At the same time, Rose sat on the edge of her dormitory bed, holding the pendant necklace that Professor Enkin had given her some time ago. He brought the necklace closer to his eyes, fascinated.
"This pendant is really beautiful," she often said when she saw it, even though she had done it many times.
Daaarataaa~
The melodious sound hidden by the box comes from Rose's Scre-Glass. Scre-Glass is a pair of glasses that is connected to the virtual world. These glasses are used like normal glasses.
Rose stood up from her seat and walked towards the table towards the box that rang and opened it, after taking it she put it on like normal glasses.
The display on the Scre-Glass shows a call from his mother:
[Call From Mother] (Accept)/(Hang Up)
Rose noticed an incoming call on her Scre-Glass, and options appeared on her virtual glasses screen.
With a pounding heart, she touched the "Accept" option on the glasses screen.
Mrs. Rose's voice immediately filled his ears with the earphones connected to the glasses. "Hello, darling," said Mrs. Rose in a soft voice.
Rose smiled and answered, "Hello, Mother. How are you?"
"...Honey, you're going home early tomorrow morning, okay?"
Rose was a little surprised and surprised because her mother's voice suddenly turned gloomy
"What's wrong mom…?"
"You'll find out tomorrow."
Rose just nodded her head, "Yes, I will prepare myself whatever it is," she said, trying to be calm and ending the call.
From Rose's worried face, he closed the Scre-Glass again and put it on the table. She pondered for a moment, trying not to worry too much, even though her heart was still pounding hard.
Rose decided to sit back beside her bed, trying to reflect and calm herself. She felt the need to prepare herself well for whatever would happen tomorrow.
Under the shining moon outside her bedroom window, Rose reflected on the conversation earlier. She felt curious and couldn't wait for tomorrow morning to come, when she would find out what really happened.
Meanwhile, she began to ponder about the various possibilities and prayed that everything would turn out well.
Rose pondered in the dark, turning her gaze to the night sky bright with stars. Her voice trembled as she spoke the words, more to something beyond herself, to a higher power.
"I am indeed an arrogant creature of Yours, but... at least give me the strength to live in peace," her prayer was heard in the silence of the night.
Once again, she pondered looking at the floor, "Ah… right, sorry," she whispered in a soft voice, admitting her mistake and arrogant attitude.
Then she prostrated herself while praying again, "I am indeed your arrogant creature, but... at least give me the strength to live in peace."
In her prayers, Rose seeks greater wisdom and strength, hoping that with her humility and determination to live peacefully, she will find the direction and support she needs in facing the difficult times that may lie ahead.
After some time passed, Rose felt relieved from her prayers. She got up from her prostration, then walked towards her bed. Feeling calmer, she lay down on the bed and closed her eyes.
The thoughts that filled her head slowly subsided, and she felt closer to deep sleep. In the silence of the night, she tried to absorb the calm and power of her prayer, ready to face whatever the next morning might bring.
With heavy eyes, Rose whispered to herself, "At least I'm calm now."
With those final words, she felt herself sink into sleep, leaving behind the worries and uncertainties that had haunted her all night.
***
Morning arrived slowly, warm sunlight began to penetrate the curtains in Rose's room. She opened her eyes and felt the morning breeze coming in through the open window. It felt like a new beginning.
Rose got up from her bed with fresh enthusiasm. Her feelings that had been torn apart last night had now returned to balance. She felt better prepared to face whatever might happen today.
She remembered the call from her mother last night and was curious about what would unfold today
"Sighs…"
On her way to the gate, she saw a group of classmates gathered in the school hallway, smiling and talking animatedly. However, feelings of restlessness and curiosity made her focus on her goal.
Rose reached the gate and approached the school officer guarding there. In a gentle and respectful voice, she asked permission to leave the school for a moment.
"Sir, I need a permission to comeback to my house because there is something wrong."
The school official nodded, "Sure, but don't forget to come back."
Softly, Rose answered, "Thank you, sir."
After getting permission, Rose stepped out of the school gate with mixed feelings. She couldn't wait to find out what would happen next.
Shortly after getting permission to leave school, Rose saw a black limousine stop right in front of the school gate. It was clear that this car had come to pick him up.
Carefully, Rose opened the car door and got inside. She felt a little hesitant and didn't know what would happen next.
Slowly, the car started to move and left the school area. Rose sat in it with mixed feelings, trying to process everything that happened. She looked out the car window, seeing the road he was traveling on.
"Are you okay…? Miss."
Rose was a little surprised that the driver spoke suddenly, "Driver, what actually happened? Do not make me curious."
The driver remained silent, focused on his driving, then finally answered, "Your father..."
Rose immediately felt surprised and worried. "Huh? What's wrong with my dad?"
The driver spoke in a heavy tone, "He died because of Petrus."
[A/N: Petrus is an abbreviation of the language which stands for 'Penembak Misterus' or 'mysterious shooter']
"Petrus!?" Rose exclaimed, her eyes widening and her heart beating fast.
The driver nodded with a serious face. "Yes, Petrus. It was something very dangerous and now, apparently, they are looking for people associated with it."
Rose felt her heartbeat speed up, and worry about her father made her even more anxious. "What is Petrus? Who is looking for him?"
The driver continued to drive calmly, but his expression remained serious. "Petrus is the code name for something very dangerous, miss. And looking for people associated with it is a powerful secret organization. Your father has been involved in this, and unfortunately, he has become a target."
Rose felt confused and afraid. His father is involved in something dangerous, and he doesn't know what will happen next. "What should we do?"
The driver looked at Rose attentively. "We have to protect you and find out what happened. You are part of this story now, and we have to be careful."
The car continued down the long road, and Rose felt herself caught up in a larger plot of events than she had ever imagined.
The driver looked at Rose's pale face through the rearview mirror, worried about her condition. "Miss...? We'll go to the nearest supermarket to feel better, okay?"
Rose felt very grateful for the driver's concern. With a pale face, he could only nod slowly as a sign of agreement. Her nausea and confusion made her feel uncomfortable, and she hoped a trip to the supermarket would help her feel better.
The car immediately changed direction towards the nearest supermarket. Rose pondered and tried to calm herself, trying to overcome her nausea and confusion.
When they arrived at the supermarket, Rose immediately got out of the car and rushed to the supermarket's public bathroom. With nausea becoming increasingly unbearable, she immediately vomited the contents of her stomach into the toilet. Once finished, she felt better and washed her face in the sink before returning to the car with a relieved expression.
With a gasping breath, Rose uttered her father's in a tone full of worry, "Dad..." Her feelings of anxiety and confusion deepened, and she felt deeply shaken by the news she had just received.
After managing to calm down and feeling better, Rose came out of the supermarket bathroom. She continued his journey through the store, focusing on buying a few things that might help her feel better.
She walked between the shelves in the supermarket, looking for a drink that caught her eye. Then, she took several bottles of soft drinks which could provide a feeling of freshness. Rose also chose some snacks like chips and chocolate, which might help her feel better.
After placing the items on the cashier's table, a cashier asked, "Do you have our supermarket subscription card, Sis?"
Rose shook her head gently.
"Okay," the cashier placed the fingerprint tray on the counter and said, "Please place your thumb to pay."
Rose complied, placed her thumb where the fingerprint was scanned, and suddenly the screen appeared with the following messages:
[Scanning...]
[Welcome Back Rose Adiratna]
[Do you want to pay for order HLN98321LYU of 45,000?] (Yes)/(No)
Once the system had recognized her and her grocery order, she pressed the button, "Yes." With the other hand.
The cashier with a friendly smile said, "Thank you for shopping, welcome back." Rose gave a polite smile in return; then left the cashier with the groceries she had paid for.
Once Rose was back in the car, she felt better prepared to face whatever was to come. She looked at the driver and asked, "Can we go back home now?"
The driver nodded and replied, "Sure, miss. We'll be home soon."
On the way back home, Rose drank the drink she bought earlier while looking thoughtfully at the window.
Swoosh!
Blink!
Rose blinked when she saw something from her car window passing quickly.
What is that?
In confusion Rose looked closer at her window looking back and forth but there was nothing.
The driver who saw this was a little confused, "What's wrong Miss?" he said as he continued driving
"I don't know, it was like there was black coming through—"
Her words were cut off, and Rose's face was shocked as her eyes widened at this unexpected thing.
Whoosh!
< Chapter 24 > To Be Continued.