✳An Escape?✳

Thankfully Mark didn't question why she did what she did back then because he knows she is going through a hard time. After the incident, they both went downstairs to be given stares and grins by the elders and the kids. "It was all a misunderstanding" mark would explain but to no avail, they still think something was going on between them.

Apparently, Mark is actually the son of her aunt's friend, he lives here. What she found out during the dinner was a.)the family are christians b.) His father name is Raymond c.) His mother name is Dorine 

The kids that she was babysitting earlier, that's his niece and nephews. His elder sister and brother unfortunately couldn't make it to the dinner so that leaves only Mark and Minah to talk since that's the only people around their age.

Let's give a round of applause to minah's detective skills, Applause. 

"You don't seem to talk much, do you?" Mark questioned after he and minah settle down on the couch. He notice from the day they met on how minah wouldn't give much reaction nor talk much. She would only response in one syllable or two.

She hum in response.

Mark saw her shifting in her seat and he knew the topic was uncomfortable. It was heart wrenching to see her so vulnerable just now and he figured she was this fragile girl all along. She was hiding it, facing all those problems by herself while putting on the mask of a strong person.

"Hey you know what" he said in a low, touched with a hint of concern in his voice "i'm always here if you need someone" 

She didn't answer. She knew how people would always say they would be there when they would leave the next second. Society are filled with people who are so selfish and insecure about themselves they would do anything to avoid being involved with other people. 

"By the way, how did you know my name?" She tried to avoid the topic but it honestly was something she was curious about. She never told him her name on their days in school, nor does she remember anyone calling her name in class. So how did he call her by her name just now

"It wasn't hard. Really. Everyone in school knows your name so a little digging would do it" 

"Everyone?" 

"Yeah everyone. Minah, have you come to realize that you're really famous around campus?"

"Famous?"

"With your looks, your mysterious surrounding aura and your im-the-most-quiet-person-in-the-whole-unicorn-world, you really are famous" 

Minah suppressed the urge to smile. Mark really knows how to lighten up people's day. However, she was stun by his words. Famous? And everyone knows her name? What in the world? 

She honestly did not know how she became well known. She didn't mean to stand out or anything. She did the little things to avoid being recognized like for example: coming early for school because she doesn't want to come noticed, always hanging around in the school garden because not many people go there due to the rumors of "deadly venomous bugs" etc. She did all those things to become unnoticed but due to her dismay, she failed. She never liked being in the center of attention and now she figured she is. Was she suppose to be overjoyed or wretched? 

"I see you're confused on whether you should like the sudden fame or not" he stated as a matter of fact

"Hailey!!!" Her aunt called out for her from the dining room "we're going home!" 

Minah stood up and Mark followed. She walk herself out of the couch from the right and Mark from the other direction, joining back during the walk to the dining room.

"Hailey?" Mark raised a brow "your name is hailey?" 

The walk from the living room and dining room wasn't far away from another as they already reached the door frame before she could answer. Her only response was a shrug. Mark chuckle at her actions. He feels like she changed to be a different person. Maybe the true minah she used to be.

"Goodbye" minah mumble when she walk past him, earning a grin from him and his parents.

She shut the door of the car with a loud bang, mood being incredibly bad as she know she's going to hell again. Her house is a place where she could be safe from the outside world but jailed in the darkness. Darkness is not something she wants to faced, not now. Maybe a little while later when she feels that the darkness can heal her sorrow, then she will go but for now, she doesn't feel like going back. 

"Can we not go home?" She asked after the car's engine start roaring 

Her aunt advert her gaze from the rear mirror to her, raising a brow in confusion "why not?" 

"I just... Don't like it" 

Christina was confused but nodded her head "but what about your mom? She's gonna be worried if-" 

"She's not home" she didn't mean to snap at her aunt but it came off that way "she doesn't care either" 

She never liked talking about her parents to anyone, her aunt is no exception. Whenever someone talks about her parents, she would get really sensitive and emotional. Her parents is a topic she never want to revive and would do anything to burry it so it wouldn't cross her mind. 

She started living thinking her parents died and she is alone. 

"Well... If you insist, i'll tell her you're gonna stay with me tonight" 

"Thank you" 

"Are you depressed" was the first thing that slip off Christina's mouth when minah plopped on her bed. Christina was curious on how minah became so different, so cold and mysterious it seems like she doesn't know her anymore. She used to be so lovely, cheerful and bubbly but she's the complete opposite now. It saddens her.

Minah shut her eyes, her breath hitched when the question repeated in her head. "Is it that obvious?" 

"Yeah. Kind of" christina raise herself from her bed to the other one,settling herself down at the edge of minah's bed, she continued "do you wanna talk about it?" 

"Not really." She answered, eyes still closed "it's not something pleasant" 

Silence devour then both as seconds tick by. Seconds turns into minutes and that was when christina decided to break the ice 

"Is it because of your mother?" 

Her body stiffened and christina knew it was a sensitive topic "so it really is about your mother" she concluded out loud.

Minah open her eyes and sat up straight, staring at her aunt's face that looked really concerned, she heave a sigh "it's them both" 

"Them both?"

"It's both my parents" she paused "father and mother" 

"Oh" was the only thing that she could say. She was speechless as she never knew or thought a child like minah, would go through such things at such a young age. To make it more complicated,She didn't even know what her sister and brother in law was like.

"I'm so tired. Physically, mentally and emotionally" 

"Minah-" 

"Ain't it funny" she sneered "minah and hailey are two different people" 

Christina shut and waited for minah to continue.

"Hailey.... She's a bright, cheerful and carefree girl. She doesn't care what the world thinks about her, she doesn't care whether her clothes would get dirty playing in the garden, she doesn't care about the remarks other children gave her, she's really fond of the sun and feared darkness, she hates those myth about ghost and monsters,she loves everyone around her, she loves her parents and her relatives" 

"Hailey is someone who loves herself. She is not self-conserve, she does not lack self-confidence, she hates silence-loves noisy place and people. she has a friendly childhood...." 

She took a deep breath, not wanting to continue her speech but she had to "While minah is the total opposite" 

"Minah grows up to a total wreck. She's broken and filthy, she hates her body, she hates every inch of her, she's insecure, she fears what people think about her, fear how society would see her, she fear people" 

"Her parents hates her but she hates herself too so it's okay. She loves the darkness because it eats her up alive, it is indulging to fear and to be excited of what's inside it. She hates laughters, oh she hate it so much it brings her flashbacks she doesn't want to remember, she hates eating because she would throw up every time something enters her body- the effect of anorexia. Her mental illness comes along with other awful disease that makes her body so fragile and weak, so restless and numb, so empty." 

"But the thing about minah is; you learn what and how the world really works. The world is not some place where people are so nice and friendly they share you cookies, it is not a place where only unicorns and daisies exist. In reality, people are selfish and arrogant, careless and naive, they would always come first in everything. People are the ones who we should fear, they are the closest enemies." 

Her eyes was shimmering with unshed tears after her speech, christina too was almost tearing up after hearing what her 17 year old niece have to say about the world. She didn't deserve any of this. She wasn't ready to know how the world works only after experiencing 17 years of life, she still has a long way to go and that made her aunt lose it

Christina hugged her ever so tightly it made minah heart break. Her aunt was someone who was always there for her "Min-minah, i-i'm so-sorry i wasn't the-there for you" her cries grew louder as minah could only hide her face in the crook of her aunt neck, not wanting christina to see her tears. 

"It's okay. I'm used to it" minah mumble and hug christina tightly.

✳✳✳

She didn't know why but she feels weird today. A good weird i may say. 

After christina drop minah off by her house and proceed to the airport, she enter the house to the smell of pancakes and she skipped to the stairs. She was like a kid, a happy kid who seem like they just had candy.

The talk with christina probably let her mind feel free for a moment or maybe the little moment with mark helped. Either way, they both contributed in her mood change today and she was glad it did. It made her feel alive. 

Maybe today would be different. 

School was too early to start so she decided to roam around the school. Who knew it would bring her here?

She couldn't believe she's standing in front of a door that had been a gateway to the past. Minah had not been in there for almost 5 years, not even touching the door handle because she knows she can't control herself if she did. it was incredible how she kept herself from going inside.

The music room used to be heaven in her eyes. The soft melody from the piano and guitar will be perpetuate in the room only to be heard by her, the white walls that will enhance the beauty of the fallen rays, the huge white piano that act like the tree of life was at the center of the room, everything was perfectly in place. 

Probably not everything. Minah's heart was not in place, her old self died. 

In spite of mentally struggling to come to a conclusion, to whether she should open the door or not, she did it anyways.

Maybe it was the right thing to do because the moment she step on the hard wooden floor, her body was fired with adrenaline. The familiarity hit too close to home that her body started shaking when she lightly touched the piano. The unwanted flashbacks came by. 

She retrieve her hand quickly as if she was electrified. This is not good. Not at all.

The familiar feeling of emptiness starts filling her body again but she wasn't going to let it win. Not this time. This day was too good to be ruined, too infrequent to be spoiled. It's been too long since she felt something and she wasn't easily gonna let it go away so soon.

She spotted a guitar that lies on a chair that was at the corner of the room. She knew this would be a great distraction so she soon sat down there with the guitar under her arms. Warming up, She pulled one of the strings but it sounded so wrong. This was the effect of not playing guitar for one and a half years. 

Her eyebrows furrowed and she start mumbling things under her breath, trying to remember what exactly she has to do in order to get it to sound right and not cringe-worthy. She tried to strum the guitar this time but it didn't came off as a clean sound. 

"I can help you with that" 

The voice belongs to none other than luhan. 

Author's Note:  please comment your thoughts on this chapter. critism is allowed only if it's encouraging to make the author improve in writing :) also do subscribe and upvote <3

Quote of the day: “Remember yourself as a little girl, she is counting on you to protect her.”