Heraiah

CHAPTER 5

I woke up with my body feeling better than the night before. My nurse is always so kind to me, I kind of felt glad she didn’t bombard me with questions. Or else I’d lose my mind. Whenever she comes inside the room, she has a sweet smile plastered that never seems to fade away. I drank a cup of tea I requested from Nurse Ida, that was her name. I’ve been in bed for most of the morning. Still in care and comfortable life just being a hopeless patient in a hospital.

A few officers came to talk to me, to identify and investigate me. Although it ended with me being identified as the real Heraiah, they felt dumbfounded about me reappearing. With no lead for anyone who might have taken me ‘in hostage’, they left.

Then I got a weird knock on the door, I glance at the person knocking and saw it was nurse Ida.

I smiled and nodded in which she came in. I couldn’t help but get confused from her state, she looked pressured and stressed. I waited for her to speak.

“Would you be willing to do an interview? There has been a lot of media outside of the hospital, it’s disturbing other patients who need rest,” She says and smiles.

“Is that so?” I asked and she nods.

I sighed and gave her another tight smile. “Okay, I will,” Her face lit up and grinned.

“Okay,” She says in an excited tone but chose to be act lowkey. “I’ll get them in, just tell me if they get you too uncomfortable, I’ll gladly throw them away,” She laughed.

I chuckled and nodded. She waves good bye and went outside to tell them I will take an interview. It is time to make a public move. I felt nervous and fidgeted with my hands. I sighed, this is going to be very difficult. Even though I have shown up on TV multiple times, this is different. I will be making a public statement that I never died, then I’ll be facing my parents again. But they would be completely oblivious that I know they lied which is an advantage for me.

Knowing them, they’d lie again and again once they’re in front of me again.

I straighten my posture and arranged my bed. I rest my body on the head board of the hospital bed and waited for the reporters to enter. The door clicked open then came was nurse Ida with people wearing black and holding cameras. I tried to smile small to give a soft impression. Ida came to me and went to my ear.

“I’ll be right beside you,” she whispered and back away in the corner of the room with a smile. I smiled back and felt glad she would be here inside as well.

The reporters were beyond surprise to see my face, that I am actually real. I’ve met these reporters before, they use to interview me in my high school years, writing my whole life for the people to read. They were astonished but organized themselves and set up their cameras. There were 3 of them, completely shocked. I waited with an awkward smile to them.

“Wow, it’s you. It’s really you,” A guy mumbles but I could hear it, clearly.

“Thomas, it’s nice seeing you,” I said which really frightened him.

With his mouth wide open, amazed and in awe to hear my voice. “You have no idea how I am glad to see you not dead,” He’d be good friends with Kenji, if only.

“God, I always knew you weren’t dead,” Quinn comments.

I gave her a small smile, acting awkwardly.

“Okay, 3, 2, 1. we’re recording!” Thomas shouts.

They started interviewing me, asking me questions of what happened. I acted uncomfortable with the topic for them to see I am terribly traumatized. They looked at each other once in a while noticing the obvious denial I was at on answering the difficult questions.

“Do you remember anything?” Quinn asks while Thomas holding the camera at me.

“I don’t specifically remember anything,” I tried to act as if I’ll soon tear up. “I just remember me running to the entrance, hopeless.”

“I am very sorry you had to experience that,” She shows a small smile. I nodded understanding her.

The room went silent then Quinn tries to enlighten the mood. “Moving on, what was it like?”

“The experience?” I ask and she nods. “It was dark, I was locked up in a room, they’d give me food twice a week and sometimes almost never,” I tried laughing it off to sound as if I am trying to see the brighter side of the situation but it soon faded. I fidgeted with my fingers and gave another tight smile.

Quinn nods and moves on with another question. “Are you comfortable talking on this sensitive topic?”

I looked up to her. “I am, at least for now,”

I could feel the radiation of their sympathies to me. I felt bad lying to them, but I have no choice. Their questions felt a little new to me, I haven’t done an interview in such a long time. Simply being in front of a camera made me nervous and stiffen my whole body. I acted through the whole interview until they cut the cameras and waved good bye to me. I smiled at them and said my thank you’s. They left the room and as it opened, I heard voices of people wanting to know what happened inside while the interview went.

I slammed my head on the bed and felt eternally empty. I felt tired, I just had one interview and now I am already exhausted. Before, I use to do a lot and it never bothered me this much. I guess I’m not use to it anymore.

Later then the night, the interview recorded was now on TV. I’m pretty sure almost all of Adreene would just come to see it knowing one of the reporters got an hour from me. My parents have probably seen this and also Khai, he’s confused for sure.

I fixed my eyes on the TV screen, it was Thomas now on the screen. Explaining his experience with the interview with me.

“It was really her. I have done many interviews with her in the past, and this was really her.”

I smiled, he must still be surprised to see me not dead. Then a few citizens were interviewed based on my situation. I furrowed my eyebrows and listened closely.

It was a girl wearing a green turtle neck, “I most certainly think it’s her. She seemed kind of, weird to us. I bet it was the experience. We can’t really say anything without confirmation but her awkwardness and silence says it all. That girl must have been really traumatized.”

I laughed at what she said. Means I did a good job acting, maybe I should start being an actress. I thought about it and thought it would be too much drama and work for me. I shrugged and drank the last remaining brew of the soup. I burp which out stunned me. I set aside the tray on the table beside my bed. I I got up and went to the bathroom, I stared at the mirror, my other right cheek bruised. My eyes with dark circles indicating eyebags, my face looked sloppy.

I couldn’t help but laugh. I brushed it off and start brushing my teeth and freshen up my bruised-up face to sleep. I went back to bed and drank the remaining water in the cup. I came back to bed and fell asleep immediately. I am exhausted, I have been prone to exhaustion after drinking that many medications. It not only stops my healing process, it’s stops me from being productive as well.

I fell into a deep sleep.

I felt my eyes still heavy from my slumber. But I couldn’t help waking up in the middle of the night. I groaned and yawned. I stretched my arms and legs across the bed and moaned in satisfaction of the brief stretching.

I got up and glance at the covered balcony feeling as if someone is watching me. With furrowed eyes, I pushed back the covers of my bed away from my body and got up. My bare feet touched the cold tiled floor. My spine shivered as the curtains moved along the breeze that came inside the room. I was puzzled, I never opened the windows and I specifically told Ida to never open them unless I say so.

My stance was steady as I walked closer to it. With the slightest boldness in me, my pace went faster. As the cold breeze went in. My heart beating rapidly and my hands shaking as I touched the soft fabric and aggressively put it aside only to see nothing but the endless nightlights lighting up the night in Adreene. I could’ve sworn someone could’ve been here.

I hitched my breath and sighing in relief. I held my chest, my heart still beating fast. I thought it’d be some stupid girl in a movie getting kidn*pped in the middle of the night because cause of her stupidity. I laughed to myself at that.

My laughs echoed inside the room. I looked at the corner of my eye and with a slight curve on the end of my lip. I look away from that and glance at a pair of clutches that was just sitting on the wall. With a fast reflex, I grabbed it and turned my body to the opposite side. Holding it as a spear, which was kind of stupid but was my only self defense considering my body is not in the mood for a fight.

I narrowed my eyes at a silhouette in the dark. It was a tall masculine body. His face masked and his whole body in a suit. In an instant, I shifted my eyes as his right chest glimpse with a shine, it was a medallion reflecting on the moons glow. The room was quiet, I could hear my breathing getting heavier and heavier. I can also almost hear his heavy breathing under his mask.

I felt his eyes looking at me, examining my position. Holding a crutch as a weapon, kind of stupid, but at least it’s something.

I shoot him a glare and put the ends of the crutch closer to his neck. “What are you doing here?” I asked in a faint volume.

“Lower the crutch, lady.” He commanded.

Who does he think he is? He can just barge in the middle of the night in my hospital room ad expects to get respected? Such foolish man indeed. Why is he here anyways? I was guessing we could’ve met after I get discharged. I guess he went in advance. Just as I expected, such a despicable human he is. Well, he isn’t human, my thoughts.

“Or what?” I said with a pouty expression tilting my head to the right, annoying him.

I could feel his eyebrows furrowed in annoyance. The glimmer of annoyance in his dark eyes is my enjoyment. “Or I’ll be forced to fight you.”

He said that with no hesitation. Knowing him, he’d never do that. He needs me too much.

I chuckled, lowering the crutch and walking closer to him. He is tall, probably a few inches taller than me “Considering the fact that I am literally in the hospital with broken limbs and bruises and I am one of the most prestigious ladies in Adreene, you dare to fight a girl? Well, you are a little impulsive,” I walked closer, he seemed taken back from my actions.

He walks back, feeling the need to avoid my sudden move. I walked closer as he walked backward until he stopped, his back slamming on the door. It made quite a big thump noise, but I don’t think anyone could hear it.

I brought my face closer to his and stuck my nose at him with narrow eyes, looking through his soul. “But are you really capable of hurting a girl? Let alone, your fiancée?”