Sandstorm

Rebekah never expected that Hera would have a sharp tongue.

She had only based her opinion on what Leonard had told her about the mother and daughter.

Now that she finally met Hera, bitter feelings arose inside her. Especially now when this teenage girl would actually treat her this way.

She’s the elder, she’s supposed to be respected.

Even if Hera has complaints, she has to hold her tongue.

She’s her father’s new wife, and for that Hera needs to respect her as the new matriarch of this house.

Hera has to follow her rules from now on.

If anything, Hera has to suck up to her so she won’t make it too difficult for Hera from this day forward.

She never expected for Hera to talk back and do so without needing to throw a tantrum.

Her words sounded polite but directly struck a blow to their egoes, especially to Rebekah’s.

She had wanted to seem motherly but Hera was not having it.

Rebekah thought that she was just acting spoiled but then Hera’s words made her realize that Hera was indeed stating facts.

Rebekah thought she could take away her computer and start controlling Hera’s affairs by imposing rules from the get-go. So Hera will know that she has to follow Rebekah from now on.

She used the reason about grades possibly failing to achieve this. After all, by her experience, that’s also why Leon’s grades fluctuated. Every time he played too long on the video games, he would have low scores on his exams.

She thought it would be a plausible excuse to use on Hera.

But she was not updated on Hera’s recent standing in her class.

She turned to Leonard.

“Ah yes.. There is something like that. By the way, Hera, you didn’t show me your results this time. If not for your teacher calling to inform me about it, then I probably wouldn’t know..” Leonard’s brows pulled together. But he was not angered by it, just a little disappointed.

How could he be angry when the teacher couldn’t stop praising Hera and even praised him for having a brilliant daughter. This made him look so good in other people’s eyes.

“I didn’t feel like celebrating it. After all, my mom wouldn’t be able to see my grades anymore.” She shrugged.

Leonard froze.

Indeed, Helayna passed away when Hera was in her last month of the school year.

So understandably, Hera would not be in the mood to celebrate her grades.

Still, Leonard would have liked to be informed of this.

He could use it to boast to his coworkers that once again, his brilliant daughter could achieve such a feat despite her mother passing away so recently.

“Ah. Right.” He nodded then turned to Rebekah. “Just leave the computer in her room then.. It seems to not affect her grades anyway. Maybe it even helped.”

Rebekah gritted her teeth. “Fine.”

For the rest of the dinner, Hera remained silent.

Rica kept talking as they ate, making Leonard, Rebekah and Leon join in, laughing at whatever they found laughable.

Soon, Hera stood and excused herself.

That was the beginning of Hera losing her own home to the strangers brought in by her own father.

Hera recalled all these in her hazy state.

She struggled to raise her hand from being buried by the sand brought in by the sandstorm.

She tried to lift herself up, but she could lift her head from being buried under.

Hera opened her eyes but shut it close just as fast. The sun’s glare was too bright for her, momentarily blinding her.

With eyes closed, she tried to pull herself up, but she couldn’t do it.

She had been severely weakened.

‘Am I going to die like this? Out here in the desert? All alone?’ Her eyes moistened.

‘Mom. Will I see you when I die? Can I be with you finally?’ Her lips trembled.

Her body was full of wounds, especially her back which was ridden with bullets.

Blood had already seeped through her military uniform.

What was once green was now tinged red and in other spots brown.

‘Someone.. Help me!!’ She screamed inside her head.

Her mouth was dry and chapped.

Her entire body was in terrible pain.

“Help.. Please.. Help me..” She croaked.

She couldn’t believe that at 24 years old, her life is about to end just like this.

She whimpered in pain and misery.                                                                                                                      

Suddenly another sandstorm came towards her direction.

She closed her eyes, bracing herself as she fought to stay alert.

She was afraid that she wouldn’t wake up anymore.

‘Can’t.. Not yet.. Please.. I can’t die yet.. Not yet.. Not like this..’

She refused to accept that she would die in this way and out here in the desert.

But she couldn’t do anything to save herself.

‘Mom.. It hurts..’ She cried silently.

Who would have thought that when she woke up early today to do her morning run, she would be taken away by the people she once trained together with.

The people who were supposed to be her comrades.

They lured her into a trap and made her go through torture some of them would only use on dangerous criminals they were trying to get information from.

And yet they didn’t hesitate to beat her black and blue. They were even about to rape her which was against anything they were taught.

Hera was disgusted to have even met them. She was even more disgusted to ever call them her colleagues.

They did not deserve to wear the uniform.

They, who would always parade around expecting to be honored and revered as heroes of the country, were the same people who could betray their colleague.

All to curry favor with the pig in a higher position than them.

They say that everyone is treated equally in the military and their status and benefits were all based on their merits.

From the start, Hera had faced obstacles when she enlisted for the army.

When she was called over by one of them, she thought that they would just taunt her with words.

She never expected that they would actually commit such a crime.

‘I can’t let them get away with this.’ She thought inwardly while the sand covered her body once again.