Chapter VI: The Ball part 3

                “Babe! Look what I got for you!” Matt said as he hurriedly ran while his palm gripped the rings inside his coat-pocket. He saw Marian on the other side of the room, a smile on her face as she conversed with someone Matt can barely make out who. The crowd seemed to thicken.

                He saw her fiancé look at her, a pumped-up smile on her face as she excitedly waved at Matt. It seemed comical for him, the girl waving at the other side as the boy desperately tries to make his way across the sea of trials—only to find his worst nightmares waited for him behind the shadow of his lover. Matt found half of the truth on his thoughts for Marian was having a conversation with none other than Jack Santino.

                “Well if it isn’t baby brother back from the big states,” Jack said, the air reeked of his arrogant demeanor.  And arrogance smelled like Jack Daniels. “The rumors were true then, you’ve returned. Now come give me a hug you son of a bitch!”

                Oddly enough, the earlier crowd of Jack’s fans disappeared into thin air. Alphonse probably gave the order. The old man wasn’t too fond of his elder son’s company—and that’s coming from a crime lord.

                Matthew stayed stiff, on the defensive. He never did trust his older brother, especially now that he’s drunk. Jack’s arms wrapped around his brother’s shoulders, the smell of fur and alcohol assaulted Matt’s senses. His hand stayed inside his pocket, guarding the rings like it meant something.

                “Not only didn’t you tell me about your return, you also didn’t tell me you’re engaged to that fine ass over there!” The liquor had gripped Jack’s voice as he continued to talk. His arm lay dead-like on Matt’s shoulders as he pointed at Marian who was laughing and blushing at the same time.

                “Jack, come on. Don’t talk about my Fiancé that way. It offends me,” said Matthew, his tone completely serious.

                “Ooh, it offends me,” Jacked mocked his brother. “Can that shit, bro. You’re talking like the old man. Jesus Christ!”

                “Maybe you’re the one who needs to be more like him.” Matt said as he swatted his brother’s arm aside and faced him. They were both tall, eye to eye, they stared each other down.

                “Maybe I will, and I’ll start by taking over the family business!” retorted Jack, more arrogant than before. His arms flailed at his side.

                Matthew knew his brother didn’t deserve to be Don.  In fact, it was almost an insult to him. But this time, the younger brother will be the selfish once. Matt had no plans of being the head of the empire; he had forsaken the power and fear he controlled all for Marian. Retorting aggressively towards his older brother will be nothing but a sign of pride. He knew better. The younger brother sighed.  “Let him win this one, Matt. An argument ain’t worth the effort,” the thought.

                “I’m happy for you, Jack. Good luck with that.”

                Jack raised his eyebrow, completely befuddled by his younger brother’s retort. Was he playing an angle? Matt was good at those things. Could all this be a ruse? Jack was unprepared for a calm response. He was even ready to take on his brother right then and there. Instead of fists and flying punches, Matthew offered a handshake.

                Jack was silent. That raised eyebrow hasn’t come down yet. Cautious and doubtful, he offered a handshake in return. All Matt gave was a firm squeeze and shake, the seriousness on the young man’s face turned to a content smile. Afterwards, Matt broke free of their handshake, making the nervous and confused Jack flinch. The young Cross just chuckled as he strode towards his lover.

                “Well bro, if you’d excuse us, Marian and I will be off spending some quality time together. I’ll see you later.” Matt said as he took the hand of her fiancé and guided her out of the thickening party guests. Jack just stood there, dumbfounded. The couple got lost in the crowd; it was Matthew’s intention to move fast, not giving his brother enough time to reply.

                “Yeah well, I gotta go too. I, uh… I gotta drink.” Jack mumbled under his breath, completing the conversation inside his head. He tipsily walked towards the bar again.

                Matt and Marian walked at a brisk pace back towards their seat. Marian wasn’t making it easy for him as Matt spent most of his time dragging and carrying his lover by the arm for she kept sliding her shoes across the wooden floor.

                “Whoa, whoa, hotshot. Where’s the fire?” said Marian as she giggled, snorted and giggled some more. The aroma of red wine escaped from her mouth.

                “Damn it, Marian! We had a deal, remember? No drinking! You and I both know you can’t handle your liquor!” Matthew argued in a hushed voice. Even the lady’s cutesy voice can’t demean the young man’s distraught.

                “It’s not my fault! There’s this guy with the wine, offered me a taste and it was so good! Next thing I know I had three glasses and you were still gone. You didn’t stop me, it’s your fault.” The neurons inside Marian’s brain went haywire. She did that cute pout that always made Matt less angry.

                Matt had that “are you freakin’ kidding me” look etched on his face as he asked himself why he loved this broad anyway. Matt decided to let this pass too. He doesn’t want to ruin this night with petty arguments against the brother or the lover. Matt sighed. “You’re right, babe. I’m sorry.  Here, let me make it up to you,” Matt pulled out the two rings from his pocket. The sheer sight of the gems made Marian squeal of joy. Her hands covered her mouth wide-agape with surprise. “Pick the one you like. The blue or the red one?”

                “Can’t I just have them both?” Marian asked oh so innocently.

                “What? No!” Matt was caught off guard with such question.  He took the sapphire ring and placed it on her finger. “It goes like this, one for you to show that you’re mine. And I’ll have the other ring to show that I’m yours.” He finished off the sentence with a smile.

                “Hmm, sounds cheesy.” Marian teased the young man, a sly grin on her drunken-red face.

                “I don’t think it’s cheesy. In fact, I think it’s romantic.” Matt replied.

                “That’s because you’re cheesy.”  Marian continued teasing the young man. She chuckled and fell on his chest. Her eyes were slowly closing, drifting towards the sea of dreams. “You’re cheesy…” She repeated softly.

                This is exactly the reason why you don’t get drunk. I’m left to take care of you! Matt thought and sighed. He carried his lover and propped her up on her seat where she continued to doze off. The ring on her finger made Matt smile a content smile.

                Now all that’s left to do is put this ring on my finger. Matt took a second or two to marvel at the finely cut jewel. The ring slid down on his left ring finger—at the end, it was a perfect fit. The ring of an untold future. I hope pops is right. I hope this completes the story and gives us a happy ending.

                All of a sudden, a flash of blinding white light burst out from the ring—it made Matt cover his eyes. The sensation felt like a flashbang exploded right on his face, his eyes had trouble adjusting and his ears rang.

                When Matt came to, a sight he wasn’t ready for in a million years lay still in front of his face. Everything around him—the party, the people, the venue were at a standstill like time froze. The color had been drained from the world and left only gray and static. All he could hear was the sound of his heart beating, his frantic panting and the ringing in his ears.

                “What the fuck is going on?!” Matt said under his breath as his mind slowly lost its sense of reality. There was the band stuck holding their instruments, a lone waiter stuck on thin air as he floated, waiting to fall after slipping on some liquid on the floor. Then there was Marian, her skin gray and dark, like all the life had left her. A smile was on her face as she continued to sleep—sleeping beauty that was never meant to wake up.

                Matt frantically stood up and tried to grab Marian by her arm. “Babe?” he called her as his hands closed in unto her flesh.

                He felt nothing.

                His hand passed through Marian, leaving only a trail of static where his hand had passed. It took him a few seconds to realize that the color hadn’t left him. He stared at his hands, his dark coat, his leather shoes and finally, back at his hand, where the ring was on. With all his strength, it wouldn’t come off. The strange thing was the ring itself had lost its color—only the red ruby shone bright.

                An instinct to leave everything and bolt came over the young man. He dashed away and ran, passing through everything but the floor like he was some sort of ghost. He headed straight for the door leading outside the hotel. The two-door entrance was closed, Matt braced his shoulder for impact as he planned to ram through the door. Like with any other object in that surreal dream-like land, he just passed through. But instead of reaching the streets outside, he entered some sort of sub-space where only oblivion reigned. He had felt this in the thousands of nightmares he encountered, nothing but the void around him, eternal darkness.

                But this time, it seemed he wasn’t alone.

                “What brings you in this neck of the woods, poppet?” an omnipotent voice beyond the darkness called Matt out. It had a thick British accent.

                “Where am I?” Matt shot back, shouting even.  He turned around, the door was gone. The eternal darkness shattered his sense of direction. He felt the voice resonated from everywhere, amplified inside his head. That wasn’t the most disturbing part. Matt felt a sensation like he had never felt before—nostalgia of a past unknown. There was familiarity with the situation, with the voice, like it was an old friend or a better memory. Yet he felt it hostile, like something he was supposed to forget.

                “We’re inside you’re noggin’, poppet. Funny ain’t it? There’s nothin’ here,” the voice said in a mischievous tone. Suddenly, the sound of a spotlight turning on assaulted Matt’s ears. He looked at the distant, a beam of light shone down on what appeared to be a silhouette of a very tall man. “Well, nothin’ except for me.”

                Matt was compelled to move closer to the light, to move closer the silhouette.  The room was silent; Matt couldn’t hear his footsteps, not even his own heartbeat. The only sense he had was the sense of sight.  Matt stood there, his face stoic but wondering. The shadowy figure towered over him—it was maybe seven, eight feet tall. The funny thing was that it also had color in that grayscale world.  It appeared to be a man dressed in a tattered-and-torn purple suit, on his back was a cloak of the same color that fell on the floor.—a strange trait it had was it swayed towards the left like burning shadows but there was no wind.  He had a tall top hat on his head, the hat covered the features of the man’s face—only his ridiculously long nose escaped the shadows.

                “Who are you?” asked Matt, his words left him before he had the time to think.

                “You really don’t remember? Bloody hell, Matt I thought we were tighter than that!” The Brit gave a laugh that could scare a movie monster—demonic, maniacal and distorted. The man suddenly took off his top hat, finally revealing his face. He wasn’t the prettiest chap—he had a near-balding scalp, the sides of his head had long and un-kept orange hair. His eyes were daunting—if he had any. In place of his eyes, were two circular holes. It was as dark and hollow as the void around them. His disturbing grin was like some caricature the devil came up with himself—it almost reached his ears, his teeth were crooked and yellow there was one missing on the left. If the Mad hatter and the Cheshire cat had an old man, it would be this guy.

                After taking the top hat off, the man took a huge bow. “The name is G-man, Don’t forget it this time, poppet. I’ll be inside your nightmares if you do.”

                It was that grin that made everything terrifying.

                “What are you?” Matt asked inquisitively.

                “I’m your long lost Jiminy Cricket!” the G-man laughed and started to move. His actions were fluid, his body stretched and contorted like a spiral as he swiftly stretched out the spotlight. He then floated around Matthew who was watching the entity’s every move. “But I work both ways, mate. I’m here to help you make the most beneficial decision, not the morally righteous. Great, ain’t it?” G-man laughed snickered some more.

                “How do I get out of here, G-man?” Matt said. He wasn’t wasting any time.

                “What’s the hurry, mate? Late for a tea party with the queen?” G-man snickered.  He went back into the spotlight. “Nah, you ain’t going anywhere, mate. How about this, we play a game, I let you out. Fair enough?”

                “I have no time for your fuckin’ games. I need to get out now!” Matthew furiously shouted. His patience is near its end. Under his Fedora, Matthew’s eyes were blazing with anger. Somehow he still maintains his composure. Maybe it was his way of life, the way he was raised by the streets. Never play a game you’re not going to win. That was one of his rules.

                All the G-man did was laugh. “Lost your cool already? Poppet, we’re just gettin’ started! While you’re in here, you and I have all time in the world. Well, since you’re in no mood to play my games, I’ll come back later.  Don’t you go getting’ your arse lost inside your own dark mind.” The G-man slowly faded away as he snickered until he disappeared.  But even when the entity was gone, Matt could still hear him laughing.

                Now all that was left inside the darkness was Matt and that little beam of light. The young man was stubborn. Matt walked into the spotlight. He looked up where the beam was coming from- it wasn’t so much as a blinding light as it was a small cone of white inside the blackness. There was nothing else there—he had to get rid of his hubris and play the G-man’s game. It was the G-man who held all the cards.

                “Fine, I’ll play your game!” Matthew shouted into thin air. That made the G-man swirl out back in front of him.

                “Perfect. Just answer my questions and you’re free to go, poppet.”

                “Ask.”  Matt replied as he intensely stared down the G-man.

                “How did you get here?”

                Matt was visibly shaken with the question. “I don’t fuckin’ know. One moment, I was having the time of my life with the woman I love, the next thing I know I’m in this place that came straight out of the twilight zone! I don’t have an answer for that question!” Matt explained with fervor.

                “Calm down and think, poppet. I ain’t gonna ask something if it ain’t important,” retorted the G-man. His expression had change—the devilish grin on his face had gone into hiding. He had a more serious tone. Could it be that he actually cared for the trespasser of his domain? “What happened today that was out of the ordinary?”

                “Nothing! I went to some goddamn party, talked to my father, gave my fiancé an engagement ring—,” Matthew paused as if he had stumbled across the answer. He raised his hand and turned it around, looking at the ruby ring. It still had that shining red color. “—and then I wore my father’s ring.” that last part was barely audible.

                “Bloody hell, he gave it back,” the G-man said. In a way, he said it for himself. He then turned towards Matt. “Let’s get you outta here, poppet. Your life might be in a pickle.”

                From his purple cloak, an old man’s hand, slender fingers, wrinkly skin, reached out to touch the ruby ring. The moment the G-man touched the ruby ring, the sensation of an exploding flash grenade returned to Matt—only this time, a blinding light didn’t explode, it was the darkness that got sucked back in.

                Matt regained his senses in a very unlikely place. The first thing he felt was the strong wind hitting his whole body. His Fedora was gone, probably blown away by the wind, the tie on his neck had loosened and some of his hair had lost its formation and fell right above his eyes. The next thing he saw was the view. Hundreds of people outside the hotel, cars speeding away, the moon shining bright. And finally, his leather shoes a few inches away from falling off the edge of the roof.

                Upon realizing this, Matt used all his strength to fall back. He landed on his ass—he thought it would be better than the alternative which is falling down the hotel and smashing his face on the asphalt. Suddenly, from the nothingness, an unexpected guest popped in.

                “Missed me?” the G-man came along for the ride.

                Life was cruel that way; it didn’t give Matt enough time to assess his sanity. There was no moment where he could’ve dismissed all of those visions as nightmares. No, the truth popped out of thin air, unexpected but absolute. At least Matt had the illusion of choice—the choice to believe whether he was still inside a bad dream or everything that had happened earlier was real. He wasn’t so lucky.

                Matt then noticed a noise coming from downstairs. It was distorted—he was too far to hear it clearly but the voice was distinct. He knew who was speaking. It was none other than the Don himself.

                “If you’re done looking stupid, I suggest you follow me,” the G-man told the young man. “I know where the answers are.”

                Answers—it was enough of a reason for Matt to get on his feet and move. It was a promise.  Matt ran towards the elevator. He kept pressing the button to call it up but it wasn’t budging—someone had turned it off. He had no choice but to head down using the stairs. It was a seven-floor long trip downstairs. The G-man was at his side, floating in space every step of the way.

                What am I doing at the roof? Who is this G-man? Why does he have the answers? Why am I with him? How is my father connected? Why does this have to happen to me? These were all the questions that were supposed to be running on Matt’s mind. But right now, he didn’t care. He was blinded by the desire for answers that the questions didn’t matter.

                Third floor, he was almost there. The G-man had been awfully quiet—so did Matt. But something from the PA made Matt stop dead in his tracks.

                “So, after so many years, decades even, that I have spent working and bettering my business, I have decided to retire and let the new generation continue the goals set by this ambitious old man,” Alphonse was heard by his son through the PA,  he was in the middle of a speech. “So, I have decided on my successor, someone I have trusted and is wise beyond his years. I can tell that this company will have a bright future with its new leader. My son, Matthew Cross.”

                “Matthew Cross.” the voice of his father repeated in his ears. The disbelief, the confusion, the rage—it all piled up inside him. Matt felt all those ugly emotions rising, the mask of his calm and calculative demeanor began to break. His sanity began to loosen. But with everything that had happened, he was more compelled to find his father.

                Matthew reached the ground floor, who else was there to greet him but Frank himself. Frank was in his natural happy-go-lucky  attitude like he hadn’t heard the news.

               

                “Well if it ain’t the new Don himself. Congratulations!” Frank walked over towards his old friend to gave him a good shake in the hand. Matt didn’t respond the way he hoped.

                Matt grabbed Frank by the shoulder and slammed him on the nearest wall. Frank felt the wind leave his body.

                “What the fuck, Frank?! I told you I wanted out! You’ve been planning to set me up the whole time? You and the old man?!” Matthew spat out with rage and disgust to his old friend. Matt’s hands found its way towards Frank’s neck. Frank was being choked by his best friend, his feet starting to leave the ground as Matt dragged him up the wall.

                “I’m sorry, Matt. Lame joke, lame joke!” Frank’s voice were barely audible as he began to choke. The light-headed sensation began to take over. “I swear this wasn’t the plan! The Don told us it was Jack who’d be Don, not you! Please, you have to believe me, Matt!”

                Matt was still furious but released Frank who gasped for dear air as he couched. “Where’s the old man?” Matt’s voice was grim and threatening—something more daunting than shouting. He had that look in his eyes that Frank only see when Matt wanted to kill somebody.

                “Hear me out, talk with your old man, don’t rush the conversation. Let him explain.” Frank tried to reason with Matt. He was still on his knees and coughing.

                Suddenly, Matt heard the G-man whisper something inside his mind. “He’s back at his suite, poppet.”

                Matt left without a word and headed back up. This time, using a different elevator. But a broken and battered Frank wasn’t the only thing he left downstairs. Darwin saw the commotion, the rage Matt displayed Made Marian sober, and Jack saw his brother finally lose his cool.

               

                At the elevator, Matt had a little window of time to think. Instead, he asked the G-man, “Why are you helping me?”

                The G-man laughed, “Cuz’ you told me to, poppet.”

                “I never gave such an order.”

                “Not you, right now. You, five years ago. Look, this shit makes sense as much senile old man’s ramblings but if you give it time, you’d understand.”

                “Why not just tell me now, get it over with?”

                The G-man sighed. “Only if it were that easy, mate. There’s a reason you don’t remember me—you chose with your own free will to forget. Right now, both of us are wondering why in bloody the hell we’re here.  Just think of it as adventure, poppet. A quest for truth, if you may.” The G-man then laughed.

                Matt had more questions—he wanted to talk more to the entity that seemed to be his only ally at the moment. Time had passed, the elevator dinged and the doors opened. It was funny, earlier he was here with hope and news of happiness. Things could really change in such a short time.

                The anger and fury came back with the vengeance. Matt ran towards his father’s room. He kicked the door open only to find something he hadn’t forseen.

                Tonight had just been full of surprises.

                Time seemed to slow down as the door flung to the side. Matt, who just kicked the door in, had that look on his face—the look of a man who lusted for answers. Only he was greeted by his father with such a cold and emotionless gaze. Alphonse stared at Matt, whose expression change from anger to surprise in a split-second. Matt’s facial muscles barely had the time to switch expressions before Alphonse pulled the trigger.

                BANG!

                The bullet left the chamber of Alphonse’s revolver. That tiny shard of metal travelled through the air and pierced the prodigal son’s heart. The pain was excruciating. Matt felt the bullet rip though his suit, flesh and organ, and leave his body, leaving a literal hole in his heart. But it was only physical pain, nothing could mend what the bullet felt like to Matt—it felt like betrayal.

                Matt could hear his heartbeat slowing down, his ears pulsed. All he could do was reach out towards his father who still stared him down with the coldest eyes.

                It wasn’t over; death would’ve been an easy way out. All that confusion, that final betrayal, the realization of his father’s actions were nothing more than a kiss of Judas—everything turned to hate.  Matt’s vision dims, his consciousness fading, yet he could see the G-man, the purple-suited shadow headed straight towards the Don undetected. With his hands, the G-man pierced Alphonse’s chest and took a hold of his evil beating heart. There was no blood, Alphonse screamed of pain as he felt something tightening inside his chest but not a ghost could be seen. Matt, on the other hand, felt on his hand what the G-man held. And with a final push of will power, he crushed the heart of the Don with the palm of his hands. The father had joined his son in the slow-motion fall towards the floor. After that, everything went black.

TO BE CONTINUED