Aleysia made her way back home, accompanied by someone who had dropped her off on a snowmobile. As she approached the family's store, her siblings, Whitney and Tyrone, who were currently helping their mother watch the store, were visibly shocked at the sight.
When Aleysia walked back to the store with her cane, the two siblings quickly rushed over to her, demanding an explanation. It was especially Whitney who seemed agitated, as she could see a handsome, well-dressed black man, wearing an expensive Valentino Garavani jacket, driving Aleysia back.
"Who the hell is that?" Whitney pestered Aleysia, her tone laced with suspicion.
"Oh, hi Whitney, you're home already," Aleysia replied, a little startled. She gently held onto Whitney to avoid being pushed too hard and potentially falling.
"Where did you go, Ale? And who the fuck is he?" Tyrone, the younger brother, also demanded an answer.
"That's Timothy, the young servant of the rich man who owns the house on the northeast part of this town," Aleysia explained.
"Why are you with him?" Tyrone asked again, his brow furrowed.
"He's wearing a Valentino Garavani zip-up hooded coat; it costs three thousand US dollars!" Whitney screamed. "There's no way he's a servant."
"I'm blind, Whitney. I didn't know what he wore or how he looked," Aleysia replied, clearly confused by the outburst.
"Sorry, I momentarily forgot about that," Whitney said, feeling a pang of guilt after realising her oversight.
"And it's getting dark, so he volunteered to drop me off," Aleysia told Tyrone. "I was almost drowned, and the house owner helped me. That's how I ended up in this situation."
"Sorry, Ale, I guess I was just trying to be protective," Tyrone replied, scratching his head.
Yolanda, the mother of Whitney and Tyrone, had been listening to the conversation and now started to panic. "You guys are worrying about that damn boy, and not the point where Aleysia told you two that she was almost drowned?" Yolanda exclaimed.
"What? You almost drowned?" Whitney screamed, only now realising that she missed a point.
"You didn't tell me you were almost drowned?" Tyrone added, his voice filled with hysteria.
"She did!" Both Yolanda and Whitney shouted at him.
"Let's get inside... once we close the store, we're going to have a talk," Yolanda said, gently taking Aleysia's hand and guiding her into the safety of the store.
Since the town was always quiet during the nighttime, the Owens family store only remained open until 7 PM, closing for the evening before reopening at 7 AM the following day. Aleysia was usually the one who helped Yolanda open the store in the mornings.
Despite being blind, Aleysia was quite adept at operating the cash register, and the family's customers were a lovely bunch who never tried to take advantage of her. Yolanda had even equipped the cash register with a money reader, just in case someone tried to play them.
When the Owens family had decided to move out of the USA, as their father, Jamal, had been accepted for a position as the operation manager for a mining company, they had unanimously agreed to bring Aleysia along with them.
The Owens had known Aleysia since she was a little girl, back when her own father had still been alive. They had been the ones to help her when she was being bullied by her stepmother and when she had nearly been raped by her stepmother's new boyfriend.
Aleysia had refused to accept any payments for her help around the store, instead only accepting a small token of gratitude that Yolanda had affectionately referred to as her 'monthly allowance'. It was because Aleysia was so grateful to the family that she didn't think it was the right thing to take their money after everything they've done to her.
If the Owens had not taken her in, Aleysia likely would have perished at the hands of her abusive stepmother or her stepmother's new boyfriend. Aleysia had grown up alongside Whitney and Tyrone, and the three of them had become close, almost like siblings. In fact, Tyrone and his father, Jamal, had nearly beaten Aleysia's stepmother to a pulp when they learnt that her blindness was a result of the stepmother's refusal to take her to the doctor.
Tyrone had been working for three years in the mining company, excelling as a field leader. Meanwhile, Whitney, ever the enthusiastic communicator, had continued pursuing her passions from their time in the USA: teaching and guiding tours. Her natural charisma made her a popular choice for visitors, especially those from the workers' families who weren't living in Longyearbyen. They would often request Whitney's guidance for tours around the town or excursions to see the local wildlife.
The Owens family had never considered returning to the USA. Their life in Longyearbyen was fulfilling and harmonious. While they did visit the USA occasionally for holidays, Aleysia consistently declined to join them. The memories of her past life in the USA were too painful, and she preferred to focus on the peaceful present she had built with the Owens family in their new home.
As Yolanda brought the children warm milk and honey, she said, "Alright, now tell me everything that happened."
"Is Dad not home yet?" Whitney asked.
"The higher-up is coming to Svalbard, and he's been busy with the year-end reports and such," Tyrone explained, bringing a plate of cheese, smoked beef, and bread.
While waiting for Aleysia to talk about her day, they were aware that she loved her walks and listening to the whales. And it so happened that most of the whales were grouped near the mysterious rich man's house. The house was fortified even better than a doomsday shelter, and the townspeople usually left the residents alone.
They never allowed any of the townsfolk to go near their house; it seems they have bought most of the land in the northest area. However, they just let Aleysia come and go for the past five years and never bothered to stop her. Maybe it's because she's blind and she doesn't bring harm to them.
Aleysia began to talk about how she had been worried about the whales, and she had moved closer to the sounds, ignoring the fact that whales are sea creatures and the surrounding shores led directly to the open sea. One of the people from the rich man's house had managed to stop her before she was dragged out by the strong current.
They had then taken her inside the house, allowed her to dry off, let her take a warm bath, fed her, and given her a nice tea before sending her home. She had been asked not to disclose that the owner of the house was a woman.
"Whoa, they fed you?" Whitney asked, amused.
"Yeah, it was a really nice steak; I think it was expensive. The meat just melted in my mouth and burst with flavour," Aleysia described, also mentioning the fragrant tea.
"You've experienced a lot in just a short time," Yolanda chuckled. She had often worried that Aleysia might struggle to live and socialise due to her past.
Aleysia had always kept everything to herself. When Tyrone and Whitney enrolled at the University Centre in Svalbard, she didn't want to follow their lead, fearing that her disabilities might hinder the other students. Instead, she used her pocket money to ask Yolanda to buy her Braille books on various subjects.
Even though Tyrone and Whitney sometimes discussed their school projects with Aleysia, as she was so smart and observant, Yolanda realised that she might have been overly worried and protective of Aleysia. The young woman seemed to be doing just fine on her own, and Yolanda needed to have more trust in her.
"Will you stop going there?" Yolanda asked.
Aleysia paused momentarily before responding, "No, I love hearing the whales. It makes me forget about everything."
Whitney's brow furrowed as she asked softly, "Did you still remember those things?"
Aleysia's eyes were dull, devoid of any visible emotion as she replied, "The night when I lost my vision? Or the night when they let me bleed out because of the high fever? Or when she sent me to boarding school just to be bullied non-stop? The more I fight, the harder they bully me. Or when that man tried to rape me?"
Despite Aleysia's blank expression, the three of them could still see the deep hurt etched into her features. Even when she had no more tears left to shed, they could feel the torment that had ruined her life.
Tyrone spoke up gently, "Please don't do anything stupid, Ale. We're here for you," as he reached out to hold her hand.
"I try," Aleysia responded simply.
Yolanda pulled Aleysia close, wrapping her in a warm embrace. "When those voices are bigger than your sanity, come to us," she said soothingly.
The darkness that had long lingered in Aleysia's thoughts, a result of the years of torture inflicted by her stepmother, was never easy for her to forget. However, Aleysia felt a glimmer of light whenever she heard Ariadne's voice or was in her presence. Barely above a whisper, she murmured, "I miss her," though only Whitney heard the wistful admission.
In Ariadne's company, the world around Aleysia finally quieted. For the first time, she could feel a sense of hope—something to live for, someone to hold onto.
"Look, listen to this," Aleysia said, retrieving her phone from her pocket. She then instructed the device to play back her latest recording.
Aleysia had never shared these recordings with anyone before. They were simply private moments she cherished—the majestic voices of whales that she had captured, a source of solace when she was not feeling well. She would often listen to these recordings to find comfort and calm.
The playback was strikingly clear, allowing the three of them to fully immerse themselves in the sounds of the whales. The deep, resonant clicks they used for echolocation reverberated through the room. "It's a sperm whale pod," Aleysia observed.
"How do you know?" Whitney asked; her interest piqued as a marine biologist.
"The servants from the house," Aleysia explained. "It's a sperm whale pod; they're travelling together." She then allowed the recording to continue, revealing the range of moans, groans, and creaking sounds produced by the whales.
Yolanda listened intently, her expression softening. "So, that's why you spend hours listening to this?" she asked gently.
Aleysia nodded. "It soothes me."
As the recording continued, the three family members sat in contemplative silence, captivated by the sheer power of a primordial, otherworldly symphony—a symphony of the abyss, where the largest predators of the deep sea communicate across the vast, dark waters.