"Good evening, sir. It is I, Aniya. Do you remember me?"
Aniya.
That was his Donna's sister.
Of course, he remembered her and all the things she had done to his Donna. How would he ever forget?
Why did she have a veil on though?
Was this a result of the fire that her father had caused?
"It is so good to finally see you, sir. You are nothing like I expected." She stated and Eli frowned.
Of course, she could now see his face just as many people could.
"What do you want?"
"I need your help." She looked around. Aniya's movement wasn't difficult for Eli to assess, he had once been the person with a concealing object over his face. "May I come in?"
He stood rigidly at the door.
"Whatever it is, speak your mind here, I will listen and tell you if I can render my help."
It was obvious that just like her sister, he didn't trust her but she couldn't blame them. Besides, this would change very soon.
Aniya was quick to reveal her need to seek and acquire the forgiveness of her sister, laying her desperation out for him to see, and judge if he wanted to. She didn't hesitate to add that she had changed and just wanted them to be happy once again.
For a moment there, Eli had considered himself to be in the same boat as she was.
But he was seeking the forgiveness of his Donna too. Aniya's tactic of becoming "close" to the ones his Donna had a relationship with wasn't anything new. For all he knew, she could just be trying to do the same thing again.
He would not let his desperation, regret, and frustration push him into more mistakes.
He had to be careful.
"As her husband, I am sure that you will be able to help me. Please, I just want my sister again. I don't know if I will ever be able to get another chance again. Please, help me." She begged, but he had stopped listening at the mention of the word husband.
His heart squeezed painfully at that.
Most people in Inaymi assumed that they were married.
He wished they were. He wished that they were together, and they were building a family with a child or children, anyone fate would be kind enough to give them.
He wished for many things.
It must be because the Village was far from the Capital, that was why the news they had gotten from the Capital had been patched at many sides with mere rumours instead of truth.
Distance could really affect the delivery of facts.
"We are not joined," his voice was filled with heaviness. "There is no way I can help you. For your sake, do not seek me out again. Goodnight." With that, he slammed his door shut.
Aniya drew her veil closer, feeling the need to grip onto something so she could be stable. She outlined her ankle-length gloves with her fingers and drew in a shaky breath as tears burnt her eyes.
Another rejection.
Honestly, it had been expected, but that didn't stop it from hurting.
Would she ever be able to get rid of the bad reputation her past had bestowed upon her?
___
___
It was late in the night and Aniya was on her way home.
She had taken this forest path because it was longer and there was hardly anyone there.
Ever since the Fire, she had tried to avoid people as much as she could. Although she tried her best to indulge totally in knitting different clothes for her son, and sometimes Zesika and herself, there were times when her mind would force the remembrance of what she had lost into her thoughts. She would think about how some of the villages had avoided her because of the scar the incident had left behind, the way their interactions with her were now different because of it.
Everything was easier with the veil.
They had no instinctive disgust in their eyes, and neither did they show shock. The pity in their voices had reduced.
With the veil, her life felt close to normal.
Despite that, sometimes, she just loves to avoid people completely.
That was one of the reasons why she had taken this path.
Another reason was that, she wanted to get home exhausted. It would really hurt to go back and sit in that empty house despite all her preparation to receive her sister. If she were to get home exhausted, she would fall asleep before she had the time to cry. Also, she hoped she would be able to complete the piece she was knitting for her Lolo.
Everything felt serene until she heard the sound of a dog barking some distance behind her.
Aniya had been in doubt at first.
Not many people in Aniya reared pets such as dogs, they preferred birds or fish that they could eat.
The barking drew closer and that was when Aniya realized that the animal was chasing her.
It was a brown, big dog with a menacing look that was targeted at her. It was fast too.
She screamed. Grabbing her lengthy dress in her hands, she ran.
But the dog was gaining in on her quickly. Her heart raced, and she ran even faster, the lantern in her hand slipping away to the ground.
She didn't stop to pick it up.
She ran, and ran until the weight of something heavy limped against her back and sent her to the ground with a thud.
The last thing she felt was the claws of the animal digging into her skin.
Her eyes dotted with darkness and when she regained consciousness back, there was blood on the floor, her lantern by her side, some of the dog's fur was on the ground but the dog was gone.
Was that just a dream?
It wasn't.
Some parts of her dress were shredded due to the attack and the cut on her ankle was deep and bleeding.
She watched it as it healed -just like her other injuries, her eyes sharp with observation and fear to see if there was anyone within the shadows of the trees, witnessing this abnormality.
There was no one in sight.
That gave her no relief though because she knew that someone had been here. Most likely the owner of that cursed four-legged beast.
By Ignas, that person knew her secret!
She had to find out whosoever that person was and ensure they stay quiet forever.