Chapter 125: Stop Haunting Me
Arianna didn’t sleep well all night. Lots of images in her dreams hit her brain. At first, her dream was beautiful and peaceful. There was sunshine, grass, flowers, and two cute little children who looked exactly the same. They hugged each other and rolled on the ground.
Then she dreamed of the moment the two children met each other when they became adults. One looked surprised, and one looked calm. One was in reality and one in the illusion world. Then she became the protagonist of her dream and stood in front of the two men, confused and overwhelmed.
She tried to reach her hand to touch one of them, and the man disappeared. Another man reached out to touch her, and he also disappeared.
She suddenly recalled her close contact with Travis Cooper in the darkness. He once forced her to wash his body. She saw a small, pink heart birthmark on his most private part.
Arianna got out of bed, turned on the computer, and typed the words “twin” and “birthmark.” The search results told her that even the identical twins could hardly have the same birthmark in the same part of the body.
Arianna trembled, and there was a thin layer of sweat on her back and palms. She got up and sat down outside the window and smoked a cigarette. She just had some crazy idea that made her feel scared and embarrassed.
Then she went to bed again and came back in a dream again. She dreamed of her father and mother before their death, dreamed of grandpa who went crazy because of disease. She also dreamed of her past, dreamed of the first time she was saved by Travis Cooper, dreamed of the times he provided shelter and protection for her.
She broke her lips and yelled at Travis in the dream, “Who cares whether you are dead or alive? Why can’t you just die? Stop haunting me!”
****
The next day was the grape harvest day in the manor.
The harvest festival was lively. There were wines and flowers. Lady Johnson personally presided over the worship ceremony. When she opened a huge bottle of wine, the air was filled with sweetness. The huge pool in the mansion was full of grapes. Many people took off their shoes to step on grapes cheerfully. Others were singing and dancing in the small square. These people really loved their lives here.
Arianna was watching the ceremony calmly. She was always lonely on the liveliest occasions.
Claire asked her, “Why won’t you go in and join them?”
Arianna said, “I will never drink grape juice again.”
Claire laughed. She jumped into the pool with her friends and no longer tried to invite Arianna.
Arianna walked around and was dragged into the dance team and did two dances. After a while, someone came over and told her that the old lady had requested her presence.
Lady Johnson and some guests sat in the pool area next to the small square, eating snacks, drinking tea and wine, and chatting. Only separated by a wall full of flowers, the leisure and comfort here were much different from the carnival outside. Vince, who only showed up a few seconds in the ceremony, had come here too, talking with a middle-aged man who looked like him. After struggling for a whole night, Arianna zoned out again, seeing Vince’s face until Lady Johnson talked to her.
“You don’t look good. It seems like you didn’t sleep well yesterday.”
“Had a few nightmares.”
“Oh, that’s really pitiful. What a coincidence. Vince also said he had nightmares last night. Well, check his panda eyes.”
Arianna was speechless.
“Young people shouldn’t think much so there won’t be nightmares.” The old lady pushed a glass of wine to Arianna and added, “I heard that you are going back next week?”
“Yes.” She replied politely, looking in the direction of the Lee couple, “I have been here for too long.”
“York will be sad. Isn’t there really nothing here that can keep you?”
There was a white piano in the yard, and the pianist had been playing soft and soothing music.
“It’s a beautiful place. Thank you for your hospitality.” Arianna said mechanically.
“I think you are not being honest.” The old lady smiled, “But hey, I really want to see you often. Maybe Vince doesn’t want you to go, right?”
Arianna wanted to stay quiet, but the old lady was waiting for her reply, so she had to say, “Mr. Johnson is kind and hospitable, just like you.”
“Girl, don’t you know yourself? Your eyes always betray you when you are being sarcastic.” The old lady smiled and looked in the direction of Vince. Arianna looked at Vince too.This content © Nôv/elDr(a)m/a.Org.
Vince was seated next to his uncle. They seemed to be carrying expressions from two different seasons. Henry looked serious and seemed to be holding onto something, while Vince looked indifferent.
Lady Johnson pulled back her gaze and took a sip of tea, and said, “You made a mistake. Vince has always been cold and inhospitable. He never volunteered himself to pursue others.”
At the time, the pianist had just finished a song and left the piano. Henry stood up, cleared his throat, and said, “Let’s welcome Vince to play an episode for us.” The crowd quieted down. Henry added, “I still remember the fact that when Vince was a child, he played the piano for everyone during every family feast. I haven’t had the luck to hear him play for years. I wonder how much Vince’s skills have improved?”
The crowd applauded. Vince stared at Henry quietly. Lady Johnson frowned and waved to let Henry come over and whispered to him, “You know that his fingers were injured. And he doesn’t remember the old things.”
“Mom, Vince doesn’t remember the past, but he hasn’t forgotten what he learned. You can rest assured.”
Vince slowly walked over and sat down at the piano. “What do you want to hear?”
“How about a piece from Liszt?”
“Uncle, I think I prefer Chopin.”
“Oh, yes. How about you play a waltz from Chopin? You used to play a lot when you were a child.”
After thinking for a while, Vince came up with a string of notes intermittently, which was Chopin’s “Gorgeous Waltz,” but it was very incoherent. He looked at Henry’s slightly smiling face and apologized to the crowd, and showed the crowd with his index finger, middle finger, and ring finger of his right hand.