Siblings Resort: Chapter 5 - Turning Point

"It's... she... asleep..." I heard a voice, but I paid it no mind. I was still too tired and emotionally exhausted from last night. I just wanted to stay in bed and didn't care if I was going to be absent from school today. But then, I felt shaking. Someone was shaking me while I was still in bed. But there shouldn't be anyone here. No one, unless...

"M-mother...?" I opened my eyes to see a girl's face that was around my age. She had magenta eyes and long white hair. For a second, I thought I saw her scoff, but then all she expressed was a stoic face, making me doubt if she even scoffed at all.

"Are you up now, Miss Mylene?"

"Huh?! W-who are you?! What are you doing in my room?!" Seeing this unknown person in my room suddenly registered to me, and I panicked to the corner of my bed with the blanket covering me. There was an intruder in my room!

"Miss Mylene, be serious. Hasn't your mother already told you of the situation?"

"Huh, my mother...?" I suddenly remember what transpired last night. Mother left me alone in the middle of the night. Why? Did it have to do something with this girl being in my room?

"...It seems you were not informed. I guess this sort of cruelty should be expected of her..."

"Cruelty..."

"Ah. Sorry, I misspoke." She then grabbed the helm of her black dress and gave a slight bow. "My name is Alicia Starford. I am your personal servant from now on."

"Personal servant...?"

"Your mother inherited wealth and properties after the passing of our previous master. You are to gather your personal belongings to move into your new home as per your mother's instruction."

*****

A mansion! A big house! Was this the reason why Mother was being so distant? To surprise me with our new home? I couldn't help but become joyful at the thought. So Mother really wasn't leaving me all alone on purpose, she was just busy getting this ready. I couldn't help but run around the property exploring as Miss Alicia followed me around walking.

"So this is the garden? Oh, and there's a large tree in the middle! It looks so majestic from here!"

"Miss Mylene, please don't run around. If you fall, your dress will be ruined." She exclaimed after me with the same stoic face, but it really didn't matter. I was just so full of joy that I didn't care about anything at all. I kept running around and finally came face to face with the giant tree. There were even some beautiful flowers popping out of it, further enchanting its majestic beauty.

"Bzzt, bzzt!" I heard a sound that sounded like a phone and panicked because it usually meant bad news from my mother, but I was pleasantly surprised to see it was Miss Alicia's and not mine.

"Ah, excuse me for a second, it's a call from my mother, the head housekeeper." She then took her phone and started talking to someone a little away from me.

"Your mother...? Right, my mother..." I haven't seen her yet after her outburst yesterday. I was fully convinced she was ashamed and hesitant to meet me after acting that way towards me last night, but I had to tell her I forgive her. That it didn't matter as long as we could act the way we were before. But, Miss Alicia was still talking to her mother... so I should probably do something else as I wait. So I kept looking around while somewhat close to her. And as I did, I found an interesting carving on the giant majestic tree that was clearly man-made. It was a doodle of a boy and girl that had the words Leon Solstone above the boy's head. Was that the name of my father?

"Are you curious about that?" said someone from behind me. It was Miss Alicia who kept her eye on the marking. I have never seen her show so much interest in anything so far, so I couldn't stop myself from nodding in curiosity. "It was something I wanted to surprise my former Master with. But... he left before I was able to finish it." There was a small sad stutter in her words, but her expression did not change at all.

"...Was Leon the name of my father?"

"...I would hope not. It's supposedly your brother's name."

"My brother's?"

"Leon Solstone is his name."

"Did he pass away too?" As cruel as it might be, I would be relieved if he wasn't around anymore. I didn't want to have someone around who would just make life harder for me. But Miss Alicia, she just stared at me for my question before shaking her head.

"It doesn't matter anymore. You won't ever meet him. But Miss Alicia, and I apologize for changing the topic so abruptly, it seems that your mother has an assignment for you."

"My mother? Oh, are we going to go see her?" I could hardly wait if this was the case.

"I can't say for certain, but it seems she relayed instructions to my mother. Let's go see the head housekeeper."

*****

I was now in a room that was designated for working. There was a large table and chair with a touch-screen computer and wireless telephone in the back. There was a map on the walls that contained a few archipelagos and a large poster of the Dos & Don'ts in resort management. There was also a shelf with several large books that had complicated words for their titles and another door separate from the entrance. This place... I wanted to leave and never come here again. I didn't want to be here at all.

"So that's the gist of it," said the head housekeeper. Like her daughter, she had magenta eyes and white hair. She also had a black headband and a customary servant black dress too. But her appearance really didn't matter to me. I was simply at a loss right now. I couldn't believe what I just heard.

"Mother really... said that?"

"...Despite my initial appeal," she responded, "the new master of the mansion said that you proved yourself enough through some sort of national exam. She believes you're smart enough to create a successful island resort, and has accommodated this room with everything you would need."

"Please, can't I just see my mother first? I'm sure there's some sort of misunderstanding..." My heart was starting to break. I thought that I wouldn't be lonely anymore and that we could be together again...

"She... has ordered for you to stay in this room at all times except for your regular necessities. Until you accomplished this task, she says she doesn't wish to see you to not distract you." She looked at me dejectedly to show sympathy but all I could feel was complete loneliness. This room was going to be my prison from now on in this house, and the one who I wish with all of my heart to be with orchestrated it...

"That door by the shelves leads to your private room with a personal bathroom. Your personal tutoring quarters are also right next door, and as for foo-"

"Oh, please wait a moment! My tutoring quarters? What about school? Will I be able to continue going there?"

"That would be an inconvenience," said Miss Alicia who was standing next to her mother. "The institution is too far away. You will no longer be required to go there. Instead, hired qualified teachers will come here to complete your education. All of your needs will practically be provided within the rooms in this same hallway." I had a feeling that this room was cursed from the minute I came in, but I push those initial thoughts away. That was because I convinced myself to truly believe that this new home was a blessing and a turning point for my recent lonely life. That Mother's recent change was so she could surprise me with it. I had to, or else I would have no choice but to give up on her and run away since I had no happiness here. But now...

"M-my friends," I stuttered out. "Will I be able to invite them here...? Or possibly go visit them...?"

"You going out is a security hazard for possible kidnapping," said the head housekeeper, "so that can't happen. The master of the mansion also made it clear she wanted you to stay in this section of the mansion for the time being. And as for your friends, they would have to be cleared by her as well. However, I believe she would deny the request in order to not distract you from your work. She even has guards watching this area to enforce and minimize distractions."

"No way..."

"I understand your frustration kid, but it seems the master of the mansion really wants you to get the assignment done as soon as possible. So do your best, and I'll see what I can do to help your situation become more bearable." With this, the head housekeeper nodded to her daughter and left the room.

"It seems you need time to process this, Miss Mylene," said the stoic Miss Alicia. "So please excuse me because I have paperwork to get done, but if you need anything from me, let me know." She then went to a corner of the room that had a small desk with a stack of documents and started to work. And as for me, I just stood still feeling completely trapped. I couldn't see my friends anymore and don't even have a chance of running away now. I'm just trapped. And there was nothing that I could do except to do as I'm told. Because there was nothing else I could do. I was truly alone now.

*****

It's been a few months since the new master of the mansion moved in. And while everything else was operating as normal, there was also one additional difference that everyone was aware of. It was the little girl who was practically a prisoner in this mansion. And despite our efforts in cheering her up, she remains depressed. Almost completely non-responding. The delicious treats we give her, the best video games in the market we can get, the best-rated books we could get our hands on; nothing causes her to respond. She just kept doing what she was ordered to do, typing and researching other resorts to try to replicate their success.

"Alicia, how long are you going to be like this?" I was talking quietly to my daughter at her station in the corner of Mylene's working room. Both girls didn't turn to see who it was who just walked in as I was the only visitor for the most part. "I understand the grudge for what happened to Leon, but Mylene had no part in it. You can't blame her for that."

"Mother," she replied with her stoic expression as she continued working without looking at me, "I understand that I'm being unreasonable, but my feelings just won't change. I feel sympathy for her, but the moment I see her, my thoughts are all turned to anger. Unreasonable as they are, anger is all I feel." For the next couple of seconds, all I heard was a few clicks from Mylene's mouse and the sound of documents being written on by Alicia. There were seriously no positive interactions between these two besides Alicia guiding Mylene through her schedule. I truly thought their relationship would help make things bearable for Mylene, but it seemed I miscalculation the unreasonable grudge my daughter would have for her for the lost of the love of her life. Honestly, what could I do...

"Is there really nothing you can do for her, Alicia?"

"What Miss Mylene wants," she said while still working, "is to receive care from someone she deems significant. Actions and gestures from anyone who can't change her current situation are meaningless to her."

"...Was this what you learned from supporting her all this time?"

"It's what I learned from reading the diary in her room whenever I clean. She would write about the happy life she had before with her mother or made-up fantasies of a prince saving a trapped princess."

"...I can't argue with your evidence there." I take a look at the girl who is continuing to research on the web. It was then I noticed that she wasn't even researching anything related to managing resorts. She was looking at pictures that had family having a good time together. "She isn't even working on the resort?" For the first time since I came in, Alicia stopped to look at her before continuing her work.

"After a bunch of failures in the past months, she's practically unmotivated and sees no merit in giving efforts. She most likely believes nothing is going to change even if she somehow accomplishes her task anyway."

"...This is too cruel to watch. I really wished the world had laws to prevent situations like these..."

"Bzzt-bzzt!" I felt my phone vibrate in my pocket and saw that I had received a message from the master of the mansion. I started to head out but paused to look back at Mylene. She was still looking at pictures of happy families, but looking more carefully, I also saw that there were spots on the table in front of her that were wet. Covered by her tears most likely...

"If you're leaving Mother," Alicia said from the side, "make sure to close the door completely. You tend to leave it cropped open at times." I was about to respond to her but then got an idea from looking at my daughter.

"No, I was about to leave, but I seemed to have received a message from the master of the mansion for Mylene." Both girls stopped working and turned to look at me. Alicia had a rare expression of being surprised that she hadn't shown since Leon left, and Mylene had a similar expression too, albeit with clear signs that she was crying recently.

"My mother has a message for me...?" The brown-haired girl asked this with little life in her dull facial expression.

"She said that she was still waiting for you to complete your task. That once you were done, she was excited to explore the resort together with you."

"My mother said that...?" Alicia looked skeptical, but Mylene remained surprised. More than surprised, her dead eyes started to brighten up with color again, as if she was reviving herself like a phoenix. "Mother is waiting for me... She really believes in me and is waiting for me...?"

"She is, Mylene. Although she hasn't told me what specifically, she assured me there was a good reason why she set up this task for you. And while it has been hard for you,  you have to persevere. She still waiting for you to finish to let you know how much she cares for you and how proud she is to have you as her daughter."

"My mother, she really still does cares for me..." On her face, she showed a teary happy smile before getting a determined look. She then turn back to the computer and exited the page she was in to start researching seriously. Alicia looked at her in concern, and I looked at her sadly as well before quietly leaving the room, leaving the door slightly ajar by accident.

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