Syndedeménos (Connected)

CHAPTER 18

Just like the previous day, Keenan would be around the parking lot as everyone gathered in the dining room to pray. The bag that Aquila was carrying was placed beside his feet, while Keenan gazed at the busy morning scene a few dozen meters below his position. Then Keenan's thoughts were distracted when there was a loud voice from behind his back. There was no need to turn around, Keenan already knew that the voice came from a little girl who always tried to accompany him wherever he went. Usually Keenan would just have to wait for Mary to pull up his shirt and show him a smile.

But today there was another figure that attracted Mary's attention more than Keenan, namely a woman who was sitting on an aqua motorbike with her fingers never leaving her cellphone. Feeling the little girl wasn't approaching him, Keenan turned his body from its original position to the sound direction he heard. His gaze immediately focused on the two girls who seemed to be talking around a parked motorbike. And as usual Mary would issue movement after movement characteristically when telling stories. As if the little girl's face could not describe her joy so she had to give expressiveness on her hand.

As Keenan watched Aquila and Mary from a distance, the two girls glanced at him. Then Mary spoke again expressively while looking at Aquila, while Aquila was still looking at Keenan with a sharp look. Knowing that he was most likely being talked about by the two girls who were ten meters in front of him, Keenan was increasingly convinced that Pygmy was also doing the same thing as Mary. Telling everything they know about Keenan's behavior to Aquila.

Keenan sighed loudly in thinking about his condition. In the midst of his busy schedule in preparing his appointment as manager for next week, Keenan spent time thinking about how to get out of this building. Keenan's eyes also looked at the motorbike beside Aquila and Mary. It occurred to Keenan to take the motorbike away. But a kîdnapper like Aquila couldn't be careless enough to leave her motorbike key in her vehicle. Even if Keenan managed to snatch the key from Aquila, he might be shot on the spot.

Keenan's focus shifted from the motorbike to the vast land that lay in front of him. A large parking lot and a building used for residence. It had never occurred to him that more than twenty humans could live in a place like this.

“Beds, toilets, equipment are shared. Restricted use of water. Can't access electronics… but why would they…”

Keenan's words stopped at the end of the sentence and then he asked trivial things that might never have crossed his mind. No matter how hard Keenan tried to find an answer, he still didn't understand why almost all the children here could have a happy face like Mary. Even if they fought with each other and made a fuss, not a single child would actually put on a sad face.

Why should I think about them? Come on, Keenan. It's not like you usually have a hard time focusing like this.

Keenan shook his head to change the focus of his thoughts. It's been two days and there has been no sign of help from those closest to him. Keenan finally decided to take a little risk in his plan. He intended to take action once Pygmy returned and there was no Aquila in this building. But someone who came disturbed Keenan's mind again.

Keenan saw a woman walking from the emergency stairs with a cellphone stuck to his ear. On the other hand Keenan looked at Aquila and the woman was also on a phone call. The two of them seemed to be making phone calls to each other as they both looked at each other from a distance.

The figure who had just arrived on the floor was a woman with long hair wearing a simple outfit with a suitcase being pulled beside her. When the woman saw Keenan, she lowered her cellphone and walked over to Keenan confidently.

"I'm grateful young master Keenan is fine."

"You don't need to call me young master anymore, Thalia."

Although Keenan's tone sounded cynical in Thalia's ears, the woman still smiled. On the other hand Keenan didn't show a surprised face at all. Ever since he had received the bag containing the equipment Thalia had prepared, Keenan had sensed something was wrong with the maid who had served him before the accident. Based on Keenan's principle of disliking coincidences, he immediately suspected Thalia at the time.

Seeing the person she had been waiting for walked towards Keenan, Aquila immediately approached two people looking at each other in the corner of the parking lot. When she saw Aquila approaching her, Thalia turned and lowered her head then smiled. Keenan was still leaning against the wall and observing the two women who were now in front of him. Thalia was so feminine and smiling, while Aquila was a bit tomboyish and cold. Despite their vastly different appearances, the two of them both caused Keenan to feel uncomfortable.

"You must be the one named Aquila, right?"

"Rex must have reminded you of the do's and don'ts," said Aquila, ignoring Thalia's friendliness. And it seemed that Thalia also didn't care about the cold attitude displayed by Aquila because Thalia didn't remove the smile on her face.

"I just wanted to let young master Keenan know that Mr George and Miss Karen are doing well. When I put it like this, nothing seems to have crossed the line, right, Miss Aquila?"

"After you guys are done talking, I'll be waiting for you in the dining room. And don't make small talk by calling me like that," Aquila said to Thalia as she turned around and walked towards the dining room. It was clear that Aquila wasn't happy with Thalia's speech, which seemed like Thalia was deliberately talking about something that was almost over the line.

"I agree with her. If you're already involved with them, why are you speaking so formally?"

"I'll still treat you as my superior, young master. If you don't mind, I'll still call you young master Keenan if it's just the two of us."

"Who is Rex? And what does that have to do with you two?"

"I can't tell you, young master. Just let Aquila tell you. I just wanted to tell you not to worry and follow the plan that was given to you. You will return to your home in time."

"You know my current position right? Am I the one who will take it easy with all the things that have happened to me all this time?"

"Yes, I'm just trying to calm you down as best I can, young master. I'll excuse myself first."

Thalia bowed to Keenan as a sign of respect as she asked for permission to leave. Keenan didn't respond. Even though he had expected it, Keenan still felt betrayed by his own employees and seeing Thalia still consider him an employer made him uncomfortable.