NEIGHBORHOOD (1/5)

During 1984…

San Francisco, California, USA In the majestic mansion of the Zendre family, many servants are busy with their respective jobs. Some also take care of the cleaning of the mansion and other furniture, while others take care of the large courtyard outside. As for the a servants, they were following the footsteps of the lord's son, who was lifting his ass out of the chair and walking out.

"Wait, Young master! Where do you want to go?"

"Don't follow me" The little boy turned back to speak with a straight face, everyone heard and stopped the journey no longer dare to continue. The little boy continued "It's too messy here and I can't even concentrate on reading books. I want to go to a quiet place." and then walked to the backyard. As for the servants, there is no one dare to follow him, because if they look, they can guess where their young master wants to go. Even though the Lord ordered them to watch over him, they're not arrogant enough to disrespect their young master's personal rights.

After the boy walked away, a woman sitting next to him showed a very dissatisfied face.

"Hmph! Arrogant like didn't had mother's advice!" Hearing her words like this, everyone started to get shocked, no one dared to open her tongue, express her opinion or respond, because she is the mistress of this family. They only got frustrated instead of their young master who got a new mother with two face like this ....

BACK TOWER

The garden looks almost dotted around the tower with a variety of flower arrangements, apparently before it was a large flower garden with a beautiful landscape mixed with fresh air. But things are starting to change since Sophia, who was died ten days ago due to a car accident, was not present. Things have changed, especially these flowers, they lack caregivers, only to begin to wither, gradually seeming to begin to die according to the owner. This is a quiet place, mostly apart from him and his mother, rarely anyone else, not even a member of the Zendre family or a maid come.

Steven Zendre is 15 years old this year. Formerly a person full of smiles, but after the death of his mother, plus shortly after his mother's death, his father, General Khalid Zandre, brought his cousin and aunt, who was his mother's sister, into the family to become his new wife. Because the aunt who is now his stepmother, didn't have a good relationship with him from the beginning it's made family's situation so worse.

Since the new mother and younger brother came in, it is thought that the situation in the house has started to become a mess with a lot of people, this is reason why he came here. As long as he here, he feels as warm as he have his mother by his side.

"Sob-sob..."

Steven sat for a while and suddenly noticed that there was a sound of children crying nearby. He put the book on the table, stood up to look for the owner of the voice, because there was a wonder in mind, this place is a private garden, why would it even have a child to cry here?

"Hey!" An equal voice rang out, accompanied by a stern face.

"Hmm? Sob-" The little officer turned to look at Steven in front of him while he was crying hugging his knees.

Previously, Steven was thought to be a child, he not so sure in his mind, but after seeing this little guy face, he can clearly tell, if looks at the size of this kid, he might be around 4 to 5 years old, but where does this child come from? Whose child? And from where? In this area he had never encountered or saw him. Even though he's not a playful person or go out a lot, but the children in this area are known either met at least once because their father is a civil servant, so the big guys always introduce their children to each other to bond in the future. Except for a child who is crying here ...

"Whose children are you, why are you crying here?"

"I don't know...They took me-sob, I want to go back-sob"

"How did you get in?"

"That-sob..." The little boy said and raised his hand to point finger to a large villa next door.

Seeing this makes Steven even more surprised about this boy's background. The billa this little kid was referring to was Richard family, his father, and the head of that household also known each other. He had been to the house party three or four times before.

"Are you from that house?"

"Sob-no..." he shake his head.

Hearing this, Steven continued to ask:

"Dad and Mom work there?"

"Son-Mommy not there, they took me-Sob-I don't want to be there, I want to go home"

"Where's your house?"

"Dakota ... boohoo"

Just heard the name Steven was stunned. Dakota? That North Dakota? It's over 1,700 miles from California! Why do children have to travel so far? But if he want to refer in California, why told him about hometown instead? Could this be a servant child? A father or a mother who is a servant, why are they so diligent and spend time to going and being back just to bring their children to sit here and cry? If they divorced, and the child want to be with mother, the father should understand.

After turning around to think for a moment, Steven said: "Okay, stop crying here, I don't know how to comfort children. You better-" he couldn't even finish the sentence, because this kid is suddenly fell asleep like someone did not know that they're get hit from the back.

"..." Steven suddenly froze and then shake his head slightly.

In a rage, if you look at the kid's situation, maybe he came here to cry for a long time, his eyes were swollen and red, Steven suspected that he was crying too much and tired then just fell sleep in the middle of crying.

After much thought, he lifted the little boy and laid him down on a large chair in the tower, and took off his coat to cover the boy's body so that he could sleep comfortably.

After that, he continue to read their books as usual. Read a book, feel about the landscape of flowers around the tower. Even though the flowers are not as beautiful as they used to be, it is still good enough to feel good more than home.

In the evening, a maid came out of the gate of the Richard family home and hurried to the tower where Steven was sitting.

"Young master Steven... sorry for disturb you and please forgive me" Her intention to come here to take the little boy who was sleeping next to Steven, she bowed her head up and down, begging for forgiveness from Steven, because this little boy crossed the fence to come here, she understands that it is a nuisance to the young master of Zendre family.

"It's okay...but he are very young, I understand, next time do not let him go anywhere alone," Steven said.

Hearing what Steven said, she nodded her head again, picked up the child, held him by the arm, and replied:

"Today, everyone in the house is busy, so no one is pay attention on him, but also lucky that he ran here and meet you, if he run to another place and could not find, I don't not know how to explain to the lord, thank you very much, Young master"

"Probably from seeing how beautiful this place is"

She, the housemaid of Richard, heard and smiled a little, agreeing with this idea, because this place is likely and really beautiful, those who like flowers to come here must be right. After saying that, she said goodbye and told the little guy to get up and going back before the lord returned.

Meanwhile, Steven continued to read his book. After a while, one of his servants followed him, telling him that his father had returned and that he had invited him to dinner. Steven closed the book, stopped reading and followed the actual call, if he wanted to stay the night, but to avoid a a mess he decided to go back neither. Arriving at the dinner table in the house, Steven did not say a word, he sat down to eat quietly, do not seem to care about the presence of his stepmother and stepbrother. His father did not care for him because he knew that his son was not happy about what he had done after the death of his first wife.

NEXT DAY

After a family meal, Khalid, who was a general, went to work as usual. As always, Steven kept to go read his book at the tower to avoid a face-to-face confrontation with his stepmother.

After sitting down for about two to three hours, Steven lost his focus on reading because he saw a small white head swaying up and down in front of him.

"Stop doing that already" At first, he were very determined not to bother with this, but it was over an hour ago, who has the patience?

As for the owner of that small head, when he hears this, he walks in and sits next to Steven with a big smile on his face.

Steven saw this and began to be strange in his mind, this child, yesterday cried until falling asleep, but he being so normal like nothing happened...No, it is not normal, where is the normal child who smiles at you who have never known each other like this?

"Brother, what are you doing?"

“Brother...?” Steven echoed in his mind and then answered: "Read a book."

"What book?"

"Textbook for an exam preparation when going back to school"

"Wow, that ia so cool! What grades do you study?" He len so close next to Steven.

"You will kidnapping me or what?" He respond in anger.

"I'm too bored to have no one playing with me"

"And?" And if so, what does it have to do with him?

"Brother, come play with me"

"You come, do not be afraid of the housekeeper?"

"No, I'm already asked the permission from the sisters there," he shake head and pointed to Richard's house.

"Anyway, You should not came, going back now" Steven replied and then turned to look at the book.

"Why?" Continue to ask with a puzzled face.

"Because this is not a public place"

"What does public mean? And this is a flower garden, Isn't it?

"It's a flower garden, but it's private."

"Private property?" Continue to ask with a puzzled face.

"Private means it's have an owner and belonging to the owner, if you do not have permission to enter, and if you are not to listen to what owner told you, The owner have the right to sue," Steven explained, turning to look at the boy with a straight face with a straight voice.

"At home, I also have a flower garden, but when someone came to visit, Mommy she did not say anything, she allowed and welcome them warmly, why?"

"…" Heard this, and Steven did not answer. This child speaks softly, as if he were talking to a certain person, clearly not winning.

"I like flowers very much. When I was at home, I helped Mom grow flowers before."

"You? Like this?"

"Like this what? You see me like this, do not think I am small and just a child, my body size is small, but I'm already 12 years old!" He got up from the chair, put his arms around his waist, and wanted to show Steven that he was not as young as he looked.

To be continue...

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