Chapter-2

Eloisa woke up panting. She was sweating profusely like she had ran a marathon. Her eyes were still unfocused. She rubbed a hand over her face. Waking up from nightmare was not unusual for her. After that traumatic day, there had not been a single night that she did not have that nightmare. The first few nights she would wake up screaming at the top of her lung, waking up her mother and brother in the process. And sometimes a few neighbors too. After one month passed, she learned to contain her screams. She told everyone that she did not have anymore nightmares. At first, her family did not believe her. But when she started acting like everything was normal, they started to believe that she was fine. But nothing was fine. Though her family did not need to know that. They were already dealing with their own pains. They did not need to worry about her. She still shivered when she thought back to that day.

10th August 2019. That was the day when the tragedy of her life happened. Her father died. It had been a wonderful day. The weather was great. Eloisa was coming from school with Ethan. Ethan was talking about a funny thing that happened in his class. He told her that he would definitely be the first boy in his class in the upcoming finals. He was a brilliant boy but so naughty and playful that no one could make him sit down for a minute. As a result, his grades suffered though he was always among the top ten. When they arrived home, the main gate was opened. Her mother never left the main gate open. She frowned but did not think much of it. Eloisa entered after Ethan and closed the gate behind her. They walked up the front lawn to their front door and was surprised to see that open too. Eloisa thought that it might be a thief but it was just around 2 PM. A thief would never go stealing during daytime. But then how could her mother forgot to close both gates. Without further thoughts, Eloisa pushed open the door and stopped short; shocked. There in the middle of their living room was body lying covered by a white cloth that was mostly soaked in blood. Her mother was sitting near the head of the body and rocking herself looking at the floor.

"Mom?" She had called but her mother did not seem to hear anything.

"Mom...Mom"

"MOM!"

Her mother looked and there was a crazed look in the gaze. That frightened Eloisa immensely. She ran to her and couched down.

"Mom, what happened? Whose body is this? Is the person dead? Mom. Mom. Talk to me. Who is this?"

Her just kept rocking and mumbling. Eloisa looked at her brother who was standing at the door; shell shocked and confused. Eloisa mouthed to Ethan to get a glass of water from the kitchen. Ethan stood there for a few moments before rushing to the kitchen  without a backward glance. Eloisa looked at the kitchen and then at the dead body lying on the floor. She reached out with a trembling hand and slowly removed the cloth from the head. The sight made her body crawl in her own skin and she resisted the urge to take her hand back. She held on to the cloth tightly, closed her eyes and took a deep breath before looking at the mutilated face again. The face almost unrecognizable. The left eye was missing. There was a huge gush on the right cheek. The whole face was covered in blood and dirt. The only thing recognizable on the face was the scar on the right eyebrow. Eloisa choked on a sob. Tears running down her eyes continuously. The body was her father's.

Her father was dead.

Her father was DEAD.

Eloisa dropped the cloth over her father bloodied face and hugged her mother. Her mother was still mumbling gibberish. Someone shook her shoulder and Eloisa looked up to see her brother holding a glass of water. She shook her mother a few times to get her attention and then gave her the glass. Her mother stared at the glass for a few seconds before drowning it down like a person dying of thirst. She looked at Eloisa when she finished. She looked a bit calm now. Ethan was about to remove the cloth from where Eloisa did but his mother stopped him.

"Don't." She had said in a somewhat collected voice.

"Call the funeral service."

That was the only thing she said that day.

Her father's funeral was held the next day and he was buried in the local cemetery of the village. Eloisa's father was the only earning member in their family. And losing him practically made them penniless. Her mother started working at people's home as nanny and sometimes as maid. She worked day and night. She made herself sick overworking. Then Eloisa decided that if she could not help her mother now and something happened to her, then she would never be able to forgive herself. She convinced her mother that she could help though it took a lot to do that. But she did. Eventually. She went to her father's best friend, Uncle Alexander. He had offered to help them out with money after her father's death but her mother had refused. Eloisa went to him and asked if she could work as a chef in his pub as he always said that she was great cook. He took her in without question and even removed the other chefs. Eloisa loved cooking and this was great opportunity for her and her family. She was getting the pay the two chefs got. She was happy even though she had to work hard, fast and overtime. She thought that finally they could get their lives back on track now. But her nightmares got worse. She saw her mom and brother lying on the same floor like her dad covered with blood soaked cloth. She saw them calling her name. Saying to her that she would be next and then they would again become a whole family. Then she would see herself covered in that same bloody cloth. Her nose would fill with the metallic smell of blood. She could feel hot blood coming out from a big hole in her chest where her heart was supposed to be. And then she would wake up screaming. She was glad that she did not let Ethan see their father that way and scar him forever. He did see the body though. After the body was bathed and readied for burial.

Eloisa sighed. She did not know what she could do to get rid of these nightmares. She had tried everything she could. But nothing worked. She sighed once more before getting up from bed and then went to bathroom. She splashed cold water on her face and looked in the mirror. A tired pale face stared at her. Her hazel eyes looked dead, her lips chapped, her cheekbones sunken, dark circles under eyes and her ivory skin lost all its colour. She looked like a zombie from the zombie movies Ethan loved to watch. She had been applying a bit of makeup so that she did not look as sick as did now. She stared at the mirror for a few minutes before looking away. She felt strange looking at herself through mirror. It was like she was watching another person. And most days she felt like she was living in on another person's body. She felt dead inside even though she never let anyone see that. She sighed. There was nothing she could do to make the situation better anyway. She should just accept that this was her life now and nothing she thought, said or did was going to change that. She should go on with the flow life had set her to. Sometimes, she thought God hated her and that's why He did this with her. But then she would remember that she was not the only sufferer and maybe it was a test for them. A test to see if they worth being alive. Eloisa believed that they were. Worthy of being alive. There were many people in this world living in maybe far worse situation than her and if they could survive then her family could survive too. Because they were fighting. For a better life. Eloisa thought that she should be grateful considering that her family was still standing despite the odds they had been through and still going. So she took a deep breath and readied herself to start the day.

Eloisa just finished cleaning the kitchen. It was nearly 12 o'clock. Almost midnight. She was late again. She sighed as she removed the apron, folded it and put it the drawer where all other aprons were kept. She just had to put away the leftovers in the fridge. She was about to do just that but Alex called her.

"Lois?"

"Yes."

"Take the leftovers home. I know that the dishes for today are Ethan's favourite."

Eloisa gave him a big smile and nodded. Indeed, her little brother was a meat lover. Ethan used to sneak food at night. 

She rang the bell and her mother opened. She looked so pale that Eloisa thought that she might faint.

"Are you feeling alright, mother?" Eloisa asked concerned.

"Yes, darling."

"Then why do you look so pale?"

"Oh, pis pose. I'm fine. Did you have any trouble getting home?"

"No, mum."

Eloisa replied as finished putting away her shoes and coat and went to the kitchen to put the bags of food on the countertop. After Eloisa stared working, her mother would always ask that question. It was like she expected something to happen to her.

Shaking her head she asked, "Where's Ethan?"

"His room."

Eloisa nodded as she took one of the bags with her to Ethan's room. She knocked on the closed door and then opened it.

He was studying at his table. Upon her arrival, he looked up. He did not say anything but looked up at her. She raised her occupied hand. He tilted his head to the side and gave the bag a curious look. Finally, he talked.

"What is it?"

"See it yourself."

Eloisa crossed the room to his table and dropped the bag on it. Ethan opened the bag and took out the container. Opening it, his eyes begun to glow. He looked at Eloisa with huge smile.

"SPAGHETTI WITH MEATBALLS AND CHICKEN FRY"

"Just for you."

"I LOVE YOU, SIS."

Eloisa smiled at his enthusiasm and happiness. It's been so long since he had such a big smile on his face. His smile made all her hardships and sufferings worth it.