Juice

*Few Hours Ago*

Alina turned away from the door and lay on her bed, feeling miserable. Ever since her parents had disappeared, she had been in a state of constant confusion. At first, she was not even understanding what was going on when the police entered her house and told her babysitter that she was to be taken away to live with her uncle, Jason. She had never seen him before but her mother used to talk fondly of him.

“I used to carry little Jay on my back everyday to school,” Sheila used to giggle. “He was always sad because our parents used to fight a lot so we were very close. Whenever he heard our parents fight, he would hide in the treehouse for hours. I was the only one who was able to find him every time…”

Whenever her mother talked about uncle Jason, there was a mix of happiness and sadness. Alina did not understand why she cried whenever she reminisced about her brother nor did she get why uncle was not visiting them. But whatever she had heard about her uncle, her mother always said that he was a very gentle person.

So when she came to live with uncle Jason, she had expected someone nice and loving as her parents.

Instead, she was welcomed into a cold mansion which had too many servants and yet, was empty. It felt devoid of any emotions which scared Alina. The place was too quiet and calm, making the little girl gloomy. That night, she had not slept a wink, remaining awake in order to get some news about her parents. She hoped they would enter from the front door and come to fetch her. Anywhere was better than the dark mansion.

But they never came. No matter how much she prayed for their return, they were gone. Alina did not understand what the police officers had meant when they said her parents were ‘gone’. Where had they gone? To a foreign country? She wondered all night but came up with no clue on their whereabouts.

It was not until the next morning when Jason came to the mansion. He entered the room where Alina was kept. The little girl cowered away a little upon seeing her uncle for the first time in her life. She expected her parents to be with him and even though she wanted to ask about them, she bit back the question.

“Your parents are dead,” he said in an indifferent tone. “They’ll be buried next week after the autopsy. From now on, you’ll live here.”

Alina blinked. Dead? What was he saying?

“D-dead?” She stammered. “What do you…”

“They won’t return,” Jason stated. “You won’t see them ever again. Since you have no other living relative, you’ll have to stay here until we can make other arrangements.”

He was not sure what he expected. Probably that the girl would scream and throw a tantrum. Or start creating a scene. His tone was harsher than he intended but it was best for her to face the truth instead of sugar coating it to her.

To his slight surprise, the girl did not say anything. It was as if she was confused and could not fully comprehend what he had just said.

What is ‘dead’? Alina wondered. She was alien to the concept of life and death. Her days were spent with her beloved dolls and books which her parents bought for her. In her mind, she could not fathom what might have happened to her parents. Why would they not come back?

Jason sighed and left the room. He did not want to deal with his sister’s daughter. It shocked him to see how alike they looked and seeing her only reminded him that Sheila had abandoned him with their parents. It was a burning hatred which he could not get rid of and even after her death, Jason was not keen on seeing her corpse. He was not sure how he would react.

Hence, since then, Alina became a part of the cold house which had no soul. Everyday, she wanted to visit the place called ‘graves’ where her parents were. Maybe she would find them there and they could all go home. She pitied her uncle for living in such a sad life.

The door to her room slammed open and Jason entered, looking furious.

“You lied about your asthma attack,” he stated, barely containing his anger. “Why?”

“I want to go home!” Alina insisted. “To where my parents are-”

“YOUR PARENTS ARE DEAD!” he yelled, making her jump in fright. 

“I don’t believe you!” she exclaimed. “They’ll come for me! I know they will!”

“Enough with your childish behavior!” Jason snapped. “You’re grounded! No more TV, computers, internet or anything! You are to stay in this room until you straighten up your behavior.”

“It’s not like I can roam freely in this house!” Alina retorted. “You’re so mean! I hate you!”

“Good, coz I have no reason to like you either,” Jason sneered. Even though he said those words, hearing Alina saying that she hated him was unsettling his heart. The little girl was not crying but glared at him. She could not believe that her mother used to care for this person and called him kind! There was no sign of kindness in him!

Jason gave her one last angry glare before leaving the room. Alina crossed her arms and lay back on her bed, sad and angry at what was happening. Only one thing would give her some peace in that house.

She rolled around and took out a book from underneath her pillow. It was her favorite book, ‘The Adventures of the Mermaid’. 

Her dad had gifted her this book last year and since then, Alina became obsessed with the lore of mermaids. The book followed the story of a mermaid who was travelling all the seas in search of her pearl. On the way, she made many friends and even defeated monsters to achieve her goal. The mermaid in the book was named Alya and she became Alina’s heroine. 

“Someday, I want to meet a real mermaid,” she murmured, clutching the book tight to her chest. It was her only refuge in this dark mansion. 

The door opened and Alina was startled. She sat up straight and to her dismay, it was the nanny her uncle had hired to look after her.

“Have you eaten your dinner, Young Miss?” Jocelyn asked in a seemingly kind tone. She carried a bottle of juice in her hand.

Alina looked down, shaking her head. Her body was trembling in fear as Jocelyn came closer. 

“Good children must eat well,” Jocelyn whispered. Alina was on the verge of crying. She did not like this lady at all but Jason would not believe her.

Suddenly, Jocelyn grabbed her hair and yanked her head backwards. Alina squirmed in pain, tears falling from her eyes. Before she could scream, Jocelyn forced the bottle on her lips, making her drink the juice. Alina was not able to drink it and her lips were bleeding since Jocelyn pressed the bottle hard against her mouth. She was in pain as she forcefully gulped the liquid, her body resisting it but Jocelyn did not care. 

“I told you not to create a scene!” Jocelyn warned, pouring more juice into the little girl’s mouth. The liquid was dripping on to the ground and Alina was on the verge of throwing up.

Finally, she pushed Jocelyn away and ran to the bathroom, puking it all into the toilet. Her stomach was in agony as she threw up the juice. Jocelyn watched her suffer, her eyes cold and furious.

“The next time you create a scene like the one you did today, I’ll beat you death!” she threatened. “Your uncle doesn’t love you anyway, so might as well do him a favor and die, you brat!”

Alina was sobbing hard.

“Why a-are y-you d-doing this?” she hiccupped. “What did I do?”

“I just hate children,” Jocelyn revealed. “But your uncle pays well so you better stay shut and not get in my way!”

Giving one last scathing look at the little girl, Jocelyn left her on the floor. Alina had enough of that vile woman. She wanted her parents and would go back home with them. If uncle Jason would not let her, then she would take matters into her own hands.

“I’ll visit the grave and find them!” she vowed.