"Long.. Long ago.. We here in Fixtan had a pair of King and Queen. There were such kind and pure-hearted administrators. We lived in peace as no soul could threaten us," Howlie started her story with a nostalgic intonation. She looked down and made a little frown.
"But in here, we don't call them as King nor Queen. They got the title Raja and Ratu, and so we hailed my brother, Raja Romee and his lovely wife, Ratu Rania".
"So you're Raja Romee's sister?" Jasmine interrupted.
"Little sister, yes." Howlie nodded, holding her own hands as she continued her story.
"When you were born, Pourtney, everybody in Fixtan were so delighted to know that the couple finally became a family. Raja and Ratu was overwhelmingly happy that they made a festival for your presence for a week non-stop. I was grateful too, for having the only sister-in-law in my life. You were really-"
"But how do you know I am Raja Romee's daughter?" I cut her before her sentence could meet an end. I know, me and the lady in the photo had no diffferences when I compared myself and her in the photo, but I needed complete details and explainations for my brain to process this news. Fooling me is nothing the same like ABCs.
Howlie walked closer towards me. Staring at my face, eye to eye. Her eyes were captivating. The wrinkles under her bags could not cover her beauty. As her smile crinkled, her teeth shown with one dark blank space between them. She touched my hair gently then inserted it at the back of my ear.
"This brunette wavy hair.. matches Ratu's. The big brown eyes behind these glasses.. whose could it be like besides Raja's? The scar under your chin.." She lifted up my chin with her fingers.
"You got it from the incident with the humans from Earth!" In a sudden, she turned mad. She made a fist with her finger looked away from me.
"What incident?" It was becoming more confusing.
"Hmph, you, Pourtney.. Ever wonder how we lost you and not living with us here, in Fixtan?" She stared at the wall like I was there. Perhaps because of the anger that started filling up her body.
"Look, I just got to know that I'm a royal daughter and you asked me like I've been living in my whole life looking for this weird place to find where my real parents are," Said it with only one breath. How could this not test my patience?
But if the royals are my real parents, is that mean... I'm adopted?
"They kidnapped you like you were a toy! Sleeping beauties Raja and Ratu were, while a pair of man and woman took you away from here! I suppose you're home now where you belong," I was completely stunned. Did my parents really kidnap me? Am I really adopted? Maybe this explained why I never looked the same like them.
All the years, I didn't stop finding connection with mother and father. Everything and anything had been tried. I was aware about my shyness and quietness. But how could a child experience the feeling of disconnected towards their mother and father? I had everything with the dollar bills from their opened hands. They said I am the only child, so I will get anything I wish for. But why couldn't they lend me the love and connection like how they lend me the dollars? Was it missing, or was it never even existed?
"Oh.." Only one word could came from my mouth. My eyes were wild, scanning all of my friends' expressions. I could guess that their emotions were same as mine. Shocked, stunned and everything that is in between.
"Where are they now?" I glanced at Howlie.
"They... Passed away".
It was a moment of silence.
Just then, Howlie broke it.
"It was a really tragic moment. I'm so sorry, dear, that you don't own the chance of meeting them. It breaks my heart until now," a drop of tear fallout from her eye. She wiped it off.
"Now that you're here, we really need you as we waited for you for so long. Fixtan is being colonized for a decade now! Oksa would never give up on torturing us!" Howlie hugged me immediately.
"Introduce me to my people first," I pat her back.
TO BE CONTINUED
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