Unbound Affection

Chapter 5

“You are . . .” Allen stepped forward with an unreadable expression, eyes squinted and bottom lip curled in.

Viola’s lips parted as terror rose to her throat, making it difficult for her to gulp down. Her eyes followed his every movement, her mind still trying to figure out whether he actually saw her blood or not.

“You’re hurt.” He took another step forward.

She let out a sigh of relief. She studied him again, and this time she could read his expression—he hadn’t noticed it. She believed that if he had, he would have stepped away, as that was how everyone around her did when they found out she was not ordinary.

“Oh,” she murmured as if she had zoned out in the middle of a conversation.

“Oh?”

“I . . .” She hid her hand behind her and swept her bangs behind her ears. She smiled. “It’s nothing.”

“You sure?”

“What?” She was taken aback, bewildered by his behaviour. She had thought that the person in front of her had a chance of being a twin of the person she knew in school.

“I mean, are you really okay? You don’t look like it.” He stared at her from head to toe.

She remained silent, gazing at him in curiosity.

“Why do you look like I asked something unusual?” he then added.

“Unusual!” she repeated, taking small steps. “It is definitely unusual,” she said. “Why are you being nice all of a sudden?”

“Nice?” His brows rose, and his lips twitched into a smirk. “Am I being nice?” He hunched.

“Weren’t you?”

“No.” He shrugged, his face showing no signs of mockery.

“No,” she repeated in a low voice. She slid her other hand behind her and clasped them. “That’s good.” She shrugged, relieved to hear that from him. “I’ll get going then.” She stepped back and looked at him before she turned around, her hands swiftly moving forward.

“Do you want me to drop you off?”

“No,” she replied in an instant. “I live nearby.”

She scurried away without turning back. She crossed the road and walked along the bare land opposite the woods as it was getting darker. She hastened at every step, and she finally felt relief when the row of houses came into view.

Noises finally filled the silence as she stopped by the yard of a single-storey house. She looked at her hands, one palm still wrapped around her injured wrist. She had walked a long distance away from Allen, so she released her wrist. The dark stain of blood remained on her skin, but her wound had already healed.

She took a deep breath and stepped on the low, cemented step by the tap. The water trickled down the cold floor as she washed her hands. Silence took over again once the water stopped flowing.

She ran her fingers through the strands to comb her messy hair. She knew she looked terrible. Plastering a smile on her face, she walked up to the door, climbing the three wooden stairs. She looked around and pushed the door open, her smile widening.

“I’m back,” she announced as she hopped in with one foot, removing the other shoe.

From the living room, where a normal-sized couch was placed in the centre, her eyes travelled directly to the kitchen, spotting her father, Daniel, cooking. Between the kitchen and living room was a half wall, and the dining table was set a few metres behind the couch.

“Had a long walk?” Her father glanced at her and continued to chop the chicken.

“Yeah.” Viola hopped forward by the half wall, the counter fixed on the other side. She picked a sliced carrot from the bowl and took a bite.

Daniel nodded in silence.

“What’s wrong?” she asked.

“You’re late!” He looked at her. “Are you alright?” He put the knife on the counter and leaned forward, taking a closer look at his daughter.

“Of course, I’m okay.” She shrugged with furrowed brows as if he had asked an unnecessary question, but she knew why he was worried. She looked like a mess, sweaty and flustered.

“You don’t look okay!”

“Why not?” She grabbed a glass and made her way to the corner.

She stopped in front of the refrigerator. The chilly, refreshing air hit her skin, and she stayed still, her face almost inside the freezer. Her stiff, tired skin relaxed.

“How was school?” Daniel continued to inquire while marinating the chicken.

“School.” The word left her lips in a whisper. She stepped back and pulled out the ice cubes. “It was good,” she said with a fake smile even though he couldn’t see it.

That moment when Allen pushed her against the wall and leaned down flashed in her mind. Those dark eyes were enough to intimidate her.

“Viola.”

Her father’s voice brought her back to reality. She nodded as she put the ice cubes in the glass and filled it with orange juice.

He set the plate aside and moved next to her.

“Are you alright?” he asked again, his arms crossed and his eyes fixed on her side features.

As a single parent, his father had experienced all the ups and downs because he chose not to give up his daughter. When all his family and friends discovered that Viola was not an ordinary human, they got frightened and were appalled by it. No one accepted her except her father. But she forgave them as she understood why her aunts and uncles kept their children away from her. She understood what it would be like for them to be with a person like her, someone as a part of the invisible world.

But there was someone she still hadn’t forgiven—her mother, who had disowned her and broken their family of three apart. She wanted to stay away from Viola, so she discussed with her husband taking their daughter to an orphanage, which Daniel totally disagreed with. They argued, and their conflict that never seemed to have a resolution led to their divorce.

Daniel and Viola had been living away from their relatives since then. Life got even harder when he lost his job and joined a factory that paid only a minimum wage.

Viola blinked multiple times, shifting her thoughts away. She took a huge sip of the drink and looked to her right, facing her father.

“I’m alright, Dad.” She gave him a wide smile. “I like this school more than the previous one.” She placed the glass on the sink and held him by his shoulders. “I’m really okay!” she reassured him. “You remember our deal?” She stepped back. “Like I told you, I’m going to make a new friend here,” she said with her chin lifted.

She had never had a friend in her life.

Daniel stared at her for a moment while his lips twitched.

“You don’t have to try so hard to find a friend,” he told her. “Clean up. Dinner is almost ready.” He chuckled and continued cooking.

After dinner, Viola went back to her room and took a shower.

She walked out of the washroom once done and threw the towel on the rack before she jumped into the chair in front of the neat desk. She lifted her bag from the table and unzipped it, and her eyes widened. She looked into it again, but she could not find her journal.

My . . . it’s gone.

“Oh my God!”

She jolted up. It’s him. He took it. Would he see inside?