50 Aya Or Ava? (1/2)

Year 2033, March

7:00 A.M

Somewhere in Stockholm, Sweden

. . .

. . .

”Huh?”

Someone had lifted the curtains, causing me to be basked in the morning sunlight.

I pulled my blanket to cover my body from it, only to be pulled away from my grasp. My hands absently searching for that blanket but it was not there.

Strange.

I buried my head in the soft, comfy pillow. At least, I didn't have to face the sunlight directly. Sleep was more important to me and I wanted to enjoy every second of it.

Someone then shook me vigorously in an attempt to wake me up.

”Go away...” I mumbled. ”Go...”

The person stopped. After that, I was fast asleep.

”WAKE UP!”

Someone hit me in the arm and I jolted awake. ”Ow! Who...?”

I rubbed my eyes and the small figure of a girl came into view. She was sitting on my bed, smirking. The little girl wore an oversized black jacket and baggy blue jeans. Her hair was short, paired with her gleaming turquoise eyes.

”Wait...” I rubbed my scraggly dark hair. ”Aya?”

I distanced myself from her immediately when I realized it was really her. ”Why're you here?!”

She tilted her head at my question. ”What do you mean Ava? I've come here to wake you up of course! Friends do that, right?”

I just nodded at her statement. ”Er, yes. So you come here in the morning just for that?”

Aya got off from the bed and went to the door, twisting its k.n.o.b. ”Not really. I brought him with me if you don't mind.” She pulled the door when a person I knew all too well walked into my room.

”Papa!” I yelled. Without any restraint, I lunged at him. My arms wrapped around his waist and embraced its warmth.

”Ava, you seem to be doing okay. I guess I worried too much,” said Hope as he patted me on the head.

I missed him so much after all those years. At that moment, to finally be able to interact with him was a blessing.

My hand accidentally brushed off against his right hand and I stepped away. Looking directly in his eyes, I could see the emptiness inside it. There was no longer any light, any familiar warmth of a kind person that I was fond of.

His green jacket was tattered, and so did his faded black jeans.

Clean bandages wrapped his right hand and so did his amputated left hand. He quickly hid it behind him when he noticed my stare.

”Oh, I'm fine Ava. It's okay...” Hope gave me a smile, but that smile was no longer warm. It was too cold.

”Papa...” I hugged him again, trying to comfort whatever emotions left in him.

'He must have gone through so much,' I thought.

Bart could've experimented on him, deliberately torturing his body through the course of those two years. My reunion with him back then was not that welcoming, but that time in my room was no different.

I knew deep down that he'd changed. Even so, he was still my Papa, the only one I cared about in this world.

Aya walked out of the room and I lifted my head. ”Isn't Bart... controlling you?”

Hope crouched and looked at me straight in the eyes. ”He was, Ava. He was. After he figured I have no use for him anymore, he let Aya took me here. His crystal is no longer inside me so I'm free now.”

I bit my lip. ”But your hands... It's my fault, Papa. You suffered because of me.”

”That... might be true. I won't deny it. But that's all in the past now. I'm just happy that Aya brought me here to see you.” Hope looked at me up and down. ”And you seem to be doing fine. I must thank Miss Holm then.”

I nodded. ”Can I hold your hand?”

”Sure.”

Hope held my hand in his and walked me downstairs.

It was weird.

Hope's hand felt so cold that one would think he had been in a freezer before he came to Maltyie's house. I squeezed his hand when Maltyie and Eugene waved at us in the kitchen.

”Come and take a seat you two,” said Maltyie.

I took her suggestion and both of us sat next to each other, my hand refusing to let go. In a way, I feared that I could lose him again if I ever had it in my heart to do so.

Eugene and Maltyie looked at each other from their seats in front of us.

Maltyie forced a smile. ”You two seem close.”

Hope made a subtle nod. ”We are, Miss Holm. I've known her since two years ago. It was rough back then.”

”The battle at Mansel Island,” said Maltyie. ”Every officer I know talks about that incident, how that was one of the first losses our Great Corporate United had suffered. In such a small island too.”

Eugene stared at me. ”Is Ava okay? I've never seen her like this before.”

I squeezed Hope's hand, or at least, the stump of his left hand.

”She's okay. We are that close, you see,” said Hope.

”Oh. You're her brother?” asked Maltyie.

Aya was busy munching on her sandwich as she watched us.

”...I'm her parent,” said Hope.

”Parent?” repeated Maltyie.

Maltyie and Eugene both looked at each other again. Eugene shrugged his shoulder and pushed a plate of sandwiches towards Hope.

”Anyway, it's breakfast time. I prepared these sandwiches just so you know,” said Eugene with a grin.

”Thank you,” said Hope.

There was that jug of orange juice that Maltyie made, and Hope gave a gla.s.s of it to me.

”Thanks, Papa,” I muttered.

Eugene coughed and so did Maltyie, struggling with the bits of sandwiches in their mouths.

”Who? What?” mumbled Eugene, his gaze fixed on me.

Maltyie narrowed her eyes at me. ”Er, he's your father, Ava?”

”Yes. He is,” I said it out loud.

”Okay...” Uncertainty showed on Maltyie's face.

'What's wrong with her? I meant what I said,' I thought.

We all had breakfast that morning and Aya came to me suggesting that I should go with her to the mall.

”I came here today because I want you to join me,” said Aya.

”Join you for what?” I asked, my hand still wrapped around Hope's as we both sat on a sofa in the living room.

”There's a coloring contest at the mall. Come with me Ava,” insisted Aya.

I looked at Hope and he nodded in agreement. ”You should go.”

”But...”

”I'll come with you,” he said.

”Oh, okay!” I exclaimed.

If Hope was there with me, I did not mind at all. It could also be a good opportunity for me to spend proper time with him, considering we never had one before.

It took about fifteen minutes by car to the mall Aya spoke of. Maltyie waved us goodbye and the three of us; me, Hope, and Aya were on our way to where the coloring contest was being held. Aya paid the partic.i.p.ation fees for both of us and we sat at the same table. The theme of the contest was sunset, where both of us were given a template of the scenery each.

”This is too easy Aya,” I muttered as I had already finished my coloring about ten minutes after the contest started.

”Oh, wait. I'm almost done,” she said.

I wondered why I partic.i.p.ated in that childish event. Aya's decision of wanting to do that in the first place was strange. If anything, only kids aged around five to eight were suited for it.

I glanced at Hope who was standing outside of the square green mat, looking at us. My heart was tight when his eyes no longer portrayed its familiar glint. And Hope did not smile when he looked at me.

Perhaps he was thinking of something, and I was the one who did not understand him. He had changed so much during the course of two years.

Noticing my faze, he faked a smile.

I ignored the coloring contest entirely after that, ripping apart the template I had colored. Aya gaped at me when she saw what I did. In the end, Aya was the winner of the contest, being given a scroll of some sort. After all that has been said and done, the three of us walked outside of the mall into the burning suns.h.i.+ne.

Aya nudged at my shoulder. ”Ava, are you okay?”

I looked behind me and sure enough, she was worried. ”I'm... not okay.”

”Is it because of him? I shouldn't bring him with me, do I?” said Aya.

I grabbed her shoulder at that. ”No, no. Thank you for bringing him, Aya. I appreciate it. It's just... he's not the same person I knew anymore.”

Aya blinked. ”Oh. You loved him very much Ava. I can see that.”

”Thank you.”

Aya led all of us to a convenience store not far from the mall. Hope halted just as he was about to walk in.

”What's wrong?” I asked.

Ignoring me, Hope walked to an alley next to the store and both Aya and I followed him.