Claimed to Be Broken

The Unraveling.

Lucas strode across the hallway, his footsteps tapping on the floorboards hollowly. I tailed him and hurried, hastening my pace to match his nimble ones. We were headed towards his old school: to the Music Room, to be specific.

Jerry was there, with a look of surprise painted on his face as he watched me and Lucas cross the shiny floor and enter the Music Room.

"What does he want here?" Jerry asked softly, peeking along the doorways and having his eyebrows raised.

I glanced at Lucas quickly, then faced Jerry. "Jerry, have you seen a diamond necklace somewhere here?"

Jerry scratched at the back of his head, chuckling. "Sorry, kid. I dunno what you're talking about."

Lucas was trying to get my attention with a wave of his hand. Looking anxious, Lucas pointed his index finger at the piano. He hovered his fingers over the keys, but he wasn't exactly playing a song. It was as if he was insinuating something.

"Do you want me to press the keys?" I queried. He nodded hurriedly, and I immediately pressed on all the possible keys until I found one note that sounded off. I pressed that key again, and it was, once again, off-tune.

"Jerry, can you help me open up the piano?"

"S-Sure, kid, if that's what Lucas wants." Jerry helped me reveal the inside of the piano, and there it was: a glimmering string of gold with a diamond head that glinted shyly. As I reached for the necklace, I could sense Lucas glowing more and more, overpowering even the vapid sunlight.

When I snatched the accessory, Lucas had on the most blinding smile known to man.

This was what he'd been waiting for, enduring for, all this time.

"That kid... never did know how to do anything right," Jerry said, chuckling darkly as he chugged down yet another bottle of alcohol. His fingers were entwined with an elegant necklace. He had imbibed one too many alcohol to realize how important the necklace was to Lucas, his step-son.

"That little idiot!" Jerry screamed in frustration. He threw off the streaming, golden necklace, letting it slip into the piano. Since then, the piano hadn't been touched, except for the occasional visitation of Lucas in the Music Room.

"Always telling me what to do with my life," Jerry continued, "but look who ended up dying young." Jerry laughed bitterly, derisively, and it resumed until it turned into weepings.

Lucas had always been right. Jerry was wasting his life, crumpling it up and throwing it away like it was nothing. Lucas had been right the whole time.

The flashbacks stopped when I heard someone, a girl. "Hello? Is anyone here?" It was Sofia.

"We're here, Sofia!" I replied giddily. I felt like something exciting was about to happen.

The minute Sofia stepped into the room, Jerry pulled on a shocked face. "Oh, hey, kiddo. What brought you here?"

Sofia laughed in a chime-like way, but it was obvious that her laugh was pretentious. "Funny you should ask that. I... Something was just telling me to come here. I don't know. I had a strong feeling something was waiting for me here."

Then I felt a slight tug at the ends of the necklace in my hand. I knew what to do now. "Sofia, there's something you need to have."

As I was about to hand Sofia the neck accessory, the necklace itself flew up in the air, swirling happily.

Then, Lucas appeared.

Apparently, this time, Sofia could see him too because she gasped, tears forming and getting tangled in her eyelashes. But she was laughing merrily, as if she'd won the lottery.

Lucas held in his hands the necklace, lacing it around Sofia's soft neck, putting it where it belonged.

"You came back..." Sofia was giggling and crying at the same time that it was hard to tell if she was happy or not.

Lucas looked deep into her eyes, smiling genuinely, and he started to speak. He had a really attractive voice, that boy. It was surreal when I was this close to him and when he was beaming the way he was right now.

"Read the necklace," he guided, the back of his hand brushing against Sofia's cheek. "Read it when I leave."

They shared one last kiss together, one that would last in our memories for a lifetime. Arms tangled within one another, foreheads pressed against each other. Then the kiss soon lasted. When Sofia pulled away, Lucas chuckled.

He really was like an angel.

Then a soft, angelic music played into the air, floating gently near our ears. Lucas was fading slowly, waning, but he smiled so beautifully. He nodded once at Sofia, and Sofia grinned her best.

She, as always, tried to hold back the tears. This was the last goodbye. Lucas would disappear forever, except in our hearts.

"Always smile," Lucas said, but his voice had soon subsided. Then came a peaceful silence, followed by Sofia's soft cry. This was the last time she would ever cry, she vowed to herself.

I rubbed Sofia's back to console her, and she rested her head on my shoulder blades. "Wait a second," I said. "Didn't he tell you to read the necklace?"

Sofia plucked out the necklace and searched for letters. There, around the ringlet that held the diamond of the accessory, were tiny letters written on them. It read: I love you. Never forget that.

Sofia laughed. "He's so cheesy, I swear." Then the puzzle had been completed, all the pieces incidentally falling into place.

The last of the flashbacks took me back to the scene in the Music Room, but this time, it wasn't cut off short.

"I already paid you for this month," Lucas replied, disinterested. "You stink of beer. Straighten up your life, you fucking bastard. I'm ashamed to even call you my step-dad." Lucas turned his back on Jerry, but Jerry was fast with his hands.

Jerry shoved a heavy fist against Lucas' shoulder and grumbled, "Kid, I'm not the nuisance in your life. It's the other way around. You're the nuisance in my life. Remember that. Your mom was a bitch for leaving you. Don't forget how much I hate you, you little..."

"Lucas?" Sofia marched into the music room. "Oh, hey, Lucas I..." she trailed off as her eyes caught Jerry's drunken state.

"That your girlfriend?" Jerry bared his teeth and showed what others called a "smile".

"What are you doing here?" Lucas was exasperated. He marched to Sofia, grabbing her hand and leading her out of the Music Room.

"Why was Jerry there with you?" Sofia questioned.

"He's my step-dad." Lucas didn't want to let go of Sofia's hand, but Sofia was the one who separated their joined fingers. Looking off into the distance, Sofia said, "You know... I don't think I know much about you. I mean, I don't even know if you love me. You've never told me you love me."

"I know." He sighed.

Sofia waited for the three magic words that she had been wishing to hear. Her heart thudded distinctly.

"I just don't want to say it to you so casually." He inched his lips to her until it reached her forehead.

"You... you annoy me a great deal, you know that?" Sofia's face was showing her indignation.

Lucas chuckled. "Mm, but you always give in to me, right?" His arms were now tucking her into a sweet embrace.

"That's quite right, yes." Sofia inhaled his intoxicating scent, a hint of perfume that she had gotten addicted to.

"Sofia..." Lucas was talking in a deadly seductive voice. His lips were whispering lowly near Sofia's ear shells. "I... love... y..." He stopped deliberately.

"Keep going." Sofia's eyes were hopeful.

"Nah, I don't think I'll say it today." He pulled away, smirking.

Sofia smacked his arm. "Jerk."

"I just want the day I tell you to be a very special day."

Sofia glared at him. "It better be."



"Sofia, you want some lemonade?" Nina asked. She was still the same psychic Nina that I had seen in Lucas' past, only she had aged a little.

"Sure thing," Sofia answered as Nina read her lips.

The outside weather had taken a sudden turn and grew warmer. The air showed hints of warmth as well. Everything else also switched to a brighter and livelier place. The grasses were a healthy green, the sun no longer hid behind the thick clouds, and the sky was a clear wall of blue.

"I want some, too!" I whined, and the two girls laughed at my childishness.

Sofia stared deeply at her necklace, reading the lettering for the umpteenth time today and finally letting the necklace fall back onto her chest. "Hey, you guys wanna visit Jerry?" Sofia asked with a sly grin.

"Oh, no." My face was horrified. "Last time we did that, he was teaching us how to sweep the floor properly. No, I don't wanna visit him again."

And the three of us fell into guffaws.

We all knew that Lucas was watching us with a smile on his face. He would be there, and sometime in the future, he would surely join hands again with Sofia. For now, Sofia was in my and Nina's hands. We would take care of Lucas' precious Sofia.

Sofia, the girl whose eyes were like open doors that lead to the content of her soul. Her care-free, happy soul.



The End