“Where are you taking us?” Mianca asked Edwin who was carrying the two girls.
“Somewhere,” Edwin answered briefly.
Mianca clicked her tongue in annoyance at Edwin’s answer.
“Yes, where are you taking us? Where is that place?” protested Mianca who now looked angry.
“You’ll find out soon,” replied Edwin who looked indifferent.
Mianca sighed in frustration at Edwin’s answer which was always the same.
“You’re driving me crazy,” complained Mianca.
Aneska could only smile thinly seeing the argument between Mianca and Edwin. The two of them were always like that, arguing at every time and situation.
Honestly, Aneska was also curious about where Edwin was taking her. The four of them were in the car, Mianca, Aneska, Edwin, and David who was driving. Every time she saw David’s back, for some reason Aneska felt like she was seeing someone from her past. Who was David? Aneska wanted to ask, but for some reason, a complicated shadow always appeared.
After driving for an hour and a half, the car stopped somewhere and Edwin ordered them to get out of the car. Although Mianca complained, the girl obeyed what Edwin said. They were now in a place, in front of them that was like a road to a housing complex.
"You guys came," greeted Zean who was waiting there.
However, Zean did not come alone, there was a beautiful woman who was silent in her place with her breath rising and falling rather quickly, the woman's gaze was fixed on Aneska who remained in place. Not long after, the woman's eyes began to get wet and cry. Aneska was shocked, did not know anything and was confused but the others seemed silent, even Mianca who was usually noisy, was now silent as if the girl knew who the woman was.
"Gosh. Oh my God," said the woman walking slowly towards Aneska. "My dear child," she said again.
Aneska stepped back a little, but Edwin suddenly stood behind Aneska, holding her movements.
"This is your aunt, Aneska. Your late father's sister," said Edwin behind Aneska. "You don't need to be afraid. I’m here,” Edwin continued to calm her down.
Even though she didn’t know the situation, Aneska followed Edwin’s words and let the woman hug her. Just like when Zean was surprised to meet Aneska, the woman also cried uncontrollably as if she missed him so much, and found someone she hadn’t seen for years.
For some reason, the woman’s cries made Aneska cry too, even more than usual. There was a longing that was healed in Aneska’s heart. Her tears merged with the woman’s tears, hugging without any words being spoken. Aneska couldn’t say anything but dissolve in the warm and tight embrace. Edwin himself was still there, hugging Aneska’s waist like the night when Zean hugged her.
“My dear child,” said the woman while cupping Aneska’s face after releasing her hug. “Oh my. You are so beautiful, like your late sister. You are beautiful like your father and mother. Dear Aneska, you are truly unfortunate.”
Aneska could only cry until her chest ached so much.
“Where have you been all this time, Aneska? We looked for you but never found you. Aneska, forgive us for not being able to protect you.”
Not only the two of them, the others also cried.
A car stopped not far from where they were. Aneska saw Kira and Alendra get out of the car. That was when Aneska felt something was happening. Aneska’s aunt let go of her hug, grabbed the girl’s hand and held it tightly as if she would never let go again.
“Let’s go,” Edwin suddenly invited.
Aneska looked at Kira who then nodded.
They walked around the large housing complex, and slowly Aneska’s memory began to form. The road was exactly like in the dream that kept disturbing Aneska’s sleep even though now the road looked different.
The people around the girl talked to each other, chatting, and asking how she was. Only the woman who was Zean’s mother and Aneska’s aunt continued to guide her, with Edwin on her right side.
The memory came back, but it made Aneska's head hurt a little, her chest felt tight but the girl remained silent. The memory was when Aneska came home from school happily, accompanied by a beautiful, tall girl with a face that was very similar to hers. Although she couldn't say it, Aneska could feel and imagine the memory happening in front of her. Not only was her older sister there, but her father and mother were also there. In the past, they were so happy as a harmonious little family.
"Sis Helen," whispered Aneska with tears flowing again.
They were still walking towards a big house.
The yard was unkempt. The big house also looked abandoned even though the building was still intact, it was just messy and completely unkempt so weeds and other wild plants grew abundantly there.
Aneska's tears broke again as soon as she set foot in the yard of the big house. Was that why Edwin kept their destination a secret because he was going to take Aneska to his old house? That was what Zean planned. Someone said, ‘You will rise from where you fell.’
Huilen, Aneska’s aunt let go of her hand, letting Aneska be with Edwin because Huilen herself was not strong when she returned home.
“Everything will be fine. I’m here. If you feel sick or anything, don’t hesitate to tell me,” Edwin said.
Aneska just nodded slightly.
Entering the open door of the house, Aneska’s steps stopped completely. Flashes of the past repeated themselves completely this time.
***
I don’t know how and what happened. Little Aneska came down from her room on the second floor when heavy rain fell, and lightning flashed as if she was angry, the deafening roar scared the little girl.
With her little feet, the girl stepped into the living room where the sound came from. However, Aneska found strangers, one of whom was a man hugging her unconscious older sister’s body. Aneska saw the back of another man who turned to look at her, then the man got up from his crouch and approached little Aneska who looked shocked. Although she might not have fully understood, Aneska knew that there had been chaos in her house that had killed her father, mother, and older sister. However, Aneska did not know what had happened.
The man who approached little Aneska and hugged her was David. And the man who hugged Aneska's older sister while crying was Edwin.
***
Now the shadow of the past that became a nightmare for Aneska turned out to be an incident in her past that made her not remember anything, Aneska experienced great shock, then fainted and finally did not remember anything. That was why the little girl was adopted by her foster parents.
The pain in Aneska's head was getting more and more excruciating, making the girl groan in pain, her chest felt so tight and sore that even crying felt very painful. Aneska herself was confused, everything seemed to be spinning in her head, her family died, living alone with another identity, suffering, and so on, all those bad things suddenly attacked Aneska until she was unconscious.
"Aneska!" Edwin called the girl's name repeatedly but there was no answer.
What happened to Aneska? Could the girl survive and remain as usual after knowing who she was? Could the girl still see her surroundings better than usual?