Xander Cardin

The town of Linwood, in the city of Cincinnati was always blooming with a positive aura, that emanated from the colourful flowers, that blossomed in the lawn of every single household, attesting to the fact that, the elites of Cincinnati were true lovers of flowers. Even at night when the flowers had buried their heads in the peaceful tranquility of their petals, the queen of the night, Primrose, and other nocturnal flowers, were at hand to spray out their aromatic fumes, with fragrance so beautiful to the senses, even the fireflies came out to dance for them.

These beautiful scenery, and many more made the elites of Cincinnati, fall in love with Linwood even more.

On this cold stormy night, When the fireflies were warm in their chambers, and the Night jasmine had tucked in, their delicate petals, to evade the heavy drops of rain, loud cheers could be heard from the magnificent castle of Baron Alexander, the Famous Cincinnati Billionaire, whose reign as the city's pharmaceutical tycoon was undisputed by all. It was the tenth birthday of Cardin, his only son and heir to Xander empire. The occasion was being graced by elite dignitaries, the least in status, who was the governor of Cincinnati himself. It was laced with top officials from the presidency, ranging from Ministers, Army chiefs, and several Billionaires who were present, in show of solidarity to the young boy and his Billionaire father, who was a popular figure among the elites of the world. The roaring winds and heavy Rains had not deterred the guest from having fun, as loads of rare Champagne, distilled from the era of Napoleon were being served in enormous quantities. Their ongoing price of a million dollar per barrel was no one's headache, as it was served and splashed into the air, by the merry makers. The melodic sounds of classical music, from one of Mozart's record, had found a way to offset the heavy splattering of rain drops, against the castles roof, leaving just a serene melancholy of sounds, that were pleasing to the ears, unless for the occasional wails of thunder, which did, a good job in bringing drunk Billionaires, back to a short stint of soberness, returning them,back to finnese, as it ceased away.

It was now time for Baron Alexander to deliver his speech and also chip in a vote of thanks on behalf of Cardin, who was too introverted to subdue his stage fright. He flashed both of his fingers in the air, not to show off his diamond encrusted ring, but rather to signal Gueta, his personal sound engineer and famous American DJ, to halt the music, while he stood up, to grace the stage.

Looking sharp in his half a million Tuxedo suit, and his feet, balmed in the comfort of his million dollar crocodile shoes, encrusted with diamonds, He magnificently walked to the podium, amidst the cheers of his fellow Billionaires who styled him, as a fashion icon. He stepped on the podium and flashed a hearty smile at his spectators. The radiance of their happy faces, added more glamour to exquisite living room, which was, as big as a standard basketball court . It was adorned with exotic leather chairs, royal English carpets, a dozen chandeliers, that hung majestically from the hand antique painted ceilings, that combined excellent artistry and rare class. The electronics in the living room were the latest technologies from Apple inc, who led the world in the field of gadget. The hall sparkled brightly and generally smelled of musk, which was occasionally nuetalized by the smell of the expensive perfumes and cologne of various guests. So beautiful was the living room, it made many guests to really wonder on what heaven would look like if the parlor of the Baron, was as fulfilling as this. They could only ponder in awe, as they sipped more champagne, in gratitude to the benevolence of their host. The thunderous applause gradually went mild and eventually there was a peaceful silence that awaited the very words of the Baron, who had no problem watching their beautiful faces and luxurious attires.

" Once Again. Good evening ladies and gentlemen. Words would always fail me, in conveying the height of my gratitude to every single one of you for honoring my invitation, and joining me to celebrate the love of my life,and the jewel of my eyes, in person of Cardin Alexander Junior." Said the Baron and pointed his middle aged hand towards Cardin who Sat like a dummy, staring blankly at the guests. He couldn't believe that, the so called party which was supposedly thrown in his honor, was without a single mate of his, in attendance. The bored look on his face was pertinent enough to show his tiredness and irritation towards the whole event. He wondered what sort of birthday celebration his dad had thrown for him when he was the youngest person present. The least person who seniored him at the party was his cousin from Louisiana, who was older than him with about twenty years. None of his school mates were invited as even if they were, they most likely wouldn't have turned up. They saw Cardin as a pompous jerk, while their parents saw the Baron as a dubious go getter who had a high tendency of deploying unethical means to earn his millions.

Cardin yawned, feeling rather tired from his father's speech. It was already past eleven PM and the drowsiness in his system was beginning to get the better side of him. It hurt very much to swallow the fact that yet_again, his birthday had just been another avenue, for his father and his cronies, to meet and discuss all the new strategies to make more money. Deep down the minds of most guests_ they cared nothing about his new age and didn't bother if he failed to live to his next birthday. What mattered to them was safeguarding their ties with the Baron.

Soon the applause was over and the Barron continued with his speech.

" Ever Since Evelyn, Cardin's mum, left me all alone in this cold world. I have strived very hard to be there for my boy as much as I can. When he was born, I promised myself to be the best father in the whole world, a feat which I can proudly say I have lived up to. Hehe." Said The Baron with a soft giggle as he gazed at his son who nodded tiredly in agreement to his father's claim, just to get the old man to end the party in time.

" Being a single parent has not really been easy, especially when one has a lot of business to handle. However I can't be any less grateful for my boy. One don't get a better son than Cardin. I mean the young man is so well behaved , he makes parenting look so easy. Ladies and gentlemen, I do not brag when I say that, i'm yet to see an obedient boy like my little man over there. He may be introverted, yet he cares about me alot. It's just like we share a single heart with this young man. I will like to use this medium to read out a little something I wrote for him. Well, you all know how bad I am with literature. It's a rocket science." He said as the guest giggled at his gesture.

He smile and continued. " Dear Cardin. My son. You have been, and will always remain a priceless gift in my life. Ever since you came into my life, you became my comforter and my best friend. I may be bad at poetry, I may not always take you out to watch the soccer matches you love so much, but I want you to know that,I love you very much son. My prayers for you tonight and forever, is that you shall grow in good health and surpass me in wealth, power, and Wisdom. Your Loving dad. Baron Alexander." Said the Baron, in a tone that stirred up the emotions of everyone present, with an exception of those who were too drunk to comprehend what he had been saying. His Speech had subtly brought out a genuine smile on Cardin's face. He knew his father could be a jerk atimes, going too hard on him, to perform at the top of his capabilities, at every single touchpoint in his life. He was still very glad to have a father, who had no problems with running to the moon and back, just to make him happy. He was doused with expensive gifts and loads of cash that he didn't even need. These words of his father had hit different tonight, as it singled him out, making him feel like a prince in the castle. He gazed at his dad in glee as the applause faded away.

" Oh well. I know I have kept many of you here for too long. Oh my God it's almost twelve o'clock . What a great time we had. We could grow old here and we wouldn't even notice. Hehe. However I want to give the young celebrant the opportunity to come up here and thank you all for attending this glorious occasion in his honor. The young man may not be happy because his cookies _ munching mates are not here to sing any birthday lullabies for him. In the future, he would turn back and and realize that eagles are king of birds because they were trained to fly on the peak of the highest mountains and not over the flowery meadows like butterflies do." Said The Baron as he his last words were met with another loud waves of applause from his guests, who were in support of his notion.

Cardin Smiled and walked slowly to the podium to join his father. At Ten he was almost as tall as the Baron, having taken over his mothers athletic physique. He was a handsome lad who looked fabulous in his outfits, which were a stunning replica to his father's. The applause from the guest had elated him the more and even though he did not really have a speech written down, he didn't care as he felt, a simple "thank you", was effective enough. Just at the instance when Cardin had opened his mouth to speak, there was a piercing knock on the beautiful door which was rather magical to the perceptions of the guests, as it was low pitched yet piercing to the ear drums. The knock was heared again, this time, overshadowing the pelts of raindrops, and the murmuring of the guest in the living room. The sound of the knock brought everyone to a shocking bewilderment, till they turned towards the door of the living room, which led to the compound of the castle.

" That's quite a knock if you all agree with me. Hehe. Relax and feel at home while I check on who it is, that dares to invade our privacy." Said The Baron and headed straight for the gold plated door. He placed his thumb print on the censor scanner, sending the door sliding wide open at the same instance when the lightning, had casted a blinding flash over the castle, Causing all the guest and the Baron himself to shield their eyes, from the intense light of the strike. He opened his eyes immediately and was met with quite a sight , that was shocking to the Baron and everyone who could see.

For a short while, the Baron had cleaned his eyes very quickly to see if it were the gulps of wine, which he had ingested that, were playing tricks on his mind , yet his pupils only dilated to meet a clearer picture of the strange little girl that stood gazing straight at the eyes of the baron, while her reddish brown hair and loose white gown dripped continuously with water as if they had magnetized the whole rain drops to themselves.

" Holy coin.!" Said the Baron and took a few step backwards away from the little girl who seemed to be within the ages of four and five years. Far from her strange timing, it was her appearance and the manner in which she gazed at him in a continuous succession without pausing to blink for a second, that scared him away from her rotund presence. There was murmuring among the guest from those who saw her as they could not fathom if her coming was part of the birthday show or she was just a servant in the castle who was had taken a bath in the rain . Upon noticing that everyone present was looking up to him being the host of the event, he took a deep breath and walked closer to the girl who was very much still under the canopy of the heavy raindrops.

" little one. Who are you and what do you want here.?" Said The Baron in a rather kind tone.

" I am Meredith from Louisiana. My mom sent me up here." Said the little child and stretched forward a piece of nylon bag that encased a hand written letter.

" Oh I see, who is your mother. And who came with you from Louisiana.?" Said the Baron, ignoring the nylon being stretched at him by the little girl who stood gazing at him with a serious scowl. The heavy raindrops kept on splattering her thick red hair in different directions as they had now turned as wet as the raindrops theirself. Her shoes were worn out, showing proof that she had indeed been on the road for a lengthy period.

" Sulan Niboro of Louisville. I came alone." Said the child in the voice of a normal child but with the composure of a wise adult.

" Good gracious come in and leave the rain. I know Sulan. She saved me from a fire outbreak back in high school. I promised to repay her back when ever she needed help." Said the Baron as he quickly collected the Nylon from the hands of the child who walked into the building and starred blankly at the shocked faces of the guest as if though they never existed. Her gaze soon caught those of Cardin who she noticed was the only kid in the gathering and starred thoroughly at him till he looked away in utter fear. She returned her gaze to the Baron who was going through the content of the short letter which was written in the hands of Sulan, his former class mate.

" Meredith. Welcome to Cincinnati. This would be your new home. " Said the baron as he looked at the poor child in a pitiful gaze until she suddenly turned and headed outside the living room into the heavy drops of rain once again.

" Where are you going.? This is your new home. I said.." Stuttered the Baron in a mild show of shock.

" I know. I'm going to get my bag sir." Said Meredith and picked up her wet bag from the wet floor where she had dropped it before heading back inside the living room to stare blankly at the Baron again who was in shock to the strange behavior of the little child.

" Well then. Just in time for dinner. We are about to wrap up the feast. Come here and have a seat on the dining. Please leave your bag over there a maid would come and take it up for you." Said the Baron in a nice tenor and ushered the little girl whose scowl had not changed for a second. It was as if she was indifferent to emotion's of any sort. The guest were still at sea to if they were seeing a drama or not until the baron took a deep breath and began to speak.

" Ladies and gentlemen. Please do me the favor of welcoming Meredith. She is from Louisiana. Her mother is the reason why I am alive today. Many years ago she put her life on the line and saved me from the famous school fire that killed Twelve of my friends. Today she has asked me to take responsibility of her daughter as she is gravely sick and has no one to send the child to but me. Say a prayer for Sulan, I will ring her first thing tomorrow morning." Said the Baron as he pointed to the little child who sat on the chair of the executive dining which had arrays of sumptuous looking delicacies. There was yet another round of murmuring amidst the crowd and was accompanied by a silence which served as their approval to the girls coming. Cardin stood, looking at the scenes unfold as if though he was watching a movie. He could not believe the audacity of the little girl to walk down to his fathers castle and start making claims. Far from her strange appearance. It was the speed in which his father had accepted her that gave him a shock. He looked at her with resentment and felt a hate for the sense of rivalry she dished at him. Yes, he had wished for friends of his age group to come to his party , but never was he expecting the coming of a zombie looking weirdo who he saw as a rival and nothing more. Meredith sat gazing heavily at the roasted pork thigh that lay on radiant silver tray.

" You should be cold and hungry. Would you like to change into a dry clothing and then have dinner." Said the Baron with a smile at Meredith.

" I am not cold and I am hungry. I will like to eat if I can and wear dry clothes later." Said Meredith as her eyes still focused on sumptuous pork thigh.

"Oh my. Please eat then. Feel free to eat whatever you like on the table." Said the Baron with a tipsy

Smile.

" Thank you sir." Said Meredith and grabbed up the thigh in great speed before sinking her canines into it in a wild manner that gave most onlookers a chill in their spine. Undeterred by their facial disapproval of her table manners. Meredith went ahead to maul the chunk of flesh so passionately that she had began to snarl and growl like a dog before she had realized that she was no longer at Louisiana but now within strangers in a whole new city.

" I will change my clothing and sleep now. I am tired." Said Meredith and stood up, before walking towards The Baron and coming to halt before him like merciful Zombie.

" See the stairs over there. There is a room by the left. You can sleep there for the night before we get you settled.

" Okay ." said Meredith and made a U turn , heading for the stares. She was already almost on the stairs when she paused for a while as if trying to recall something . She slowly turned back and headed to side of the door and took hold of her wet deer skin bag before turning again and headed for the room upstairs.

" Ladies and gentlemen. Don't be too startled by the brilliant show by my niece. She is definitely, the next big thing in Hollywood." Said The Baron and burst out laughing while most of the guest joined in the laugh.

" Man. You really get us there. That girl almost made me piss my pants away. Till now , I believed she came from the land of the dead. Damn ! She's so good." Said a fellow Billionaire who now felt at ease with his new light of knowledge.

" she's really a great actress. I will enroll her in the New York school academy of acting." Said The Baron as he headed back to give his vote of thanks.

No sooner than the last guest had left, did Baron Alexander hurry up to check on Meredith and this time to engage her in the new dimension of events. With the letter still in his hands he hurried upstairs and didn't find it difficult to locate the room which Meredith had entered as the door was not shut. He rushed inside and found the little girl fast asleep with her clothes still wet . He took a blanket and covered the child to shield her from the cold before leaving the room, with the door still open to prevent her from thinking she had been kidnapped, when she finally woke.

The next morning was quick to come, and it was time for the Baron to initiate a formal introduction . He sat in front of his giant LED Television , watching a repeat broadcast of a match between houston and Cleveland. Next to him was Cardin who Sat with a scowl on his face while he paid a keen attention to the match. Meredith sat by a sofa near the Baron as she starred at the giant screen. She was wearing an oversized sweater which had been given to her by Cardin under the instructions of his father. A dozen number of people, mostly workers, stood in wait for the Baron to speak.

" Good morning ladies and gentlemen. I have gathered you all here to introduce you to a new member of the household. She is the daughter of one of my best friends from my days in the in high school. Her name is Meredith and she should be accorded respect and hospitality. Is that clear.?" Asked the Baron with an air of majesty.

" Yes sir it's clear. Welcome to Linwood miss Meredith." Said Jetrude the head maid, who was very much elderly. She had been in the castle long before even the Baron himself was born as she had witnessed three Generations of the Alexander family. She had been brought to the castle as a young child when she was probably around the age of two and had been servings them with uncompromised loyalty.

" Meredith can you stand for a while let the workers see you." Said

The Baron in a soft tenor.

" Yes I can." Said the child and sprang to her feet while she hawked her gaze from one face to the other .

" Great . You may sit down. And you all may go. " Said the Baron while he gestured to the workers to return to their various duties leaving just the three of them in the parlor.

" Meredith. I had wanted to ask you some questions yesterday to cure my bafflement, but I concluded you will be in a better state of mind to answer me today. This is my son Cardin. It was his tenth years birthday which we had been celebrating last night, when you gate crashed Into the building. How did you manage to get here alone all the way from Louisiana.?' Said the Baron in a rather surprised tone.

" I walked sir." Said Meredith looking sternly at the Baron while she stood.

" Please sit down my dear. You walked on feet to Cincinnati.? How long have you been traveling." Said the Baron in shock.

" One week , one day, and seven hours sir." Said Meredith as she sat down on the Sofa and returned her gaze to the giant television screen. Both the Baron and Cardin locked eyes for a while in shock before the Baron sighed deeply and continued with his questions.

" You mean you walked on your legs to Linwood.?" Said the Baron to clear his curiosity.

" Yes I did. I have a map. My mother gave it to me. I travelled through the night it's faster. My friends in the woods sometimes gave me a ride. " Said Meredith in a carefree manner as she kept on gazing at the moving pictures on the TV screen.

" What friends are those." Said Cardin, who was breaking his silence for the first time all morning.

" The ..." said Meredith and paused for a while staring at Cardin , before Staring at the Baron. She hawked her gaze around the alluring parlor and made up her mind to say nothing.

" would you like to tell us who your friends that gave you the lift are.? " said The Baron with a smile.

" No sir." Said Meredith in carefree manner and returned her full attention to the television she had been watching.

" Wow. You are really a strange child. So tell me , why did your mother ask you to come down here to Linwood." Said the Baron in calm tone as he smiled at her.

" Because she is gravely ill and may die soon. She said she saved your life many years ago and wants you to save mine." Said Meredith without looking at the Baron.

"Is all alright in Louisiana.? What made her so sick. And why didn't she come along with you." Said Cardin in his tone that was laden with surprise.

" All is not well at Louisiana. My mother was poisoned by Lord Bircan the dark lord. She doesn't know but I know he did. He claims to love her . He only wants to kill her. I think she knew what he was up to and sent me down here to evade his clutch. She said to me . Meredith, take your bag and this letter here . Migrate down to Linwood in Cincinnati. Something big is coming and you are too precious to be left alone in Louisiana. I will be here to wade off the attention of this horror. Leave immediately before they find you." That was what my mother said to me as she cried and hugged me tightly." Said Meredith and her face fell in sadness just to think her mother had been in distress when she had to leave.

" I will call the police immediately. I never knew she was in danger. Where In Louisiana do you and your mother stay. " said the Baron and picked up his Apple phone from the alluring glass table.

" Danteville sir. My mom works In the vineyard of the Dark lord. He is no good. I see the way he looks at me. He is just bad. We stay in the workers quarters. Just a single room for me and my mom." Said Meredith as she starred at the floor in thoughts of her mother.

" How old are you. You don't speak like a child." Said the Baron as he dialed a phone number, directed at the sheriff of Danteville.

" Five years old sir." Said Meredith and returned her gaze to the television.

" Yes Hello sir. I'm calling from Linwood Cincinnati. This is Baron Alexander. Please a lady named Sulan Niboro of one of the vineyards in your county may be in danger. Can you help me locate her and perhaps put a call to me so I can speak with her." Said the Baron in a modest tone.

" Good morning sir. Did you say Sulan Niboro a vineyard worker.?" Asked the Sheriff.

" yes sir. Exactly. Tall and has a reddish brown hair with a heavy blue gaze." Said the Baron in a succession of breaths.

" Well sir I am sorry to announce to you that Miss Sulan Niboro was found dead in her apartment two weeks ago. Her daughter of five has been missing and we have been on the search for her. We believe she may have been murdered as autopsy results have showed a high level of cyanimide in her blood. It's only lethal when consumed in large quantities. If it was not a suicide, then I believe she had been gradually poisoned over time and her killer is someone she knows and trust very much." Said Sheriff.

" My goodness. That's really sad. Okay please perform a detailed investigation and get back to me with your findings. Thanks for your cooperation sir." Said the Baron and hang the phone while his eyes went moist in sadness. It met the heavy blue gaze of Meredith who sat looking fully at his eyes to decipher the meaning of his new look.