Chapter 40 Bad Family
Chapter 40 Bad Family
Lisa asked, “What’s it look like then?”
“Prison,” the guy with the blue hair replied. “You look like a prisoner.”
Lisa raised an eyebrow. “Really? You ever heard of a prison that lets its inmates out for fresh air?”
Steven shrugged. “At least in prison, you get to eat.”
Lisa unbuckled her seatbelt, stepping out of the car. She waved at him. “Se
ya.”
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At home, Tiffany was nowhere to be found. Xavier was in the garden, messing with his painting supplies. Xavier and Nathan were identical twins. They looked alike, had the same bad tempers, but their paths in life couldn’t have been more different.
Nathan joined the military and made a name for himself there. Xavier, the artist, studied abroad, focusing on painting.
At home, Xavier had a dedicated studio. It was stocked with brushes, paints, and all the art supplies you could imagine–more than most art stores had.
Today, he was outside, probably planning to paint the garden’s flowers. Lisa glanced at him, ready to retreat to her room. But Xavier spotted her. “Come here.”
Lisa sighed and walked over. “Xavier.”
“Sit on the swing,” he ordered.
Lisa glanced at the swing.
It was said Bernard made it for her when she was a baby, but Lisa didn’t remember at all.
“You want me to model for you?” she asked.
Xavier shrugged. “You’re not doing anything else anyway.”
Lisa didn’t protest.
If Xavier got upset, she’d be the one to suffer.
She walked over and sat down on the swing. “Is this okay?”
Xavier squinted, guiding her movements. Once Lisa was in position, he froze. His gaze became distant.
A long–buried memory surfaced, one he thought he had forgotten. It was spring, flowers blooming all around. Behind the swing, a wall of roses. A little girl in a white dress was sitting on the swing, her head tilted back, looking at him. She stretched out her arms, crying, “Xavier, pick me up!”
That wasn’t Tiffany.
That face… it was Lisa
A three–or four–year–old Lisa.
Back then, before she got lost, Lisa had been the family’s cherished little sister. Everyone adored her. Even Mario–usual
serious–would hold her when she couldn’t sleep.
so
At that time, Xavier and Nathan were the youngest after Lisa. Naturally, they were tasked with entertaining her. But there was a gap in their ages, and being boys, they were more interested in other things than playing house with their little sister.
They used to put little Lisa on the swing and then settle nearby, lost in their games. Lisa would sit there, bored but never complain. After a while, she’d stretch out her chubby little arms and, in a soft voice, call out, “Xavier, Nathan, pick me up.”
Xavier remembered the time Lisa fell off the swing. She hit her head on a rock and bled a lot. Mom and Dad were furious when they found out, making Xavier and Nathan stand in the yard as punishment.
3:53 PM
Chapter 40 Bad Family
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But Lisa, in her babyish voice, told their parents she had fallen by herself. It wasn’t their fault. That’s what spared them from a real beating
Xavier’s gaze lingered on Lisa, now all grown up.
That sweet little girl–how did she end up like this?
Had her surroundings really changed her that much? If Lisa hadn’t gotten lost, would they still be as close as they were back
then?
“Alright,” Xavier said, snapping out of his thoughts. “You can just sit there?
Lisa nodded quietly.
She wasn’t sure how long Xavier would take to paint, but soon, sleepiness crept over her. Xavier, unusually calm with her, didn’t scold her. She found that surprising.
peacef
She watched him, his face peaceful, and felt an odd sense of unreality.
It was strange–she was actually sitting there with Xavier, calmly, with no tension between them.
What surprised her even more was that he was willing to paint her.
“Hey, Xavier?” Tiffany finally escaped from her social circle and returned to find Xavier painting. She pouted, “You promised you’d paint my portrait, but you started with Lisa’s? Playing favorites, huh?”
Xavier shrugged. I’ve painted God knows how many portraits of you. I needed a subject, and you weren’t around.”
Lisa pressed her lips together.
Of course, she was always the extra one, the one no one really needed. She still didn’t get why Tiffany was bothered by her so much.
I’m just kidding. Tiffany said, peering at the painting. “You’ve made Lísa look so pretty.”
Xavier glanced over, unimpressed. “I’ve just laid down the base coat. How can you tell already?” He added casually, “Her dress does go well with the scenery. Did you pick it for her?”
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