At World's End

Entry 5

Honestly, I didn't know much about the Tower.

I've spent my whole life in it but that doesn't automatically make me a guru about it. 

I never really thought much of it too, since the outside world was more appealing to me. 

Sure, there were schools on each floor to educate children on the basic arts and sciences but I never attended. 

Not like those that went were better than me though… I dare say I would be one of the smartest in my generation, after all, I received tutoring from both dad and Leila. 

So it wasn't hard to understand those subjects but the problem came down to the Tower structure. 

Anyway, while staying with dad, everything I had was natural to have so I didn't think much of it. 

I considered it normal for the rest of the tower… that was until I moved in with Leila. 

Some might call me a spoilt brat but that's not an insult but the truth. 

I am a spoilt brat and that's all because of dad. 

Dad's position allowed him to enjoy the same status as those people in the Twelve Great families. 

If not for his insistence on remaining a scientist, our Walker family would be dubbed the thirteenth Great family. 

Leaving the 20th floor and coming down to the 101st brought with it the shock that the hierarchy in the Tower was slightly messed up. 

Things that were normal in the first hundred floors were pricy for the next hundred floors and based on what Leila commented about the remaining two hundred floors… let's not talk about it. 

It took me three years to adjust to the mere thought of sharing a bathroom with a stranger…partly because Leila had to force me after I stayed several days without bathing. 

Hah, good times. 

I smiled while knocking raptly on the toilet door. 

A few seconds passed and no response came through. 

Thankfully, no one's inside. 

I pushed open the wooden door and stepped into the toilet. 

Inside, there was a hose for water and on one side was the toilet while on the other side was a square area, slightly lower than the rest of the surface area with a hole at the center. 

That was the bathing area. 

I looked around before closing the door behind me and taking off my clothes. 

Getting used to this takes everything within me. 

Humming a tune randomly stuck in my head, I bathed and took a ceremonial shit… ahem, I believe that one must wash both the inside and outside of a person's body to be considered truly clean. 

Weird?... Yes 

But that doesn't stop me from doing it. 

I stepped out of the bathroom and made my way back to the apartment before peeping through the window to ensure she was nowhere near the door. 

One couldn't be too careful. 

Ahem.. anyway, the coast is clear. 

I moved my hand to the doorknob and pushed at it… wait, why isn't it opening? 

Shit! 

"Leila, don't do this!" 

I struggled relentlessly to open the door to no avail. 

It didn't take long before the neighbors caught wind of what was happening as they peeped through their windows. 

Kill me now… 

I was completely naked with only a towel covering my loins. 

This has got to be the most embarrassing moment in my life. 

I was about to rush back to the toilet to avoid the stares when I heard a click followed by the door opening. 

"Oh, Jerry, it's you," Leila said with the most innocent look on her face. 

I kill you! 

My eyelids twitched at her shamelessness. 

How could she be so petty? 

"What's wrong?... Did something happen?" she quickly added with a worried look. 

If one were none the wiser, they would think she was genuinely worried for my sake. 

Fucking hell!... I should skin you alive! 

I nearly spat blood due to her shameless acts but held myself back. 

Never would I admit defeat like this… it's only getting started. 

Revenge!

I walked past her without responding and rushed into into the room to get changed. 

Leila snickered and the urge to strangle her nearly got a hold of me but I restrained myself. 

Today was very important so I couldn't ruin it with petty revenge. 

But soon… 

No way shall I take this lying down! 

Anyway, sometime later and I'm out of the room, dressed in a black sweater with black pants and a pair of dirty sneakers. 

This set was a present from dad before he passed away. 

The sneakers were from a store he encountered in the outside world. 

After some adjustments, they turned out to be my favorite pair. 

I wore them for good luck… and maybe a bit of nostalgia. 

The scene of dad coming back home with a leather bag and a happy-go-lucky smile on his bearded face replayed in my mind. 

I couldn't help but smile like a fool. 

Those were good times. 

"You look so handsome." Leila's compliment jolted me out of my trip down memory lane. 

I faced her only to be taken aback by her breathtaking appearance. 

She also wore a sweater and a pair of jeans with sandals but her face… she seemed hotter? 

"Got anything to say?" Leila asked mischievously. 

"Hmmph, don't think I've forgotten. Revenge is a dish best served cold after all." 

She chuckled at my remark, walking up to me before using her delicate hand to brush away my hair while staring deeply into my eyes. 

For a moment, silence reigned as we kept eye contact. 

Just then, Leila spoke up. "You look a lot like him… I'm sure he'd be proud of who you've become." 

"…You think?" 

She cracked a smile, grabbing my hand as she pulled me to the room. 

Placed against the wall, opposite the bed was a broken mirror dad had salvaged on another of his outing. 

He gifted it to Leila for her twenty-first birthday and had been a part of her memories of him ever since. 

I silently stared at my reflection in the mirror. 

White hair, dark skin with brown eyes, and a relatively fit physique… I looked pretty good. 

"What do you see?... Because what I see in that mirror is a fighter… a guy that, even with the dangers, is still willing to do what it takes to live up to his father's legacy." Leila said smilingly. 

…. Yeah, should I cringe or smile?... It felt good though. 

I already lost dad and Leila was scared to lose me just like I was scared to lose her. 

So I decided… no matter what, I'd protect my family and avenge those taken from me. 

This was my promise!