Normalcy /norm-al-see/
n. the condition of being normal; the state of being usual, typical, or expected.

THEY WERE SEATED at the piano. Avelina was on top of it, much to Adrik's discomfort. He didn't like it when people sat on things that weren't made to be sat on. Although, he dusted off his uneasiness only for Avelina. As he sat on the piano bench, he was enjoying the musical sound orchestrated from the keys he played.

Avelina didn't know many classical pieces, and she honestly didn't recognize the one he was currently playing. Although, she knew for sure that it had to be Beethoven because it was all he ever spoke about.

The music was not sad, nor was it happy. It was quite nostalgic and it left Avelina wishing she could understand what was going on in his mind as he played the sound for her to hear. The way he played was absolutely magical. He told a story with his fingers and led the sound to vibrate so comfortably within her ears. It was beautiful.

She began to wonder if music was how he managed to express himself when he was younger. Maybe that is where he grew this fascination with Beethoven and classical music. She could only imagine his difficulty with saying the things he truly wanted to say at the age he was at now, it had to have only been harder as a child.

"Adrik," Avelina called out to him.

He pretended not to hear a word she spoke as he continued to play his piece, completely ignoring her. Adrik knew that he had to finish in order to feel better. Interruptions were his least favorite part when telling his story.

She let out a sigh before getting off of his piano and heading into the kitchen. Her hand swept through her hair as her thoughts began to speak all at once in the echos of her mind. She wanted to help him and it was frustrating that she could do so little when he wouldn't even talk to her.

After his mother had left and Avelina had asked him to tell her about what happened in his life-he completely shut down. He walked away from her and into his piano room where he began to play song after song. No words were exchanged between the two of them after that and Avelina wished she could understand why. It just didn't make sense.

He was doing so well with speaking about how he felt. They managed to make it so far. She couldn't understand why he decided to just shut her out all of the sudden.

"My mother always told me that if you keep frowning like that, you're going to get some serious wrinkles," Anton spoke, walking into the kitchen. Avelina jumped in surprise as her hand stretched out over her heart.

"Gosh, you scared me," she chuckled.

"Sorry. I just got here. I was going to knock, but then I heard boss man playing his piano, so the guard let me in," Anton explained like it was the most normal thing in the world. Avelina nodded her head before suddenly realizing how rude she was being.

"Are you hungry? It's almost time for Adrik's dinner. I could make you something if you'd like," she smiled.

He shook his head in response. "No, I ate before I came here. Thank you, though."

Avelina nodded her head, not allowing her smile to falter as she turned around to grab the dishes she would be needing to make Adrik's food. She suddenly grew this urge to ask Anton about Adrik. Anton seemed to know a lot about him and why he gets the way he does.

"Hey, Anton," she called out, "Why does Adrik do that? Is that his way of shutting out the world or something?"

"I don't know if it's my place to tell," he explained. Anton could see the frustration in her eyes. She looked as though she truly cared for him, and it upset him that she would have to undergo much more frustration to truly capture Adrik's mind, body, and soul.

"I want to understand him. You should know as much as anyone that he will never open up to me. I'm not saying you have to tell me everything, but please share what you can. Please," Avelina pleaded.

He sighed in response.

"I grew up with him, and you should know that he hasn't always been the same Adrik you know. He once talked to everyone about anything-especially music. Adrik didn't care whether or not he was different back then, but that all changed when he went to school. Kids were kids and they pick on people who they don't understand. They didn't understand him and they would hurt him because of it. He went from speaking all the time, to never speaking at all. He thought that when he spoke, people saw this vulnerability in him which was why he was bullied. And not just from the kids at school, but the people at his home as well. He stopped going to behavioral therapy, he stopped going to school, he never even left his room. He turned colder. Many years later, he got his Ph.D. in business and became a successful businessman generating billions of dollars. He still rarely speaks to anyone-except you," Anton told her.

Her heart wanted to sob out at Anton's words. She couldn't imagine the lifestyle he had to grow up in. Avelina quickly realized why he always managed to make a big deal out of normalcy and why he always felt insecure about his mental capabilities when deeming himself as a 'retard'-it's what he had always been told. His mother's words were living proof of what he had to go through his entire life.

Avelina knew him. She truly knew him and she also knew that he was so much more than what he thought of himself. Even as the music he played continued to ring through the ears of everyone in the house, she could still hear him. He was calling out to her with each note and Avelina wanted to pull every single one in a tight embrace. With each key, she wished to reply, "I know, Adrik, I hear you. It's going to be okay."

"What about his sister? I know Adrik cares for her, but does she care for him?" Avelina questioned.

Suddenly, a memory played out in her mind from the time she had first gone to Adrik's casino. A reporter had asked her if she was Adrik's 'long lost sister'. What happened to his sister?

"Her name was Natasha. Natasha and Adrik were very close-they were the best of friends," he told her. Although she was grateful for the information, it still wasn't enough to suffice her curiosity.

"You said 'was Natasha'-as in, past tense. What happened to her?" Avelina asked.

Anton began to open his mouth but quickly shut it when the sound of Adrik playing on the piano came to a halt. Avelina's eyes immediately darted towards the entrance of the kitchen to see Adrik entering.

"Idti," Adrik let out. Avelina could see the defeat on Anton's face as he cast her a small smile before walking out of the back door.
[ translation : go ]

"Are you okay?" She asked Adrik. There was a guilt that settled over her that she couldn't seem to understand. Maybe she shouldn't have prided and asked Anton to give her the answers that Adrik wouldn't, but she felt better knowing. If only there was enough time for her to have heard what happened to Adrik's sister.

"No," he answered.

Avelina bit down on her lip in response. Her eyes settled on him as he walked toward the stove and finished up his own food before placing it in a bowl and beginning to walk away.

"Let me guess, you know how to cook your own food. You even know how to do your own hair, you can bathe and sleep perfectly fine on your own. I don't even need to monitor whether or not you take your medication at the proper times because you don't even have prescribed medication to take. Adrik, I don't know why you even hired me. It just doesn't make any sense when you seem very capable to be all on your own," Avelina spoke up. She had been wondering for many weeks why she was hired. There was this aching feeling that would dawn on her heart that maybe there was more to the story.

She could recall the numerous times Johnathan would speak as if there were something more that he wanted to tell her. That time when Johnathan had asked her out on a date began to play out in her mind. Johnathan had told her, "Nonsense. Mr. Zolotov doesn't really need you here every second of the day. Sure, he's a bit weird, but the true reason of why you are even her-."

"Avelina, I am currently not in the best mood. May we please talk about this tomorrow?" He requested. Avelina let out a loud sigh in response before storming off to her room leaving him there all by his lonesome.

Not only was it completely unnecessary to hire her, but it was also a complete waste of money and resources. She hated this feeling that sponged her heart with insecurities and stained her mind with so much anxiety.

Avelina's mind went on this endless rant of good luck never being the case for her. In fact, bad luck always greeted her at the door. It awaits her every thought. In the depth of her smile, bad luck was seeping through it all. Bad luck might as well had been her best friend the way it always seemed to be right there no matter what she did.

It was her bad luck from the time she was young. It was bad luck that killed her parents.

"Mama!" Three-year-old Avelina shouted, running into the living room where she saw her mother. Her mother was sitting on the couch but she looked worried about something. The second she heard Avelina's voice, mama shook her head as fast as she could.

"Listen to me, you go back to your room. Now!" Mama shouted leaving Avelina to flinch. Avelina didn't understand why her mother was yelling at her, she almost never yelled. Stepping further in the living room, she saw a man standing in the corner. Worst of all, she saw her father lying on the floor face down with blood all around him.

"Papa! Papa!" Avelina shouted, running over to him.

The man in the corner didn't say a word as the young girl threw herself on top of her papa and tried to hug him. Even with the blood that covered every speck of his body, she tried to hold him.

"Don't you hurt her! No one knows about Avelina," Mama pleaded, her eyes dripping with tears.

"Everyone knows about everyone in the Favela's," the man spoke.
[ Favela's : shantytown in Brazil where crime is most common ]

Avelina looked up at him as he got down on the ground and lifted her head up by her chin. He saw the streaks of tears that fell from her eyes and could only stare at them. Slowly, he peeled back his hoodie and lifted up his mask. His blue eyes piercing into her own. Although, what caught her attention was the bird on his neck that stood squawking at her.

"Go get your things ready. I'm taking you to grandma's," The man questioned before he moved a strand of her hair from out of her face and tucking it behind her ear. Avelina tried to look at her mother who let out a sob, but the man pulled her attention back to his own eyes.

"Go. Now! We don't have enough time. They will be here soon," he ordered. Fear struck her hard as she did exactly what he asked. She grabbed her bags and packed them up before running back into the living room. Her mama was gone, but the man was still there--sitting in the corner looking at a picture of mama, papa, and her.

"Where's mama?" Avelina cried. He didn't say anything as he lightly grasped Avelina's hand and walked her toward the front door. She tried to look behind her in search of mama, but the man was far too fast. Just before they stepped outside, he wrapped her small body up in a blanket and carried her to his car.

Harshly, he threw her in the backseat before stepping into the drivers side. She didn't say another word as silent tears fell and her eyes looked up at the sky where she knew her parents were now resigned.

She knew they no longer existed, and she knew the man with the bird tattoo had killed them.

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Happy 20th chapter! Kinda short, sorry..

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