Cherished By Seven Sisters by Melvin Houle

Each of the three slaps was harder and louder than the previous one. When Emrys delivered the last slap, Gavin fell to the ground on his bottom. Gavin was stunned. He was bewildered. Where did this lunatic come from? However, he soon came back to his senses, and the veins on his neck bulged. “F*ck you! Whether or not I’m a dutiful son is none of your business! Who do you think you are to stick your nose in my matters?” “Who do I think I am?” Emrys shot him an icy look. “Open your damn eyes and take a good look at who I am!” “You—” Emrys’ bellow made Gavin freeze in place, and he finally studied Emrys’ face. Then a shudder wracked his b*dy. The image of the skinny boy fifteen years ago started overlapping with the sight of the young man in front of him. It was only then that Gavin realized how similar their features were. “No… That is impossible…” Gavin shook his head vigorously. Emrys’ name was on the tip of his tongue, but he could not say the name out loud. It was too absurd. “Surprised?” Emrys sneered. “You bullied me so often when we were younger. You peed on my shoes, and you dirtied my clothes with watercolor. You even made me your scapegoat a few times. I ended up getting punished by Mr. Olman in your place. Have you forgotten all about that?” Thump! Gavin took a step back. It’s him! It really is him! The Emrys I bullied so often is back! “Why didn’t the fire kill you? Why must you come back so suddenly? Why are you here to mess up my life?” Gavin grew agitated. “I did everything I could to curry favor with those women, but they refused to see me as their little brother. They said you’re the only one who is their little brother. I tried my best to do well around the director and succeeded in making him adopt me, but he’s always talking about you and you only! I tried so hard to become you, but everyone refused to give me a chance! Which part of me isn’t as good as you? Did you know how desperately I wished you were dead?” Gavin grimaced. Right then, rationality left him. He spun around to grab a metal rod and swung it at Emrys. Alas, the response he received from Emrys was a lightning-swift kick. Bam! Before Gavin’s metal rod could touch Emrys, a shoeprint appeared on his stomach, and he flew backward. “You want to know why you won’t be as good as me?” Emrys ambled over and stared down at Gavin. “It’s because I won’t bully the weak. It’s because I’m not ungrateful. It’s because my jealousy won’t turn into resentment. Are these enough reasons for you?” Emrys’ last words, spoken in a soft voice, slammed into Gavin like a sledgehammer. These were basic principles for being human, which Gavin did not possess. Gavin was an ungrateful and jealous, despicable person who bullied the weak. “Pfft—” Perhaps those words were too much for Gavin as he coughed out a mouthful of blood, his face scrunching up in pain. Emrys only stared at him. He had no pity for Gavin. Gavin had been consumed by jealousy to the point he turned vile. He deserved no sympathy. “Young one, are you… Are you really Emrys Lund?” Walter’s shaky voice rang out all of a sudden. When Emrys turned around, the glacial look on his face was gone, replaced by a smile. “Yes, it’s me, Mr. Olman. I’m back.” “It really is you!” Walter’s heart lurched, and he could not help but burst into tears as he hugged Emrys. “Oh, my little Emrys, you’re still alive! You’re still alive… God has finally decided to spare me! I thought… I thought I killed you!” Walter was bawling. It did not sound like one of despair but of relief. The boy who had made him feel guilty for fifteen years was still alive. “Yes, Mr. Olman. I’m still alive, and I’m doing good,” Emrys consoled softly, but he sensed something peculiar about Walter’s mumbles. He waited until Walter calmed down before he asked, “Mr. Olman, are you hiding something from me? The fire fifteen years ago wasn’t an accident, was it?” Walter wiped his tears away. “Let bygones be bygones. Everything is fine as long as you’re alive.” His response made Emrys even surer of his speculations. In a solemn manner, he said, “Mr. Olman, if you really feel guilty about me, please tell me everything.” Walter wanted to avoid the topic, but he knew he could not hide it from Emrys anymore when he saw Emrys’ somber look. Slowly, he told Emrys what had happened. As it turned out, there was indeed something strange about the fire fifteen years ago. Back then, Prime Realty had been interested in the land where Sunshine Children’s Home was. They had met with Walter multiple times in an attempt to force him to agree to sell the land at a low price. However, Walter was strong-willed. No matter what Prime Realty did, he refused to sign the contract. Left without a choice, the person in charge of Prime Realty threatened Walter and warned him that he would suffer the consequences of not giving in. The next day after that, a fire broke out in the orphanage. Walter suspected that the fire was an act of revenge by Prime Realty, but he could not find any evidence of their involvement. After that fire, Emrys disappeared. Walter thought he had indirectly killed Emrys, so he soon quit his job and adopted Gavin, who was about the same age as Emrys. He tried to alleviate his guilt toward Emrys by giving Gavin everything he could. Alas, he ended up spoiling Gavin and made Gavin a greedy individual who asked for money from him every few days. It used to be a small sum, so he had said nothing about it. However, this time, Gavin was asking for two hundred thousand. There was no way Walter would give it to him, so that made Gavin hurl abuses at him. Dead silence took over after Walter finished telling the story. When he lifted his head to glance at Emrys, he was taken aback by the terrifying, frigid look in Emrys’ dark eyes. Prime Realty. You made me leave my hometown for fifteen years. You nearly killed me in the fire. You nearly made me lose my found family! How should I settle this score with you?