Chapter 1: Prologue
Yawn...
I stretched my body as I yawned while sitting on the edge of the cement roof of a factory. On my right side was a chocolate milk drink that I insisted on from my mother. Normally five or more people shared on this thick drink but they owe my father so it should be okay.
Staring at the mountain where the sunrise peaked I realized how boring my life is. If I have my computer I bet the sunrise on the game I'm playing was much more beautiful than this one. Just how long do we need to stay here?
I take the chocolate drink. It became less hot now than it was earlier.
GULP. GULP. GULP.
"Aahhh."
My breath became visible when I exhaled after drinking the chocolate milk.
"Anzai?"
A voice of a girl called out to me. I turned my head to where the voice came from. In the door stood Alya. Daughter of a senator which is a friend of my father which is why she's now in our care.
"Your here again! Your mother already forbids us from going here."
I sneered and look at her dubiously.
"Oh? Don't you want to stay here too?"
Aaliyah blushed.
"Don't wanna? I promised your mother I won't step in here again."
"You sure?" I raised one of my eyebrows. "Don't you wanna see the beautiful sunrise? WOW so breathtaking."
She pouted and a tightening under her eyes. But she shook her head to resist it.
"Come on let's go back." She said while her body was leaning forward and her hand grasped on her arms.
I sighed. "Do you think I can bear staying inside with all those people? Their pathetic faces and smell make me vomit."
"But..."
Not just my family stayed here but people whose working in my father's company, and some random people from the city. Inside this building was so hot and hard to move. You can compare it to a sardine can.
I stared at her before I turned my eyes back to the two mountains. If I remember correctly there's a road behind tat mountains and there's a river before reaching that mountain not too far from here. Before we get to have vacation all over the country and even abroad. But now we weren't even allowed to step outside the bamboo barricade that's in front of the building. It's over a year now since we've been pushed to live in here.
I turned back to the footsteps heading towards me.
"Jeez your so pushy. Tell your mother you forced me to come here okay."
I narrowed my eyes while watching her sat beside me. When her eyes crossed in the sight of the sun rising she smile and gasped, then her eyes widened. I avert my eyes towards the same direction. I know that artists can make a wonderful landscape about sunrise but right now it wasn't bad at all.
"Want some?"
I extended my hand towards her with the cup of hot chocolate. She blink her eyes when she looked at me with cold eyes and a wrinkled nose.
"Why would I drink in your cup it's unpleasant."
"Eh? But why would it matter? We're gonna get married anyway."
after hearing it, Alya twitched and her face flushed.
Our parents are friends with each other but my father has a lot of influence than the senator. When I demanded that I want to marry Aaliyah if we grew up they couldn't refuse it. In fact, her mother was delighted with the idea.
Alya was a child star that already made an appearance in many dramas and tv shows. I found her cute too, and since I'm gonna be the heir of the family it's only right if we got married.
Alya's body trembled in anger.
"Why would you say that?! Were too young to get married?! And I still haven't agreed to that!"
I only meant it as a joke but she looks really angry. But... she's so cute.
"What can you do? If you refuse the proposal my father might be angry at your father. Who knows what will my father do to your family?"
I said with a smug on my face. Aaliyah, on the other hand, drop her head once she lift it she scowled at me with tears at the corner of my eyes.
She stood up. "My father wasn't weak!"
She turned her back and run inside.
At first, I'm surprised by that sudden outburst. But a wrinkle appeared on my forehead.
"What was that about?"
I turned my eyes away.
I'm only telling the fact. My father has a lot of money and power than anyone in the world. And no matter where you see it my father can easily dominate the senator. She's such a br—
Hmph.
I was left alone on the roof, I finished my chocolate with one drinking. I stood. Just when I'm about to leave a military truck passed through the barricade. Going out of it, each of the soldiers carried a sack filled with canned goods, instant noodles, and many relief. They unloaded all of it including the sacks of rice.
They don't bring any meat? But I requested my father.
"Anzai! Anzai!"
Crap that sounds like my mother.
I turn my eyes away and run inside. Mother together with Alya stands on the staircase. My mother held a plastic hanger in her hand.
I looked at Alya then she stick her tongue out. " BLEEEH!"
My mother always gives me what I want but it's another story if I don't do what she said.
She brought me to my Dad's office. After hitting my butt with a hanger a million times. I'm now kneeling on the salt on the ground while reading a storybook. Apparently, I can't stand it unless I finished reading it.
My knees hurt so much. The salt feels like it entered my flesh. I can't concentrate on reading at all.
Just when I'm losing hope the door slowly opened and my father entered the room. His jaw dropped after seeing the situation inside.
"Father help me!"
"Hon, I think you should sto—" My mother turned to him glaring. He closed his eyes and headed to his table and get a thick notebook. "I'm just here to get this. Well, I'm off."
He slowly shut the door.
Father!
SLAP!
After she saw me stop reading, she slapped the hanger on the table.
I wanted to cry. I turned my eyes to Alya. She keeps on avoiding my eyes. Perhaps he's feeling guilty.
To exploit that I glared at her.
....
"I want to go outside!"
I yelled at the man in blue uniform and has a gun in his pocket.
"I said you can't how annoying can you be!"
I was shocked at what I heard.
"A- Annoying?! Do you know who I am!? I am the only son of the Escarra family! The son of Alvino Escarra the man who let you stay here! How dare you say that!"
I shouted at him. The other man like him inside this hut showed their annoyance as well.
"I will let pass your insult, so open the gate."
The eyebrow of the man drew closer.
A man with a well-built body entered. The other man inside salutes them.
"What's going on?" he asked.
"Are you the leader of these guys, I want to get out here so open the gate."
The man scratched his head with his broad hands. He folded his knees.
"May I ask what's your business outside?"
"I want to go there, that's all!"
The man sighed.
"Listen, kid, that's not something that we can freely do anymore. You know how messed up the world is right. If you don't want to be eaten then stay here."
"I won't accept that! This land up to that mountain was our territory. Why shouldn't allowed to step on the land that is ours before they exist."
the man looked at me with a half-open mouth. Then he smiled.
"Your a smart kid, but sorry I can't let you go outside." He pushed me gently out of the hut. "Go back to the facility."
how dare he shoves me off like that. I glared at him before walking back to the building. When I get back I headed to a secluded room where Alya is waiting. While I was arguing with them I made Alya do something.
She standing on the corner while trembling and sweating.
I grabbed the key on top of her trembling hands. With this, I can sneak off this place.
We run at the back of the building until we reach a small gate made of bamboo, that's locked with a chain. The keyhole on the lock is small so I easily found the key regardless of how many they are.
"Anzai... I think we shouldn't do this. If they found out about this they're gonna punish us for sure."
"If you keep on talking like that they will really catch us."
"B- But..."
She grabbed my shoulder, her hands were shaking.
I turned myself around to face her and scowled at her.
"Listen if we get caught here, I'm going to tell them that you sneak in and stole the keys."
Alya's eyes widened like she was about to cry.
"But you told me to do it."
I sneered.
"You said earlier right? That you're going to do anything after what you did?"
I turned around back to open the lock. It clicked then I removed the chain.
I smiled.
It finally opened. I can finally go outside again.
"Come on follow me." I turned back to Alya. My eyes widened when I saw her break into tears.
I grabbed her hand then we run away.
"Wait!" I ignored her and continued.
There's a rocky road that leads to the mountain I'm looking at this morning. We followed a narrow path away from the road. I have no idea about what time it is now but it's not too hot since the weather changed and clouds covered up the sky. Alya was still shaking as we walked.
When we reached the end of the path we reached the river which made us both stopped moving and feast our eyes on the view. I've been to many different tourist spots but I felt so happy while looking at just this river. Perhaps it's because we've been pushed into hiding for over a year now.
Alya stopped crying. She takes the lead of going down to the bed of rock below us.
I knew she was going to be like this.
"Cold!" She shrieked after she touched the cold water. She touched again her hands and wave it back and forth.
"Anzai! Come here!"
She waved her hand at me. But I just sat on the side. She pouted and splashed me with the water.
"Hey!" I complained.
She smiled and run towards me. "Come on!"
She grabbed my hand and pulled me up.
Her expression right now is much more different than earlier. A bright smile replaces the tears she has earlier. That somehow made me warm inside.
Well, I'm the one who planned all of this so I ought to enjoy it.
As we played together splashing water at each other and piling rocks. Every second of it was happiness.
No doubt that this day will stay in my memory forever.