Palace in the Woods

9

"MIA! MIA! " shouts a melodious voice while banging on the door which caused me to abruptly open my eyes.

Feeling nervous due to the panic in the lady voice shouting my name, I quickly walked over to the door and opened it.

I gave Pia, the shouting lady, a nervous look. But my nervousness was replaced with relief when I saw her smiling excitedly at me. My tensed shoulders immediately sagged at the sight.

"MIA! !" and hugged me which shocked me for a bit but I quickly recovered anyway. Before I can say anything, she broke the  hug and said, "We' re going to the beach! "

The beach.

I suddenly felt nervous. But I covered it with a smile.

"Uhm, that' s..." I let my voice trail off because I honestly do not know what to say about that.

"Amazing, right? ! Come with us, Mia. " Her eyes were practically shining. It' s just so freaking hard to say no to this girl but let me try my luck.

"Uhm, Pia, don' t you think it' s better if only the family members go? You know, a sort of family bonding? " I said with a hopeful smile.

Her smile faded. Tears were forming in her eyes and here lips pouted slightly. "B- but...you' ve been in our house for 7 days already. You' re part of the family now. Please come, Mia."

Family.

This stranger whom I only met almost a week ago treats me as family when my kind does not even treat me like one. My heart melted yet it also wants to cry.

"Also, all 50 maids, 100 guards, and 30 buttlers are going! ! You' ll be the only one left in this old house, "she added.

When I seemed to not look so conviced, she said,"I' m not gonna have fun knowing you' re not with me. Wearing a swim suit wouldn' t be so exciting when you' re not there with me. I would have no one to play volleyball with."

She looked like she was going to cry any minute sooner.

I heaved a sigh.

Her puppy eyes worked. And somehow I feel that this face staring at me hopefully right now has never failed in making someone agree with it,  ever.

"Oh, okay." I forced a smile although I can feel my heart racing of nervousness.

Beach.

That' s where the corpse of my parents were found floating, crumpled and lifeless, 2 weeks after the plane crash- -after 2 weeks, 4 days, and 12 hours of searching.

I was there with my uncles when they hauled the bodies with the help of the rescue guys.

I insisted on being with them in their rescue activities, just waiting on the shores of the ocean and feeling the warm breeze and gentle rush of the water, waiting to be proved wrong- -that my parents are actually alive. I never wanted to believe that my parents had actually died. Oh how i waited for the second that i can finally say " I told you so" to those who insisted they died.

And then they were found, floating on the beach. Their bodies were unrecognizable yet I knew it was them.

My body shook at the sight of them, wet and lifeless. I could not even cry of devastation. My body just shook just like what it is doing now.

My parents are dead. I don' t want them to be dead but they are.

And I finally believed that they are that day in the beach.

Since then I did not want to go to the beach because when I do, I can imagine the feeling of devastation in having to believe that your parents are dead because it is the truth and finally there was proof. Right there. In the beach.