Enjoy!
[Chapter 5: Enlightened]
Christoph woke up late in the afternoon, his brain a bit muddled at the day’s previous events and his body felt somewhat drained. Sitting up and pulling back the covers, at first a bit surprised to find himself nude but the memory of what had transpired came back to him and he blushed at the thought of it. Looking around and straining his hearing to locate Till, he stood and left the bedroom. Walking into the room they’d watched the movie in he picked up his pants from the floor and put them on.
Seeing that Till wasn’t in his office, Christoph went to leave the room pausing ; unsure of if he was even allowed to leave the room. He didn’t want to go traipsing through someone’s home without their permission. Deciding that he had no choice, he turned the doorknob and left the room. Walking down the large hallway to where he remembered the grand staircase was, he could vaguely hear people talking downstairs. One of the voices sounding like Till’s distinctly rich voice.
As he got closer to the stairs he could hear some of their conversation and slowed down to listen. “What do you mean you don’t think you can make it?” A smooth sounding voice said. “I’ve told you why. I have prior engagements.” Till’s rich baritone said in finality. “But tonight is one of the most important nights for us, you know that. What engagement do you have that’s so important that you can’t reschedule it?” The smooth sounding voice asked, his voice rose a bit in exasperation. There was a long pregnant silence. “Oh, I see.” The other man’s voice became sickeningly sweet. “Why don’t you…”
“No!” Till barked causing Christoph to jump, not used to hearing the man raise his voice. “No, not yet. It is much too soon.” Till said, sounding like he regained some of his composure, but was still upset. “Fine, I will attend the function tonight, though I do not want to. It disgusts me greatly that they can’t perform something so simple without my presence. What do I keep them around for?” He growled.
“I know their weakness appalls you dear cousin, but as we both know we need them. How much longer do you think he will take?” The man now recognized as Till’s cousin Richard tried to sooth. “About a month from now and he will come on a most glorious day. I’m most eager for him to join us, we will finally be complete again.” Till said sounding as if he was smiling. “Yes, it will be the best holiday yet.” Richard agreed. “Well cousin, I must be going. I’ve got to prepare for tonight.”
“Alright. Are you still bringing your guest?” Till asked. “Yes of course. See you tonight.” Richard said and Christoph heard the heavy front door close. He then heard footsteps coming up the long stairway. Having a feeling he wasn’t supposed to hear that conversation, he scurried a bit back down the hall and slowly retraced his steps forward trying to make it seem like he’d just wandered into the hall way. When Till rounded the corner, he walked over to Christoph and wrapped his arm around his waist pulling him closer. “I’m glad to see you up, I was beginning to worry.” He said as he laid a kiss to the boy’s forehead. “Yeah, I’m fine. No need to worry, I just probably drank too much.” Christoph said feeling bashful, unused to the affection.
“Well I’m glad you’re fine. Did you want anything to eat?” Till asked, running his fingers through Christoph’s soft wavy hair. “No, I’m alright. So what’s the plan for today?” Christoph inquired. Sighing sadly Till said “I did have plans to spend the day with you, but something important came up that I have to attend to, though I really don’t want to.” Christoph shrugged. “It’s okay, I know you’re a busy man. Just promise me we can have another picnic and I’ll let you off the hook.” Smiling one of his captivating smiles, Till said “How about I do something even better than that, would you be interested in taking a trip with me?”
Christoph nodded. “Where to?” “Syria.” Christoph’s face twisted in confusion. “Syria? Why Syria?” Till sighed a bit. “Well, it’s not exactly a pleasure trip. I’m visiting because a collection of mosaic artwork has been recently discovered and I’m interested in purchasing a few pieces. You seem to have a good eye for art, so I figured you’d be interested.” Christoph pondered this as they walked down the hallway. Deciding that he had nothing else to do and no job to go to anymore, he agreed to go. “Yeah, I’d love to go with you Till.” Flashing another of his dazzling smiles, Till simply said “Wonderful.”
Fifteen minutes later they were in Till’s sleek black Mercedes headed out of town. As they drew near Christoph’s former home, he spoke up. “Do you think you can stop at my old house for a minute?” Till nodded, not looking from the road. “Yes, of course.” Turning off of the road and pulling up to a gate that prevented them from continuing, Till put the car in park and let Christoph get out of the car; staying behind to give the boy privacy. Walking up to the old iron wrought gate, Christoph ran his hand over the family crest on the gate. Looking up the long driveway, Christoph caught a glimpse of his former home; various memories flashing in his mind.
Then reality really set in, his heart clenched a bit now truly realizing he was alone in this unyielding world. But was he really alone? After all he did have Paul, who was like a brother and father to him, and now he had a budding relationship with Till. Although the man was very enigmatic, and seemed to keep a lot to himself, Christoph just figured that was a part of the life he had to lead. When you’re wealthy and powerful you have to be cautious about those you let near you, it was a main tenant of those who were affluent. Christoph, figured if his life had remained normal he’d probably be very much like Till, weary of who he’d share himself with. That thought brought him to an entirely different train of thought. Would he step up and claim what was his? Could he handle the responsibility? Could he handle the opulence and the kowtowing from people wanting stuff from him? It was something he wasn’t sure of yet and would probably take a lot of thinking (and aspirin) to figure out.
Deciding he had killed enough time, and didn’t want to hold Till up any longer he returned to the car. “Did you find the answers that you sought?” Till asked as he pulled back onto the main road. Christoph shook his head. “No, I wish it were that easy.” He said sadly. Till put his hand over Christoph’s. “Do not worry. Things will be revealed to you in time and will guide you to the right decision.” He said cryptically. “I hope so.” Came the morose response and then they fell into companionable silence.
As they made their way back, Christoph kept replaying the odd conversation he heard earlier, trying to decipher what they were discussing. ‘What holiday were they talking about? They said a month from now, so that would be May. There’s no true holiday in May, what the hell were they talking about?” He pondered. Getting stumped and finding no obvious answer, he decided to break the silence. “So what exactly do you have to do today? If you don’t mind me asking.” He saw Till stiffen up in his seat. “I don’t mind. I have to preside over something at the temple tonight.” He supplied. “You know, you still haven’t told me what it is you do there. And I remembered that you promised.” Christoph said, trying to pry the information out of Till. Jaw clenching, Till replied “It’s like a fraternity of other affluent men, we have gatherings to discuss various things. Sometimes we have ceremonies and that’s about it, it’s quite stiff and formal.” Absorbing the information Christoph nodded, comparing the information he received to the experience he’d had outside the temple that one night. He was unsure of what to believe now. Should he believe what Till said or the crazy shit he’d experienced when trying to listen in on what they were doing in the temple? He really didn’t know anymore, too much bizarre stuff was happening for him to make sense of anything. His once simple world was being turned upside down.
When they arrived outside of Christoph’s residence they walked together up to his front door. “I’m sorry I cannot spend the day with you as planned.” Till said softly. Smiling at how soft-spoken the man could be at times, Christoph pulled Till into a hug surprising the other man. “It’s alright, like I said earlier I understand that you’re a busy man.” Till nodded at this. “’Also, I wanted to thank you for telling me about my… family situation.” Christoph also added looking at the ground. Till lifted Christoph’s face with a finger and placed a searing hot kiss upon his lips. Christoph instantly deepened the kiss earning a growled moan from Till. Wanting to stop before things got too heavy, Till pulled away sucking on Christoph’s bottom lip as he withdrew. “You’re welcome.” He said and then turned to leave, his face serious “Be careful Christoph.” And then he left.
Snapping out of his haze at Till’s words, Christoph frowned at the odd departure as he turned the lock to his door. Walking in to the living room he called out for Paul but got no response. Shrugging his shoulders he decided that he wanted to take a bath, as he walked over to the bathroom he suddenly felt a pang of fatigue. Gripping onto the door sill he scrunched his eyes shut trying to fend of the sudden onslaught of faintness he felt. Pushing the feeling down, he righted himself and went to turn the warm water on. Sitting on the toilet seat to wait for the tub to fill, he thought ‘What the hell was that?’
When the tub was filled to his satisfaction, he stripped and sunk in to the warm soothing water. Closing his eyes, Christoph began to ponder his future once more. As he thought out his course of action, he unknowingly began to slip underneath the water until he was completely submerged.
{Flashback}
A ten year old Christoph stood at the top of the grand staircase with his father, fidgeting uncomfortably in his new suit. “Do you see all of these people here, Christoph?” His father asked. Looking down at the crowd of lavishly dressed people, Christoph replied “Yes, Father. What about them?” His father then put a hand on the boy’s head lovingly. “They exist for our benefit.” His father said simply. Christoph’s youthful face contorted in confusion. “What do you mean for our benefit, Father?” His father then gave a robust chuckle. “You have so much to learn, my boy. What I mean is that these people need us, but we do not need them.” Christoph’s expression became even more perplexed, so his father explained further. “They need us because we provide them something that they need…”
Christoph’s face lit up in understanding. “Like money, right?” His father nodded a proud look upon his visage. “Yes, partially; that is a minor aspect of their need. What they truly want from us is power, something that has been in our family’s grasp for centuries.” Still slightly unsure of what his father was trying to allude to the boy asked “But if money is not important and power is then why even have money?” His father gave an unnerving smile. “We have money so the regular populace is too distracted to go looking for where the real power lies.” “And where is that, Father?” Christoph asked, truly interested in what his father had to say. “The true power lies in the unseen forces.” “The unseen forces…” Christoph repeated to himself. “But how…” The boy began, but his father put his hand on his shoulder to silence him as he saw the boy’s mother approaching with a sour look upon her face “How? Now that’s a lesson for another day.”
{End Flashback}
Christoph coughed the last bit of water on to the cold tile of the floor and stared blindly at the talking misshapen blob above him. “Christoph! Christoph! C’mon say something!” Came Paul’s frantic voice. The sound of his friend’s voice helped him to push away the fog, and he robotically pushed himself into a sitting position. “I’m fine Paul. What are you yelling for?” He said, his brain a bit muddled and still pondering his vision. “What am I yelling for?!” Paul asked astonished. “When I came in here to take a piss I find you under the water, damn near blue! And you ask me what’s wrong?!”
Christoph snapped out of his reverie at that. “Under the water? But I just got in the tub.” Paul’s eyes looked like they were going to fall out of his head. “Are you kidding me?! When I pulled you out you weren’t breathing! It took me almost ten minutes to get you to breathe!” Paul shouted. Christoph still a bit listless, waved his hand dismissively. “Paul you worry too much. I probably fell asleep in the tub and slipped under the water. You probably came in not too long after. It’s really not that serious.” Paul shook his head at his friend’s words, still worried about his condition. “Do you want to go to the hospital?”
Christoph ,who was now staring off into space again, said “No, I’ll be fine.” And with that he pushed himself off of the tiled floor, unfazed by his nudity. Paul stood up and hurried after the strange acting boy, intent on making sure he was alright. “Do you need anything at all?” He asked as he followed Christoph into his room and watched the boy flop onto the bed apathetically. “No, I’ll be fine. I will call out for you if I need something, alright?” Christoph said as he stared at his ceiling. “Alright. Leave your door unlocked so I can check on you to make sure you’re okay.” The other man said. “Okay.” Came the quiet response. Paul then turned to leave, pausing for a second, wanting to ask about the scratches on the boy’s sides, but thinking better of it. After all he knew the boy liked to keep his secrets secret and if he wanted you to know he would tell on his own time. Sighing Paul went to go watch a bit of television, hopefully to get his mind off of the scare he’d just experienced.
Still staring at his ceiling, Christoph pondered the dream he’d had in the bath. Really he knew it was a flashback, a memory he pushed into the far recesses of his mind. But why would he remember that specific memory? Why not something warmer, more intimate? When he thought about it, he realized all of the memories he had of his father were of him trying to explain the world to him. Perhaps that was the man’s equivalent of playing catch with him, like a ‘normal’ father would. Deep within himself he knew he’d recalled that memory because of the recent information he found out. Information he was still very unsure about.
Should he take his father’s place as head of his estate? ‘There’s no one else but me’ He thought. And wasn’t he tired of being powerless? Leaving his fate up to where ever the wind decides to blow it. Could he really continue living the life the way it is, knowing there was something better out there for him? What of these 'unseen' forces, are they the cause of all the bizarre occurrences? Christoph couldn't even begin to fathom that aspect of the conundrum. He had so many unanswered questions blazing within the confines of his mind.
Christoph opened the drawer next to his bed and pulled out his mother’s rosary. Looking upon the intricate work of jewelry, he didn’t feel the comfort that he’d felt before. Now he felt the pangs of resentment and loathing. Narrowing his eyes at the offending piece of jewelry, Christoph remembered all of the terrible words that were said about his father; all of the fights they thought he didn’t hear. He even thought about the last day he spent with his mother, even on that day she poisoned him against his father only to die and leave him alone. Alone to fend for himself, always looking behind his back afraid of the ‘monster’ that was his father dragging him back into a cesspit of ‘damnation’. His mother made him weak and distrustful of the world, steering him away from his destiny and leaving him lost and confused about his place in the world.
He tossed the piece of metal back into the dresser and slammed the drawer shut. No longer would he remain feeble and unsure, he’d rise to the challenge and claim what was rightfully his. He’d reject this meager life in exchange for a better one. He didn’t have to be ruthless and power hungry like his mother had always accused his father of being. ‘No, he’d maintain his moral standing and only provide for those he cared about, it was as simple as that.’ He thought as he began to drift off into unconsciousness.
If only it were truly that simple...
Author's Comment: So we found out a bit more about that odd temple Till likes to frequent and learned a bit more of Christoph's past which has led him to make a very important decision. A decision that will change every aspect of his life, and his understanding of the very world he lives in. The path he's now chosen will alter the very essence of his soul. Will he the discover the grave danger and repent or willingly submit to the dark forces that call out for him? Stay tuned for the next chapter of Change of Skin!
From boyish cutie pie to dark bad guy? Uh-oh!
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