Chapter 8
Owls are wide awake as I drift myself to sleep. They all howl in different tunes. Some are irritating, some sounds like lullaby.
Tonight will be my last stay here in Sapius, and tomorrow, a new day will come to me at a new district for a chance of a new life. I haven’t left yet, but the thought of going faraway for a long time without my family makes me feel weak inside, like someone is punching my stomach hard enough.
I lay down on my bed, with my left arm on top of my dry skinned forehead and the other one on top of stomach. My two long legs are wide stretched, feeling the breeze of the cold night wind. I slowly close my eyes and all I see is darkness. The cold wind brushes to my whole body, it makes me shiver and sleepy at the same time. We don’t have any blankets anymore; I’ve traded them all for foods, so I embrace myself and castaway all my worries. I usually think almost about everything at night – food, school, my father’s drinking habit, George’s upcoming school fees, and James’s carelessness when it comes to fishing at Unda, and of course Terence.
The morning comes so quickly…
Instead of the long bus, silver coasters appear in our entrance. This means that not all of us passed the entrance examination. Whitehorn Academy buses can’t be used if it’s not fully loaded; I’ve read that from their old manual which Terence lend to me a month before the entrance examination.
I’m all set! I only have one travel bag and a back pack. I don’t have much anymore since all my nice and presentable clothes were already been traded for foods at the market, but as long as I have James’s jacket and our old family picture, I think I am fine. I look at our picture again – all four of us, mom and dad happily smiling and James and I grinning as hardly as we can, I was eight and James was ten back then with George’s one by one photo pasted right next to me. After mom died, we never smile like that nor took a photo again.
I hear the wooden floorboards creek and then my father enters my room. “Looks like you’re good to go.” he says in painful tone.
I nod at him and shift my eyes to my bags. I don’t want to see my father before I go. I know how much he disagrees with this. He hates Whitehorn Academy, the Royal Bloods, actually, he hates the whole district of Kentron. The last thing I want to do right now is argue about this.
“Do you really need to go?” he asks again, this time his voice is shaking. I have never heard my father’s voice this way and he is sober. “If I promise not to drink anymore, will you stay here with us?”
“Dad, don’t be like that.” I shake my head, still without looking at him.
He moves closer to me and hugs me tightly like he’s not going to see me for eternity. I don’t want to be biased with my brothers, but I feel and I know that he loves me more than them, treats me specially different, maybe because I’m the only girl in the family. Suddenly, I hug him back. It’s an uncontrollable reaction. The way I hug my father is really familiar and comfortable.
“I always know this day would come, but I’m not ready to let my little princess go.” He whispers.
That’s the point where I start to cry. “You’re little princess needs to explore what’s outside her little palace. You know that, right?” I ask him as stern as possible. Wiping my eyes with the hem of his shirt which smells like mint leaves. He always smells like mint.
He nods. “Please listen to me carefully Keesha, whatever happens, DO NOT associate with the Royal Bloods, avoid them as much as possible. Keep distance from them. You don’t know what they can do when you let them near you. And DON’T do anything stupid.” He orders.
