your life to the fullest. It's your second chance, don't waste it," she said, and gently rubbed his hand as she always does to comfort him.
He slowly looked at Grandma Delin. "Mama," Leansei came to a halt as he noticed Grandma had begun to fade from the air. He held her hand as tightly as he could.
"No, mama." A continuous gasp as an ache pierced into his heart. He can't bear to lose Grandma Delin again. Leansei's cracked voice begged her to come back. "Don't leave me again. Please mama, come back. "
"Silly child, I'll always be with you. Always. " Her body faded into the air as a glint of light from her ash flew away from him. Leansei bent down and cried in pain.
________
"MAMA!" Leansei shot upright, gasping. Air tore into his lungs like he'd just come up from underwater. His chest heaved. His hands were shaking. He pressed a palm to his heart and dragged the other across his face, wiping tears he didn't remember crying.
It was only a dream. But it was the kind of dream that carved itself into bone.
He ran a hand through his hair, trying to pull himself back into this room, this body, this life that wasn't his.
He glance at the door when theres a knock, soft, and polite.
"Young master. Dinner has been served. Mr. and Mrs. Ferech would like you to join them." Leansei looked down at the sheets. For a second he forgot where he was. Right. The mansion. Kean's room.
"I'll come down," he said, voice rough.
He washed his face. The water was cold. It helped. He'd slept for hours. The light outside had gone from gold to blue.
He stepped into the hall. The mansion was a maze, but he remembered the way—left at the portrait, down the grand staircase, past the fountain. A maid waited at the bottom, hands folded.
He went outside his room and walked towards the hall, down to the grand staircase.
Luckily, Leansei is smart enough to memorize where he went through earlier, or he might have gotten lost in this mansion.
"This way, young master." The dining room was down another hall. Doors opened into a space too big for the number of people in it. Crystal. Silver. A table long enough to seat ten. Only three people sat at it.
"You're here, Kean." Mrs. Ferech smiled when she saw him. Real warmth. The kind that made Leansei's chest hurt. "Please, sit beside your brother." Mr. Ferech didn't look up from his plate. His expression was the same as it had been in the hospital—distant, evaluating. Felean was already there, cutting his steak with precise movements. He looked up and gave Leansei a smile.
The kind that didn't reach his eyes.
Leansei sat. The chair was too big. The silence was bigger. The only sound was cutlery on porcelain.
"Kean," she said, setting her cutlery down. "Do you want to go to school tomorrow?"
Leansei froze, fork halfway to his mouth. He hadn't thought about it. School. Classes. People.
For the first time in years, he wouldn't have to clock in after. No dishes. No tips. No Mr. Bien waiting at the door. He could just… be a student. In a Lemous university. The thought felt foreign and tempting.
Mr. Ferech set his glass down. "He just came back from the hospital, honey. It may not be necessary."
' But I saw the notes ' Leansei thought. The sticky notes on Kean's desk. Timetables. Deadlines.
Kean cared about school and if Leansei was going to wear his life temporarily, the least he could do was keep it from falling apart.
Leansei couldn't say anything, since this will be the first time he won't be working after school, he wanted to experience what it feels like in Lemous universities.
"Mother and father, I think let's make my brother rest for a while. " Felean said.
"Of course, Mother," Felean said, sweet as syrup.
Under the table, his knee bumped Leansei's. Hard.
Leansei stopped when he heard Felean speak. Leansei was a naughty yet fearless person. "I think I'm ready to go tomorrow," he said. Flat. No inflection. "You don't have to worry about me." an expressionless face of Leansei as he ate the meat from his plate. The room went still. Felean's head snapped up. For half a second his eyes were sharp, glaring. Then Mrs. Ferech smiled, and the mask slid back on.
"That's great!" She said, already typing on her phone. "I'm sure you'll enjoy it. Go with your brother tomorrow. Felean, guide your brother, okay?"A happy tone from Mrs. Ferech. Felean gave his mother a fake smile and looked at his plate with a look of irritation.
"Of course, Mother," Felean said, sweet as syrup.
He ate food was nothing like he'd ever had. Butter that tasted like cream. Meat that fell apart. Vegetables that didn't come from a can. He ate slowly, because he didn't want to waste it.
Because some kid named Kean probably took this for granted every night.
Mrs. Ferech talked about a charity event. Mr. Ferech answered in monosyllables.
Felean didn't speak again.
Leansei stared at his plate and wondered what would happen tomorrow. Will he make friends or have fun with professors? He was somewhat excited, but at the same time, he had a bad feeling about what was going to happen.
Excitement flickered under his ribs.
Dinner ended.
"Rest early," Mrs. Ferech said, squeezing his hand as she passed. "You have a big day tomorrow."
Leansei nodded.
Upstairs, he stood in Kean's room and looked at the uniform laid out on the chair. White shirt. Navy blue blazer and trouser. Tie.
He lay down and stared at the ceiling.
Second chance, Grandma had said.
Don't waste it.
He closed his eyes. Tomorrow, he would go to Vcherian University as Kean Gavin Ferech and he had no idea what that would cost him.