It was a very busy Saturday afternoon at the Bellrosa café, and the famous owner and chef was shuffling around the kitchen and pantry in a frantic search for ingredients.
Whilst the kitchen was a mess, the outside was even worse.
“Do you see an end to this line?” Kyra mumbled as she rested her head on her arms in an exhausted posture on one of the chairs in the patio.
“No. I think I have to stand on the table to see.” Lin stood close by after restocking the shelves full of donuts.
“And what are you doing?! Stop hogging the seats and help out.”
“Sorry, I’ll pass. I have what is known as ‘Unreliable youngest sibling rights’, and besides, big sis is coming right?”
“Yeah, she should be? I haven’t seen Gabbie in a while. The fact that she promised to help out even with her busy schedule.” Lin took a seat.
“Psh- why are you acting like she’s living abroad? You miss her that much~!”
“Ahem! At least she’s more tolerable than you…” He mumbled under his breath.
“SAY THAT AGAIN, I DARE YOU!”
“No… or you’ll tell Mum with that pouty face you make all the time.”
She immediately piped down and grew quiet. She recounted how Gabbie rarely pays a visit home. Kyra was skeptical and knew something was wrong with this family.
She still wished to share her worry but in a way that is not very obvious, “So… will she really be coming? We made this banana bread last minute and I hope it tastes good.”
“I’m sure she’ll love it, you made it yourself, didn’t you?” Lin was definitely in a jolly mood to see his big sister again.
“I only mixed the ingredients together; auntie did the actually baking…”
“Doesn’t matter, it’s the thought that counts right?”
“Yeah…” Kyra immediately turned away in embarrassment. She couldn’t believe she nodded along to one of Lin’s melodramatic positivity quotes.
Lin stood up and decided to head on inside and take a look at the situation. “I’ll see if auntie needs me. You’re going to stay here and play security guard?”
“I will only guard the bread with my life not the café!”
Lin turned around giggling at how much she resembled a squirrel guarding its acorn. He excused himself through the crowd and reached the counter. He asked the worker for his aunt and was sent to the pantry.
“Hello, auntie!” Lin peeped his head from behind the heavy metal door.
“Oh? Kaelin! You done with the restocking?” She seemed to be busy with the flour.
“Yes! Got anything else you need help with?”
“Not at all dear, everything is under control!” She proceeded to spill flour all over the floor.
“Are you sure?”
“Certain.” She laughed a little nervously, accidents happen all the time in the kitchen, but they tend to chase their aunt quite frequently.
“Besides, your mum is coming to help out. So, you can go home with Kyra.”
“Mum is coming?!” Lin almost stumbled on hearing those words.
“Yes! Sorry I made you work I’ll compensate with as many treats as you’d like and bring some friends over too and have fun!” The owner certainly loved a party and especially loved to see his friends over.
Lin had already run out the pantry and dashed straight to the entrance frantically trying to call someone.
After some nervous mumbling and a beep, there was no answer. It seems the line of busy.
“Ahh!!”
“What happened?” Kyra popped up from behind munching on the bread.
“Mum is coming…” Lin sunk his face in his palms.
He realised that he was on his own for this mission: Make sure Gabbie and Mum don’t meet. Explaining his predicament would be troublesome for him and it wasn’t the right time to tell Kyra of the true devastating issue.
But the little girl was fairly underestimated. She knew what was happening for the longest time but remained quiet.
She spoke confidently, “Understood. When is she coming?”
“Huh? What did you understand?” Lin glanced below with confusion.
“We shouldn’t let Gabbie and Mum meet, right?”
“Yes… but how did you…”
“Sigh… enough talk brother! Stop being dense and think of something. I have to give big sis her bread!”
He composed himself and told her what he knew. Gabbie was already late and could arrive at any minute, as for their mother, he had no idea but knew that it wouldn’t take longer than fifteen minutes to get here or less if she had already left home. The problem was simple enough, they just had to find one of the persons and keep them away. But with their ridiculous teamwork skills it might be harder than they imagined.
“Do you really think you can show yourself?”
A low but ear bleeding voice emerged from behind.
The woman with long blonde hair heard it loud and clear as it echoed through her mind. The voice even though eerie and distorted resembled her own. She was scared. The sun had already set and as the light faded from her eyes it felt enhanced in a way which felt like she was walking into a cave. It was darker and the air was still and cold.
She felt the presence of someone tailing her as she took slight but quick steps.
“Are you happy with the way things are?”
Her voice yet again sounded, was it a question that needed answering or something that needed to be fixed, she did not know and did not wish to recount. The memories of not long ago, still fresh in her mind constantly reminded of the injustice she had to face from her very own parents and the parting words she heard could stab her in cold blood.
She ran and ran, the road seemed never ending. With the hopelessness of her safety, she turned.
A huge slender rag doll like white entity crawled on the floor. It’s face, a complete mangled mess of her own face. It was a horrendous slight.
She clenched her mouth in a futile attempt to stop her scream. She grabbed her phone and couldn’t even look straight. Her eyes failed her—darkness swarmed her eyes and clouded her vision. She turned around and dashed for help and her phone went flying in the process.
She turned back to assess her surroundings and right when she glanced at the face of the white thing, it grinned. The grin ripped through its face and finally disappeared into nothingness.
After it had vanished and there was no sign of danger, her vision cured, and it wasn’t dark anymore. But she still wasn’t well, she felt sick to the stomach, and felt like she was going to hurl any minute.
Thankfully nothing was wrong, and she decided to just go back the same way she came.
Her mind a haze and her eyes stung. Was it even real she asked herself many a times before she finally reached a safe place.
“Gabrielle? What are you doing here?” A sweet calming voice spoke.
Before Gabbie could even realise it, she made her way back to her workplace.
“Ms Rianna… hey…” she felt weak and felt like collapsing at any moment.
Her employer was seriously concerned to look at her in such a pathetic state. She dropped the box she was carrying and quickly assisted the poor soul inside.
“What happened? You said you were headed to the café, right?” She handed Gabbie a warm cup of tea.
Gabbie readily took the warm cup in her palms and felt a calming sensation from it.
“Yeah… I was. Something came up… last minute…” She gave a vague response and the experience just then was gripping on her shoulders.
“Don’t tell me the thing that came up last minute is the reason you look this terrible?” She covered her mouth in shock.
“N-No! Of course, not… I… just ran all the way here so I’m exhausted.” It was still the truth.
“Oh? Thank God it wasn’t anything serious! But still, this is also an issue, finish that tea and head home already it’s late, isn’t it? Ray left just a while ago as well…” she was a busy woman and was certainly kind to her employees. Lenient but also strict against the young-ins almost like a mother.
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“Will do..!” Gabbie was still distracted and dazed from earlier.
She sloshed around the tea and once the ripples eased, she noticed her reflection. At the edge of the cup that reflected the corner of the ceiling behind her— a grotesque figure hung to the wall like a garden lizard ready to pounce. It’s face—the same as the frightened girl— gave the same grin as it reached its cheekbones and eventually the bloodshot eyes.
An ear-splitting crash echoed through the room followed by the shattering of ceramic and the splashing of liquid.
The girl turned rapidly behind, her eyes sunk in her sockets and her brows furrowed. The corner on the ceiling was empty. Nothing more than a damp spot on the wall.
Her mind muddled and spiralling into horror. Trapped by her own mind she feared that staying any longer would hurt her more. She dashed out of the door and far away from the building.
“W-What is going on..? Why is this- What even is this?!” Any thread that led her to a proper understanding was failing and it would be best if she just ran with her eyes closed.
She looked for her phone only for it to be missing, and so, soon came to the conclusion that she had lost it somewhere. Nevertheless, she continued running from something that she wasn’t even sure was pursuing her anymore.
Finally, the bustle of a crowd—people! It was the same location she had first seen the monster. She frantically looked around and came to a weak conclusion that the monster wouldn’t come here. She calmed herself down and scanned the area. She asked a few people walking by if they had seen a phone with a purple hard case while they treaded the pavement.
She searched for a while and finally found it tucked behind a park bench. She polished it clean and unlocked it.
“15 missed calls?” That’s the highest number she has ever gotten in a long time in a consecutive timeframe.
“Kae? What could possibly be the rush?”
She tried calling him.
“Hello? Hey! Sorry I’m a bit late..!”
“Gabbie! About time you picked up, where were you?!”
At the other end of the call, things were a little out of hand back at the café. A little while ago…
“Okay, you keep watch and I’ll go back in and ask Auntie when she’ll be coming.” Lin instructed and was about to leave
“Got it.” Kyra was duty bound.
“Hey, kids!”
The two flinched upon hearing that voice. It was their mother.
“M-Mum... hi..?” Lin gave a crooked smile.
“Surprise~! I came to help. So, you two can go home, you’ve stayed here long enough. Kaelin, you had schoolwork to finish right? Same goes for you Kyra…”
“It can wait..!” He reached his arms forward.
“No. It can’t. Get home already, it’s 6:30 and the sun has set.” She was firm on her words and did not tolerate disobedience.
“U-Uh…” Lin was jumbling for words.
“Mother.” Kyra sounded.
“Mother..? Hahaha! What’s going on?” She knew the catch coming from miles away.
“Yes, mother. I want to go home.” She stood up on the chair to meet her at eye level.
“Okay… that’s wonderful then. You two go home together.”
“Ah… not with him. I want to go home with you!”
Lin watched silently as the chaos unfolded.
“Honey… you know I have to help out. You and Kaelin can go together.”
“Noooo. I’m not moving from this chair unless you take me home. This chair and I will be one and will remain glued to this very floor!”
“Sigh… fine by me. I’ll take you along with the chair then.” She folded her sleeves and began walking closer to the chair.
The plan backfired badly and the two exchanged desperate glances at each other.
“Oh! You’re here! Great timing, come on in and help with the kitchen.” Their aunt sounded from one of the windows.
“Coming..!” She turned to her kids.
“You two better have gone home when I check in on you in the next fifteen minutes.”
“Y-Yes, mum!” Lin saluted.
She squirmed her way through the line which seemed to have shortened quite considerably.
“Sigh... What now?” Kyra got down from the chair and went back to guarding the bread.
“I suppose we have to disobey the orders until we get a phone call from Gabbie...”
“Oh~ breaking rules, I didn’t know you had that much courage.” Kyra chuckled.
“Don’t patronise me.”
“Anyway, let's go stand in the adjacent pavement. We’ll be hidden from there.” Lin led the way.
They waited for about ten minutes; it was getting really dark. The banana bread was missing by half.
That’s when Lin’s phone started to buzz.
“So? Where are you?” Lin was a little heated probably from waiting.
“Sorry, I got held up at work… I can still make it though.”
“About that, I think it’s best you don’t come today…”
“What?! But I’m literally two streets away!”
“I’m sorry! But Mum is here and there’s a huge crowd in the café.”
“…”
Lin could hear her panting.
“…How about we meet elsewhere?” He suggested.
“Well... I’m near the park close by. The one with the huge dragon slide…”
“Dragon slide..? Oh! Yes, meet you there!”
The dragon slide was definitely the only attraction at the park, years ago that place was filled with kids, but nobody ever talks about that place these days. But Lin knew it like he had only been there yesterday.
“Come on, Kyra!”
“Where are we going?”
“The Dragon park..!”
“The what now..?”
A tall silhouette in a white jacket stood near the entrance spaced out. Lin knew immediately who it was although the tall figure he once imagined was now a little shorter than before or maybe it was him who had grown a lot.
“Gabbie!” He cheered as he sprinted straight towards her along with Kyra following from behind with the same look of joy.
Gabbie’s plight seemed to have melted in seconds on seeing those two.
“Kae! Ky! How have you been?” She reached for a hug.
“Ugh! You’re crushing my spine, sis!” Kyra squirmed away from the hug.
“Haha! We’ve been great. How about you?” Lin was brimming with laughter.
“I’m doing great, why wouldn’t I be?”
“Have you guys grown while I was away? Kyra you’ve gotten quite big for a five-year-old!”
“Excuse me?! I’m eight!” Kyra steamed on hearing her remarks.
“Wait... your eight? Gasp!” She was in fact genuinely shocked to learn of this fact.
“I still remember you wetting the bed every night...”
“Ah! T-That’s enough teasing, she might do something. We came here after surviving a catastrophe!” Lin quickly intervened the war that was about to erupt.
“I have enough dirt on both of you to last me a lifetime!” Gabbie was proud of herself.
“You wouldn’t dare utter them…” Kyra glared in disbelief.
Gabbie responded with a smirk and a look of superiority.
“It’s getting late, we should be heading home already, if Mum were to find out…” Lin whimpered.
“Right… you should. By the way, how are they..?” Her face became ridden with sorrow as the aches of the past motioned her to be cautious.
“You mean Mum and Dad? They’re fine, I guess.” Lin said with a displeased face. He knew exactly why she would ask but didn’t know how to respond.
“Fine? Even after what they did to their own daughter?” Kyra looked away in anger.
Gabbie immediately turned to her and said, “Ky? You... knew about all this?”
“Well duh! You never showed up to birthdays, celebrations, summer vacation, Christmas for the past two years. I… I was starting to forget about you...” Kyra choked on every word she uttered, the pain she felt from not seeing her sister worried her and eventually ended in tears.
“Kyra…” Gabbie bent down slowly.
“Please, don’t cry…”
Kyra found herself in her sister’s arms as she wept loudly for the first time in her life. She missed her every day and everyone pretending like she never existed hurt her in every way possible. There would be days she would sneak through her sister’s stuff locked away in a secluded room along with other miscellaneous items. She would scrounge for anything related to her sister.
Before Gabbie could even comfort her sister, she heard little sniffles from her brother as well. He was holding in years' worth of tears, all for the sake of seeing his big sister happy again. The day she left home, the screams of their parents and his own muffled cries as he hid in his room close by. Not a word was said in the house for the next week. Even though the family pretended nothing was wrong even though it was in every way possible; the family could never treat each other with the same laughter, kindness, and comfort it once did.
“I-I’m… so, so... sorry…” Gabbie finally broke and held onto to Kyra even tighter.
“I’m sorry..! I ruined this family…”
Tears welled up from Lin’s eyes upon hearing her words, it wasn’t her fault any of this happened. She was an adult, and it was her decision and her life that she wanted to live. Not only was she torn from her family because of it but also had to suffer true consequences of a life she had chosen. She lost two precious things at once.
Lin wrapped his arms around them and wallowed in pain. The three heads of blonde hair huddled together in each other’s arms, finally feeling like they were together again. From a mistake that separated them long ago, now to them freeing themselves from their separation. They all needed this moment, and it hurdled them numerous times. For this moment could be all that they could think of and nothing more was in their way.
“Haha..! Our eyes are going to be so swollen tomorrow! Nobody’s got a date tomorrow, right?”
Gabbie joked while seated in a bench along with her little siblings.
“Gasp!” Lin had a dooming realisation.
“What? Don’t tell me you have a date?” Gabbie sounded alarmed.
“Oh, he sure does~!” Kyra chuckled as she opened up the container with the cold, half eaten banana bread and handed it to Gabbie.
“Oh my god?! Really? Who is it??” She almost choked on the bread. “And wow! This bread is amazing!”
“Thanks! I made it myself!” Kyra was satisfied with the rating. “Her name’s Demi Hart!”
“Oh! That cutie with the short brown hair! I knew something was up when I talked to her.”
“N-No! I don’t have a date, at least not tomorrow…” Lin continued, “The time! We have to go home now!”
“It can wait.” Kyra was stubborn about staying longer with Gabbie, fully aware that she won’t be blamed for if they go late.
“Ky, it’s late. I have to go too…”
The mood was suddenly down.
“Come on, why the long faces? You can visit me at my dorms once in a while, although it’s a long way from here. Actually, maybe I should just visit instead! I haven’t seen auntie in a while…”
The mood still didn’t improve.
“Okay! Chins up! Run along home now, shoo!” She slapped them on their backs.
“Ow!” Kyra screamed.
They both got up, a little sad, but understood the situation well enough.
“I will be back to see you again soon!” Kyra stormed off.
“Wow! And how are you going to come, Ms Grown-up?” Gabbie smiled.
“What about a goodbye hug?!” She called out to Kyra.
Kyra reluctantly walked back and gave her a hug and immediately walked away again.
“She knew all this time, huh? She’s a smart cookie, isn’t she?” Gabbie said softly so it could only reach Lin’s ears.
“Yes… Too much for me to handle…” Lin sounded exhausted.
He braced himself to bring forth the most important question. “Will you ever come back home..?”
She hesitated. As much as she adored the two people in front of her, she couldn’t bring herself to forget about her home and the series of terrible decisions made there. “I’m… not sure.”
“I see…” He didn’t want to pry further but seeing her after so long he couldn’t control himself and asked her one last thing. “Then… please call us more. You can trust me; I won’t tell Mum and Dad!”
“Of course! That’s the least I can do. Besides I trust you way more now, you’ve become a big kid.” She didn’t want to say that she was a coward. Just as she said that Lin let out a laugh.
“How has everything been? Settled in well? How’s the job you’re doing?” He spontaneously asked as the mood lightened up.
“A little secret: I’m working at our previous café’s building. It’s now a gaming café…”
“Really?!” Lin was shocked but a little satisfied by the way she managed to stick to the old places in her memories.
“Haha! Yeah… quite the catch, I suppose.” She looked at her feet as she crushed the leaves below. “I guess, this is goodbye. Go, catch up with Kyra and be the older sibling I wasn’t able to be!”
“Yeah…” they hugged one last time. But the hug lasted a little longer than before. “Gabbie?”
She immediately retracted, the day she had to experience was coming back now that her only source of happiness was slipping. “Hehe! See you soon!”
Whatever that happened remained deep within her and made sure she saw them off with a smile. A smile to show she was doing alright and well.