I am TWO

Fourteen

TWO

I stood up in my seat. I know how to respect older people. "Good afternoon, Aunt Margarette." I smiled.

"Why did you want to talk to me, Two?" Her voice shows how cold she is to the person she despises ... and I am one of them.

She sat on the other solo couch. Her movements show grace. Her manicured dark blue nails shine when the light of sun rays touch it.

I sat down on the chair. Her dark eyes stared at me like prey. Two dark eyes that I was fascinated with before but now I hated it as much as I liked it before. Her body has a beautiful curve and even the oval shape of her face. Her pointed nose and cheekbones show perfection. The lips that everybody dreams to have, not thick and not thin, were in dark red and her long black as midnight hair tied up. I know she dyed it because she hated brown reddish hair.

"Tell me, Tita, where is my mommy?" I looked at her seriously.

Her thick eyebrows perfectly curved rose slightly. "What are you trying to say to me, Two? Don't give me that look, child. Don't accuse me of something I didn't know."

"Don't act like you didn't, Tita. If you're not then who had taken her? You're the only one who's really mad at mommy, aren't you? So stop your drama and tell me where!" I try not to raise my voice.

She leaned back in her seat. I heard her sigh. She averted her eyes from me, she's looking at the glass window. "No matter how much I hated her, I can't do things that will hurt her. I'll admit that I am wishing her to die but I am afraid that I am wishing a lie. I just hated her but I am not a stupid person to kill her or do bad things to her physically. Still she's my best friend even though we hold grudges to one another."

From what she said, I feel sad. I can see that she doesn't want that they both ended like this for the reason I really don't know why. They don't want to tell us. They wanted it to keep between the two the secrets of the real reason.

"If not you, then who?" I can't believe what she's saying but deep inside me, she's not lying.

She opened the book in the middle and looked there. "I don't know, Two. I can't help you with that. You're the one who can figure it out."

I am? How am I? I do not know. It was useless for me to go to this place, so I got up from my seat and started leaving.

"It's not her that they wanted, but you because of who you are ..." Words I heard from her. I ignored that because I knew she was reading a book.

Maybe it's one of the lines of the red book she's reading. I kept going out of the house until I reached the gate. The maid chased after me and she opened the door for me to get out.

She smiled at me as if it indicated something.

Hale dropped me off in front of the condominium building. I told Hale about what happened to mommy, she couldn’t believe it at first. He asked me questions that I couldn't answer. I don't know if that is the only thing I can give him.

"Sorry about what happened to Tita, Number. Don't worry, I'll help to find her. I'll do everything to find her." Hale's voice was full of determination as I got out of the car.

"I know, I know." I nodded as I looked at him. "Call me if you can help Hale."

I closed the door and walked straight to the building without giving a glance if he left. I can trust Hale.

When I arrived at the condo, silence dawned on me. Nacelyn came out of the room wearing her uniform.

"You need to go to school, Two. Mommy doesn't want us not to go." I can see sadness in her face.

"I know, I know," I just said and went to my room. I don't want to go in but I have to. Everything will be fine, I need more time to focus but school won't help me.

I took a shower first, my thoughts were flying everywhere just to get the answers running inside my brain. Until dressing up and eating breakfast I seemed out of the world.

I realized when Nace gave me a loud bang on the head. I didn’t expect that.

"Hey, Nace!" I shouted suddenly.

"Where are you going? You're going in the other direction. We're very late for our class and you added the minute we were late." She even waved at me while scolding me.

I caressed the part she hit — she meant to hit. I shot her a bad look. She's annoying! I was pissed.

I want to reply to her, it's just that I'm not in the mood. I left her without a word heading in the direction where the stairs were.

"WHY didn't you come in this morning, Two? I'm always worried about you, is everything fine?" Shackie's voice was full of concern.

Here we are inside the cafeteria eating a snack. On the burger I was eating my eyes were focused. She's lazily eating her potato chips while keeping her eyes on me.

"Nothing," I replied a few seconds later.

"Nothing?" She can't believe that's my answer, she's expecting a longer response from me.

I bit into the burger and looked at her with no reaction. "Nothing, what else do you expect from my answer? I'm not okay because it's like that, like that and like that? I'll tell you everything when it's nothing?"

She was shocked by what I pointed out, she pouted her lips and gave me a crying face. "I'm simply concerned for you, Two. I'm hurt."

Shackie set the food aside and grumpily picked up the phone in her leathered sling bag. I continued eating and let her do what she was doing.

Three minutes passed and she's not talking to me. She's just on the phone. She was really mean to me. I sighed.

I want to say sorry but I can't even say it. I want to tell her everything ... There is always a but. She will also know that, not now but maybe tomorrow or maybe a day.

My gaze shifted to Hajin approaching us, the size of the smile on his lips still making a wave at me.

"Hey, pity cousin." His first greeting to me. "Hi—" he interrupted when Shackie threw the potato chips at Hajin who was shocked at what she did.

"I'm not in the mood, I don't want to see you. I'm tired of the trip." Shackie stood up and left.

Hajin looked at me in surprise. "What's the problem then? Does she have her monthly period?"

I just shrugged. He took the potato chips that landed on the chair and sat on Shackie's seat. He looked to see if there were any more chips on it and when he saw that there was, he ate it.

"Did you two have a fight? Tell me, what's the matter?"

"Misunderstanding, follow here, maybe what might she do then." I shooed Hajin.

Hajin looked at me to see if I was serious about what was being said. I simply nod in a serious face. He immediately complied and left following the direction where Shackie passed.

Disgusted, I looked around. There aren’t too many people. I left after eating my snack and headed to the roof deck. I need fresh air to breathe and a solitude place to think.

When I reached the roof deck no one was there. I smiled widely. Good, I can have time alone.

I sat on the floor, on the side that was not sunny. I leaned against the side wall of the door. The sky was sea blue and I did not see a single cloud. The wave of cool breeze touches me. I slowly closed my eyes. This was the best relaxation I needed.

I can think properly now. I feel a little bit fine also. I don’t realize how many minutes I close my eyes.

I felt the sharp object pass through my face. I don't want to open my eyes in case it's necessary, because it's not a bird or maybe an insect. It was a hard thing made of metal and sharp.

When I opened my eyes, I looked in the direction of the knife approaching me. I moved so fast that I avoided it. I got up in no time. Where did that come from?

I rolled my eyes, but I saw nothing. Did I see it right? I jumped to the side of the roof deck when a knife flew again in my direction, touching my skirt.

I looked down at the roof deck, too high where I stand now. My chest throbbed with nervousness that I might fall.

"Hello, Thraia."

I turned in the direction where the voice was coming from. Above the roof deck door was a woman with half her face covered, the color of her long hair was like a summer sky. Her eyes are dark blue, I can see the joy in her eyes in seeing me and she wore a strange clothing which looks like a ninja's coat but it is gray and blue. There was a black like bandage wrapped around her hands up to her arms holding a knife, a strange knife.

Wait, what does the name she say? Thraia? Who does it call me?

"Who are you?" I asked without taking my eyes off her eyes.

"Denayku, homre de feboani?"

What is she saying? What language is that? My forehead furrowed.

"It's true you really lost everything, you can't understand the language you loved so much back then." She twisted two knives in her hand.

"I don't understand you, who are you? And it looks like you want to kill me. You must be mistaken, I'm not Thraia."

She stopped what she was doing. "I feel sorry for you, if you knew me you might have wanted to kill me earlier. It's been six years, and just like before you are still a poor creature," she stated with a shake in the head.

"What do you know about me? Who are you?" I’m already disgusted with what it says that I don’t understand. Another, why would I want to kill her if I knew her?

"I still want to play with you until you feel sorry for me in case I don't have time yet. I'll watch you die slowly and after you die, your mother and Nacelyn will be the next. Clean up the mistake my mother made."

I was speechless as he threw three knives in my direction, I ran to the left and I almost slipped and fell as I did. It's good that I have balanced myself.

"Are you crazy!" I said angrily. "Why do you want to kill me? I'm not Thraia, you're just mistaken!"

She walked over to me, I was shocked as she walked on the air and was a few meters away from me when she did not move. I can see the happiness in her eyes. Happiness of seeing me dumb.

"How did you do that?" My voice stuttered with fear. What kind is she, is she a human?

"Remember me, Thraia. Euphera."

"Euphera?" I was surprised by his laughter. What's funny with what I said?

"Isn't my name familiar to you?" She asked in an unhappy voice.

I was especially troubled because I didn’t really know this psycho who can walk in the air. I pinched my cheeks. Maybe I'm just dreaming. I was crushed by the pain of what I did because of the pressure of my squeezing. No! It's not a dream after all.

She was getting closer to me. I ran to the right but was turned back by two knives she threw in that direction, even to the left. I'm trapped.

My breathing stopped when she got close to me. Two stepped away from me, she was so close to me.

"Shall I stick the knife in your heart?" She pointed at my chest with her knife that shone when hit in the sunlight.

I don't know what to do, will I end my life in this kind of situation? I was so scared that I could no longer speak and could only hear the deafening silence and speed of my heartbeat.

"I like the fear in your eyes, Thraia. I like it more if it's lifeless."

In an instant she was close to me and the knife was going to my chest. I felt a strong impact and I just felt like I was falling. Fast. Will I die?

I slowly closed my eyes. I can't do anything. This will be my end.

There was a sudden curl of an arm around my body and I felt a body at my side, I seemed to be caught in the bridal style. I can feel I've been lifting up.

I slowly opened my eyes, so bright that I closed them. I repeated again and I saw a man's face, frowning as he looked at me. I was caught by his eyes. Those sea blue eyes were asking me a question like what the fudge did I do. It was as if I had already seen those eyes. Its face too. We stared at each other for a few seconds and I noticed the man's frown.

Wait, that's him.

"Saved by his savior. Long time no see, Xanzer."

The man looked at the woman five meters away from us.

"And who the fvck are you?"