Mai Legacy
2.1 - A New Heir
After traveling for what felt like an eternity, Colette finally walked up to the Mai mansion. It stood there, a beautiful silhouette against the clear blue sky. But… why were all the lights off? It was the middle of the day, and given all the people that lived there, there should definitely have been some activity going on inside. But, it was dead silent.
Frowning to herself, Colette walked up to the front door and knocked anyway. There was no answer.
Colette angrily kicked the front door, then sulked her way over to the picnic table the Mais had on their front patio. There, as she watched the ocean lap at the beach the Mai mansion sat just in front of, Colette smiled to herself.
She’d done it. She’d finally gotten away from Oasis Springs and her parents. And she was sure that the moment James came home with the rest of his family, she’d be welcomed into his successful family without a moment’s hesitation. She’d get to live the high life, and never have to milk a dumb cow again. He probably hadn’t been able to tell her to run away at home because Jamie had been listening, or something. It was definitely the sort of thing Colette wouldn’t put past her.
As Colette waited for everyone to get home, she fell asleep at the picnic table.
Back at the Cleary Ranch, Jamie and Ty were locked in a screaming match.
“You’ve got to be kidding me, Jamie! You’re telling me that you heard someone last night who insisted they were me, and, when they sounded nothing like me, you didn’t bother to get up and investigate?” Ty exclaimed.
“Oh, like you’re much better, Ty,” Jamie snorted. “Leaving your wallet somewhere where it can be grabbed without waking you up.”
“You can’t hold that over my head, darling! You know what a heavy sleeper I am!”
“You’re right, you’re right,” Jamie sighed. She took a deep breath. “This is accomplishing nothing.”
“Yep,” Ty nodded.
“Okay, so clearly, Colette snatched your wallet and whatever she could fit in her pockets, because she didn’t bring her backpack… where do you think she went?”
“I thought it was obvious, dear,” Ty frowned. “Where else but Windenburg?”
“Without even a change of clothes?” Jamie exclaimed.
“I just don’t think she thought it through. We both know how long she’s wanted to go and visit her Uncle James… practically ever since she could understand what Daniela and Ed spent so much time researching. I guess James visiting was just the tipping point for her?”
“I can’t believe this,” Jamie sighed. “You know, if it’d been up to me, I never would have let him into our house. My parents just wanted us to interact so badly… it was so foolish of me to follow that wish. Clearly, letting him into our house was a mistake. He’s brought the same misery that plagued my parents since I was born right into our lives.”
“We’re going to bring Colette back though,” Ty nodded.
“Exactly. I’m not about to sit idly by like my parents did.”
Jamie held up a finger, pulled out her phone, and clicked on James’s contact information. The phone rang and rang, but no one picked up. Sighing, Jamie put her phone back.
“I’m going to be calling every hour until someone picks up,” she said firmly. “I refuse to lose Colette in the same way that my parents lost James.”
It wasn’t even noon yet, and the Mai family was exhausted. Somber and completely lacking their usual energy, the seven of them slowly disembarked the ferry that brought them to the island, and slowly made the walk back home.
Once they arrived at home, they were surprised to see a girl asleep at the picnic table on their front porch.
“I can’t believe this,” Susan muttered. “A fan found our home and is here to harass us on today, of all days.”
Hearing the muttering, the girl woke up, and after a moment of grogginess, she started waving.
“Does she look... a lot like... James to you guys too...?” Susan said, trying to stop herself from bursting into tears.
“Mom,” Seth said, looking up at her and smiling. “It’s going to be okay. The rest of us will get rid of her, okay?”
He embraced her.
“Actually, Seth?” Leah spoke up. “Um… I don’t think she’s a fan. I think I might know who this is.”
“Don’t tell me!” Jocelyn gasped.
The seven of them waited as the girl ran across the beach to greet them.
“Hi guys!” she cheered. “I… I can’t believe I’m finally meeting you all. I’m, uh, Colette Cleary? I’m sure James has mentioned me. Where is he, anyway?”
Everyone shared a look, not sure of how to tell her.
Eventually, Maverick spoke up. “Colette… he passed this morning.”
“O-Oh. I’m so sorry for your loss, all of you…”
“Just come inside, Colette,” Susan sighed. “It’s only a matter of time before the press hears, and I’d rather not be outside when they start to swarm the island.”
Colette nodded, and all of them headed indoors.
A few days later, preparations for James’s funeral were underway. Jocelyn was elected out of the girls to take Colette shopping for clothes, but more specifically, an outfit for the funeral. Colette’s two outfits consisted of a shirt and jeans combo, then that same look with a jacket on top. Susan wasn’t about to let that fly at her husband’s funeral.
Susan had also noticed that Jamie had been calling James’s phone every hour for the past few days, but she was nowhere near a good enough mental state to actually pick up.
As Colette and Jocelyn walked around uptown San Myshuno that evening, looking for boutiques to go into, Jocelyn eventually turned to Colette. “So… Colette. Tell me, how do Windenburg and San Myshuno compare to Oasis Springs?”
“Are you kidding me? There isn’t even a comparison. Everything here is just so… grand! I haven’t seen a single dust storm, and actually feeling humidity is just amazing.”
“I’m glad to hear it, Colette,” Jocelyn said, smiling. “The day I first moved into the Mai mansion is still vivid for me too, you know. I moved from a modest house in the Windenburg hills to a mansion where I didn’t have to deal with my bratty little brother. For the first time ever, I was able to afford to dress the way I wanted all the time. And… while there was some turmoil going on in my life at the time I’d rather not talk about, this family came together for me in a way my original family was just never able to, as much as I love each of them. I hope you get to feel that some unconditional love soon enough.”
“Me too,” Colette smiled. “I’m pretty sure that my parents don’t even know what unconditional love is, so, it’ll be great to experience it for the first time.”
“Oh, Colette… I doubt that. I really do.”
“You just don’t understand! Now, come on, don’t we have funeral outfits to buy?” Colette said, skipping on ahead to a boutique.
Jocelyn shook her head and hurried after her.
Eventually, the day of the funeral came.
Leah and Seth acted as glorified bouncers at the entrance to the graveyard James had constructed, having to turn away paparazzi after paparazzi.
“No, I’m sorry. Close friends and family only,” Seth told one, shaking his head.
Meanwhile, Leah was taking a very different approach.
“Ugh! How many times do I have to tell you all? If you didn’t know dad, you can turn right around and go home! You’re all vultures, the lot of you!”
“But, Mrs. Leah, the heir to the Mai Legacy is supposed to be decided at this funeral. We all want to know who that’s going to be.”
“Do you think that I care?” Leah shouted. “This is a time of grief for my family, leave us alone!”
As Leah and Seth manned the entrance to the graveyard, Susan greeted people who they actually let in.
“I’m so sorry for your loss, Susan,” Akira said, having arrived with Salim.
“I think he knew it was coming,” Susan said quietly. “Why else would he have suddenly decided to go home again, and dedicate himself to completing this cemetery?”
“I’m sure he didn’t want to leave anything unfinished for you to have to clean up,” Salim nodded. “James… he didn’t like to create problems for other people.”
“That’s for sure,” Susan laughed sadly. “He always went on about how he would’ve avoided all the fighting with Jacques and Joaquin if he’d had the chance.”
Susan talked to Penny, Eliza, and Bob next.
“How many funerals has it been now, Susan?” Penny asked. “We’ve been to so many, but it just never seems to stop. I’m sorry it had to be James.”
“Seriously,” Eliza nodded, uncharacteristically solemn. “Unlike some men, he actually knew how to treat you right. I can’t believe you used to call me complaining about him, way back when.”
“James and I were so young and foolish,” Susan said shaking her head. “To this day, I still can’t believe that I spent so long not talking to the man who would become the love of my life, and then ended up marrying him on nothing more than a whim.”
“Well, I’m glad things worked out for you, Susan,” Bob said with a sad smile.
Across the graveyard, Jocelyn was talking to Ulrike and Ivan.
“Jocelyn, I… I know how much the guy meant to you, how much you looked up to him throughout your life. For once, I’m not here to say anything snide, okay?” Ivan said quietly.
“Thank you, Ivan.”
“The world will miss his artwork,” Ulrike said quietly. “It pains me to know that he passed away believing that his paintings were average at best. As the curator of the Casbah gallery, I’m going to propose hanging up some of his work in a prominent location. I swear it.”
“I’m sure that would make James very happy,” Jocelyn smiled, tears in her eyes.
Penny, Eliza, and Bob walked away from Susan, giving Aarohi and Joe a chance to approach.
“Susan,” Aarohi said gently, grabbing both of her hands in a comforting gesture. “You look so beautiful today. I’m so sorry about James.”
“Thank you for the kind words, Aarohi,” Susan said, smiling.
“James would be proud to see you out here, standing strong, I’m sure of it,” she went on.
“I wish you and your family all the best,” Joe said with a polite smile.
At a picnic table near the mausoleum constructed at the far back of the cemetery, Maverick sat with Colette, Akira, Salim, and Penny.
“Yeah, Colette is actually James’s long lost niece,” Maverick was saying. “It’s kind of a long story, but she’s been here for the last week.”
“Oh Colette,” Penny said, giving her a sad look. “I can’t imagine what it’s like just meeting your uncle and losing him so quickly.”
“I feel like I’ve known him my whole life, honestly,” Colette shrugged. “I was practically raised on all the tabloids about him and his family. So… it’s hard for me too. I’d really hoped to have a talk with him about how similar we were once I got here, to Windenburg. That’s never going to happen now.”
“And… James’s sister. Your mother? Why wasn’t she able to make it?” Salim asked.
“She followed James’s life without the same joy that me and grandma and grandpa did. I doubt she’d want to leave the cows and the chickens back home for this funeral.”
“I… I see,” Salim said quietly.
After another fifteen minutes, the service began.
Once everyone was seated Susan stood up, and walked over to a podium to speak to everyone.
“We’re gathered here today to celebrate the life of James Mai. He was… everything, to me. A devoted husband. A caring father. But, most of all… he was my best friend. From the karaoke bar we met at, to the romance festival we got married at… he’s always been my karaoke boy. And he always will be.”
Susan went on to recount the better aspects of his life.
Then, she pulled out a letter. “Seth. Leah. While we were at the hospital, I told the both of you that James wrote you a letter I was to read to you in case he ever passed unexpectedly. He already covered the gist of it in his hospital bed, but he requested that it be read at his funeral, so here goes.”
Seth. Leah. My two beautiful children. I love the both of you so very much. I wish, more than anything, that a Legacy allowed two heirs. You both deserve it. The two of you have worked so hard, and have grown up and matured so much since the days when you both fought over who was going to get married first. So, no matter who is elected to become heir of the Mai legacy after my passing, I want you both to know that in your mom and I’s eyes? You both deserve it.
Susan closed the letter, and wiped away a tear.
“Now. For the moment that all the vultures outside the walls of this cemetery have been waiting for,” Susan said, gesturing towards the paparazzi. “At another friend’s memorial service, James raised a question for me and all of our close friends gathered there. Based on both Seth and Leah’s achievements, who deserves to inherit the title of heir of the Mai Legacy? Many of the people gathered here before me today all voiced their opinion, and I will say. It was close. But, at the end of the day, there can only be one heir. So. Leah. Congratulations, you’re the new heir of the Mai Legacy.”
Leah stood up, totally shocked.
Maverick raced over to her, and hugged her. “Congratulations, Leah. I’m so proud of you.”
“T-Thanks, Maverick,” Leah stammered.
She honestly hadn’t expected this. While, on the surface, she’d done more than Seth, she knew that she was far less emotionally mature than he was. He’d gotten married to Jocelyn because he’d spent a lot of time thinking. Leah had married Maverick because she loved him and he was the only guy who’d ever stuck around despite her excessive rudeness and commitment issues. Speaking of her commitment issues, she’d done nothing but bury them. Seth had always faced his issues head on, forcing himself to figure out his sexuality at one point, then later taking drastic action to alter his appearance to put a stop to the criticism. In Leah’s mind, she didn’t deserve the title. But the decision had been made.
Leah stumbled away from Maverick and walked over to Seth.
“Leah,” Seth smiled. “Honestly? Congrats. You deserve this, you’ve always worked hard for this, and it’s no surprise to me that it all payed off. I’m happy for you, I truly am.”
“Thank you, so much Seth,” Leah said, not sure how to feel.
As everyone at the funeral began to press forward to wish their congratulations, Susan grabbed Leah’s hand, and pulled her away from the crowd.
“With me,” she said.
Leah followed Susan into the mausoleum, and the moment she shut the door behind her, everything got so much quieter. She felt like she could finally breathe again.
Susan walked over to the back of the room, where there were a bunch of fake flowers piled up on the floor. She knelt down, and began to push them out of the way.
“Back when James was planning out this cemetery, he wanted to have something secret and hidden constructed beneath it,” Susan explained.
Leah nodded silently, and knelt down to help Susan.
“He wanted to build something that would commemorate each generation of our legacy, a way for future heirs to see all who came before them.”
Susan moved the last of the flowers out of the way, revealing a trap door. Lifting it, Leah looked down on a staircase, spiraling down into darkness. Susan reached out a hand, and Leah took it, the two descending into the darkness.
Once they reached the bottom, Susan flipped some switch hidden in the dark, and Leah was surprised by a row of pillars, all empty, except for the first two, which featured pictures of James and Susan.
“He decided to call this place Legacy Hall,” Susan said. Then she snorted. “I’m sorry, it’s just hard to say that name with a straight face. He always was such a dork.”
“This is amazing,” Leah said, shaking her head.
“I’m glad you feel that way, Leah. James spent a long time trying to figure out a way to make this place look as impressive as possible. Anyway, come on. To the end of the hall.”
Susan and Leah walked to the end of the long hallway together, passing pillar after empty pillar.
Once they reached the end, Leah spoke up. “Hey, mom? I feel like you and dad have told me this before, but could you remind me? Why are legacy families important to society anyway?”
“That’s a good question, Leah,” Susan said. “I don’t think your father and I ever did tell you. Well, the way I’ve started to see it is that legacy families sort of serve as this symbol of the ideal family. They’re something people look up to. Well, that was originally the intention anyway. It’s clear to me that neither us, or the Le Chien family have ever been anything to idolize. The Le Chien family destroyed themselves trying to bring us down, and at this point, we’re far too wealthy to be anything the common person can even relate to.”
Leah frowned. Something still wasn’t adding up.
“Remember Victor Feng? He had a different explanation. A long time ago, he explained it all to James and I when James wasn’t even sure if he wanted to found a Legacy or not, if you can even believe that was a thing. He told us that a Legacy’s sole purpose is to establish a family so rooted in the soil fo a town’s society that they end up more or less controlling it. Both James and I never really liked that definition, though. James started a Legacy to make his parents proud, not to gain power.”
“Okay, but why do people even care about a legacy family anyway? It’s like, yeah, cool, we have a suit of armor with a piece of paper inside it, but what does it matter?” Leah went on.
Susan laughed. “Yet another good question. Victor had another weird explanation he told James. Apparently, he said that the writ inside the armor is blessed by our goddess, the Mother. And that sacred power draws attention to us. But personally? I believe that whatever made people care about legacy families is long gone. The Le Chiens existed for hundreds of years, and all the others are deep underground, choosing not to expose themselves to the world, Instead, they run things from behind the scenes. I’d bet those families have also existed for centuries too. So, my best bet? People only care about our family because the Le Chiens payed attention to us and tried to bring us down. If it hadn’t been for that drama, we’d all still be a bunch of nobodies.”
“Anyway, Leah,” Susan said, changing the subject. “Congratulations on becoming the heiress of our legacy. I wish you and Maverick all the best in taking the reins.”