Chapter 26: Chapter 26

(Flashback)

13 years ago

I stopped walking when I heard someone calling me. “Alyana!” I turned my back and saw dad walk towards me.

“Dad, why did you call me?” I asked.

“Where are you going?”

“Mom, ask me to but something. Do you need anything?”

“All right, just hurry up.” He smiled at me, so I smiled too.

I went to the small store and bought what my stepmother ask. When I came back, the four of them were dressed nicely. It looked like they going somewhere.

“Get dressed Alyana, we’re going to the mall.” Mom said happily, so I smiled and quickly went to my room to get dressed.

I finished getting dressed, so we left. Dad probably got his salary today.

_

“Yana! Look oh, that hairpin is so cute.” I looked at the hairpin that Sis Kelly pointed at and smiled because she’s right. It’s cute, but the price was ugly. The hairpin is small but why is it 149 pesos? I think that’s expensive.

My sister held my hand and took one of those hairpins. We ran into mom and dad. “Dad!” They both turned their gaze at Sis. Kelly and me.

“Hmm?”

“Can you please buy this hairpin for me.” she showed the hairpin at the same time.

“Do you like that too, Alyana?” my dad asked. I smiled and nodded.

“How much is that?” he asked and when Kelly told him the price of that hairpin. I noticed him scratch the back of his neck. Looks like there’s a problem.

“Kelly, dad’s money is already budgeted. I can only buy one of those,” he said and looked at me. “Is it okay if I buy Alyana first? I promise I’ll buy you this on my next salary.” He added.

I saw my sister smile bitterly. “Well, it’s okay for me if you’re going to buy this hairpin to Sis Kelly first. I don’t need that anyway, I’m fine dad.”

I gulped as I looked at Sis Kelly.

“No, it’s okay Alyana. I’m totally okay,” she said and averted her eyes.

It’s really okay with me, I don’t really like using hairpins, anyway.

_

We are here in the market now. Dad is going to buy a fish. My sister and brother looked straight at the man who was cutting those big fish. I walked away from them first and I almost fell because of the laces of my shoes; I bent down and reach my laces.

I was surprised when suddenly a man stumbled and my eyes widened when something fell into his bag.

“Is that d-drugs?” my voice is slow.

I was suddenly nervous when the man pulled my hand and stood up at the same time. He turned me away from him and his arms were on my neck.

He took something in his pocket and my eyes widened when he’s now holding a knife and pointed it at my neck.

“Try to come closer and I will kill this kid!!” He shouted at the police. They were probably chasing him. There were two police in front of us now and their guns were pointed at the man behind me.

I’m scared. My hands are trembling right now.

“Alyana!”

“D-Daddy!” I couldn’t help but cry as I stared at dad from not afar.

“H-Hey, calm down, man. Please don’t hurt my child.” Dad spoke softly and slowly stepped closer to us.

“One more step than I won’t hesitate to cut the neck of this kid.” He threatened, so dad stopped. I can see different emotions in his eyes.

“You two put those guns down if you want this child to die!” I noticed the people in the market were worried, looking at me. They all look at me in pity.

The two police followed what this man said while dad looked at the two badly. “What the heck are you two doing?! Don’t you have a plan to save my daughter!!” he said angrily.

“Just calm down sir, something bad might happen to your daughter if we didn’t follow what he said.”

“Calm down!? If your child is the one in that situation, let’s just see if you don’t get angry when someone tells you that!!”

“Just let me run away then nothing will happen to this child.” I looked dad in the eye and it was as if he was saying something to me and it’s like I got what he meant.

I immediately grabbed the man’s hand that was on my neck and bite it so hard, he shouted in pain and the knife he’s holding fall down. After that, I got a chance to run away from him and go where my dad was.

I hugged him and just sob, I heard him breathe as a sign of relief. Stepmother, sister and my brother also hugged me.

As I looked at the man that, he was trying to get away from those police. He tried to escape, but the police was holding his hand and put it behind his back.

They started walking now while me and dad were just following my mom, dad and I are in the back.

“What a damn kid, you’re gonna pay for this!!” I was shocked by that shout so we all turned around and things seemed to slow down when dad pushed me to the side, then I just heard a gunshot.

Different noises I heard after that...

Little by little, my tears flowed again as I stared at him. “Dad...” my hand is trembling and I slowly move closer to my dad, when he fell down. My tears dripped even more when I saw that he was bleeding. My stepmother immediately went to us and asked for help.

When we got to the hospital, he lost a lot of blood and the doctor couldn’t do anything. He’s already dead now...

“Look at me! Look into my eyes Alyana!” Mom shouted and hold my jaw.

Dad’s funeral was over, and we are now at home. My sister and brother are still crying, I can hear their sob from here.

“Do you know who’s the one who should blame for all this huh?! You! It’s all your fault!” she tightened her grip on my jaw, I couldn’t help my tears dripping from my eyes because of my stepmother is doing to me right now.

Suddenly my sister came out of room and walked quickly where I was. “I-It’s all your fault, Yana! Y-You killed dad!!” she pulled my hair and mom was just staring at us.

I could see that her tears were about to drip, but she immediately wiped them away.

(End of flashback)

Suddenly, my chest tightened when I remembered that. It hurts me every time I remember my dad dying in front of me. I saw it all. How painful it is in my dad’s eyes.

I guess it’s good that he’s gone because he can finally rest now. He doesn’t need to work and think about us anymore, he doesn’t have to think about the bills, food and he will completely fine now.

What I need is that to accept the fact that he’s already dead and I shouldn’t blame myself for what happens before...but still there’s something about me that I blame myself for it.

“Look at me Alyana, tell me.” He touched my cheek and forced me to face him. I can’t help but sob. “S-Since high school, t-they’ve been hurting me.” I confess to him.

He hugged me tightly. “Why are they doing that to you?”

“A-All I know is that they don’t like me, they hate me...” I can’t stop those tears from falling to my cheek as I look at him in the eye.

If I was just there next to dad and mom, if I hadn’t just walked away from them a little, probably that wouldn’t have happened. They hate me because they blame me for dad’s death. They think it’s my fault that I killed my father.

They were okay when dad was still alive. They were kind to me when he was still with us, but now, it’s very different... it’s all my fault. I’m so unlucky.

Mom died because of me, and so did my dad. I both saw he they died, I saw their pain. I feel like everyone who loves me is dying. The one who became my first ever best friend leaves me. She didn’t die, but she left and we never saw each other again.

I’m afraid that maybe one day Xenon will leave me too.

“Now I just know that there are parents and siblings who can hurt their own--“

“They’re not my real sister and I’m not her real mother.”

“So, your dad got married again and the one he married has a very bad attitude. She looks like Cinderella’s stepmom!” I just laughed softly because of what he said.

“By the way, why are you t-there?” I asked when I calmed down already. Earlier, I really wanted to ask how he was there or what is he doing in our house.

“I followed you.” Only he said.

I slipped out of the embrace with him and looked him in the eye.

“Why?” I wondered. Why would he follow me? He still seems to be hesitant about whether to tell me or not.

“I... I thought you had another man.”