I stepped out behind him and froze. It wasn’t a basement…I didn’t know how to describe what I was seeing. It looked unreal like something out of a fairytale Disney movie. The ceiling stretched so high that it looked like it was never ending. Rows upon rows of glowing white flowers swayed gently from the powerful air vents that made me shiver soon as we stepped out of the elevator.
Is this one of the reasons why he keeps this building so cold?
The flower petals looked perfect almost glowing. The light inside wasn’t harsh either, it came from panels that I zoomed in on that looked hidden between steel rafters that bathed the flowers with a soft glow giving them a shimmering glow.
The space was massive like an underground warehouse that had gotten swallowed by Grand’s dream. Industrial fans hummed in the corners, circulating air that smelled like a cross between jasmine and clean rain. The floor down here was perfectly polished concrete, made into a perfect chessboard with tiny owls engraved.
“Grand…Th—this is beautiful…It doesn’t make sense to me though…Who are you?” I rambled, not knowing what to make of all of this.
“A chemist.” He stated flatly. I blinked my eyes over at him, I instantly couldn’t believe how unimpressed he sounded when he answered me.
He stepped beside me, his hands clasped loosely behind his back. I looked up and watched his dark orbs take in the space before him. The sharp features of his face relaxed as he visibly inhaled the air then released it.
“Every flower here is grown in a controlled medium. No soil, pests, nor decay. I made my first version of these flowers when I was young. The petals weren’t as soft as these, but my mom was amazed. I still can’t believe something so beautiful first bloomed inside of a fucked-up trap house.” He picked up his feet and walked forward.
“Touch one, be gentle.” He said in a soft raspy tone.
I gazed at it amazed; I touched one and gasped. The petal was iced cold but felt smooth like silk.Amazingly crazy!I thought as I touched another petal to see if it felt the same as the first, and it did. This space felt like a breath of fresh air. It made breathing feel enjoyable, surely a mastermind had to create something so beautiful.
“What are they?” I asked as I stepped away from the flowers.
He looked down at me with a faint glint in his eyes. Was that pride I saw?
“The base for my work is stressful. These flowers are lab created like I mentioned; it took years to perfect it. I distilled them into a compound…powder, pill, vapor…I’m currently trying to create a liquid source, but I always end up burning myself up badly.” He shook his head and looked at his arms.
That explains the burnt marks…
“You need some type of shea butter or coco butter for that, so it won’t scar badly. The butter will slowly aid in your skin tone evening out after it heals.” I said lowly looking at his arms.
“Noted.” He simply said as he took a step away and walked down another row of flowers that had colorful butterflies stuck to them.
“These flowers are meant to calm the body. It clears the mind by pulling the poison out of people too far gone on the hard shit.” He took his eyes off the flowers to stare at me with an intense look that stole my breath away.
“You mean…drugs, right?” I replied looking up into his eyes.
His smile was slow, and deliberate.
“Yes, drugs. Owlette, is a healthy drug. It’s clean. A person would never come down from their high feeling like they need more. It doesn’t rot a person from the inside out. No dying in alleys, leaving kids behind.” His gaze remained on the flower as he talked.
“Does all of this stem from your parent’s?” I cringed at my question hoping that I didn’t overstep. I didn’t intend to change his mood or make him mad, but I had to know. This creation was by far amazing and beautiful in every way. There was a purpose that fueled it as well.
“Always remember…you’re not my therapist but I can be yours. Mira.” He said in a warning tone.
“I created the first version of Owlette in one of my pop’s trap houses as I mentioned...” He said it like it annoyed him to repeat what he had already said.
“I didn’t know how to properly take care of the flower…I also didn’t have any test dummies to test it out on, so I became my own lab rat. I first noted that it made me feel very focused. It kept my mind off the negatives in my young life. It also helped me with the altered thoughts that I suffered from. It fixed my impulsive mood swings, but I also noted that all of those things would wear off fast. It wasn’t until after my parents’ deaths years later, I was able to create and have the money and means to create a better flower. My friend Nemesis assisted a lot. I was able to get it right, but I needed somewhere safe and secure to operate. I wish Owlette was what it is now back then... I would have been able to save my parents by force. It wouldn’t have mattered to me if they wanted to or not.” His shoulders slightly dropped in defeat as he said the last sentence.
“I’m pretty sure they would be proud of you. You’re brilliant, Grand. This is so much to take in, but I love it,” I replied honestly.
I blinked up at him trying to reconcile the man who stomped Darius to death without flinching with visible emotions. I was standing in front of a man who kidnapped people, forced them to get clean. This garden under earth that he built took my breath away. It was as Grand as his name was.
“My mother’s name was Josephine; she was beautiful full of life. She loved science. She used to brag about her grades to me, perhaps it was to encourage me to do good in school when I was able to go. I took a liking to science from all the books she used to buy me. Next, I asked her to buy me certain things that I would need to start a science lab in my room—” His words trailed off as a group full of people in white lab coats moved along the aisles in the distance.
Quietly they tended to rows of flowers, some checked monitors. They talked amongst each other; I also noticed that they all were black women and men.
“My mom would have been proud of me, Mira. My pops would have did any and everything to stop all of this. He was the king of L.A. He had a great connect, he took pride in ruining his own people.” Grand spat with disgust.
He flicked his finger over his nose then tugged at his beard in frustration.
