Eclisse • MICHAENG •

Chapter 20

After they saw Chaeyoung wept, they let her fix herself so she could take a stroll on Mina's pool area to unwind. Chaeyoung dragged herself towards the pool area, reliving the incidents that happen not so long ago that made her eyes swell for crying all day.

Tiptoes interrupted her thoughts as she turns around seeing her daughter usherring towards her. In a distance was Mina's figure looking out for Shae to arrive safely at Chaeyoung's making the small distance feel like kilometers away. She then left when Chaeyoung acknowledge her presence by looking her way.

"Hey honey, It seems that you're fond with Auntie Mina." She said leading her to the pool side to sit while dipping their feet. Cold water touches their skin making them quaver at the contact.

"Yeah! I like her so much Mama! She stayed with me when you're not around." The little girl said as she sag her feet making droplets fly on the air hitting their dry clothes.

"Careful, don't get us wet" Chaeyoung reprimanded gently. "Honey I want you to listen very well on what I will say okay?" Shae nodded looking into her mother's soul, reflecting the seriousness that Chaeyoung sets. "I want your full understading here honey"

"Mum is no longer part of our family baby." Chaeyoung approached carefully to not agitate the child. "Its just you and me"

"W-why" Shae said, tears are building up her eyes that adds to the ache that Chaeyoung is feeling. She unconsiously wipe her daughter's tears with her own hands.

"She left us baby, but all that I can assure you is she still loves you" Chaeyoung said thinking about Somi's desperate statements on Shae's custody. "Honey, can you do something? Its a little bit hard, but can you do this for us?" Shae didn't answer but loudly wept at the moment. Her mourn echoes the whole empty space that even the birds' chirps and the crickets' sound were overlapped.

"Please think about Mum lesser than you usually do? Can you do that honey?" Chaeyoung asked as her voice waver. She as well let out her tears, letting the pain all out, joining her daughter.

"Are we letting Mum leave that easily, Mama? " Shae strongly asked as her voice croaked at the end. Chaeyoung cannot comprehend on her daughter's sudden tone which is completely foreign to her.

Shae's eyebrows were meeting at the center, her nose scrunching as her eyes are like falls, water keeps streaming down, unstoppable. She rose up from the pool side and in a fast motion she was out of Chaeyoung's sight. Chaeyoung for a moment let her have her space as she looked at the sky, no stars visible, only the moon not in its full phase, but still lighting up the dark.

She entered the mansion, while looking around, wishing to find her daughter. She went up to the second floor where her daughter's room is located. She knocked on the wooden door several times but nobody opened it. She twisted the doorknob and found an empty bed cleanly fixed.

Long hallways she treked until rennaissance swells her eardrum. She stopped infront of the door where the sound came from. She knocked on the door and moments later a little girl stood infront, in a ballet shoes and tutus on.
Her eyes were lukewarm, but the moment she realized that Chaeyoung was the one who knocked, it suddenly went blazing, thinking that her Mama could easily let go of her Mum. She slammed the door right in front of Chaeyoung's face.

The latter was astounded on the attitude displayed. She lost control of her rage and screamed, "Shaeron Eclisse, you don't get to do that to elders young lady!" She twisted the door knob but failed to open it since its locked. "Go out there young lady! You need to have a valid reason for that attitude" Chaeyoung said spitting out fires to her daughter.

"Eclisse, in a count of three, when the door is still not open, you're going out with a broken door!" Shae on the inside, prancing in the ballet studio, stalled when her second name was mentioned. She knew so well that she's in a big trouble when she's called Eclisse.

"1" Chaeyoung madly said. Mina who just went out from her hot bath heard the commotions outside since her room is just across the ballet studio but didn't pry on it. She changed into her clothes and settles herself under her duvet as she reads a book.

"2" Shae went near the door, hesitating to open it. She dropped on the floor, soft whimpers she hardly tried to hold.

"3" Chaeyoung who just stood outside screamed in a deep voice that doesn't even sound like her. "Eclisse!" Mina was alerted when the name suddenly rings a bell in her memory. As a sudden reflex made her went out as fast as she could while the name repeatedly echoes her mind.

She saw Chaeyoung ready to kick the door down. She immediatly held her hand to stop her from doing so. Electricity ran down on each other's body as if a compatible connection have connected. Mina rubs Chaeyoung's hands with her thumb when a tiger was awakened at the moment. She hoped to tame her to not frighten the little girl even more, assuming it was Shae since she's banging on the ballet studio.

Chaeyoung felt a different solace have taken the air. She took every power that she has to stare on Mina's hypnotizing eyes, but she was met with comforting ones. Not so bright, not so dull, but a stare with soft spark that could make you feel safe and home. She thoughtlessly gripped Mina's hand that made the latter speak, "Go inside my room Chaeng. I'll talk to her. Put out first the fire in you. I'll bring her inside when she's better." She let go of Chaeyoung's hand that made the other girl felt homeless but followed what she said entering her room not letting the pet name slip off.

Jasmine scent swells her nostrils and a comfortable yet dark and lifeless room engulfed her small frame. She wend to the huge bathroom and decided to splash some water on her face as she rewinded on how she acted towards her princess. She sat down on Mina's bed after she went out from the bathroom, the unknown familiarity of the smell and comfort made her flames died down. She realized that she went too far on the four year old and thought that she's so little to cope up immediately by this situations.

With large crystals infront of Mina's bed, a moon shone brightly still on the same phase as earlier. An image of Mina's comforting stare made her utter silently, "Mina, you may not be in your full phase right now, but thank you for giving light earlier when darkness took over me."