49 Eerily The Same

The school of Koi as big as her thighs freely swam inside an oval-shaped pond, popping up their slimy heads on the surface every once in a while. The whispering waters of the man-made waterfall cascaded into the pond and created ripples on its path, breathing life to the off the beaten path in the garden.

Across the pond, sat a girl with a rekindled spirit. Every night she would endure a nightmare, yet every morning she would wake up and face the day with a smile. Jenny's smile shone as bright as the sun to prove her resilience over the storms that would come her way. Then she stood up to guide her mentor to her surprise.

Jenny walked towards the school's parking where a white van stood out among the rest. Its body dazzled under the afternoon sun, and the blue plate caught every passersby's attention. Everybody knew how Jenny hated this van - its body looked like a school bus, and its color was bland too. However, today was the best day for the innocent van to showcase itself. Uncle Tawi saw Jenny and Teacher Susan walking closer, so he hopped off the van and opened the rear door.

Teacher Susan cried in joy, never in her life did she expect to receive such a gift.

Jenny skipped back to their classroom where her friends waited for her. Her heart felt lighter, and so were her footsteps.

Zoey stood up the instant Jenny's radiance lit up the room. The latter walked past her friend but did not forget to playfully hook her finger on Zoey's backpack, dragging the girl back inside the classroom. Zoey flicked Jenny's hand, her gaze burning a hole on Jenny's being. "What's your problem?" Jenny asked innocently.

"You are the problem!"

"What have I done this time, Zoey?"

"Nothing. Just stay away from me."

"Girls, please." Hugo stood in between his friends, a sacrificial lamb for the brewing catfight. 

One by one, their classmates left the room, leaving the four corners all to themselves. Cora sided with Zoey and tried to pacify her friend. Unfortunately, Jenny triggered Macaw when she spoke, "Cora, let her speak. She's always bottling up her emotions."

"Yeah, what about you, Ms. Perfect? I heard you're on therapy too. Just. Like. Me." Zoey left in a huff, never giving her friend a chance to retaliate. Grant ran after Zoey, slinging an arm on her shoulder. He bumped his head against Zoey's, dissipating the fuming Macaw's anger in an instant. She elbowed his stomach as a 'thank you', and the Giant pretended that he got hurt from the assault.

…

Capital Expo

Zoey and Grant rode their bikes to the art center of the Capital and found themselves ending their ride before a long and narrow alley. They alighted their bikes, pushing it across the end of the lane, which led to a hidden pottery studio that has a landscaped Japanese garden outside. The caretaker bowed to the visitors before going back to his work — scrubbing down the earthen pots.

Zoey bowed down before an elderly Japanese woman whom she called sensei and sat down on her designated spot. Grant waited outside by the garden and sat by a big boulder to read a book, losing track of time until he heard a crashing sound. One by one, Zoey's sensei threw her pottery on the ground, returning it to the earth where it belonged. Zoey stood stoically, her face devoid of any emotions as she watched all her hard work kiss the ground. 

Zoey's sensei held her hands, squeezing them until they turned white. When the sensei released her hands, blood rushed back to her fingers, giving it a pinkish color. "The blood in your hands should give life to the earth that you are molding. Not a single one you made is alive." 

From where he stood, Grant could see the disappointment in the sensei's eyes as she walked away from Zoey. He moved his gaze to his friend's face and knitted his brows when he saw no emotions on her profile. He walked to her direction and placed her palm on her beating heart, "You're alive, Zoey. That's what matters." Grant pushed two bikes out of the pottery studio as he watched Zoey's somber back. He wanted to say more comforting words, but he knew she would not appreciate any of it.

…

Sai Household

Zoey arrived home and saw her mother busily cooking in the kitchen. She pressed her lips into a thin line when she realized her father would be coming home because the only nights that she could taste her mother's food would be when her father was around. She went straight to her bedroom without even saying 'hi' to her mother and lazily took off her clothing.

Submerged in the tub, Zoey thought about Jenny's piercing words earlier. She pondered about the same thing far too many times, yet she could not explain why she had a hard time bringing out her deepest emotions. Zoey knew she was not good with words due to the fact that she was raised to nod her head and did as her parents' bid. Slowly, the warm water spilling out of the faucet filled the tub to the brim.

They said her voice was loud, but was it heard? 

Zoey locked her focus at the light on the ceiling, and a pool of tears made her sight hazy. Gently, Zoey fell asleep.

Auntie Greta finished cooking dinner: Zoey's favorite chicken stew in red sauce with slices of plantain for added sweetness. Today she rose from the ranks and would have more time to spend at home and with Zoey too. Her little girl will be leaving for college soon, and she felt ecstatic to have the chance to work closer to home, which only meant more time to reconnect with her daughter. 

She turned off the stove and the exhaust fan when the food was ready. She could hear a faint water sound coming from Zoey's bathroom. After a while, the rush of water did not stop, so she decided to check in on Zoey, and to her horror, Zoey's bedroom room was leaking with water. She knocked on Zoey's bathroom door, but nobody answered. 

"Zoey, open the door," Auntie Greta ordered, followed by three loud knocks.

"Zoey, it's flooding." Her knocks got louder with every thud on the door, but she still didn't hear a reply, and the longer the door remained closed, the more anxious she got. The growing uneasiness in her made her step back and kick the door open with all her might. Her heart almost dropped out of her chest when she saw the rose-colored tub. She ran and scooped out her daughter, wrapping Zoey's wrist with the underwear on the floor as a tourniquet. 

Crimson red painted the uneven pavement with Auntie Greta's every step. She called for help towards her neighbor's house, and the EP at the Wan's gates raced inside to call for his master while Auntie Greta stood by crying out Grant's name.

"Graaaaaaant! Help me, Graaaaaant!"

Grant heard Auntie Greta's pleas, his heart pounded from the impending horror. He didn't want to think about what happened last year, but Auntie Greta's voice sounded eerily the same. Luckily, Admiral Wan arrived just in time with the headlights of his car blinding Auntie Greta. He hastily alighted the vehicle to open the backseat door and drove as fast as he could to the infirmary.

"Zoey, can you hear Uncle?" Admiral Wan asked, his eyes fixed on the road. Admiral Wan and Auntie Greta sighed in relief when they heard her reply. "Good girl, listen to Uncle's voice, ok? We're almost at the infirmary, Zoey. Don't sleep yet." Zoey grunted a reply. Auntie Greta rocked the child in her arms, kissed her head, and said, "Stay with mommy, Zoey. Mommy's here."

…

Military Infirmary

The emergency team wheeled in Zoey inside a medical room while Auntie Greta stood guard by the door. A few minutes later, Uncle Long arrived in his most disheveled state to date. He frowned when he saw his wife with no slippers on. As he walked closer, the more contorted his face got — the bloodied feet of Auntie Greta sent pins and needles to his already aching heart. 

He held her hands and ushered her to a seat, taking out a white handkerchief from his pocket to pat her feet from all the dirt and blood it accumulated. "Let's go to the nurse's station first and have your feet cleaned, mmm?" 

Auntie Greta moved her gaze from the door to Uncle Long, who was kneeling before her. And when she saw her husband, she wanted to cry yet oddly enough she couldn't, and no amount of tears would dare to trickle down her face too. Not now when her daughter needed her the most, she thought to herself.

Inside the operating room, Zoey's eyes fluttered, the surgical light blinding her every time she forced her eyes open. The medical crew in attendance frowned every time she mumbled in and out of her consciousness. 

"Mommy, I'm sorry."

Edited by Swaning