Chapter 18: Glimpse of Past
I left in the hotel dumbfoundedly, I never found Ruru in that place, not even any traces that may lead where he is. In the end, I just came back into the house with a disappointed feeling lingering within me.
As I reached my apartment, I looked for my key in my pocket but there's no key. Wait, Did I lost it somehow?
"Hey, what are you doing there?" Then someone pushed me away with such force, who is this person? "You are a robber, right? Are you going to rob my apartment?! I'm calling the cops now!" She said furiously.
Is she serious? Her apartment!? "What? Don't you have any plan to move out here?" She's glaring at me like I am really a bad person.
I sighed, I saw her taking out her key from her pocket and using that key, she opened the apartment's door without having a hard time.
"If I saw you once again here, I will really be going to call cops!" The girl shut the door harshly.
I sat at the staircase as if I'm waiting for someone to come and aid me but, I'm just only wasting my time.
"Wait, if that apartment was occupied by that girl, then where does my grandmother staying right now?" I forgot that this isn't the real world, this is only space. A space that's not my liking.
I noticed that the sun is already setting. It's getting late, should I go back? But where?
As I look to the endless ground of nowhere, my family's genuine resemblances solely flashed in my eyes. I hate it, even though my father is here. I feel like I don't belong to this space. No! I really don't belong here!
"I want to go home. I want to see my grandma and Euclece's face smiling at me." I also want to see Ruru, but he made all of this for me.
"I wanted to tell that he thinks of me wrong, I never wanted this. Even though I'm longing for my father. Even though I have a broken family, all I wanted is my current family. It may be not a happy one because of what's happening to me, but I'll still choose it because I know I will be happy and contented. Why does he have to do all of this?" I leaned my face to my legs as I started crying all by myself in that place of tranquility.
***
After some time alone, I decided to walk back to the current house I'm supposed to be living.
"It's still the same old path when I walk home. Even the structures of the houses in my memory are exactly the same." So everything is created using my memories?
I swirled around as my skirt sways together with the breeze.
Suddenly, someone called me with their worried tone voices.
"Latrice! Latrice! Where did she go at this hour? She never stays out late before." I saw them, standing with an indication of worriedness.
"If my father didn't die back then, will we able to retain our happy life with him?"
I want to know, which is my reality and past. I want this but at the same time, I can't stay here because none of this is real.
"Latrice!" With an approach, my family ran towards my direction. When I looked at my father with these tears in my eyes, I could only see a face that I've never seen before.
"What's wrong?" My father pulled me gently as he embraced me with his touch, I could feel the softness and his warmth. He's so warm that, I could think that everything here is real.
"Father, Mother… Will it be okay if I stay here forever?" Wait, what am I saying?
When I gazed at them, I saw their wide smile at me. After that, they answered me, "Yes. We will be happy if you will stay here forever." Hearing that makes my head throb in pain, it's like a never-ending circulation of words in my head.
Forever. Forever. Forever.
Forever.
I don't plan to stay here forever but my brain somehow thinks that way.
I lost control of my body, although my father squatted in front of me as he hauled me to his arms.
"Let's go home." I can't stop thinking from what's I said before, I'm getting anxious and insane to this space. I can't think straight anymore, my brain is wanting this space so much.
When we arrived home, my father settled me on a soft sofa. I feel like a doll, I can't even walk now on my own. What's with this space? What's happening to my body?
"Sister, you will really love this place. Your family will take good care of you. Forever." I heard Laize, who's sitting behind me, evilly smiling to me. He's already here? What happened to the Zombie-looking guy?
Laize flicked my forehead, "Don't sleep or you will regret it." What's wrong with him?
What is he up to? Seriously.
"Come, Let's eat." All of a sudden, my body is able to move again. I went to the kitchen with Laize as they prepared tonight's dinner.
When I sat in the chair, the dining table seemed to grow longer than this morning. Not only that, but the table itself also smells horrible.
Everything is turning into a piece of shits.
I saw Laize, behind me with severe views against them. "I thought so." Laize mumbled as he made an amused smirk within his face.
"Okay, our lovely daughter. Please fill your stomach with your mother's specialty." When they offered the food to me, my eyes were filled with dreadful stare at the food.
"G-grandma?!" My grandmother's eyes that dropping out in the plate, even her tooth that's decaying—I puked---
"What are you doing Latrice? Why are you disrespecting our food!? Come and let's eat!" Their voices turned into demon'ish sound. I stood up, Laize suddenly grabbed me and we fled away from my parents.
We hide inside my room, I locked the door tight shut. I kept from panting, I feel exhausted, "how can they even do that to my grandmother?!"
"This space is collapsing because of your weakness. Why are you even trying to look for him? He's just a nuisance just like others." Laize's argued at me, I frowned and turned to face him directly. "What? He's not a nuisance at all!" ---But when I turned behind him, I would see a Ruru that's smiling weakly at me.
My eyes widened, where did he come from?
"I wanted to be part of your family for real. I don't want to be just a ghost, I want to be---part of you."
I smacked his head gently, "There you are." I hugged him tightly, "Remember Ruru, you will always be part of my family. You, Euclece, and my grandmother will be the only family I will ever love."
So he took, the appearance of my brother huh? That's why he's acting like Ruru. I should have known, the way he protected me from the Zombie thingy until here. Silly Latrice, you are so dumb.
While having a mushy-mushy moment with Ruru, the door that tightly locked unexpectedly opened as something pierced my stomach harshly.
"W-what is this?" I saw how my stomach violently being grouched inside. I heaved blood in front of Ruru.
"Because you were such a bad kid, We will cook you instead. I'm sure Laize will be delighted since he will go to eat her sister."
"Latrice!" Ruru shouted in horror, "Look at this cute little intestine of her, it has a sweet aroma~"
I peeked at my Mother and father's face, and I would see their devilish laughing face at me.
"Ahhhhh!!!! You Good for nothing Ayakashi's! Die!!" My body slumped to the floor brutally. It hurt so much, it's like real! It just a real thing, I feel like dying.
I don't know what did Ruru does, but I could certainly hear my parents crying out for help.
"Ahhhh!!" The sound of cracking was echoed in the whole place as I also heard the sound of that body was banged.
Ruru immediately runs towards my direction. He caresses me in his arm, He's tears in his eyes poured mine. "What should I do? What should I do?! I don't know how to heal you, in this space. I don't know how things work here."
"…Ru-.." Speaking right now is so hard to do so, but I have to try my best to figure these things out. "Ruru… w-who told..you--abo—ut..this..space?" His eyes were widened, "Pl..please..tell ..me.." I added.
"It is a person… named, Ako." So it's a human. Whoever that human is, I will definitely be going to make it pay for ruining Ruru like this.
"Ruru… Let's..go..home.."
Eventually, the whole place crumbled as we're little by little shattering together. Ruru leaned his face into mine, "I'm really sorry, I didn't want you to suffer like this…" With an apologetic sound, Ruru hugged me in grief.
I smiled at him, "I'm alright…" But I do feel like dying in my situation. "Ruru... I'll.. Be… resting.. For.. Aw…hile.." After that, I closed my eyes.
I won't die easily. I will just simply take my night time nap. I swear.