Chapter 6: Start

It's been five days since I woke up from my short-term coma after Zadkiro's brother shot me for who knows why. My recovery was going well, thanks to Zadkiro and his maid, Rosia. Not only did they help me but they provided for my needs as well, Zadkiro in particular.

As I sat near the pool, the cold breeze of the air that touched my skin was so gentle. The fresh scent of flowers around the pool area was soothing to my worries.

I took a sip of my coffee and sighed. The days were so fast that I hadn't noticed how long I'd been staying in this house. One week? Eight days? Confusion filled my thoughts while trying to remember, my stay felt longer.

Just then, I heard footsteps approaching which made me look in the direction where the sound was coming.

I saw Zadkiro, who was in his grey sweatpants and black hoodie, hair mussed from sleep, walking towards me with his hands in his pocket. I can see that he just woke up.

"Good morning," I greeted him with a smile as I placed the cup on the table.

He smiled back and sat on the empty chair beside me. "You're up early," he commented and looked at me. "How's your wound?"

I smiled shyly. "I'm getting better. My wound is healing faster than I expected."

Zadkiro hummed. "That's nice to hear. You should continue resting and don't force yourself to move around."

"Yes, thank you." I looked back at the fountain. The sound of water flowing from it gives me serenity.

I heard him chuckle which made me look at him in confusion.

A bitter smile was plastered on his face as he spoke. "Thank you? Hm, what a nice thing to hear early in the morning even if—"

"Hey," I immediately cut him off. I know what he's going to say, that he has a fault even if he has nothing to feel guilty of.

"Okay okay, so serious," he gave up as he stretched his arms and legs. I admired him as he did that without him noticing.

"Oh, I remembered..." Zadkiro stopped stretching and faced me. "I have a friend who is a detective, I asked for his help and he's coming today to start investigating the information that we'll provide. Would it be okay for you?"

My heart skipped a beat. I can feel my heart happily thumping in my chest.

"Really? That's good news! Of course, that's fine with me," I responded excitedly.

I heard him laugh, amused by the reaction I had given to his statement.

"Well then, let's go and have breakfast. You don't want to meet him on an empty stomach, yeah?"

I moved my head to nod.

Minutes had passed until they became hours. I was comfortably sitting on the living room couch while eyeing the entrance, waiting for Zadkiro and his friend to come in.

My hands were sweating and I could feel the current flowing in my body out of excitement. I clutched my shirt and heaved a deep breath when I heard voices approaching the living room.

I stood up to recognize the presence of the two men who just entered, one of them was Zadkiro and the other was an unfamiliar one. He was wearing a police uniform that's why it isn't hard for me to know that he is Zadkiro's friend.

"H-Hello," I shyly greeted while stammering.

The man smiled at me. They both walked closer to me and stopped one step ahead.

"Hi, I am Detective Zaim Meijer," he introduced himself and raised his hands to me for a handshake.

I didn't think twice and accepted his hand.

"I am Sereia Villamor. Nice to meet you," I replied before we ended the handshake.

He nodded to me before looking at Zadkiro.

"Let's have a seat first," Zadkiro said.

I sat back in my chair and they took a seat in front of me. I was not sitting comfortably and I could feel uneasiness. I keep secretly taking a deep breath while looking at them.

"So..." Detective Meijer broke the silence. "Before we start, I just want to make sure you're comfortable with me, Sereia. You know, I have to collect information and I need every single detail as much as possible. Would it be okay for you?"

I smiled and nodded.

"Okay." He took out a black device from his inner pocket, I saw him press a button and a small green light appeared. After that, he pulled a small notebook and a pen and started writing on it.

"Let's begin with your back story Sereia. Can you describe to me what kind of people your parents are?"

I thought for a second to think before answering.

"They're kind. They are gentle to me and they never laid a hand on me even if they're disciplining me."

Detective Meijer nodded and wrote it down. When I looked at Zadkiro, he was seriously looking at Mr. Meijer's notes while listening to the two of us.

"Tell me what happened. Why did you end up in the orphanage."

I gulped. "I don't exactly recall the event that day. All I can remember was many people, we went to a crowded place then I got separated. It was twelve years that's why I can't remember that much," I responded.

He nodded and gestured for me to proceed as he wrote details in the notebook.

"I-I got lost. All I knew was someone brought me to the police station after they saw me crying. I think they made a report that I was separated from my parents, they contacted all stations near the place but there were no reports of missing children. It was almost midnight when the head of police decided to turn me over to the orphanage. Harmonica St. Buenavista Homes, that's the name of the orphanage."

I paused when I saw him writing fast, keeping up his speed to me. When he finished writing words, he looked up at me again, waiting to continue.

"The initial plan was just to let me stay there until they receive a report. But years passed, and no one came. The orphanage sent me to school just like the other kids until I graduated in senior high. I stopped studying because I couldn't afford college. Months after I stopped, I heard some of the ladies who were the same age as me that those who would not continue studying or those who had no plans for themselves yet would be trained to become a nun. I-I wasn't sure about that but I was scared."

I heaved a deep breath and looked at Zadkiro. He smiled at me and nodded so I continued.

"I-I never forgot my parents, when I heard that they'll train us to be nuns, I immediately planned to escape. I wanted to find my parents. I had no work and I knew I couldn't live on my own that's why I'll end up training as a nun. I planned my escape for months, and one of my friends knew it. She tries her best to stop me but I already made up my mind. The night that I escaped, is the same night that... Z-Zadkiro's men took me."

I heard both of them chuckle because of the last words that I said. I even caught them looking at each other with teasing looks in their eyes.

"I see. If you don't mind me asking, are you not mad that your parents never tried looking for you?" Detective Meijer then asked after they shared meaningful glances.

I smiled at him and shook my head.

"I haven't heard their explanations yet. I want to know their reasons before making a judgment. I can't only look at my sufferings and say that I am the victim without trying to see how things went to them."

Detective Meijer's eyes gleamed. I saw his smile before closing the notebook, but still keeping the black device on the table.

"What's your parents' business?" asked the detective and leaned on his chair.

"My mother was a preschool teacher, while my father is a chef in a restaurant. I'm sorry I can't recall the places where they worked," I said in a low voice.

"No it's fine, we have their names. At least we know their jobs already so it would be easier to investigate those." He flipped the pages of the notebook and I saw him read something in it. "How old were you when you got lost and started living at the orphanage?"

"I was seven years old, twelve years ago," I responded.

He was quiet for a moment. "So you're just nineteen?" he asked, unsure.

"Uh, yes."

He looked amazed and laughed.

"When did you graduate in senior high?" he asked once again, getting interested in the playful expression on his face.

"Last year."

He snickered again. I furrowed my forehead and looked at Zadkiro, trying to ask him why the detective was acting that way.

"Don't mind him," Zadkiro spoke and slowly shook my head. I saw Zadkiro kicking the detective's foot which made him stop being playful.

"Oh sorry. I'm just amazed that you're that mature for your age." He cleared his throat. "Now, the next question is, do you have siblings?"

I shook my head.

"I'm an only child."

He wrote it again before turning to the next page after the recent one was full.

"This will be an important question now, Sereia. I want you to think about it very carefully before answering. Okay?"

Detective Meijer looked at me seriously that's why I just moved my head to nod.

"Where are your relatives? Do you remember any? Cousins, Aunts, Uncles, or grandparents?"

I took a second to recall anything about it. Relatives. I closed my eyes and tried to remember anything that was connected to my relatives but I ended up getting nothing.

I opened my eyes and looked at the Detective. He was patiently waiting for my answer.

Disappointed, I slowly shook my head and sighed before looking down at my hands that were resting on my lap.

"I'm sorry, I don't remember something. I don't even remember us celebrating occasions with anyone. I am sure it's always the three of us and we celebrate inside the house. Christmas, New Year, especially my birthday."

The Detective stopped writing and looked up at me with his forehead furrowed. He gazed down at his notebook and I saw him reading the words he wrote.

"That's strange. If your parents have professional jobs, how come you never had anyone to celebrate occasions," Detective murmured.

"What do you mean by that?" Zadkiro intervened. Just like me, he doesn't understand what the Detective is trying to say.

"All normal people have friends that they can invite. Especially to their child's birthday." Detective Meijer glanced at me. "You're an only child. I've been investigating for many years already and usually, parents who have only children are fond of throwing off a party for their child. Inviting everybody they know."

What?

I nervously looked at Zadkiro. I saw him looking down, perhaps analyzing what his friend was saying.

"I am not sure yet, and I don't want you to lose your trust in your parents Sereia... But their actions are telling me they're not as normal as they seem to be."

I let out a soft gasp and I automatically covered my mouth when I heard Detective say that.

The hairs on my body are raised and I can feel both of my hands and feet freezing. There were a lot of questions on my mind and I couldn't even spill any of it.

"I will try to look for more details using the information you provided, Sereia. For now, please relax and contact me if you remember something. It might help us get the answer that we're looking for."

I nodded. My mind was still preoccupied but I tried my best to respond.

"I will."