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“He definitely isn’t one of us, and that’s exactly what makes him so attractive,” Saza sighs and wrinkles her nose.
Manasseh is the popular guy at school. Most people call him Masse, and he seamlessly integrated into high school life as soon as he stepped foot here. He made new friends, and before I even realized it, he completely ditched us, his boring childhood pals. Not long after starting school, I started feeling a huge age gap between me and them. Being a grade above Samael, he always seemed to be trying way too hard to be better, to prove that he was ahead of us. His arrogance always rubbed me the wrong way more than it impressed me.
I never really warmed up to Manasseh, and he seemed to crave acceptance from everyone but me. I swear he wants me to dislike him or something, because from day one, he was the first to make fun of me, pull my hair, come up with the most annoying nicknames, and constantly get me into serious trouble that I could barely wriggle out of. Manasseh was like a dark cloud of problems hanging over my childhood, and I don’t regret the growing distance between us since we hit our teenage years.
Besides, Manasseh seems to be in some sort of imaginary competition with Samael ever since they were little, and it just annoys me even more.
Even though they’re the same age, their mother made the mysterious decision to keep them apart, even throughout high school. The thing is, Anabella always seemed to favor Manasseh over her other kids. He’s her golden boy, the apple of her eye, and he gets all the privileges. In short, Manasseh was raised with a silver spoon in his mouth, and now he struts around like he’s the king of the world.
I still remember the rumors that Anabella Morgenstern herself started after she couldn’t sit still at home, and with her belly about to burst, she showed up at church on a rainy Sunday, as if she intended to humiliate her husband and confirm his infidelity at the same time. And those rumors were on everyone’s lips in Matlock for over a month.
That’s not a woman pregnant with twins, I tell you.
Her baby bump was way too tiny for two kids, and after strutting down the aisle of St. Giles Church, almost nobody bought into Grandma Coven’s story, who was shouting from the rooftops that Anabella was supposed to have twins. But Anabella, being the rebel she was, had made sure to smash that little tale to pieces, showing people that their prestigious family wasn’t as perfect as it seemed.
So, where did that second child come from?
Some gossip mongers claim that Dan Morgenstern himself brought him back after his last trip to Romania. Others like to believe Grandma Coven’s version, the one she reinforced with every joint birthday bash for her grandkids. According to her, Anabella, her picture-perfect daughter, indeed gave birth to twins.
No one knows what was going on in the mind of Dan’s future wife on the day she stepped slowly, dressed entirely in black as if in mourning, wearing a tight dress that raised doubts about her stomach, yet affirming one thing that left no room for suspicion from that day on. That being the fact that Anabella, formerly Coven, soon-to-be Morgenstern, is a strong, influential woman capable of parading lies in plain sight, without supporting or refuting any point of view, crushing every unsolicited opinion under the stiletto heels of her limited-edition Louis Vuitton shoes.
Anabella is not a victim; she doesn’t want to be manipulated like a mindless doll. She is a doll, a damn beautiful one, but she’s also the puppeteer, with her intelligence helping her get exactly where she desired—to the helm of one of the most influential families in the city of Matlock.
At just twenty-one years old, Anabella had given Dan a son, or maybe two, who would strengthen her position and bind her permanently to the man who was laying the foundations of a liquor empire in the name of Bacchus. He was now a political pawn in the city, strengthening his ties with the mayor and influential figures in the city hall, effortlessly developing relationships even up to the government, ending up becoming expensive to behold, even for his own family.
In just a few years, Dan Morgenstern transformed from the friendly and family-oriented neighbor, who kept his personal life a secret, into an elegant, influential, and most importantly, feared man. His power and wealth granted him a prestige that was hard to achieve.
The name Morgenstern became Morgenstern Wines two years later, one of the most popular luxury brands in the London sommelier industry. Dan, in fact, was the perfect man Anabella needed to establish herself. Handsome, powerful, wealthy, and suitable to be the future head of a perfect family.
However, their family was far from perfect, despite the spotless reputation they upheld. The heirs seemed to be the problem, but it was possible that the roots were rotten, not the branches.
Of course, it wasn’t difficult to figure out who the mother’s favorite was, and who the father’s favorite was.
It doesn’t take much to understand where Manasseh inherited his difficult character from, but not only that, because as the mother’s favorite son, he had also inherited the traits capable of creating the key to success. Masse was a true magnet for girls in high school.
I remember it was the same deal back in elementary school.
Wherever Manasseh went, you would see a group of girls gathered around him. They all fell for his good looks and charming smile, but they didn’t really know the real him.
During childhood, I had the unlucky chance to witness a few of his slip-ups and discover the not-so-pleasant side behind his nice guy façade.
Manasseh had pulled off many stupid things, but when he pushed Robby down the stairs just because he gave me Valentine’s Day peanut butter cookies without knowing I had allergies and I ended up in a hospital, it reached a whole new level of idiocy. I was there, witnessing the whole incident, but I couldn’t bring myself to tell anyone, and poor Robby didn’t have the guts to spill the rat out on Masse.
Everyone knows you don’t mess with a Morgenstern.
Everyone, that is, except me. It was then that I received a small demonstration from Manasseh himself, proving why it’s dumb to cross his path, and it made me more cautious. So, I made the decision to ignore him even more than I already had.
In my mind, each and every Morgenstern wears a label.
Anabella - the embodiment of cunningness - the Black Queen.
Dan - a control freak maniac - the Dark King.
Manasseh - dangerous - the Cruel Prince.
Samael - flawless - Prince Charming on a white horse.
Uriel - harmless - the Court Jester.
