Heraiah

CHAPTER 15

Words are the easiest way of communicating with someone, that’s why reading and writing are important. And yet he still found ways to confuse and puzzle me with simple words. That was yesterday. But I am still wondering what he meant.

 After that chat, he went to the living room and focused on his laptop the rest of the day. He shut up after that. Completely hiding after that. And I couldn’t do anything about that since I couldn’t even stand talking to him, I think it was for the best we didn’t talk for the rest of the day.

I forced my heels into my feet and walked disoriented in the room. It feels like it’s my first time wearing heels but it’s not.

“Hera! Can you walk faster?” a mad voice called. It was Khai, waiting outside in the car. He has yelled at me for the past 5 minutes straight. It’s getting really annoying and I’m almost about to snap at him. But I remained in a calm composure.

I hurriedly grabbed my bag and walked towards the door. Then I remembered to take off the ring. I pulled the ring out of my hand and out it on a nearby cabinet by the door. I got out of the house and went inside the car.

I sighed in relief as I got into the car, but that relief faded when I saw Khai staring at me with a weird look on his face, “What?”

“Why are you wearing heels?”

“My mom,” I answered shortly and avoided contact.

“What?”

“She wouldn’t want to see me in something other than heels,” I pursed my lips.

With furrowed eyebrows, Khai asked, “I thought you wanted to annoy your mom?”

I held my chin up, “Yes, I do, but not now, I must look and act like I am still under their control,” I looked away and smirked, “Wouldn’t want to be caught,”

Khai chuckled and started the car. My parents know me the best since they have observed and watched my every move, I mustn’t act out of the ordinary or else I am immediately caught. I am very well aware of my rules and limitations. For now, I must act like my old self and act surprise once the truth is out.

Even if I want to, it’s too early and too dangerous for me to lash out on them. Part of my mission is to part my personal problems from my mission. I cannot lose my temper for people who I don’t even consider my parents anymore. I’ll just have to bear with it until all of this is done.

I looked out the window, the first thing I saw were roads very familiar to me. They were the path to the place I once called home. There was a slight tingle on my fingertips and a feeling in my chest I have not felt in a long time. Even though I was the one who willingly left. I loved my home. It was easy to pack up and leave. But the longing for the comfort of home, it never easily passed by me.

The car stopped and a familiar gate of gold and white came to my sight. It had patterns that screamed rich but the coldness of ice. This is the wretched place I called home. Khai cleared his throat but I didn’t mind and went outside of the car. I stepped out and a familiar feeling hit me that sent shivers down my spine. Such comforting yet disgusting feeling.

I heard a car door open and close. I looked back and saw Khai standing far across the car from me. In his eyes were the same look I had. The gates were tall, tall enough for you to not see anything even if you climbed up to something. The Hyveins house is one of the most heavily guarded places in Adreene. Only a few can see what lies behind this tall gate.

“I better get going,” my lips went to a thin line.

Khai nodded, “I’ll pick you up in a few hours,”

“Okay,” I slowly walked away from the car.

“Don’t let them beat you up too much,” he said.

I turn my head. Still hesitant going inside but I nodded without me knowing. Then I continued to walk further. Beside the thick gates was a door bell. My hands were trembling, but I pressed it anyway. My hand pressed the button for as long as 20 seconds until someone answered in the speaker right beside the doorbell.

“Who is it?” a familiar voice I wish I could never hear again asked.

“Mom, it’s me,” I said and looked up to the surveillance camera up at the corner of the gate.

“Heraiah?” she asked.

“Yes,” I nodded at the camera, “It’s me,”

“Oh!” Mother’s voice gasped as she pressed a button and the gates opened. Mom seems to be excited to hear and see me.

I looked back at Khai and nodded for him to leave. He understands and gets into his car. I turn around and walked towards a long trail to the house I lived. The signature color known for the Hyveins were blue, white, and cold. So most of the things the Hyveins owned were in those colors. From the flowers they owned to their clothes and hair. It was easy to tell if you were a Hyveins for they are known for their striking navy-blue hair.

I am, however, a red head. It was definitely confusing to many why the first daughter from the Hyveins was a red head. There were moments where I thought I wasn’t even a Hyveins to begin with. But then, mom showed me pictures of my grandparents who were also red heads. It made me not doubt my blood and name. But I could not help but felt different from the rest of my family.

Wonder why I tried hard to fit in a family that I never wanted to be in.

As I walk, I felt a pinch on my chest passing by the open front yard where I used to play alone. Since I couldn’t play with my siblings because they were too young, I used to play alone. My cousins don’t particularly like me because I was so called “arrogant”. Jealousy really runs through the veins of a Hyveins. I was spoiled. But not the mean bratty spoiled girl, I was the spoiled daughter who felt uncomfortable being always the priority.

Yes, it felt amazing. But it just felt forced. I had everything in my life except for the genuine feeling of care and love.

I brushed my thoughts off, I couldn’t take the agony. I walked in speed, my heels clicking on the cement floor and red hair bouncing as I walk. A few gardeners saw me walking in speed. They stared but didn’t step closer. i heard one whisper.

“Magic, the spoiled one has come back from the dead,” she snorts.

I closed my eyes, containing my temper and act as if I didn’t hear what she said. As I have said, my parents were protective of me to the point they shouted at house keepers who dared to upset me. I was definitely the epitome of a unwanted spoiled brat.

But I couldn’t blame them if they hated me, but I wished they would shut their mouths or else I might not let them pass next time.

I rolled my eyes annoyed by the whispers. My eyes landed on a big and long two door entrance. Then a thump noise, the door opened revealing a 5’4 woman with her hair mixed with gray and black, running towards me.

“Hera!” the old woman called as she ran towards me, another elderly man steps out and gasped.

My lips went into a thin line and my body stiffened as the woman hugged me, but father was looking and others too. So I smiled and hugged the woman back.

“Mom,” I said whilst another heavy body hugged me from behind.

“Dad,” I said to him.

They were smiling in delight and I was suffocating in between of them like I have always. Luckily, praise the lords, they let go. My mom rubs the sides of my arms and smiles, looking at me.

She caresses my hair, “You’ve grown up so much,”

I was about to smile back until I noticed her expression changed into confusion, “But your face, it seems,” her lips twisted, “Quite uneven,” then she laughs.

“But we can fix that at Karol’s, we must make you look presentable!” she yells then looks at me, “You haven’t taken care of your face, did you forgot what I told you?” her voice instantly turned into anger and annoyance.

Her eyes shifted to my long wavy red hair, “Oh and your hair is terrible, the red is too much, we should tone it done to blue, shall we?” her eyes widened as her the corners of her lips went ear to ear. I’m sometimes scared when she acts like this.

Karol is a famous salon in Adreene, it has branches everywhere. Coincidentally, my mom is friends with the owner and she used to get me to go there for my appearances. Like getting my hair done, my nails, my face, and everything else that she thought needed fixing. One time, she even offered to dye my natural bright red hair. But I strongly disagreed since I loved my hair. She was mad and pissed off at first, but she couldn’t anything since I didn’t want it.

Then dad lets out a nervous laugh, “She just got here, honey, we shouldn’t overwhelm her too much,” he greets his teeth at mom.

Mom laughs in a nervous tone, “Of course!”

This is my mom. She is obsessed with how I shouldn’t and should look like. She obsesses over it. It sometimes makes me feel like as if I should be insecure of how I look like since she had so much complained of how I looked like. But that was before, not anymore. I won’t let her change the features I love about myself and the tiny details of myself. She doesn’t have the right anymore and I’ll make sure she sees she no longer controls my wants and needs.

“Come on, lets go inside,” Mom and dad guides me to the entrance.

I was tensed up with pressure being surrounded by my parents as if they were a pack of deadly wolves. I escaped one time, but this does not determine whatever happens on the second time. But I smiled, warmly. Forcedly warm smiled plastered my face. As I entered the house, my heels clicked on the tiled floors and then my sight landed at a familiar structured house.

There were a few changes, it was more glamorous than I remembered. Unlike before, this ‘home’ was dull and emotionless, it was cold and gloomy. But they spent a lot of money on the furniture now, the decorations to make it more like a home. It even radiated home but it has never been like this. Passing by a cabinet, on top of it was a family picture. But I wasn’t there. It was a recent one. They all looked so happy.

And this was all when I wasn’t here? My eyes wandered even more, seeing the light of the chandelier, the pictures of my siblings hanged up on the wall. And there wasn’t a single memory of me in this ‘home’ I once lived in, not a family picture with me and my ‘family’ I was once part of.

Now I really question, were we all unhappy because I was here?