Chapter Five

The next day, Callisto woke up early. He fell asleep on the couch. He could really sleep anywhere he wanted. He looked around and saw the wood in the fireplace that had already turned to ashes.

"Finally awake?" Linley asked as she stepped out from her room. She was still in her indigo pajamas. Her hair was messed up around her shoulders as if she had fought a dangerous creature. "Want some coffee?"

"Mm, yeah," Callisto replied. He stood up from the couch and followed Linley to the kitchen.

The kitchen brightened as Linley turned on the lights. There was a tray of bananas, apples, oranges, and grapes on the table, empty glasses, and a bottle of wine. A cute brown cat was sleeping inside a basket under the dining chair.

"So, do you love cats?" Callisto asked.

"Not really. My mother told me to take care of it. She's a cat lover, while my father owns a puppy. Perhaps that's the reason why they always fight," Linley said sarcastically. "I'm sorry. Am I telling you too much?"

"It's okay. I hope I can meet your parents soon," Callisto replied. "My parents aren't perfect too. My father is suffering from amnesia, and my mother is always worried about him."

"Oh, I'm sorry to hear that," Linley said. She took the electric heater from the table, poured some water in it from the jug, plugged it into the socket, and pressed the heat button. Then, she put two mugs on the table. "That must be difficult. I'm grateful that my parents don't have any health problems. It's enough to know that they are healthy and well, even if they don't always have time for me."

Callisto walked towards the cupboard. He picked a sachet of premium-quality espresso and gave it to Linley. "Can you brew this for me?"

"So, you like espresso? I think we have similar taste," Linley said, taking the sachet from Callisto. She opened it and poured them inside the mugs. She unplugged the electric heater and added hot water to the mugs, stirring them with a spoon, creating tiny bubbles, as if indicating bad weather. "Here's your coffee, sir. Be careful; it's hot."

"I honestly haven't tried it before," Callisto said, taking the mug from Linley. He sipped it. It felt like burning magma in his throat. "So hot!" He accidentally spat it out.

"I told you to be careful," Linley said. She gave him a glass of water. "Here, drink some water."

"Thanks." Callisto took the glass of water and drank it, cooling down his scorching throat.

"It doesn't really matter if you haven't tried it yet. Sometimes we have to try things first before we can know if they fit our taste," Linley said.

"Like shoes, it'll be painful if we push it too hard to fit our feet inside when they are too small," Callisto added. "By the way, you have told me that you're friends with Stalin. Why won't we pay her a visit?"

"No problem. I can accompany you to their house later, but you have to know that her mother isn't kind, so it'll be a waste of time talking to her," Linley said.

"Yeah, you've already told me that. I just want to know the whole story," Callisto replied.

"Let me tell you something about her." Linley put her mug of coffee on the table and sat down on the chair. "Stalin's father died when she was just a kid. She saw it with her very own eyes. That man was hit by a car and died on the spot."

"That's traumatizing. That might be the reason why she lost sanity. Witnessing a scene like that at a very young age isn't easy, I guess," Callisto guessed.

"Maybe. But we don't have enough evidence to prove your assumption, and we're not psychologists either," Linley said.

After drinking their coffee, Callisto took his clothes from the clothesline. He wore them, including his shoes. Linley accompanied him to Stalin's house. Along the way, they met Callisto's parents and Ruth.

"Son, we've been looking for you. Where have you been? Have you eaten your breakfast? How about lunch?" Dorothy asked in a continuous manner, showing how worried she was. She suddenly hugged Callisto. "Thank God, you're safe."

"Don't worry, Mom. I'm fine, and look, I've made a new friend," Callisto said.

Dorothy stepped back and looked at the girl standing next to her son. The girl was wearing a black sporty tank top, a black skirt that reached her knees, and black sandals. Her black hair was properly tied in a ponytail with a black hairband, and she was wearing plum-colored lipstick.

"Who's this beautiful girl, huh?" Dorothy asked, suspicious. She didn't know when her son had met a new friend, as he didn't tell them about it. She became more doubtful, knowing that it was a girl.

"She's Linley. Linley, they are my parents and my younger sister, Ruth." Callisto introduced them to each other.

"Nice to meet you, Auntie, Uncle, and Ruth." Linley smiled at them politely.

"Are you my brother's girlfriend?" Ruth asked.

Sebastian and Dorothy snickered hearing their daughter. They were also confused about the same thing. Perhaps there was something more than the friendly relationship between their son and this girl.

"She's a friend, darling," Dorothy corrected. She looked at Linley, who showed an embarrassed smile. "Don't mind her."

"But brother already has a friend," Ruth complained.

"Okay, okay, if you want her to be your brother's girlfriend, then that's fine too," Dorothy said.

Linley's face turned red. She already has a boyfriend, but she never felt this way before. She just wanted to be happy even once in a while, and Lazaro couldn't provide that. All she got from him was a headache.

"So, will you go home with us?" Sebastian asked.

Callisto looked at Linley and remembered that they were going to Stalin's house. "Sorry, Dad, but I have somewhere to go right now with Linley," he replied.

"No, it's okay, son. You can go back home later, but don't be too late, okay?" Sebastian said.

"Yeah, your father's right. There are a lot of bad people in this town, so be careful. Enjoy your day and don't make any trouble." Dorothy looked at Linley. "Take care of my son, Linley."

"Yes, auntie." Linley didn't expect that Callisto's parents would be this playful. She wished she had parents like them. Their house wouldn't be boring that way.

"Don't worry about me, Mom and Dad. I promise not to be late," Callisto said. "Sorry, I think we have to go now."

"Bye-bye," Dorothy said, waving her hand.

"Our son is already a grown-up." Sebastian frowned.

"Children aren't forever young, my dear. The day will come for them to build a life for themselves. Don't worry too much about your son. He's already old enough to know what's right and wrong," Dorothy said, hopeful.

"Don't worry, Mom and Dad. Whatever happens, I won't leave you," Ruth said, offering them a little comfort.

Meanwhile, Callisto and Linley arrived at Stalin's house. "Anybody home?" Linley asked, knocking on the door several times, but nobody answered.

"It seems like no one's around," Linley said.

"Let's just wait. Perhaps they are busy with something," Callisto replied. "Patience is a virtue."

A few moments later, the door thudded. A girl with knotted, black hair that hadn't been combed for so many years, a big, round head like a watermelon, dirty skin, and black eyes that sparkled and were still visible within her large, graded eyeglasses glimpsed through the door.

"Hello, Stalin," Callisto greeted with a wide smile on his face.

"Who are you?" Stalin asked as if she didn't recognize Callisto. She looked at Linley, and she recognized her. "Do you have food?" she asked, looking at Linley.

"Yes, I have," Linley replied, showing a lunch box of food she packed earlier before leaving. She already expected Stalin to ask for food, as she usually did. "Are you alone here?"

"I am, but you can't bring that boy inside, or Mother will be angry," Stalin replied. She touched her head, and an expression of agony appeared on her face. The wounds on her body and the swelling on her head ached like hell.

"Are you okay?" Linley asked, entering the door.

"Yeah, I'm fine," Stalin replied, trying to hide the pain she felt.

Meanwhile, Callisto hesitated to enter the house since Stalin said her mother would be angry if he did. Therefore, Linley went back, grabbed his hand, and pulled him inside the house.

"Don't worry, she didn't mean it," Linley said.

"Come, sit here." Stalin offered them seats inside the house. "Sorry, guys, I haven't cleaned around for weeks now. Well, do I need to do that just for you? By the way, can you tell me why you're here?"

Callisto and Linley remained silent as they couldn't tell Stalin the exact reason why they wanted to see her. Even if they both cared about her situation, they couldn't speak out the truth, as it would only hurt her.

"Will you tell me or not?" Stalin asked, breaking the silence. "Is there something between you, huh?"

"I'm sorry, Stalin, but honestly, we have realized that you need someone to talk with, and now we are here to talk with you. I hope you don't mind if—" Callisto hadn't finished saying his words when Stalin interrupted.

"Who are you to say that? Are you my boyfriend? Of course not, so you don't need someone to talk with me, and if you don't really have an important reason why you're here now, sitting on the seats I gave you, then you must go before I can push you out of here!" Stalin exclaimed.

Callisto was confused by the sudden change of Stalin's mood. It seemed like she got angry because he and Linley wanted to talk with her or ask how she was doing.

"This is nonsense." Linley stood up from the chair. "If you want us to go, then you don't have to shout because we're not deaf. Let's go, Callisto. Leave that crazy girl behind."

"But—" Callisto hesitated.

"If she can't communicate properly, then there's no point staying here. Let's go if you don't want to be dragged outside by that insane girl!" Linley grabbed Callisto's arm and pulled him out of Stalin's house.

Stalin didn't mind them. She cried out without tears, but then she laughed out loud as if someone was tickling her, and she cried and laughed and cried like an infant again.

"What's happening to that girl?" Callisto asked curiously. "I thought she was normal, but it seems like I had expected too much from a crazy girl."

"Don't mind her," Linley replied. "People were right that she's a psycho. She needs mental medication before she could kill someone with her insanity."

"No, she's not a psycho. We just don't understand her enough," Callisto replied.

"How can you say that after what she did?" Linley asked.

"Yup, she shouted at us to get out of her house, but it doesn't mean that she doesn't really want to talk with us, and most of all, that house doesn't belong to us," Callisto said.

"But why would she do that if we just wanted to help her?" Linley asked.

"I don't know. Let's just stop this conversation before it can become an argument. I don't want to ruin our friendship—" Callisto tried to explain, but Linley didn't listen to him—she ignored him and walked away without saying anything.

Callisto scratched his head, realizing that just as fast strangers could become friends, that was also how fast friends could become strangers.