A Dream of Paradise

Seraphina dressed Aya in a light brown cream dress and combed her hair. Seraphina's room was luxurious, reflecting her father's income and her status. The framing of her bed was made with gold, and her tables shone with polished wood. Her table had books neatly and tidily arranged in the corner, and her bed was adorned with dresses and pieces of cloth, which she used to make the dress for Aya.

"What do you like to do, Aya?" asked Seraphina.

"Uhh!" said Aya, placing her finger on her head and turning around to see Seraphina. After a few seconds, she said, "I want to go to people who will take care of me, and then when I am all grown up, I will go on an adventure to find Paradise and see grass."

"Wow, that's an ambitious dream, Aya," Seraphina said kindly.

"Amb... I don't get it," asked Aya.

"It means something bigger than you, in simple words. Your dream is very big," explained Seraphina.

"What's your name?" asked Aya.

"My name is Seraphina," Seraphina replied as she turned Aya around and started to give Aya's hair the final touch-up.

"Sister Seraphina, can I ask a question?" said Aya.

"Yeah, go ahead," replied Seraphina.

"Do you like Jack?" asked Aya innocently.

Seraphina halted, her face turning red out of shyness. She quickly finished making Aya's hair and said, "Why do you think so?" in a nervous voice.

Aya replied, "My dad said I am special. I have the power to sense what's inside people's hearts. When you were talking to him back then, I saw your heartbeat. It was way different than when we were alone. And now I sense it again, the same heartbeat, when you saw Jack in that room with Ramon and Kamil when we were all playing."

With a soft smile on her face, Seraphina opened the door to her room and gently grabbed Aya's hand. "What your father said is correct," she said kindly.

Taking Aya outside her house, they headed back to the palace. The afternoon sky was a fiery orange, resembling a red ocean with waves of cold heat winds.

Seraphina led Aya to the training grounds where Jack was showcasing the car to the children from Madam Farida's orphanage. Madam Farida herself stood next to Ramon and Kamil as the children touched and ran around the car, jumping in and out through the back entrance or the side windows, laughing and joking.

"Hello, Madam Farida," said Seraphina.

"Oh, hello. You're Aurelia's daughter," Madam Farida replied.

"Yes," Seraphina confirmed. "This is Aya. She's an orphan and needs a home. We would love to take care of her, but you know how life is at the orphanage. Plus, I'm often very busy with my studies to become a doctor, so I won't be able to give her my full attention."

"I see," Madam Farida said, looking at the kids running around the car. "Kids, come here."

The children slowly stopped running and gathered around Madam Farida, standing in an uneven line.

Madam Farida then cleared her throat and addressed the children. "Kids, this is our new family member. Her name is Aya, and she'll be living with us from now on. Introduce yourselves to her."

Amira stepped forward first. "My name is Amira. I'm 10 years old. Nice to meet you. If you need a big sister, I'm here."

Next, a young boy introduced himself confidently. "My name is Youssef. I'm an inventor. I can find a solution for anything, so if you're ever lost, just call my name."

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Layla came forward with her doll and said kindly, "My name is Layla. I hope we can be good friends. My dolly can be your friend too." She pretended her doll was alive and said hello to Aya.

Finally, Khaled stepped out in an unhappy and lazy manner. "My name is Khaled. I'm the boss around here, as I'm the oldest. If you need help picking up heavy stuff, you know who to ask."

Ramon couldn't help but giggle, teasing Khaled about getting his muscles up before attempting to lift anything heavy. Khaled, annoyed, retorted that he could probably beat Ramon in a fight.

Jack joked, "Probably is never definitely."

Ramon agreed with Jack, saying he didn't understand his smart comment, but he agreed, nonetheless.

Aya hesitated at first but stepped forward when she looked at Seraphina, who encouraged her. "My name is Aya. I want to make friends and be with people who take care of me. Then when I'm grown up, I will adventure with them to find paradise..."

Before Aya could finish, Khaled laughed, "Hahaha! Paradise!" he jeered, pointing at Aya.

Madam Farida swiftly hit Khaled on the head with her wooden stick and scolded, "Shut up, boy!" Layla, the girl with the doll, stepped in and said firmly, "Khaled, that's bad. I will never talk to you ever again. Apologize to Aya."

"I didn't mean..." Khaled tried to explain himself.

"I said apologize now!" Layla insisted, turning away.

"Okay, sorry," Khaled apologized to Layla.

With a gentle smile, Aya said, "It's okay," understanding that the kids were good people.

"We shall get going then," said Madam Farida.

"Okay," replied the kids. However, before Madam Farida could take Aya away, Jack approached her. He bent down on his knees to come eye level with her and said, "Aya, these are good people. They will take care of you."

Aya smiled and replied, "Will you guys come and see me? I will miss you.

"Of course, we will. Also, we will try our best to find your father, so don't worry, Aya," Jack assured her.

"Thank you, Jack," said Aya gratefully.

"Are you coming or not?" shouted Khaled from a distance. Madam Farida hit him again and said, "Let the girl say her goodbyes."

"Well, let's go, Aya," said Seraphina as she led her to Madam Farida near the gates of the palace.

As Seraphina walked back to Jack, she said to him, "She likes you a lot. She thinks of you as a friend."

"Yeah, I can see that, but to be honest, I don't know why," Jack replied.

Kamil, who was about to say something, was quickly grabbed by Ramon and his mouth covered. "Hey, what the heck? Why did you do that?" shouted Kamil, annoyed.

"Listen, let them be alone," said Ramon.

"Huh, I didn't think of that," Kamil replied. The two started to peek from the side of the car, pointing their ears towards Jack's location to hear the conversation between him and Seraphina.

"So, what are you planning to do here, Jack? What is your dream?" asked Seraphina.

With his hand pushing back his long hair, Jack replied, "To be honest, I don't have a dream yet. My only hope is to go back home. In reality, I'm just a nomad."

"A nomad? What's that? I've never heard of it," replied Seraphina.

"It's a person who's a traveller, a person who is lost, moving from place to place," Jack explained.

Giggling, Seraphina said, "I think you should have a dream. It will help you in life."

Smiling, Jack asked Seraphina about her dream.

"My dream?" repeated Seraphina. "Well, my dream is to be a doctor who can cure any disease so people don't ever lose their loved ones," she said, with sadness in her eyes reflecting her past.

Seraphina Aurelia, her mother from Greece, was a beautiful woman who knew philosophy. She was the daughter of a famous philosopher. She married a man from Egypt, Seraphina Aurelia's father. Her mother soon fell ill and passed away in Greece, while Seraphina Aurelia moved to Egypt with her father.

Seraphina gently said, "Well, I should head back now. See you, Jack," as she walked away.

Emerging from behind the car, Ramon and Kamil started to tease Jack. "Why are you blushing, boy?" said Ramon, while Kamil chimed in, "Love is born from the faintest interactions."

Clearly embarrassed, Jack replied, "Shut up, you two!"

Kamil and Ramon burst into laughter.

As night fell and the sky turned pitch black with a hint of inkiness, Jack made his bed, following his normal routine of tidying his books and dusting the room.

Jack soon opened his notebook, flipping back a few days and reading it. He had a doubt in his mind, a doubt he couldn't mentally overcome. He opened the pages of the notebook again and again, searching for something.

"There," he said, pointing a finger.

His finger touched the delicate rough paper, reading the line. His eyes soon filled with tears.

(CH45/Line 25) "I love you, Aya." The man who exploded that day, the man who Jack couldn't save, the man who was used by the Royal Nebu - that man was Aya's father.

A storm of tears rained from Jack's eyes, his face expressing a feeling of helplessness. He groaned as the tears fell on his diary. He remembered Aya's words, "My father is going to come back, and we will together go and find paradise."

A frown appeared on Jack's face. "Aya, I'm sorry. I cannot find your father," he said in a voice that reached no one. Jack went to his window to take a breather, taking a long breath to calm himself down. "Aya, I promise you this: I will destroy the Royal Nebu and take revenge for what happened to your father."

Underneath Jack's window stood a man wearing a black cloak, holding an apple. As he took a bite, it was Alphonse, brother of Seraphina. He walked through the corridor, clearly aware of what was going on, his expression eminent. In his mind, he announced, "Jack Sterling, I'm keeping my eyes on you. Let's see what string of fate you pull this time."