Page 6 of Light in Your Eyes (Romero Brothers #1)

My hand shoots to my mouth. I can't imagine what Kellan went through. It was tragic.

I don't know how a little boy could recover from that traumatic incident mentally. One would never recover from it.

Cole's jaw tightens, as though he's angry that such tragedy happened and that there's nothing we can do about it. "Kellan accepted that fate, but he can't let go of his grudge. Martial arts help him let out his anger, even so, it's not enough."

My stomach churns with every word coming out of Cole's mouth. I'm starting to doubt if I'm good enough for this job.

"Unfortunately, Jaxon can't look out for him all the time, especially now that most of us have to finish our task in Italy," Cole says with slight guilt in his voice. "Kellan needs someone to take care of him."

I knew that I had to be prepared to give mental support to a person with a disability when I accepted the job, but I didn't expect this kind of story.

"But, why me?" My voice is a whisper, filled with uncertainty. "There are many other applicants who are professionals and might be more qualified to be his helper. Why did you entrust him to me?"

I'm just a girl who is used to taking care of my blind grandmother. I'm nobody compared to professional caregivers.

"I'm not sure. As I said, Jaxon chose you out of the other applicants." Cole leans back against the seat. "He told me that most of them are way older, while he wanted someone around the same age as Kellan to be his friend."

I go silent, shifting my gaze toward the window as I allow my thoughts to wander around the possibility of what may happen.

The longer the journey continues, the more I feel nervous. I've always been optimistic, but something about the surrounding atmosphere—this car, the deserted street around me, and Cole—makes me strangely uncomfortable, as though there's something more of it.

"I hope that you're not changing your mind after hearing my explanation. I'm afraid that it's too late to do that now," Cole's voice echoes beside me.

My heart starts to beat rapidly inside my chest. The rest of the ride is too silent, and there are times I feel Cole's eyes on me, as if he's trying to figure out what kind of person I really am.

The air inside the car feels colder although nobody changes the temperature, and I'm starting to wonder if I'm having either a hallucination or panic attack. Even the street outside seems odd, and the night turns darker.

We're passing an area where the surrounding houses are too big with yards that seem to never end—probably the owners don't even know their neighbors. The longer we continue our journey, there are fewer houses we pass.

Until there is none.

Not only the houses are missing but also the street lamps.

On the other side of the window, it's pitch black. I can't see anything. If it's not for the car headlights illuminating the road in front of us, I'm sure that the driver won't even make it and we will be stuck in this darkness.

My hands are sweaty as I hold them in my lap. My brain and my body are telling me to change my mind. My instinct is warning me that something is wrong with this job and that I shouldn't be here.

But my heart—even though it's racing right now—can't help but think about the young man staying inside this house I will step into.

Lonely.

Blind.

The darkness, just like the one surrounding us now, is the only thing he sees every time he opens his eyes. He doesn't even have any single light to guide him like what we have now to help us through this road.

I look up at the sky through the car window, and even though a sense of comfort washes over me when I find the moon shining through the darkness of the night for all kinds of creatures, my heart breaks because he doesn't even have it, not even just as dimmed as the moon when it's hidden by the clouds.

I know the pain of losing both parents. Even though the wound might heal, we're never going to stop missing them.

Kellan had it worse because it happened so suddenly. They were taken in a blink of an eye.

I know how devastated Nana was when she lost her sight. It was so hard for me and Archer to remind her that it wasn't the end when her world crumbled. Those times were the hardest for our family.

And Kellan also went through all of that. What happened to him was worse.

My heart is telling me to stay. Maybe Kellan and I can indeed be friends. I would be glad to help him have at least one thing—a friend. Just like his brother wants me to be for him.

The car slows down, making a turn. When I look out the window again, my breath catches in my throat.

There before my eyes is a gate so tall. It reminds me of the gate attached to a fortress to block enemies during war.

The car stops, and Cole rolls down the window beside him. He doesn't even have to turn his head to face the guard outside. One second is all that is needed for the guard to bark commands urgently and open the gate. Behind it stands a building that sucks the air in my lungs.

It's definitely not a house.

All I can see is a mansion—the biggest one I've ever seen.

Lights, so many of them, dimmed through the windows.

And cars parked around the driveway. A dozen of them.