Yia and Elya

Chapter Two

"Eliyassa, could you come down here?" the lady called out, summoning her child from upstairs. It seemed like our families were alike, filled with shouting. So her name was Eliyassa? How cute. The girl who had been sleeping earlier emerged from the balcony across from mine, now dressed in a simple dress. She looked even more beautiful with her hair tied up in a messy bun. I noticed that the guy had shifted his gaze from the lady's eldest to Eliyassa. I playfully nudged his side, and he shot me a scowl. "Take it easy, one at a time. Focus on the eldest; she's more your age. Want to get into trouble?" I whispered to him. "Fine, if you weren't a girl, I'd think you had a crush there," he replied."This is my second child, Eliyassa, but she prefers to be called Elya. She's in Grade 11, taking the Accountancy, Business, and Management (ABM) strand. I recently transferred her to the school here," the lady shared, and Elya shyly lowered her head. Elya... Such a beautiful nickname."Oh, really? My youngest, Alyia, is in Grade 11 too, studying ABM. What section are you in, dear?" Mama asked Elya. "Umm, Section A," Elya nervously replied to Mama. Her voice was soft and melodious. G help, I think I'm falling for her~"You're in the same section as my Yia. If you ever need anything, don't hesitate to approach her. She's kind," Mama assured Elya. Meme nemen ehh weg genern. "Alright, thank you. Please excuse me for now, I have an online seminar to attend. Thank you for coming here" Elya spoke gently, but she still couldn't make eye contact. "She's shy, but such a sweet child," Mama praised Elya. "Oh, these are my twins, Mae and Jake. Like your eldest, they're also second-year college students. Mae is studying architecture at Me Amos Yè University, while Jake is a medical student, aspiring to be a future surgeon," Mama introduced. "My eldest will be attending the same university. She's also a medical student like Jake. Oh, I introduced my kids first. By the way, I'm Rossana, but you can call me Rosa. My husband works in Korea as the Marketing Director of an entertainment company," the lady introduced herself. "I'm Divina, and my husband is a dean at En-Light University, so he's not here, busy with work," Mama added. After the introductions, we sat down for a meal. Well, they fed us.

"Aunt Rosa, may I use your restroom?" I asked Aunt Rosa, and Mama immediately nudged me. So many nudges today, and I'm not even fried chicken.

"Use our bathroom at home; it's just next door," Mama said. "Mom, it's locked. Ate took the keys. She went to the store, and I couldn't hold it anymore," I explained to Mama. "Divina, it's fine, but our restroom downstairs is still under construction. You can use the one upstairs. Go straight and turn right; it's there, dear," Aunt Rosa explained with a smile. "Thank you, hehe."

With a mix of nerves and excitement, I hurriedly made my way upstairs, following Tita Rosa's instructions. "Tita Rosa, why didn't you mention that there are two doors here? Which one leads to the bathroom? I really need to go!" I exclaimed, feeling a sense of urgency. Determined, I decided to play a game of chance, using the eenie-meenie-miny-moe method to choose one of the doors. Was it a bedroom? Wait, there's a balcony... My eyes scanned the surroundings, and I headed toward the balcony. As I caught sight of the room opposite mine, realization dawned upon me. This must be Elya's room! My heart fluttered with a mix of excitement and embarrassment. I had to hold in my urge to use the bathroom, contemplating my next move.

There, on Elya's table, I noticed a Polaroid picture of her when she was a child. I couldn't help but be drawn to it, captivated by the innocence captured in the image. Just as I was lost in my thoughts, I heard the doorknob turn. In a quick reflex, I pocketed the picture and swiftly made my way back to my room by the balcony.

The distance between the roofs and the balcony railings was only about a foot, but I managed to squeeze through. Thankfully, I had left my balcony door open, allowing me to return to my house without being noticed. It seemed that Mama and Tita Rosa were too engrossed in their gossip session to notice my absence. Mama always seemed to have a new "kachikahan" in her life. I sighed and placed Elya's picture in the drawer beside my bed. I felt a mix of nervousness and confusion. What was happening to me? I'm a girl, inside and out, so why do I find myself drawn to Elya? And how could I have impulsively pocketed her picture? Was I turning into a thief? I took a deep breath, trying to calm my racing thoughts. It was just an accident, right? Should I return the picture... or should I? How would I even explain it? My goodness, I needed help!