May Peace Grace Us

Chapter 23

Aila woke up with the smell of a newly brewed coffee. Remembering that she was alone in the house, she immediately sat up regardless of what she was feeling. Vigilance of her past life is telling her to be alert and prepared for any signs of danger.

Her eyes were cold and undoubtedly terrifying to those unused to its fierceness. It is sharp enough to send most people running to the hills should she direct them to someone. And for those who knew the killing intent, they can clearly know that this girl had already stained her hands with blood.

Her cold eyes disappeared in an instance when she saw her mother calmly drinking coffee on the sofa opposite to where she was laid down. In the presence of her parents, she knew that there was no need for her to be so guarded. They will unconditionally take care of her so that she does not need to be so uptight with them.

“Finally you’re awake.” Her mother was uncharacteristically cold as she said this.

Aila flinched when she heard her tone, as she knew she was at fault this time around. Growing up she knew how much she treasured. A simple sickness can send her parents into panic and disarray. Therefore, she did her best not to be sickly.

“Mom…” Aila's voice trailed down as she said this.

“Don’t talk to me with that tone, young lady.” Judith sends a glare at her child as she refuses any excuses as to why she and her husband saw her on the floor unconscious. Seeing her like that almost made them mad with worry if they only saw that nothing stood out to her that had caused her to faint. “Behave on that sofa and wait for the doctor to get here.”

Aila wanted to say something, but clearly her mother was still so angry at her. So, without any choice, she laid back on the sofa thinking all the time should she have such an episode, why should it be today? She had to get back to Albert as soon as possible. He must have been worried about her suddenly dropping the call.

In just a little while, Aila could hear footsteps. She studied it for a while and recognized it belonged to her father. His steps had always been heavy ones, as she could remember. Though, she supposed, her father had been quite purposeful in making his steps to be heard so so as not to surprise and potentially scare her off or her mother.

“Is she awake now?” Stephen asked as she sat next to his wife.

“Ask her yourself.” Judith said as she continued sipping her coffee like it was a good morning. Though outside the window, the moon is up high, signifying that it is still night.

Stephen sighed at his wife’s actions. Although familiar with her routine whenever she was angry at someone, he knew very well that his wife cared so much that she was angry for others’ sake. Especially since this incident was about their child. In this world, perhaps there is no one who is more worried about Aila other than Judith.

Though Stephen could argue he was also worried about their child, he dared not compete in being a number with his wife claiming the spot.

Stephen simply went to where Aila sat obediently in response to her mother’s anger and actions. Sitting next to her, he asked her what had happened to her being on the floor upon their return. His eyes were firm as he stared at his daughter who was clearly carrying burdens upon her little back. He wants no lies or any secrets, his little girl can lean on them if she only tells them what is wrong.

Aila was tongue-tied. Alfred was not really a secret for her not to say to her loved ones. The man is a prominent person even if she does not rely on her knowledge of her own book. Out of his own ability, he has made a place of his own in the chaotic times and has become a symbol of hope to all humanity at the end of time.

But the man is involved in her death in her second life. Though essentially she was really unlucky to be in the wrong time and place back then, it cannot be denied that he was the cause of her death. If he and his companions were not there to provoke enemies everywhere, perhaps there would be no fighting in that place. She and her wandering hyenas should have continued roaming the huge wasteland the apocalypse has made almost everywhere.

“Talk to us, Aila,” Stephen said as he tried to coax his too-mature child to open up her heart. From young, they have already seen how different and adult-like their child was, making them feel a little deprived of some pleasures in raising a child. There was always that alienating wall between them that at times made them frustrated and not know how to interact with their child at times.

Maybe a long time ago their child has already grown up in places they are not in. In a place that has clearly made her unable to be so close to them and easily to their parents, the eyes of Aila have always been so old yet so young in their eyes. “We can help you if you only let us.”

“I-I I!” Aila tried to speak, but her words were stuck and the little voice she uttered was full of the hoarseness of a man who had been without water for so long. Physcially and mentally she really cannot talk about it to them as of now. Just thinking about it will send her hyperventilating. She needs to organize her mind first before she can tell them what is up. She doesn't want to be so detached from them like she did back then. These parents of hers now are not like the Fortins’, they will never harm her the way her old family did.

Seeing her struggling to talk, Judith finally placed down her mug and approached her child in concern. Her child is suffering and she doesn't like to see her like that. She smoothed her and directed her to do a breathing exercise to calm her down. At this rate, she might really faint again because of how much she is struggling to breathe.

At some point, Stephen had traversed the room and fetched her a glass of water. She was no longer having difficulty breathing, but she was pale for many reasons. It might be the things she does not want to face at the moment or it was just her body not well adjusted from her episode. But Stephen and Judith are aware they cannot ask much to not send her to panic again.

“Are you okay now?” Stephen asked as he sat on the sofa next to Aila.

Aila could only nod at his question as she tried to find her voice to speak out. But it seems she was in too much shock to have lost her ability to speak temporarily. Thankfully, the family doctor has finally arrived to see her general situation.

“Aila is just in shock.” The doctor said as he prescribed some meds to calm her down in case she was in another shock, along with a prescription for her throat. It had been apparent that the child had some hoarseness in her voice for some reason. As this type of problem was not within his scope of expertise, he advised a thorough check in the hospital to see what was truly wrong. Perhaps a psychiatrist is needed more than him.

Thanking the doctor for his rush here, Stephen offered to drive him home as it was indeed too late for him to hail a taxi as he had been coming here. The man had told him to say it was okay for him to have some other arrangements for the night. Therefore, it is not convenient for his client to drive him.

Stephen did not insist and only escorted the doctor out of the premises of the house.

Judith and Aila were the only ones left in the room. Silence prevailed as the two did not want to talk to each other. Aila had not only inherited Judith’s eyes, she also took after some parts of her mother’s stubbornness. They say those who are the same repel each other. At times like this, the two really cannot communicate effectively due to how similar they are.

But as a mother, Judith was the first one who set aside her own stubbornness for the sake of knowing her daughter’s well-being. “I won’t press on things you are not ready to tell us. But when you are riddled with too much work, I want you to know we are here for you. You need not to suffer alone, for we are here for you.”

“I know mom.” Aila said, as she dared not to meet her mother’s eyes. Because she knows there are still things she cannot share with them. Because in life, there are needs for secrets that are meant not to be unearthed.

“We understood that our child is special,” Judtih said as she stared out the window and tried to see any stars in the city night sky. “Problems of parents in you were totally non-existent in you. At first, we thought you were just too sensitive and mature. But as we interacted with your friends, we understood there are differences in those sensible children and you. And it is clearly not like you in many places you don't notice.”

Aila felt scared as her mother was recalling her growth. She understood that no matter how much she acted like a child, she was not really a real child, therefore there were sure to be dispiracies in how she acted. And these things should have been too obvious to her parents, who did not say anything for her benefit.

“Hearing your words about a past life, everything made sense.” Judith was in pain as she said this. “Somewhere without us knowing you have grown up. In a place without our constant protection and care, you suffered to be so sensible and mature. Your thought process made sense and we can see how much you cared.”

“During the time we are away, me and Stephen have discussed how we should treat you.” Judith said, touching Aila’s head. “As long as you stay and sincerely wish for us to be a part of your life, we will accompany you as you like. We only wished not to be hated by you.”

“I-I want you and dad to be where I am.” Aila was always greedy about her parent’s affections. Her first life has not let her feel the warmth of familial affections, while her second life has deprived her of this warmth too early. It became her obsession.

“There are some things in life we cannot be in control of,” Judith said as she wiped the tears Aila shed unknowingly. “We had decided to support you in what you decided for yourself. For the past few days we have been going to meet some people who can help us when we need it. I understand you dare not trust some stranger from the experiences you have, but for security and for insurance purposes, your father contacted some people to look after you when needed.”

“Who are these people?” Aila said cautiously. “

“Don’t worry, you know them,” Judith assured Aila. “There are some dangerous bunch your father has some relations with, but we know better not to utilize them. Powerful they seem to be, they lack the character for him to entrust you to them.”

“How did dad get involved with such people?” Aila was genuinely curious. She cannot imagine her homey and carefree father does not fit with the picture in her mind.

Judith smiled and said nothing of Stephen’s black history. Telling Aila not to mind the details and be assured that when the time comes, there will be someone who will catch them should they fall. Changing the topic with her uncles being told by them to start preparing. Telling her that those two were indeed too far-reaching to make appropriate arrangements more than they could ever be. If there were problems, she assured Aila that it was okay to approach them as they had already told them of the specifics.

Weighing the pros and cons, there is indeed so little Aila could say about this arrangement her parents had made. There is nothing wrong with taking precautions and raising their safety factor. But she is sure that she will definitely be more vigilant in preventing thieves than of the literal monsters present in the apocalypse.