Chapter 2

I live the life so peaceful that I find it strange in a long run. It bore me and it is far from the fairytale I thought what makes the world is.

Mom and dad promise always they will protect me from harm. And I thought this perhaps their doing, the peacefulness that bore me?

I can only smile the thought of them, and regrets the feeling of boredom for their way of protecting me from harm. I grow up without minding anything, yet here I am swayed by the idea of beyond fairytale.

They are overprotective, and I have no say on that. But my grandmom think differently.

“They supposed give you life not so boring such like this, dear,” she says and I gasped unconsciously. She is busy combing my hair, and I almost lost in thought while staring to his darkest eyes within the reflection of the mirror.

“You easily shock to find how others behave, I see,” she added, her expression is one of strange. “In some way, that is normal, Altara, my dear. But what isn't normal is your way of thinking-”

“Grandmom,” my ears rung, cut her off for the first time. My hands flow to my mouth, while my eyes widened. “Oh, where's my manners? Grandmom! Apologize-”

“It's no wrong to cutting off the gibberish, my dear, it's fine.” Her expression soften, hugging me tightly after finishing the combong. She whisper longingly, “The world so wide, so big, and so many bad guys... like that of fairytale. So dear, you shouldn't think everything is so good and so peaceful, alright? You are 18, yet you only know the major of the world. How about the black side and the minor side that is so bloody, my dear?”

“Blo...bloody?” My heart tremble. A thought suddenly occupied my mind, it's so blurry yet blood is the only thing that keep me drowning.

I gasp for air, until the scene is shifted to the accident one time I cpuldn't forget on our way home. This accident end the life of one, and blood flood the area as expected.

Grandmom look so worried, now as if I really not on my right mind. She sigh, smile gentle as she break from from the hug she gives me. She said, his eyes staring so deep as if shifted to somewhere, “You must remember that distant fragment, my dear, and you'll... be fine.”

“Dis...distant fragment?” I stuttered, even worst this time. I'm not really like that, yet I am so confuse to Grandmom. I almost reply that I thought about the accident earlier and I don't want anything more than that bloody fate. But I couldn't find my voice. I have thought how peaceful my world, but that woman that time died because she walked the life of struggles, and even though ran way from those struggles, she's encounted an accident and end her life in a bloody way.

I stop thinking about the accident and focus to Grandmom. I said as I hug her while I'm shaking miserably. “Grandmom... the City is cool. Why not I'll come with you this time?” I smilen, hide the strange feeling that dreaded me just now.

Grandmom expression is the same as ever as she reply with a sigh, “You're not totally wrong, the city sure is cool, my dear. However, it is dangerous in the inside, and is filled with many accident. It fill with blood and is dangerous to you, my dear.”

“Dangerous?” I felt the shiver through my spine as I thought for the blurry scene. My hand hold her tightly, and almost pleading at her, “Grandmom, just live with me here. Mom and Dad would happy to do that!”

“You're such a pure hearted, my dear,” she only said after the longing in her eyes. “But I will to say no. Your parents will never let me stay...” she paused as my eyes widened to the thought.

“They will never let you stay? Why?” I innocently ask even though my mind spun to the unbelieving. There's no way mom and dad will do that to grandmom!

Grandmom touch my face, so warmth which made me sigh in relief. She said, “It's for the safety so don't think too much about it. I guarded the city, that's why it's a no, alright?”

I blink to remember it. “You aree so cool, Grandmom! You were to shoo away the bad guys there, right?”

“That's the only thing I could do,” her expression change, and I thought it is with hatred or something she well-keep into the deepest. “Be safe, my dear. Don't you dare go living to the city. It's no fantasy, it's so dark in there,” she can only hugg me behind those words, her heart beat so fast and her warmth especially is strange.

Grandmom left after making sure I wouldn't thought of once again dreaming the city. Mom and dad returned and look at me with too much love. Mom tells me behind her smile, “I think it's time for you to understand the world, honey. Are you prepared?”

“Understand the world?” I was taken aback so shocked yet felt the excitement in my heart rosing. Mom nod and glance dad as if for a support. I am confuse and curious, as if just a mere looking at each other eye's lead to understanding.

“It's time for the other side of the story,” dad overturned when mom so emotional and look away. He reach the sofa with his bother face such mom. He looked down, and the so worry appear like a disease. He said just as he look straight to my eyes with determination, “It should have known by you from the very start. It should have been the best... and I can only tell you the part of the whole as the first step.”

“Dad? Mom?” I felt the heaviness of my heart, as so the atmosphere is kind of off. “What's wrong to the both of you? Don't scare me please!”

Mom hold me with her hands cold and shaky. She look.at me with reflection of deep worry, yet the love and care is the only thing I want from her.

“There's good... and bad people. You know that, right?” she stuttered and gulped to find my reaction as somewhat unsighty.

Despite the confussion, I nodded. I doubt the peace that I've been feeling until now, but I finally let go of it. Yet here they are trying to be mystery once again.

Then here's a thought of bad guys; reckless people that harm other in an accident way, and stain the city with bloody sight!

“It isn't just an accident, honey!” Mom said, so through what's in my mind right now. Her expression soften when I reveal the shock, she added with a sighed, “Bad guys plan their way to do bad thing, and it's no accident, honey. Their intention is plant chaos to the world, and to much people to suffer miserably.”

I couldn't wrap my mind to the thing mom told me, and dad can only nodded while his expression is turn serious and impossibly joking. It's so unbelievable, yet no one will say it to my face this all just a joke! The atmosphere is heavy for that, and makes my heart as if stabbing by million of needles.

The bad guys can do such a thing, stabbing through the people's weakness. But they plan through the unexpected?

There's the whole story mom narrated I almost couldn't wrapped my mind about: The world so far from peaceful, and that's for sure. T fill the dread and danger in a way encompass everything, and it's no fairytale!

The city, especially, is filled with secrets that unknown from the outside. Death is the common sight, far from accident such as hit by a car on the roadway.

Even the hit of car is no way of accident!

There are people who live their life on killing, and they are no ordinary. They are highly and authoricized in the society that no one could possibly put them in place, not even the City Government!

That alone skip my heart a bit. How can the City Government unable to stop them? Are they that powerful? What's with the extraordinary?

Mom perhaps is overexaggerated!

She talk about bad guys as if they are above the Governmental Laws and even the Governmental Official itself. Even the army, soldiers, and the forces that fight the war of death and injustice couldn't possibly stop them!

I couldn't believe it and just laugh inside my head. As stubborn as I am, how can I believe those gibberish? Grandmom is there to guard, yet it's so dangerous and couldn't even stop?!

There's no way I would believe it without realizing it myself. The feeling I am betrayed by the peace I'm feeling, and the regrets of being bored just now. I feel like it' so big deal to keep away from me until now. The feeling I search to the lost, but when I took it back or found it, I realize the funniest of all. The lost is not even matter to begin with!

Mom and dad eyed tightly, as if to study what I am thinking. I able to supressed my feelings, smile as if to accept wholeheartedly the story.

Not that I don't believe them, but as I left alone in my room, I fell to the deepest. Then a decision came to mind, and I glance the open window with a remiscence. The bloody moon is so high in the sky, yet I'm beyond high. My eyes lingered to the distant, right at the location of the city. I stood up with determination shine in my eyes. My heart broke to the words that is shattered within my mind, the words of grandmom!

“I'm sorry, Grandmom,” I whisper softly, the determination slowly appear in my face as I turned to the mirror that is suddenly crack slowly. “I'm unable to follow your words. I'm to search and see through myself the reality of this world!”