The following morning came, and like the previous day, Nana's voice boomed into the room, following a series of banging on the door. "Mason! Mason!! Come on, wake up!" she shouted.
"This goddamn brat again! Let me SLEEEEP!" Mason recoiled. "Mummy didn't send us any errands today, leave me alone!"
But his words fell on deaf ears; Nana's voice continued to thunder into the room relentlessly. "Something has happened!" she said.
Finally, Mason's patience wore thin, and he stormed toward the door, opening it up to reveal Nana's widening smile.
"What do you want!? It's 6:25 a.m. Why are you disturbing me?" he grumbled.
"Good news! We're no longer packing out anymore. We're now the owners of the house!" Nana revealed enthusiastically.
"What happened?" Mason frowned as he rubbed the sleep from his eyes.
"The landlady's daughter came this morning and made my parents sign the documents of the house. She said someone bought it on our behalf," Nana explained. "Isn't that good news?"
"She's here already?" Mason exclaimed.
"Were you expecting her?"
"Not… really. Just surprised, that's all."
"Go put on some clothes and come out, it's a good day!" Nana said, her eyes glinting with delight as she turned around and gambolled off.
Mason's frustration subsided, and he raised the edge of his lips into a smile. "Good to see you smile like that, little sister," he muttered and went back in to throw on a shirt.
As Mason got out of his room, he appeared in Mr. Robinson's workshop. As usual, his job was to get up at 8 every morning and open the shop for another business day.
After cleaning the shop, he got to the entrance and turned on the light, bathing the room in a warm glow that sparkled on the arrays of clocks arranged for sale.
He stepped out and took a quick look at the shop again to make sure everything was set. On top of the shop's door was a banner displaying 'Robinsons Clockwork Repair and Sales'. He smiled in satisfaction and ambled to the other side, where the family resides.
"Good morning," he greeted as he entered the house.
"Good morning, darling," Mrs. Robinson responded, her happiness palpable as she began to set the table for breakfast. "Do you sleep well?"
Mason nodded. "Yes, Mom, I slept like a baby."
"Like a baby? My foot! It's more difficult to wake you up than a koala," Nana's voice came from behind as she helped her mom set the table.
Mason glared contemptuously at her, and he turned to Mrs. Robinson, feigning ignorance.
"Mom, is it true that the landlady's daughter came this morning and gave us the house?"
Mrs. Robinson turned to Nana and smirked. "I guess it's true that news travels faster when it's spread by a lazy person. The whole town must be aware of it already."
Nana's hand shot up in defence. "I only told Mason. I haven't gone out of the compound today," she protested.
"Maybe you should've, and make sure you don't forget to take a megaphone while going, okay?" Mrs. Robinson said.
"Mom! Do you think I'm talkative?" Nana winced.
"We don't think, we know you are," Mason intervened.
"Do you have a death wish?!" Nana lashed out at him, her eyes burning with contempt.
"Come on, guys, let's eat. Today is a good day," Mrs. Robinson's voice pierced the tension. "Nana, go and call your dad."
"There's no need for that, I'm here already," Mr. Robinson said as he came out of his room and stepped into the sitting room. "Aren't you going to work today?"
Mrs. Robinson shook her head. "Nurses must rest too on weekends. I took yesterday and today off. We should celebrate today."
The family settled down at the dining table to eat, and as Mason watched the happiness on their faces, he couldn't help but feel relieved. Selling my necklace was worth it after all, he thought to himself. But the thought of the necklace's incredible price still lingered.
How can a necklace be worth so much money?
Was it because of its power to protect its bearer?
Or could what Shoko said about the necklace not from this world be true?
But that's not something to worry about any longer. The necklace is gone, along with its mystery. It's time to let go of the past and start his life afresh without the necklace. After all, he has gotten what everyone else has: a family. And not just any family, but one who cared and loved him like their own.
***
After some time, Mason got out of the house and went to Raymond's apartment, only to see him waiting outside. As he saw Mason, he let out a deep breath.
"I was just about to go see you. What are you doing here already?" Mason asked.
"Waiting for you, of course. I can't hold my nervousness any longer, so I came," Raymond replied. "Wait a moment, let me prepare myself."
"Prepare for what?"
"For what you're going to ask in return for what you did for us yesterday. I know it's something I mustn't decline," Raymond said.
"You guys already signed the documents, I presume?" Mason asked.
Raymond nodded, steeling himself for what Mason's demand was. "Now ask away, I'm ready."
Mason smiled and patted him on the shoulder. "There's no need for that intensity. Open your eyes and look at me," he said, and Raymond obliged. "What I want is not that difficult. Make me look handsome."
There's a moment of silence as Raymond pressed his knuckles against his lips in thought, scanning Mason's face for any sign of mirth or deceit. Finally, he sighed when he found none.
"That's… what you want?" he muttered, his eyes narrowing. "For real?"
Mason nodded. "That's all. Just make me a good-looking guy."
Raymond smiled in relief and stared at Mason for a while again in silence.
"First, let's go get you a haircut," he whispered at last, and he led Mason toward the other side of the town.
Mason first branched at Shoko's shop to collect some cash before following Raymond into a salon. As they entered, Mason sat down, while Raymond did the talking with the barber, pointing to one of the images on the wall portraying the kind of hairstyle he wanted Mason to have.
The barber set to work, while Raymond sat down on the customer's chair, taking in the view of the ladies in the room, who were having their hair dressed.
Mason watched in nervousness as the barber cut a magnitude of hair from his head. He's never had this much hair cut from him before; Mrs. Robinson had always been meticulous while trimming it for him.
When he couldn't bear it any longer, Mason closed his eyes. Whatever the result is, it will be seen when his hair is fully done. A few minutes later, the barber tapped him, notifying him that he was good to go. Mason slowly opened his eyes, his heart pounding in curiosity.
Finally, Mason's eyes fell on his reflection in the mirror, and his eyes widened in disbelief. His heart now beats relentlessly as if it's going to pop out of his chest.
"Is this really me?" A gasp escaped his lips.
Meanwhile, Raymond noticed the attention of the ladies drifting from the mirror in front of them to their left side. Even their hairdressers have long lost their focus and their eyes, now widening as if they'd seen a ghost.
Raymond, now curious, traced their gaze, and his eyes finally landed on a familiar boy standing up from the swivel chair.
"Is this really me?" the boy asked, staring at Raymond, who was too dumbfounded to speak. He opened his mouth, but no word came out.
"Is that you, Mason?" he finally managed to mutter.
The boy nodded. "Something has happened to me, right?" he stuttered.
"Oh my God! Mason! What have you become?"