How to Make a Sinner Sleep - Chapter 54: Chapter 54

Attics, one could argue, was the sole destination for horror stories and murders. Kaden, versed in the topic of murders, would agree.
A dark and gloomy space that people didn't frequent often, and wouldn't notice the corpse until the body started to rot The wooden floors emitted the scent of flesh, and the buzz of flies started to crowd together.
As for horror stories, he hadn't read enough of them.
He should find a time to read some... he was never too interested in books before, spending time forcing himself to read late into the night until his eyes strained, and his nose bled.
All to study for the hope of respect he was never given.
Tap, tap.
Noah's fingers tapped the side of the wall, an echo in Kaden's ears as he turned, pulled away from his depressing thoughts.
The dragon murmured in Kaden's ear, standing close with the crowd of them who had wandered into the room. He was always the first to notice the glaze over Kaden's eyes, the distant, gloomy shades the green took.
"What're you thinking?"
Kaden pursed his lips and answered a half-truth. "That I should read more."
"Genre?"
"Horror? Or at least, I'd like to try a few, maybe."
The dragon hummed, a low sound from the back of his throat, as if debating all the options in his mind. "There's a library in town." He said, and then added nothing more as he waited.
Kaden took the hint, and the corners of his lips tugged. "Are you wanting me to ask you on a little library date, darling dragon?"
"I was thinking of inviting you to the library, yes." nodded the dragon without a flicker of expression. "Aren't you the one who assumed it was a date?"
"What—"
"Do you want to go on a date with me, Chauvet?"
Kaden opened his mouth and closed it again. He suddenly registered their proximity, and that the other three had long crawled up the attic, leaving only the two of them.
He was a little frustrated. Who taught the dragon to talk back? Noah used to just glare at him with immense irritation or disgust, in silence, might he add.
As if sensing Kaden's mood, amusement creased the corners of Noah's gaze. It was a subtle change, a light flicker, but Kaden saw it and grew more annoyed.
"What terrible person is teaching you their wrong, unsightly ways, Bellamy?"
Noah raised an eyebrow, simply stating a single word. "You."
"What? I wouldn't speak in such a frivolous manner."
Then, as Kaden was protesting, a head poked out of the attic ceiling, a pair or eyes that were annoying and cheerful. Slowly, Niklas swept his fingers over a piece of plain stone—or what appeared to be a regular rock.
Kaden heard his voice ring out. It was a compilation of his 'darling dragon,' and 'dearest Bellamy,' and more, 'dears,' 'Bellamys,' and 'darlings,' that all sounded coquettish and flirtatious when condensed together.
'My dearest Bellamy— Bellamy— Bellamy—' Kaden's own voice echoed, and he felt red hot shame flare at the tips of his ears, and the back of his neck.
"....." Noah tilted his head at Kaden.
"Heh." Niklas curved his eyes.
"....." Kaden turned away to stare at the skies outside.
He solemnly eyed the window, debating the likelihood of escaping if he jumped out in that instant.
Then, deciding he was used to being ashamed of himself, and there was really no point feeling embarrassed since he would likely embarrass himself again later, he cleared his throat.
"Is there something wrong with that?" He wondered confidently, though refusing to meet Noah's fixated gaze. "I'm expressing my adoration for my good friend."
"Oho~" whistled Niklas, purposely high pitched. "And where are my words of love? I'll have you know, my love language is words of affirmation."
Kaden raised his chin to the pair of peeking eyes. "Words of affirmation? Do you really want me to whisper sweet words to you?"
In a deadbeat and emotionless voice, he said, "My dearest, most charming, beautiful and precious Niklas, in your silence, you truly paint the most handsome man, it's a shame that the illusion shatters when you open your red, luxurious lips—"
"No! Stop—!" screeched Niklas with great disgust, dropping out of the attic ceiling and landing on the ground with a thud. He groaned in pain.
Kaden looked down on him with eyes of a dead fish, as if wondering, 'are you an idiot?'
"First, don't look at your precious friend like that." chided the man on the ground, rubbing his sore limbs. "Second, my lips are not red, they're more of a washed out pink. Pay a little more attention to the details!"
"...that was your main problem?"
"Well, there's a third problem, too." Niklas pointed accusingly. "Weren't you basically insulting me with flowery words?"
"I was complimenting your looks."
"Don't you know? Recently, it's all about human rights. No person, man or woman, wants to be told that they're prettier when they're quiet. Especially women, Kaden. There's been a large issue with that."
"And what are you?"
"Are you implying I don't have rights?"
"Human rights, you said?" Kaden looked at him squarely. "Are you human?"
A loud snort of laughter escaped the ceiling above, and it was Holly's turn to slip out of the attic with amusement.
"Now, now, Kaden. Niklas, the creature that he is, was right about what he said."
Kaden nodded. "Don't worry, Holly. I would be more than thrilled to engage in an endless conversation with you or Nicola, than to hear a word from Niklas. I'll listen to whatever you have to say."
"Hm~ how obedient~ I'll hold you to that in the future."
Niklas looked aghast. "Where's all the love for me that you promised?"
"At what point did I make a promise? I don't make promises I can't keep."
Niklas only looked further offended at Kaden's words, clutching his heart in deep pain before he staggered into a stand, slumping his shoulders. Mimicking a sulking dog in the rain, he slunk off to the attic.
Holly snickered as she called out, "Careful, Kaden! He's more clingy when he'd sorrowful."
"Excuse me," said Niklas from above. "Have some sympathy for the defeated?"
"What? No."
Holly and Niklas continued to exchange back and forth insults as Kaden laughed under his breath. When he turned his head, he felt Noah's piercing gaze settled on him.
He stiffened for a second, before reaching to climb into the attic.
"Beauty first," he said, waiting for the other to enter.
Noah observed the attitude of pretending not to be nervous, and a slight of a smile angled his thin lips. He walked over, leaning against the wall. "Then you should enter."
Kaden's eyebrows shot up high. "Are you calling me beautiful?"
Noah crossed his arms lazily, arrogance radiating from his leaning form. Amusement gathered in the depths of his deep, black gaze. Slowly, he enunciated two words in a low drawl. "You're beautiful."
In seconds, Kaden had escaped upstairs.
Noah shook his head with a sigh, moving to follow behind. A sly fox that liked to tease, but wasn't used to being teased.
'What a fool.' thought the dragon, not without affection.
Kaden coughed when he stepped into the attic, brushing the cobwebs out of his eyes. A cloud of dust kicked up, and with nowhere to go, clotted the air. Nicola covered her coughs with a laced handkerchief, walking over to the windowsill.
Covering her hands with the top of her sleeve, she drew the heavy curtains. Everybody coughed simultaneously as sunlight rained into the room, breaking through the dust.
"There. That's a little easier to see, isn't it?" smiled Nicola, clapping her hands in satisfaction as she bent down to rummage through boxes fearlessly.
Niklas glanced over at Kaden, winking. "Don't you love fearless people? How incredible."
Nicola heard Niklas' loud whispers and laughed. "Am I fearless for being able to draw the curtains?"
"Well, considering I didn't draw them out of fear of being viciously attacked by a hiding spider or roach, yes, yes, you are."
"Right!" agreed Holly, peering at the grounds with a scrunch of her nose. "I swear I saw a spider scurry along somewhere earlier. Nicola, you'll be on spider killing, catching, however you want to do it, duty!"
"Very well, Holly."
Holly grinned at Nicola's gentle and trustworthy affirmation.
The space was cramped, cluttered with closed boxes, long sealed away. Nicola rummaged through the nearest clutters, preferring to start from the front and move to the end.
Niklas had adopted an odd method of waving his hands around, and deciding as if told by the universe, ripping a box or a covered pile of items open. Holly specifically chose completely sealed boxes, sticking like glue to Nicola in fears of more bugs.
Kaden stood by the window, gazing outside for several seconds. The position of the window was slightly crooked, bothering him slightly.
He turned his gaze away, because things that were bothersome were better avoided, and debated where to start his search. It wasn't a large space, and three had already found their positions in the junk.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he saw the standing stem of a wilted flower. Dried out and withered, covered with a layer of dust from where it protruded through a blanket.
Kaden tilted his head, frowning. The boxes were towered high, and he had to squeeze his body between an old coat rack and a stack of packages.
He ducked under a low ledge, further into the darkness.
His hands hesitated around the flower, before gently grabbing the dried and roughly textured flower. It seemed on the verge of crumbling, stubbornly persisting in its survival.
After carefully placing it to the side, he tugged the blanket. It was hooked under the woven basket, and he struggled to tear it off.
It flung off, and a huge cloud of ash rose. Kaden swung his hand over his mouth, violently coughing as tears welled in his eyes, his throat and nose burning, and his eyes red with pain.
Blinking furiously, he swiped away at the ash on his face, trying to lower his coughs to not alarm the others.
However, what he didn't realize, was that his muffled coughs sounded less like somebody who'd encountered a storm of dust, and more like somebody choking and sobbing.
"Kaden?" Nicola called out, already moving over.
"Hey, are you dying?" yelled Holly with worry, dropping the rounded ball she was playing with as navigating through the items.
Niklas and Noah hadn't even said a word, wordlessly moving the towering stack of boxes over without any hesitation, placing themselves by Kaden's side. Kaden squinted through his blurred vision, a little speechless.
Noah had seamlessly moved the heavy items—Kaden knew they were heavy because he'd bumped into them while attempting to squeeze back.
Niklas had directly shoved it to the side, though somehow managing not to break anything—or at least Kaden hadn't heard anything crack or snap.
"What's wrong? Kaden, are you okay?" Niklas was like a loyal dog where Kaden had crouched down instinctively, hovering around. "Hey, hey, you don't want to die with all of us do you? I just know that's the last thing you'd want."
In between his hacking, Kaden scowled. "I'm— cough— not— cough, cough— not dying! Du— cough— dust! It got in—"
"For a not dying man, you sound pretty terrible."
"Re— cough— ally? I didn't— cough— know."
"Not to bother you, but it's a little hard to understand you through the coughing. What did you say?"
Kaden glared at him as if to state, 'I can't really help you there, can I?'
On the other side, the dragon had observed the exchange quietly, making no comments. He'd immediately dropped what he was doing, and before he could process it, he'd already reached Kaden's side.
Noah couldn't place a reason, but hearing the muffled choking that Kaden was clearly trying to hide, it made him madly irritated.
Why did that fool always try to pretend to be okay?
If there were twelve things to dislike about Kaden Chauvet, three would be his insistence on managing everything alone, no matter how minor, no matter how severe.
For something as simple as coughing from dust, why did he have to try to hide even that? As if scared a mere cough would bother them.
He quietly raised out a hand to help Kaden up, though he didn't directly move, aware of Kaden's adversity to touch. Kaden coughed again, pulling himself up as he leaned against Noah's body for a few seconds.
"What was that?" asked Kaden tiredly, after coughing his lungs out. He heaved, still feeling bits of dust up his nose and down his throat.
Noah waited for Kaden to recover from the surprise, bracing one arm loosely around Kaden's waist to keep the man steady, while his other hand reached out to tilt the basket towards them.
At the bottom, a pile of dust and fragments of unknown things remained.
All were rotted or deteriorated, bones and ash. More than the mystery of it, it gave a tragic, sorrowful feeling. Petals that had crumbled, leaves that were only skeletons of what they once were, all broken whether whole, or in pieces.
Niklas startled, frowning. "What sort of thing are these..."
Holly poked her head over. "Hello? Are you guys alright?"
"We've found an odd basket... why would anybody keep..." Then, Niklas lifted his thoughtful gaze and saw a pair of thick leather gloves on Holly's hands. "...Why are you wearing those?"
"Don't they look fashionable?"
"I'm not sure putting unknown materials over your hands is wise?"
"Oh, come on, you would do it too, wouldn't you?"
Niklas debated it and nodded. "Yeah, I would."
Holly smiled in satisfaction as she pulled the gloves off, turning it over in her hands. "It's actually quite amazing. The quality is very good, though it's rather thick and a little restraining to wear. It's as if designed as a barrier or armour rather than merely to keep your fingers warm.
"Armour?" muttered Kaden, and Noah who was directly behind him heard his spoken thoughts. "Ash and dust, broken fragments..."
He glanced at Noah, and the dragon gazed at him with the same contemplation.
"The journal." They said simultaneously with a new understanding.
However, it was too quick to draw a conclusion from so few clues. Overconfidence led people to miss out on finer details.
The exploration through the attic continued, and several more boxes or baskets of ashes and broken chunks of various objects were uncovered. Kaden strayed further into the maze of clutter, to the very back where the light from the window was fleeting.
A large frame stood, the flicker of light gliding over it as a corner of the golden frame gleamed in Kaden's eyes.
A heavy cloth was weighted over it, set in place. Kaden had the feeling it was something not to be removed, something necessary to remain in place. That is had been covered up with the intention of being forgotten.
But if somebody really wanted to forget something, they would throw it away, not hide it. Hiding meant they were scared of seeing it again.
Transfixed, he reached his hand out to grab the cloth.
One swift tug, and it tumbled to the ground with a heavy thud. Dust kicked up in the air again, and Kaden coughed, frowning as it cleared. Noah lightly tugged him back a step from the dust cloud, waving his hand to brush away any lingering remains.
"A portrait." Noah, who'd been nearby the entire time, drew closer.
His rich black gaze reflected the image, scrutinizing every loving stroke, every line that made the painting as if he'd done it himself.
It depicted a serene lake, water still and unmoving, as towering trees with luxurious leaves surrounded. A woman stood close, smiling gently at the painter, a baby carefully tucked into her arms, swaddled in fabric.
She was beautiful, in the way she was immortalized in paint. But that wasn't what Kaden noticed. No, he noticed the feature that they both shared.
A pair of leather gloves encasing her exposed hand. As if that detail were important to be captured, a necessary part of the woman to portray.
Past the stacked boxes, Noah took a step closer to examine the painting. The faint light from the window rested over half his face, the other half hidden. The dragon's voice simmered, low in their quiet as he skimmed the messy scribbles at the corner of the painting.
"To my dearest Adrianna."