Burning Out Bright

SIX YEARS OLD
Saturday morning and the signs of change within the Greene household are already inevitable, similar to the changing of the leaves outside, morphing from a vivid green to a faded, burnt brown. Jennifer Kingston stands outside the Greene mansion, inhaling the scent of a steadily approaching autumn (which already started to seem a little more expensive and luxurious), smiling in a self-satisfied manner.

Somehow she’d hooked a rich friend and she had no clue as to how she had managed to do so, Jennifer thinks, sighing happily.

What never crossed the woman’s mind was that this new friendship was not her doing but rather, a blessing from her son. For the moment Bella Greene had set eyes on Jennifer Kingston’s son, she was already invested into the boy’s future, albeit a future that would be all too full of his family's troubles.
***
“You are too kind,” demurs Jennifer, laughing delicately. How it was a gift indeed, to befriend this beautiful (and reported generous) lady. It was not as if she had not considered going after Bella Greene was a friend but she had thought of her as completely out of her league because Bella was married to Ryan Greene, the sole heritor of the GreenEnergy Empire. “Natalia is a good, kind girl.”

Bella raises an eyebrow, wondering if Jennifer Kingston is laying this one a little too thick or if Natalia had been using her newfound charm on her. Natalia had recently found out that if she smiled sweetly, a lot of adults would comply with her wishes. It was a nasty habit, one that Bella wants to change. Instead of pointing this out, she changes the topic. “What about your other son? You don’t seem to mention him a lot.”

“You mean Eric.” Instantly, Jennifer’s expression changes to one of reluctant pride. (Bella wonders if it has anything to do with the rumours of how Eric was deemed to be slightly useless because of his inability to help Jennifer on her one woman mission to be part of these privileged circles. Immediately, Bella kicks herself for thinking something so vicious but yet…she is unable to keep her mind off this matter.) “Eric is doing well at school, though it is not a very prestigious or interesting school. But he is enjoying himself and seems to show signs of excellence in English and Art.”

God, Bella thinks to herself again, this woman sounded like a report card and not exactly a mother. But she patiently continues to listen to Jennifer.

“I don’t really…like this behavior of his. But I have to admit that his art is very good…and I suppose that if it is something that he enjoys, I’m in no position to stand in his way-”

Jennifer stops short all of a sudden, as though her words didn’t simply surprise Bella. The words had surprised her as well, not because it was something she didn’t mean but it is something that she will not willingly admit. Yet, she had just done so, in front of Bella Greene.

“Ah. Would you like more tea?” asks Bella, sensing that she is uncomfortable with this and changing the subject. But already, Bella’s impression of her is already morphing and with a start, Bella realizes that she is starting to think of her sympathetically.

Jennifer nods, agreeing, glad to be rid of a topic that she feels all too uncertain about.
***
Silence reigns in Natalia’s room. Utter, complete and eerie silence…which Natalia breaks, awkwardly, “Um, so you want to play something?”

Adam eyes her with disinterest, shrugging. He manages to portray someone who simply doesn’t care but in this boy’s mind, he is simply terrified that his lie would be exposed since he really does want to play…and partly because he did not want to spoil this girl’s day.

He recognizes her, of course. She is the girl who had talked to him a few years ago, when he was at the sandbox. Adam guessed that he had probably hurt her feelings then but he doesn’t understand why he is here because he’d made himself clear; he didn’t want to play with her. Yet, here he is.

Natalia bites her bottom lip. The sheer boredom is something she is not used to. Furthermore, this boy, who’d hurt her feelings, is making her become angry. She is polite enough to know that his mother wouldn’t appreciate her blowing her top at her guest’s son so she holds whatever resentment she has and continues, “Okay, then…how about Lego?”

His jaw drops slightly and Adam doesn’t recover fast enough to stop a grin from developing on Natalia’s face as she thinks, I’ve finally managed to surprise him.”I’ll take that as a yes. Wait here, I’ll go and get it.”

When Natalia leaves, Adam’s eyes dart around the room. Though it is futile, he wishes that the girl hadn’t been so nice to him. It would be easier on him if she’d been rude to him. When she finally returns, Adam flops on her bed and yawns loudly. “Don’t you have anything else to do here? Something that’s more fun?”

Blinking furiously at him, she opens her mouth to yell at him…

I’ve finally managed to make her mad enough at me, thinks Adam, though with considerably less joy that he thought he would have. He’d decided before that he wouldn’t do as his mother wanted because it wasn’t something he wanted and yet, he feels sort of…happy here.

…only Natalia changes her mind at the last moment and says, saccharinely sweetly, “Sure. We have all kinds of things to do here. What do you feel like doing?”

“…Football?”

She nods and the pair of them leaves her room, with Adam wondering where he had gone wrong. Natalia grabs a football that her younger brother, Nicholas, had left behind and interrupts Jennifer and Bella’s conversation. “Hi, is it okay if Adam and I go to the backyard for football?”

“Football?” repeats Jennifer, eyeing the delicately dressed girl. In her pink cotton sundress and red slippers with butterfly clips in her hair, she doubts that Natalia would be able to play a decent game at all. Still, she does not say word (deciding that perhaps the rich did not play by the same rules they did) not even when Bella nods.

At the backyard, Natalia eyes Adam with gritty determination. He does not allow himself to be surprised with this girl who had already stunned him countless times in a day but instead nods. The game thus begins.

But this was not simply a game of football. There would be other games involved in this new relationship. Games that could end up burning both of them.
***
Panting hard, they collapse onto the field, equally muddy and exhausted. They had been evenly matched and after a while, they’d let whatever ill feelings they had for the other party to evaporate and instead concentrate on the game. The simplicity of the game coupled with their competitiveness had an amazing effect.

“That was a good game. Thank you.”

Natalia sits up, unsure if she’d heard Adam wrongly. The sullen boy she knew is replaced by one who is openly smiling; happily exhausted. Somehow, he’d changed during the course of the game. Adam wasn’t the mean, withdrawn boy who had hurt her feelings in the sandbox. He could, actually, be nice. This moment is the turning point of their enemity, though both of them don't realise it.

She replies, “It was fun. You can come by and play anytime.”

Adam sits up, waiting to feel the annoyance he was expecting. Instead, he just feels happiness. He’d made a friend today. Although she may be someone whom he knows his mother would definitely want to associate with, he is (for once) fine with it. But he knows that it may take some getting used to. For now, though, Adam is content. He is going to reply her, to accept her invitation when the adults enter the backyard.

When Bella sees her daughter in a sloppy mess, she does not immediately react to it as there is something else (a piece of wonderful news) weighing in her mind. Smiling with delight, she says to both Adam and Natalia, “I have something great to tell both of you. You’re both starting school soon, so Jennifer and I have decided to send you two to the same school.”

“Isn’t that simply wonderful?” asks Jennifer, shaking her head as she still had some trouble believing that Bella would approve of her suggestion, choosing to worry about how she is going to afford such an expensive school later. It didn't matter as long as Adam gave her the opportunity to make new friends, important friends.

Natalia smiles slightly, imaging how it could be like. Aside from Leonora Aarons, she didn’t have many friends. It would be pretty good to know someone else and Adam is fun to be around. “Thank you, Aunty Jennifer. I think that it would be fun.”

Jennifer glows. “You’re absolutely welcome. I think that it would be good for Adam too, right?”

Still numb with shock, Adam tries to be as coherent as he can. Inside, he is burning with silent fury at the way his mother had engineered yet another opportunity for him to be close to rich people. Adam likes Natalia’s company, yes, but he doesn’t like how he is immediately forced into another uncomfortable situation. Replying, flatly and without enthusiasm, “Yes, thank you, Aunt Bella.”

The adults smile at each other, their pleasure at the acceptance of their plans blinding the obvious reluctance Adam displays.

Only Natalia sees it and she does not like what she sees.