Luca stood there, not knowing at all what to say to the man. Big and small pairs of eyes crossing for a minute, man got impatient.
“Hello, Earth to airhead. Are your parents home? We need to see them.” asked again office worker.
“Move aside son, we can just wait on a couch. Mom should have said to not let strangers in, but police are an exception, remember.” patted Luca on his head stern looking sir while slowly heading forward inside.
“Stop! You can’t go in!” the panicked boy shouted.
“Huh, what is up with the walls?” the officer ignored him. Days of cleaning by a nine-year-old boy not very effective to mask traces of Luca’s outbreak alarmed the grey-suited man following his footsteps.
“Hell, this is completely different than when I came for mortgage inspection. Bank can totally sue over just this corridor.” he complained.
Both were just about to reach a place from where the kitchen would be clearly visible, Luca left without a choice on the matter. Brainstorming for possible excuses, he reflexively closed the door.
Weird traces already made a seasoned investigator wary, therefore just catching a glimpse of a situation inside the Granger family kitchen made him pull out his gun just to be safe and shout at Luca, ”Kid, what in the name of God happened here?!” while looking around for some movement.
“I-I just came home and it was destroyed, ev-everything gone, parents gone waah.” Luca started feigning a cry with hands covering his face.
“Shit, bankrupt cretins trying to run away again.” exasperated white-collar worker said. “Even left their child alone, scum. Looks like they didn’t want to return a dime and blown up gas bottle in here as revenge. Is it the banks’ fault they can’t get money?” chattering away with confidence in his made-up story he moved around the flat opening doors and looking everywhere to see if maybe some valuable items remained. “Completely clean getaway, pack your wife and go. Why it always happens to me, like a seventh eviction order ready to go and what, nobody damn home.”
“These traces ain’t gas explosion, I know what I’m sayin'.” giving Luca a deep look police officer put down his gun. “Stay here and look at the kid, I will go radio to send someone from Child Protection Services and maybe evacuate people from below.” leaving quickly he said.
Powerlessly down on a couch in front of the table full of cans and plates man in a suit said, “Sit down and have some beans, parents should be gone since a few days ago, right? Stop crying, you're a man.” Luca all this time followed him around whimpering and rubbing his eyes to make tears shed. With a red face, he sat next to the man silently, nervous about the whole ordeal.
“I had worse grub, you wouldn’t believe the taste of my aunt’s turkey. Three generations of family spent Thanksgiving squatting in a nearby forest. Later she practically got disowned, nobody talks about it since.” said the man taking an unopened can and starting to eat.
“Sir, who are you exactly?” as he behaved so casually, Luca tried to ask, overheard words already made him prepared for the worst.
“Oh, I’m from the bank your old man borrowed a cartload of money from. By the way, you are probably counted as an orphan now.” not even looking at Luca from his food stated the man.
“W-what? Mom will come back soon, just wait a bit.” said this time almost really crying Luca.
“Yeah, def.” noncommittally stated the man, killing the mood for chatter.
After ten minutes of waiting, the door opened again and both of them got up to see the newcomers. Tall, grey-haired priest with a big silver cross on his chest and black garb adorned with crosses on the cuffs and neckline stood with a silver cage containing a white pigeon, looking at the deep circle etched onto the floor from the doorstep separating the rooms. His cross earrings swayed while he turned his head around before entering the kitchen.
“See for yourself, Father. It looks just like that one time three years ago.” in a respectful voice, a previously departed police officer said while standing in the corridor to not distract his acquaintance.
“Looks similar, maybe. Bertha doesn’t seem to think there is a problem here though.” said the priest glancing at his pigeon. Putting down the cage in the middle of a circle, he took off the cross from his neck and prodded here and there over the pile of trash on the floor beside. “New kind of offerings? Even the most desperate imp wouldn’t come over for this trash, right?” he muttered to himself. After a final thrust into the metal plate on the wall, which produced no reaction whatsoever, he turned to Luca that has been observing his actions with eyes wide open.
“Oh?” Father’s face got serious. “Have your iris always been red, boy?” moving towards Luca he asked with a frown on his face.
“Yes, yes I just have a rare condition Father…” flustered answered Luca, trying to back away unsuccessfully, priest’s hand heavily took hold of his shoulder while the cross sharply pointed at an end touched his cheek. Nothing happened but this didn’t yet lessen the priest’s vigilance towards him. Now taking a vial filled with transparent liquid from his robe, he said in a commanding tone,
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“Drink!”
Luca started to sweat a little under pressure, having no choice he unscrewed the cork and gulped down under a bit skeptical gaze of the office worker, a stern gaze of the priest, and a hostile gaze of the police officer. After yet again nothing transpired, the priest changed his hold into a light pat and taking the empty vial from Luca’s hand said,
“Well, well, don’t be scared boy. Call me Father Roberts. When exactly you saw this mess and why not tell anybody?”
Luca took a deep breath and replied, “Monday afternoon I returned home and things were even worse, I already cleaned up. My parents should come back anytime now, can you wait for them, Father?”
“Like hell, with such debt, they should be long gone out of States.” muttered the man in a suit.
Catching that and already with a general idea about Granger's household problems, Father Roberts gave Luca and the apartment another lookover, “Until they come back, pack some clothes, you are going with me. Hurry up and we can still eat warm supper today. Fred, this boy will stay in my orphanage, can you deal with paperwork?” he asked.
“No problem, since it’s not those damned cultists I will notify normal departments and boy’s school.” replied officer Fred.
“I’m not going! My home is here! What do you want, get out!” freaked out Luca suddenly upon hearing about the orphanage, four days seemed too short to accept the reality of being abandoned.
Father Roberts sighed and leaned over with hands on his knees to be of the same height as Luca and looked straight at him calmly explaining, “You can’t live alone young man, that’s a crime every day. So if you want dad and mom to come back, first you have to move somewhere with adults. I have a big house, lots of children your age, lot of friends to make, right? And it’s there, across the park.” pointing his arm vaguely in the direction of St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Father Roberts continued, “Now, we will go and pack up everything you need together, okay? By the way, what is your name, mister Granger?”
“Luca…” replied Luca, thinking that he was doing just fine alone and not willing to leave his home, even if a bit empty and looking like a horror movie set, “I am alright in here, why would it be a crime?”
“For starters because this garbage dump isn’t yours, brat. I’m out, gotta report to my boss another failure.” man in a suit left looking disinterested, “Exorcise gas explosions now? Taxpayers money, huh.” he threw casually a comment while already outside.
“Alright, I’m goin’ too. A lotta work is brewin’ to look for Grangers. List them as missin’ for now I guess.” left Fred, pair of clergyman and little boy now under his wings remaining. Eventually, Luca realized that no matter what he wants, Father Roberts will take him to live somewhere else. Helpless and angry about it, he slowly in defiance packed an old suitcase left from when his parents emigrated by boat from France full of miscellaneous things, photo albums and favorite books of his parents, storytelling tome from when he was a toddler, and to perhaps curry some favor with his new guardian, the Bible. Another giant bag of clothes and one with his textbooks made for a heavy load.
Father Roberts took all of the bags in one hand, with second holding the pigeon cage he said, “Ready? Then follow me, Luca.”
With the last glance at the only home he knew so far, intact memories of it overlapping the current horrible state, Luca stepped out into the unknown, quiet shadows setting into what was once a lively place.
Outside, putting all the stuff inside the Audi 5000 parked just in front of Huntington Avenue No. 4, Father Roberts invited Luca to sit at the front.
“As I said, just around the corner.” five minutes later they were standing in front of a four stories building made of red bricks, not dissimilar to the ones the place they departed from was built with, but much older looking. Bronze plaque hung beside a massive double door with ‘St. Joseph’s Orphanage, Boston, funded in 1870’ written on it, a street lamp made it possible to read in the evening.
Going in, a beautiful, brown-haired young woman of gentle temperament wearing a lab coat was waiting on a bench right side of the entrance next to a leaning forward with a rosary in her hands older nun and a black security guard opposite side behind his desk. Upon Father Roberts's sight, all of them smiled with relief, reverent eyes placed upon him.
“Back safe? Easy case or a false alarm?” asked the nun getting up.
“Most likely a false alarm. I got us a new cub to take care of, Sister Collins. His parents in heavy debt just left him there. Luca Granger, this is our lovely caregiver Sister Collins, this is nurse Angelica and gatekeeper Tyrell. You can come to us with any problems.” introduced Father Roberts.
“Good evening.” said politely Luca.
“Poor boy, come here.” Sister Collins gave him a brief hug, “Room 77 is empty, I will bring sheets in a minute, go ahead and settle him there Father.”
“Don’t forget my blood test. So many youths got saved because of it.” smiled nurse Angelica.
“That’s right Luca, first go with Angelica and she will take some blood off of you. Maybe you got ill recently or have a special condition, so it’s necessary, but don’t worry, it won’t be painful.” assured Father Roberts, “Take him up when you’re done.”.
Holding Luca’s hand, sister Angelica briskly walked into her office located at the end of the left ground floor corridor. Taking out a syringe she said to comfort her patient, “Short moment and pain goes away, you know, an insignificant blood test can tell doctors so much, Luca, it’s a true miracle. Sit here and clench your hand tightly.”
Luca did as told even with the syringe looking absurdly giant in his eyes, more akin to a bottle of water. Blood flowing out of him, dizziness assaulted his senses.
“Done. Brave little man, have some chocolate. You were great.” with encouraging words she gave him a whole bar of Cadbury’s milk chocolate, “Sit for five minutes, your head is probably spinning.”.
Angelica put his blood into the refrigerator and took to prepare a file with his name. In time, his symptoms abated and again holding hands, the pair went up a solid stone flight of stairs until the end of it at the third floor.
“Here are this floor's bathrooms and your room is on the right, at least from what I remember.” explained Angelica almost reaching their destination, “Yes, here it is. Go in and good night.” she left Luca in front of the door with number 77.
Inside this tiny room with only the basics, like a desk, chair, bed, and wardrobe present, his bags were thrown under the window where a bit of space remained. Not willing to wash or change, Luca laid down on his new bed and exhausted, dreamt about soundly sleeping in his former bed after getting tired from listening to his mother's soothing tone reading him stories.