The Everlasting Year

By: Marethio Yanri

It all started on a cloudy Tuesday—It was the start of February, the skies were dark grey, but not a single drop of rain fell. Having just finished a troublesome commission the day before, Arden woke up late. When he realised the time, his first reaction was not panic, he simply sighed.

“Mr Damian is going to give me a mouthful…” he muttered, pinching the bridge of his nose as he rubbed his eyes with his fingers.

It had only been a month since Arden started his job as a bodyguard, yet that single month had already taken a toll on him. His shoulders ached from constantly being alert, add to that the sounds of constant snaps and barks of his insufferable clients still echoed in his ears. His job was simple, keep his clients safe, yet he often found himself wanting to harm his own clients due to their arrogant remarks. Regardless, he pushed through, the pay was decent and with his sharp senses, it was easy keeping his clients safe.

Though tired, he still had to go to work that day. He left his apartment with heavy steps and took off with his bicycle. Arden works for a private security agency, the office was close by, but going there with a bicycle was still a work out. After what felt like an eternity, he finally arrived at the office, legs aching. The office building was slim as it was only a one block property, it had a second floor to compensate. The walls were just painted recently, but the building's age still showed through the white paint. The first floor had an all glass wall, making the reception table visible from the outside. As Arden parked his bike, he noticed a group of three standing in front of the reception table through the glass door.

Two of the visitors were wearing a simple suit, their postures alert, keeping watch on their surroundings. They stood close to the man wearing a white shirt with a striped maroon vest on top. Arden thought that he recognised the man but he couldn't remember where, the man's eyes were sunken and faint wrinkles hinted at his age. But his sharp features, he had a grey slicked back hair, well groomed mustache and tall posture gives him the look of a distinguished gentleman rather than that of a typical old man.

Arden's superior, Mr Damian, was standing behind the reception table. He looked quite troubled by the three visitors. Seeing this, Arden decided that he would sneak past the group to avoid the hassle. He carefully opened the glass door, making sure not to make a single sound. Mr Damian did not notice Arden coming in the room, he was too distracted by the visitors, using this opportunity, Arden lengthened his strides in an attempt to stay quiet. He walked a bit further from the group, just as he was about to take the stairs, he was spotted by the old man. 

“You, young man!” The old man said, “Forgive me for asking, but would you mind telling me your age?”

The question confused Arden for a moment, he stood still on the third step of the stairs for a second. “I'm… twenty one years old" He hesitantly answered.

“Around the same age, I want him to be the bodyguard!” The old man said to Mr Damian.

“But, Sir. Arden is still a new recruit, we can't just send him as a lone bodyguard.”

“I told you before, one bodyguard is enough.” The old man said, his tone noticeably annoyed.

Confused about the conversation, Arden spoke out.

“I'm sorry, what are we talking about here?” The question stopped their banter and turned their head to Arden who was still on the stairs.

“Ah, forgive me for not introducing myself” the old man took off his hat and pressed it gently against his chest. “My name is Wight Rosenberg. I am here to hire a bodyguard for my daughter.”

The name Wight Rosenberg sparked a light in Arden's memory as he had heard of that name before. Wight Rosenberg, the country's minister of Economic Affairs. He rose to power following the economic collapse fifteen years ago. His policies remedied the crisis and brought stability to the country, not only that, he has on numerous occasions passed policies that benefit the lower class citizens, making him one of the few public figures to be revered by the masses.

Mr Wight requested only a single bodyguard for his daughter, though she has never made an official public appearance, she is still a target of interest for those who oppose Mr Wight. This set off a lot of alarm bells in Arden's mind, surely a single inexperienced bodyguard like him wouldn't be enough for this mission. 

He hesitated for a moment, and softly answered “I'm sor-” but Mr Wight did not hear him and interrupted Arden. “Please, I'll compensate you accordingly.” He said as he stood tall while tilting his head down.

It was not a situation that would allow Arden to refuse the request. Considering the pay and sincerity of Mr Wight's request, Arden had no choice but to accept.

“I suppose I can help.” He reluctantly agreed.

Mr Damian sighed and took out a contract form with a worried look. Mr Wight requested Arden to start next week, what's more is that he wanted Arden to work for one whole year which added more worries for Mr Damian. Despite the long duration of the contract, Arden still accepted the job and signed the contract.

***

A week had passed since Arden signed the contract, the skies were still grey, but this time the clouds were not as dark as before, allowing sunlight to pass through, lighting the streets evenly. Arden had arrived at Mr Wight's manor which was located near the center of town. Two stories high, it was not particularly tall, but it seemed to stretch out quite far. For someone of Mr. Wight's stature, this manor is surprisingly modest

Arden stood in front of Mr Wight's room, it was the day he was supposed to meet the person he has to protect. He knocked a single time and a voice called out from within the room “come in” he said. He opened the door and entered the room.

The room looks like an office. It had a main desk at the back of the room with papers stacked on top, perhaps this is where Mr Wight takes all of his work home. In front of the desk were two couches facing each other with a glass table placed in between them. From where Arden stood, Mr Wight and his daughter sat on the left couch. His daughter was just sipping a cup of tea as Arden entered the room, she held the warm cup with both of her hands. She had short, pitch black hair neatly tied into a bun. She wore a simple long sleeved white shirt with a red tie and a long black skirt. She seems to be young, possibly around the same age as Arden.

Considering his past clients, Arden had thought that he would be guarding a spoiled girl, but just from the way she neatly dressed and her calm mannerism, it seems like she is much more timid than he had originally thought.

“Arden, I have to thank you again for accepting my request. Ah, I'm sorry, take a seat.” Mr Wight said. His eyes were kind yet tired.

“I have to introduce my daughter, she is the one you'll have to protect.”

The girl looked at Arden with soft gentle eyes and let out a small tender smile. “Pleased to meet you, my name is Emily Rosenberg. Would you mind telling me your name?” She said softly with a soothing voice.

Arden blinked, he hadn't expected such a polite voice coming from someone he assumed would be spoiled “Ah, yes… my name is Arden Foster…” he said awkwardly.

Emily only smiled at Arden's response, not saying a word. She then picked up her cup of tea from the table. Sensing the awkwardness, Mr Wight continued the conversation.

“Ah, right… So Arden, your job is simple, accompany Emily and keep her safe. You will be provided food and a room to sleep in so don't worry about anything else but my daughter's safety.”

“Forgive me for asking Mr Wight, but… why do you need to hire a private bodyguard when you already have bodyguards of your own? You could have just assigned one of them for your daughter rather than someone as inexperienced as me.”

Mr Wight went silent for a brief moment before scratching the side of his head gently. “No reason really… My position in the political field is not as dangerous as before.” He said, looking away before trying to avoid the question. “You should be more than enough to keep her safe.”

Mr Wight then let out a soft sigh before standing up from his seat and walked to the desk filled with paper. “Well then, I need to get some work done, as you can see there's a whole pile of them. I kindly ask the both of you to leave this room.” He said as he clicked a pen.

As soon as he said that, Emily immediately left the room without speaking a word. Seeing this, Arden hurriedly followed her. “Miss Emily, wait a second. Ah, excuse me Mr Wight.” He said as he left the room.

That first day was an uneventful one, Arden followed Emily throughout the rest of the day. He watched her walk around the mansion, read a book by the window and water the garden plants — All in silence, not a single word between them.

Of course Arden had tried speaking to her, yet his attempt was but a whisper in the wind, in return she offered a silent, gentle smile. Try as he might, the response was all the same, and as the light fled the skies, they parted, to meet when dawn returned.

Arden lay down on his bed, staring at the ceiling of the dimly lit room. Despite the comfortable bed, he was unable to relax. The unfamiliar room and the frustration he felt that day was unlike any he had felt before. Arden was a perceptive person, this was the reason he chose to be a bodyguard. His sharp senses and intuition allows him to foresee potential danger just by reading the body language of others. Yet he was unable to read Emily's thoughts, the smile she gave him felt sincere with a tint of sadness. This was the first time his intuition had failed him, a scar was etched onto his pride that day. Still, his fatigue was stronger than his frustration, he simply stared at the ceiling in silence as his mind slowly fell asleep.

***

Arden once again woke up quite late, it is eight o'clock now. He did not sleep well that night. He hurriedly got ready and left his room and ran to Emily's room, stopping in front of the door. He caught his breath and composed himself before softly knocking “Excuse me miss Emily, I'm sorry I'm late, are you in there?” Ten seconds passed without a response. Arden was not surprised by this as even when he was talking to her face to face she did not answer him. “Miss Emily, are you there?” He knocked once more but the silence remained. “I'll be entering now, Miss Emily, excuse me.” He hovered his hand above the door handle for a brief moment before slowly opening the door.

He slowly peeked his head inside the room and found that no one was there. The room was tidy, with almost everything neatly placed, the bedsheets were undisturbed, the bookshelf was filled to the brim with books, and the curtains were pulled to the side, letting the morning sun light the empty room. The desk beside the bed caught Arden's attention. It was the only thing that was messy in that room, the chair was not properly placed and the desk had two books stacked up and another book opened beside them. Perhaps Emily was writing something as evident by the pen on the ground that rolled off the desk. On one corner of the desk there was a half empty glass of water and a small thin piece of paper under it. Arden's gaze lingered on the glass for a moment before he left the room.

Where could she have gone to? He thought to himself. Seeking answers, he asked a maid that was nearby. The maid just so happened to be the head maid of the manor, she must have a good idea of where Emily might have gone.

“Pardon me Miss, do you perhaps know where Miss Emily is?” He asked

“Miss Emily?” She answered immediately “I've been quite busy this morning so I haven't seen her at all today. Perhaps you should try asking the other maids.” The response was too fast—rehearsed almost.

“Really? Then do you have any idea where she would have gone around this time?” he pressed further.

“Hmm” she paused for a moment, her gaze briefly flickering toward the window. “Who knows… Miss Emily has always been quite adventurous after all.”

That answer didn’t sit right with Arden, clearly the head maid knows where she is.

“can you really not think of a place where she might go?” Arden asked again.

The head maid sighed, relaxing her posture. “Miss Emily should be at the park down the road” she admitted “she had asked me to keep it a secret but it looks like I have failed her.” A faint smile showed on her lips—almost as if she's indulging in a child's innocent secret.

“In the park, I see, thank you miss.” immediately, he ran out of the manor.

The head maid mentioned that the park was down the road, meaning it's Rosehill Park. That park was quite close to the manor so Arden chose to take his bike with him instead of requesting a car from the family. Plus, he did not want to give too much attention to the fact that he let Miss Emily go to the park by herself.

He arrived at the park within minutes and noticed that it was quiet—not a single person around, save for the girl sitting on a bench near the park's fountain, surrounded by birds as she was reading a book.

He approached the girl, causing the birds to all fly away. “Miss Emily, I've been looking for you.” He said.

Emily gently closed her book and lifted her head “My, you sure took your time, did you sleep well” she said softly.

Arden stood there confused for a moment, unsure of what to say, this was the first time she had decided to talk to him.

“I, uh… didn't get much sleep, just got a little homesick is all…”

“I see…”

A brief moment of silence enveloped the atmosphere, before Arden spoke out.

“Miss Emily, I'm sorry that I'm late, but please don't go outside of the manor alone. Even if it is close by…”

“...” she stared onto the fountain in front of her, almost lost in thought. “It's a nice place isn't it” she said, ignoring Arden's request. “Even though there's a beautiful park here, no one ever visits the place. I dare say it's better this way.” She turned her head toward Arden and let out a smile “that way, I can have the park all for myself.”

A cool breeze swept across the park, brushing against her hair. Arden thought that he smelled something bitter, a kind of metallic smell. He did not pay much attention to it and simply shrugged it off.

“What do you think, Arden? Don't you want to just admire the scenery around here?” Emily asked.

Arden, still standing, paused for a moment and looked at the scenery. He did not gaze for long as he immediately averted his eyes toward Emily within seconds.

“I can't deny that the scenery is breathtaking, but I'd much rather spend my time doing things that matter.” 

His cold response baffled Emily. “Ah haha…” She let out a dry laugh, “doing things that matter huh?” She contemplated for the length of a heartbeat before sharing her thoughts “don't you think that's too robotic?”

“Perhaps… but life is but a small spark in the cosmos, fleeting and meaningless. Instead of piling meaningless acts onto itself, why not fill them with meaningful endeavors instead?”

“That's quite a black and white view on the world.” She frowned for the first time, “I believe that there's meaning to be found in those meaningless things that you said.” She got up and walked to a patch of flower nearby and plucked a red poppy. “Look at this flower, isn't it beautiful? Flowers are more fleeting than us, there's only so much that it can do. Yet it chose to bloom to be admired by us.” She held Arden's hand and placed the poppy onto his palm, “Though we may find nothing by simply admiring it, this act matters for the flower in its own way”

He stared at the poppy on his hand, the size of the petals had grown quite big and the striking red colour seemed like it was glowing brightly. Yet, it did not move his heart. “It chose to bloom not to be admired, but because that's the only thing it knows.” His cold eyes meet with Emily's “To bloom is simply in its nature, the only significance you can find is that it fulfilled its purpose.”

Emily furrowed her brows, though not out of disappointment. “I'm pretty good at reading people.” She said softly “and it seems like you only see the world in black and white.” She walked next to Arden with a faint smile. “But there's more to life than just that… so I've decided!”

Arden Blinked “decided on what?”

She answered with a quiet chuckle “What else? I'll show you how to truly live life!” A big smile shone from her face. “Ah. Arden, did you take a vehicle to get here?”

“I took my bicycle… why?”

“Oh perfect, then give me a ride! I want to go around the town.” She said as she walked away.

“What? Miss Emily, wait” he said, chasing Emily. “Shouldn't you go back to the manor? Besides, riding a bicycle together is not exactly safe!”

Emily, still out of Arden's reach, ignored his warnings. “haha, it's fine. I mean… how else am I supposed to show you the way to enjoy life.”

She kept on insisting that Arden take her around town, with much reluctance, he eventually complied. The first stop was the local coffee shop Emily frequents, though it was almost ten o'clock, Emily still wanted to start the day with some coffee.

“Miss Claire, can I have my usual coffee please? The half-caf one.” She greeted the barista. “Ah, what about you Arden?”

He turned to the menu and skimmed through it, nothing caught his eye so he simply ordered the first thing he saw “I'll have the regular full-caf coffee.”

“You picked that cause that was the first thing you saw didn't you?” Emily remarked with a smile. Having been read like a book, he did not respond.

After they had finished their coffee, they continued their journey around town. As Arden was pedalling with all his might, Emily let out an excited gasp “Ah, Arden stop! Stop! I saw something!”

Arden slowed down and stopped by the side of the road “What is it?”

She pointed her finger toward a store tucked between the bakery and flower shop. “Look at that store! I've never seen it before, it must have just opened, let's check it out!” She excitedly exclaimed.

The both of them stepped into the newly opened store, and a small bell rang as they opened the door. The air smelled like cardboard, and there was a music player displayed next to a rack of vinyl, playing a song.

Emily skimmed through the vinyls displayed and got really happy “Arden look!” She showed the vinyl in her hands, it was her favourite artist's album. She hurriedly played the song on the music player.

The song had a warm and bright tone, Emily seemed to be enjoying it very much, but Arden looked indifferent. Not that the song was bad, but music was simply not his language. Seeing this Emily bought a couple of vinyls “Everyone has got to have a favourite song… let's find yours!”

After purchasing the vinyls, they headed off to the next stop, the book store. Apparently a new novel that Emily has been anticipating is out today, so she urged him to pick up the pace. As a result, they get there quite fast, at the cost of Arden who was panting. “Are you okay Arden?” Emily asked.

Still panting, Arden answered with an annoyed smile. “Yes, I'm perfectly fine. Could not have been better.”

They entered the store together with Arden immediately looking for a place to sit while Emily was looking around the store looking for the book she wanted. After a short while Emily returned to Arden who was sitting near the counter. Emily sat on the seat across from Arden and let out a tired sigh.

“Did you not find the book you wanted?”

“Oh, no, I found it… I'm just a little tired is all.” She said with a dry laugh.

Feeling something is wrong, Arden stared at her face. She tried to hide it, but her gestures showed that she seemed tired, not to mention her pale face.

“Miss Emily, Let's head back to the manor.” He suggested.

“What? But there are still some places I want to go to.”

“Don't hide it, you seem tired and pale. Let's head b