TALA
Tala woke up buried between the fluffiest, most comfortable white pillows, covered in the warmest green duvet. She struggled to open her eyes a bit; the sun was shining high and bright through the windows.
When did my bed get so comfy?
It took her a minute to realize, after scanning the room, that it was in fact not hers. She suddenly sat up straight, causing a moment of dizziness.
"Damn." She grumbled, holding her head.
Slowly, she rolled off the bed, also careful not to make too much noise. Little did she know, everyone in the house already knew she was awake the second she gained consciousness.
The house was large. That became obvious to Tala when she exited the room and saw four more identical doors to her right and another five or so to her left. Above, the ceiling was capped with skylights, brightening up the hallway with the rays of the sun.
Quietly, she walked towards the stairs' banister and listened for anything: voices, footsteps, anything. Then she heard a familiar voice and sounds of pots started to overtake the hallways. Eleri.
Tala rushed downstairs, a fragment of the same fear she felt in the office caused the hair on her arms to stand up.
To her surprise, she found Eleri cooking.
"Eleri." Tala said, taking a deep breath, relieved that the sweet girl wasn't hurt.
"Tala!" Eleri squealed, brimming from ear to ear, "I'm almost done with the pancake batter, take a seat!"
"What are you doing here?"
"I'm making pancakes, duh!" She laughed, showing off the mixing bowl in her hands.
Tala shook her head, "No, what are we doing here?"
"Well, you fainted," Eleri pursed her lips, "and I'm just not that strong, you know?"
"What?"
"I'm so sorry Tala, I just couldn't catch you! You hit your head when you fell because I couldn't carry you, I'm so sorry! And then you wouldn't wake up and I just…I'm so sorry!"
"Shh, it's fine, Eleri, it's fine. Look, I'm awake and I can still talk." Tala reassured her, seeing the tears forming in Eleri's eyes, "How long have I been asleep?"
Eleri sniffled, wiping the tears, "You've been asleep for three days, Sleeping Beauty,"
"Three days?" Tala expected maybe a day at most, but three days seemed excessive for just fainting even if she hit her head, "Jesus. Oh my god, I gotta let Adam know – where are we?"
Eleri shifted her weight to her right side, "Oh, uh, you know Tala, I think it'd be best if you don't contact anyone right now."
"What? Why?"
Ignoring Tala's question, Eleri continued with the pancakes, happily stirring her batter, "So what kind of pancakes do you like? I have blueberries, chocolate chips, strawberries…or do you like them plain?"
Tala could only stare at Eleri; how is it that she was so bubbly? The delight didn't seem insincere or forced, but there was a definite hint of hesitation that Tala couldn't place. Recalling what happened, Tala considered that what happened was just a dream, but then it wouldn't explain why she was in a stranger's house. Then she thought, perhaps, it wasn't Eleri in the office, but she just said that she was there, and Tala vividly remembered the whole incident – vividly remembered Erina.
Erina.
Tala's eyebrows furrowed, recalling what Erina looked like, what she sounded like…how she called her "Maria". She didn't know who Maria was, but obviously she looked so much like her, it scared Erina.
Thinking aloud, Tala said, "Who is Maria?"
Eleri paused for a second, then proceeded to pour a cup of batter on the pan, "Here, you can have the first pancake. It's just a plain one though but should be done in a few minutes. We have butter, maple syrup, chocolate sy—"
"Eleri, who is she?"
"Tala…"
"Who is she?"
"I'm in no place to say anything, I'm sorry, Tala."
The sound of a door opening interrupted Tala's interrogation, much to Eleri's relief, which was very obvious by her sudden delight.
"Oh! Oh, that's Noli!" She disappeared in the hallway leading to the front entry.
Tala stayed seated on the highchair facing the stove. She didn't know whether or not to greet Noli; after all, she'd just fired him not too long ago.
Noli came to view, his body language obviously cautious, waiting for Tala's reaction first. The last thing he wanted was for her to run out of the house, out of protection. She had walked out on him once before; it would have been idiotic of him not to assume she could do it again.
Tala mirrored his caution. It wasn't as if he was a friend; he was just a stranger who somehow had long-term ties to her parents. His intentions in the inheritance transaction confused Tala; he seemed genuinely concerned about the whole thing, but as old of a friend as he seemed to her parents, not once did Theo mention him to her. She's never suspected that her father had any assets, let alone a lawyer that handled everything right down to her own citizenship documents.
But oddly…she felt safe? At ease? Yes. Nothing about Noli felt alarming or threatening. He was a weighted blanket, a tactile, yet subtle, unassuming force but ever-present.
He looked troubled, the dark circles under his eyes uncharacteristically apparent against his already tanned skin. As hard as she tried, Tala couldn't bring herself to fully doubt Noli. She had questions, and while she was hesitant to a degree, she couldn't go as far as to say that she distrusted him.
Deciding to take a leap of faith, she asked him bluntly, "Are you going to tell me who Maria is?"
Hot showers are daily luxuries often taken for granted, but when it's gone – every drop of water from the shower head feels like punishment.
But as shock and confusion coursed through Tala's veins as she took a very cold shower, the cascading water hardly had an effect on her. Processing what Noli told her almost an hour ago, Tala stood in the shower for almost that long, ruminating.
Armia was Tala's mother.
Maria was Erina's enemy.
They were one and the same.
He didn't share too much at one time, in fear that Tala would be overwhelmed with all the details and run away. He first kept it superficial: Maria and Armia were the same person, who moved to the United States when she was pregnant with Tala. She supposedly came from a distinguished background, with generational land and some wealth. Theo was a consultant back then, on a work trip, when he met Maria. He was back and forth from Chicago to Laguna for six months and when he learned Maria became pregnant, he immediately arranged for her to move to the United States. Noli entered their life then, supposedly, as their attorney. He's taken care of their business from assets, immigration, and wills since.
Then he revealed her true name: Maria Makiling.
Before he could share more, Tala stopped him and asked for some time by herself. She needed some space to collect her thoughts, as expected.
Consumed in her own thoughts, she made her way up the stairs and mindlessly wandered. When she stumbled upon a lofty bathroom, she couldn't help but invite herself into the shower.
There she stayed for nearly an hour, cold water against her olive skin, drenching her long wavy hair.
"Hello?" A male voice interrupted her thoughts. Instinctively, she covered her breasts and hesitated to answer.
"Um," She started, "someone is in here."
A laugh followed, "Yeah, I know. You've been in there for a while…do you need help?"
Confused, Tala looked around as if looking for cameras, "Um, no, I'm okay…thanks?"
"Well, I can appreciate that you might be really enjoying the bathroom but, uh…I gotta take a piss too."
Tala was really confused then; there was no possible way that was the only bathroom in the house.
The shower still running, she answered, "There are other bathrooms in the house, you know."
"Yeah, I know," he laughed again, "which is why I'm confused as to why you're using my ensuite."
His ensuite?
Panic overcame Tala as she rushed to shut the shower off and frantically searched for her towel.
To her luck, there was no towel. No towel on the rack, in drawers – nowhere.
Hearing the opening and closing of the cabinets, the man on the other side of the door smiled and said, "If you're looking for your towel…it's out here."
All color left Tala's body and she could only wish to disappear, her eyes widened in embarrassment. After a moment, she straightened her posture, still covering herself, and gathered up whatever courage she had left in her gut.
"I'm sorry for using your bathroom," she spoke through the space between the wall and the door, "I was in a bit of a daze, I guess, when I walked in here."
To her surprise, he also answered through the space between the wall and the door, "It's fine. You don't have to rush – I'll leave the room. I haven't touched your towel, so just take your time."
Tala didn't notice the tear that escaped her eye, and when it fell on her hand, a stream of tears followed. She heard the man leave the room and she could only crouch down, with one hand on the door handle.
There are times when such intense feelings have occupied the mind relentlessly and have catapulted thoughts of "maybe's", "why's", and "how's" come to a point that can only be released by either pure rage or utter sadness. For Tala, her grief and confusion apexed into wistful tears filled with longing, loneliness and guilt.
.............................
She meant to join Noli and Eleri downstairs, as well as apologize to the man for using his room and ensuite. But when she made her way to the first floor, she couldn't find anyone.
She eyed the wine in the mini fridge and decided to pour herself a glass of Chardonnay. She noticed a set of doors she didn't realize were there before that led to an outdoor balcony. Even though February wasn't a typical month to enjoy the fresh air, she strangely felt drawn outside.
While she still didn't know where she was, she recognized the lake in front of her well enough. Lake Geneva, though frozen over, was as breathtaking as it was in the summer. Shimmering white dusts of snow covered the deep blues of the lake and she could hear some laughter from people who dared walk on the ice.
It was only after her third sip of the wine when she noticed she was not alone on the balcony. She let out a scream, spilling some of the wine on her coat.
"Oh my god," she gasped, "Oh my god, you scared me!"
The man kept a tight lip, as if holding back a laugh, "Hey, you're the one who joined me."
She still hadn't laid eyes on him, still wrapped up in her spilled wine, "I'm so sorry – did I get any wine on you?"
Then she looked up.
Casually and comfortably sitting across from her was a sculpture of a man. A clean, chiseled square jaw held a smile and bright, earth-colored eyes met hers, unwavering.
She must have been staring for an embarrassing amount of time because he began to wave his hand all around, unsure where her attention was focused on.
Noticing his waves, Tala shut her eyes and slightly shook her head, "Sorry. Um…right. Sorry – did I spill any wine on you?"
"Nope." He replied, "You might need to wipe though, I think."
"Where?" She looked at her coat; it was zipped up so it would have been impossible for anything to have spilled on her clothes.
"On your lips. I can't tell if it's the Chardonnay or…drool."
Her eyes widened slightly and quickly wiped whatever may be on her face. "Thanks." She said, sarcastically.
He continued to smile, taking a sip of his own drink. "So, you enjoy the cold?"
She shrugged her shoulders, "Not really. But I've been cooped up inside for a while."
There was a pause in their conversation before Tala realized she had no idea who the man was.
Her guard suddenly went up and he seemed to have caught on the change of air. "Sorry, but who…who are you?"
A smirk appeared on his face as he leaned forward, his elbows on his knees. He cocked his head to the side ever so slightly, "You don't know who I am?"
"Well, you're obviously a friend of Noli."
"Obviously." He echoed, taking a sip.
"And you obviously know your way around the house…since you managed a cup for yourself."
"Obviously." His eyes never left her.
A small gasp escaped her lips, her cheeks turning a shade of red, "Are you…was that…your room earlier?"
He stood, and Tala couldn't help but follow his movements. Tall as he was, he moved gracefully, calculated, and structured. He inched closer, but slowly, so as not to scare her. Once at arm's length, he introduced himself.
"Hello Tala," his voice turned into a rustic melody, "I'm Apol."