HIDDEN- Sides, Truths, Secrets

1

''Shift'' the only word written in the message sent by him.

'Again' the only word came to my mind. However, I am not surprised, not anymore. It has kind of become a ritual. Ritual followed every year in the month of January. So I am prepared, maybe mentally but not emotionally. But 'it' is. It doesn't matter to 'it' where I go, 'it' just want to stay with me.

I hear the doorbell when I just finished packing my last suitcase.

Here he comes. Always on time 'an hour after the message'.

I opened the door and greeted him with a smile on my face, a heartfelt one. As my 'shifting' time is the only time when I can meet a member of my family.

He, on the other hand, has the same blank expression he always wears whenever he comes to help me shift houses.

"Zee, how are you today?" I asked cheerfully. Zee, apparently my elder brother, whose full name I don't even know, gave me a did-you-eat-something-wrong look. "Fine. Get in" I said while stepping aside to let him enter my one bedroom flat.

"Are you done with packing?" only words which came out of his mouth.

"I am also doing great. Thanks for asking."

"How long do you need? Didn't he send the message?"

"Of course he did," I said, irritated at his never-changing attitude. "Give me ten minutes."

He sat on my bed, observing me curiously.

"Are you really my brother?" I asked trying to avoid the awkward silence.

"I am."

Will it kill him to talk a little? Or to behave like a real elder brother? Well, my question is not so wrong either. He and I look nothing alike. I am 5'3, he is 6'3. I have long black hair and his are blonde. I have dark brown, almost black eyes. He has blue ones. He looks like a supermodel, except for the scar on his right eye, and I am just an average. Even our skin tones are different.

I asked further, super determined about finding answers to all the hidden secrets kept by my so-called-family "Who is our father? How come he never came to see me? Is he even alive? Because all he does is to send a stupid message every year, ordering me to shift my house and sending you here to help. Don't tell me you are the one who is actually sending these messages? Is he seriously dead?"

"Rose!" He said getting a little anger himself.

"I know we have talked about this but I am still curious about my our parents," I said sounding a little sad. No girl focus. You can't let him know how you feel, as long as he doesn't give you a reason to believe him. You need to be strong.

Despite all my efforts, he caught the sadness in my voice. His eyes softened, almost sad before he wore his blank mask again.

When he didn't reply for a while I gave up and started doing some last minute checks.

"He is alive. And quite healthy, if knowing that makes you feel better." Zee finally answered.

That's good. I saw this as an opportunity to ask more questions. "Then who is he, a mafia?"

For a second Zee gave me an expression saying 'are you mad' but then he simply replied "No".

"A secret agent? " I asked again, trying my unlucky luck.

"No," He said after taking a deep breath.

"Then what? A vampire king?"

"Rose!"

"I was just joking. No need to get so mad." I said in my defense when Zee seems like I have committed a sin.

"You should stop reading fiction novels." He said pointing towards my bundle of books before going out of the house.

"Don't you dare say a thing about my books?" I said while following him outside. I need to read stuff like that to understand who 'it' is.

He ignored me and gave my house keys to a person who seems like a member of the shifting crew Zee called for our 'annual ritual'.

Then he started walking towards his black Ferrari and I followed him.