(TW: Mentions of SA and past trauma. Reader discretion is advised.)
Mal
People say stories aren't real… But sometimes, reality has its way of turning things around when you at least expect it. And sometimes, God himself, has ways in making things come your way. But what I had coming my way, it happened without me knowing.
My name is Malicia but... people just call me Mal for short.
To summarise everything, my sister Anika wanted us to stay with our relatives for the weekend but… Little did I realize, things weren't gonna go as planned…
Day of The Trip - Afternoon
Earth - 50917
"I don't know who you are but my brain is telling me otherwise"
…
"Mal!... Take my hand!"
…
"They are all dead because of you! This is all your fault!"
…
"Hello… Mother."
…
"Who the fuck are you?"
…
"Mal! …Please help! Mal!"
With sweat running down my face and my heart beating rapidly in my chest, I bolted up, waking up from a really intense dream inside my aunt's van with my sister on my right side. Behind the wheel was my cousin Lily and Luna, who were sitting in the passenger seat.
"Hey, are you okay Mal? You don't look so good." My sister asked when she noticed my frightened state. I didn't want her to know about the dream I had, otherwise she would've thought I was crazy… I mean, that's what everyone thought of me anyway. So I decided to just play it off. "Sorry, I just had a nightmare." I lied. For a short while, I tried to calm myself down until Anika then placed her hand on my shoulder, pulling me towards her and placing a hand on my forehead. "Goodness, you're all sweaty and you're burning up. Are you sure you're okay?" She asked, her brows furrowed with worry. "I'm fine, Anika. I just… I just need a moment." I said, removing her hand from my forehead. Just as Anika lowers her hand, she reaches for her bag next to her and takes a water bottle out. "Here, have some. It'll help you cool off." I was hesitant to take the bottle at first but seeing that worried look in my sister's eyes, I knew I had to take it. For her sake.
Taking the bottle, I twisted the cap and opened it. Placing it by my mouth and drinking it down slowly for 30 seconds. After that, I let out a soft gasp when I removed my lips from the open part of the bottle. "Are you okay now?" Anika asked when she saw the relief on my face. "Yeah, I'm okay." I nodded. I was a bit cooled down after drinking but for some reason, that eerie feeling I had from the nightmare still lingered.
Just when I felt the car stop, I looked out the window, seeing that we were now at my aunt's home.
Luna then stops typing on her phone, "Alright. We're here." And gets out of the van.
Lily asks, "Hey Mal, can you help me with the bags?" I nodded yes and we both got out to take the luggage out from the trunk. As me and Lily carried a few suitcases, I couldn't help but admire how amazing the house looked, "Holy shit. Who knew Waterfront houses looked so stylish?" and Lily replied with a soft smile, "Well, it isn't exactly mine. Our mom bought it after selling our old home. It may not be much but… it's home."
As we both carried the luggage into the house, the inside of my aunt's home looked amazing. Almost reminded me of how those luxury houses looked from one of those house designer shows. Stylish and well furnished. My mouth hangs open in awe as I took in the whole scene before me. "My gosh…" until my aunt Helen then calls out. "Hey, Malicia! How are you?"
My aunt always liked stylish things, which I never had a problem with. Except her taste in fashion. "I'm okay. I guess…" As Anika and Luna carried our luggage to the guest room, Lily then tapped my shoulder, "Hey, Mal. Come, there's something I wanna show you."
I followed her, wondering what she wanted me to see until she opened a sliding door that led us to the pool side. I walked outside, only to be greeted with an amazing ocean view.
"This looks awesome." I thought to myself as I leaned over the glass railing where below the cliff was the waves crashing into the stone shear wall. Lily then places her hand on my shoulder, pulling me back towards her. "Hey, careful. Don't lean forward too much. You'll fall off."
As I moved away from the railing, I glanced at the pool, which looked so beautiful and crystal clear. "Are you sure that Aunt Helen bought this house? Because this looks too good to be true…" I asked. I wanted to believe that everything that I was seeing was real but my mind was just telling me that it couldn't be. "What do you mean? Of course this is for real, Malicia." Lily was surprised by my words.
"I'm sorry, it's just… this is just so nice." A soft smile crossed my lips, "I really wish we could do this every year." Hearing my words, Lily smiled warmly. "Yeah, same."
I was enjoying my cousin's company for a while until…
Suddenly I felt a soft breeze against my skin, which gave me goosebumps. I looked up to see if there were any clouds but… There wasn't any. It was a hot day and there were barely any clouds in the sky. I looked at the ocean view, only to see that the sea was now almost greenish. Not only that, the waves looked big, bigger than they normally were. I couldn't believe what I was seeing. "Mal? Are you okay?" Suddenly, when Lily spoke, I snapped out of whatever state I was in, my attention turning back at her. But when I looked at the view again, the ocean was back to normal again.
I didn't understand what just happened but whatever it was, it creeped me out. "I… I need to go lay down. I'm not…feeling well." With that, I went back inside the house, my fingers rubbing against my temples.
I walked down the hallway of the house to the guest bedroom, only to see Anika on the first, single bed opposite the second one. I walked in the room and laid down on the second, single bed, my gaze shifting towards the ceiling. "Hey, you okay?" Anika asked when she noticed me. "I'm fine… I'm just tired. I really didn't get enough sleep in the car." I said, turning onto my side.
There was a moment of silence for a brief moment until my sister then broke it. "You sure you're okay?"
I was quiet for a moment before letting out a sigh, "No… I'm not." I admitted, "I'm not crazy, Anika. I just hate the fact that everyone thinks I am just because of what happened to me. Because of what I did…"
Hearing my admission, Anika sat up. "You're not crazy, Mal."
I sat up and turned towards her when she spoke. "Why do you say that?"
"Because I know you, Mal. Aunt Helen, Lily and Luna don't think you're crazy either." Despite my sister's comforting words, my doubts still lingered.
"I know, but I feel like everyone still hates me for killing Damion." I said, fiddling with my fingers.
"He hurt you, Malicia. You acted in self defence." Anika said, tossing her legs off the bed to sit on the edge.
My brows furrowed, "And I was the one punished for it. The police treated me like a criminal and my friends left me. They told everyone that I was crazy."
Getting up from the bed and walking towards me, my sister sat down, attempting to comfort me. "Malicia, you were 14. You were just a kid."
"But that doesn't change the fact that my friends convinced everyone that I went crazy." I swung my legs off the bed and got off the bed, turning around to look at Anika with a sad expression. "Ever since I got out of that stupid psych ward, I tried to get my life together but… I lost everything because of them."
Anika got up from the bed and stepped towards me, sensing my inner turmoil. "Mal, those girls weren't your friends, they're bottom feeders. They never cared about your feelings, all they cared about was what they got out of you."
I hugged myself, my hands rubbing my arms as my body shivered slightly. "I know you said to try and stay strong but… I keep having nightmares about what Damion did to me… and that godforsaken place. Even now I still do... And everyone expects me to just swallow it and get going with my life but the problem is that I… I'm still struggling to move on from this and I have nothing left. I want to forget what Damion did, I tried… But I can't." My lips trembled, the memories of what Damion did to me and that horrible place flooding back into my mind. Ever since I got out of the psych ward, I've been trying to forget about my past and move on but the nightmares and the memories just couldn't leave me alone. No matter what I did… I just shutter at the thoughts… Noticing my trembling form and the tears in my eyes, Anika wrapped her arms around me, pulling me into a tight hug. "Shh... It's okay. Just breathe…" She murmured, rubbing my back as she tried to comfort me.
After what felt like a minute, my tears finally fell from my eyes, running down my cheeks like a waterfall as I started sobbing softly. "I'm… I'm sorry. I'm sorry…"
"I know, it's okay… It's okay. Shh…" My sister rubbed my head gently, her eyes soft with compassion. "I know it's been six years but I promise you… I promise you won't have to live through all that hell again."
After a few minutes of comfort and hugs, my sobbing slowly stopped and my hands stopped trembling. Pulling away slightly, I looked at Anika, wiping my tears away. "I think… I think I'm gonna take a nap. Is that okay?"
My sister smiled warmly at my words, "Of course, Mal. Just don't sleep too long, okay? Otherwise you won't be able to sleep tonight…" With that, I pulled away from my sister and walked towards the bed, sitting and then laying down on the soft pillows. "You sure you don't want a glass of water by your side in case you wake up with a dry throat?" Anika asked.
"No, thanks. I'll be okay." I reassured her with a soft smile. "Alright, I'll be inside in the lounge if you need me." With those words, my sister left the room, leaving me to rest peacefully on the soft, warm bed.
Evening
"You're wonderful…"
…
"For once, I didn't hate myself…"
…
"She took my trauma… Turned it into something vile…"
With a soft gasp, my eyes shot open. After I woke up from another dream, I sat up from the bed. My breathing was a little heavy and my face felt a little hot… Honestly, I couldn't understand why this was happening. These nightmares were getting on my nerves.
"Shit… Why do I keep having these dreams?" I muttered, rubbing the side of my face. "I swear to god, these dreams are driving me crazy."
Suddenly, a knock on the room door startled me. It was Luna, standing by the door with a plate of food. "Oh, you're awake." she said, walking into the room, "Here, my mom made food for you. It's your favorite…" She placed the plate on the nightstand, revealing a beautiful sight of two chicken curry stuffed rotis… though some people just call it wraps. "Yeah, thank you." I said, taking the plate from the nightstand and placing it on my lap.
"Do you want a drink with it?" Luna asked.
"Uh, yeah. Some pepsi will do, thanks." I said, taking the first wrap and taking a bite. As Luna left the room, I enjoyed my food, taking small bite after small bite and tasting the savory and spicy flavor of the chicken curry inside the wrap. "Heh, guess I'll never get tired of eating this." I thought to myself before placing the half-eaten roti down next to the second one on the plate. Putting the plate on the nightstand beside me, I reached for my phone and started scrolling through Youtube. Watching a few videos here and there, I got distracted and I forgot about my food for 2 minutes until Anika then came into my room with her own plate of food. "Hey, whatcha doing?" She asked, walking to the bed opposite me and sitting down. "Nothing much, just watching some Dragon Ball Z clips." I said, putting my phone down next to me and taking my plate off the nightstand. "Let me guess… Supreme Kai?"
Hearing my sister's words, I froze. "I… don't know…" I murmured, my face turning red as I held my half-eaten roti in my hands. Just then, Luna enters the room with two glass cups of Pepsi. "Here, you two. Enjoy yourselves." With that, she places the cups on the nightstand and leaves the room.
Taking my glass, I took a sip but then my sister spoke, "You know who I'm talking about, Mal."
My face was so flustered at the thought of Supreme Kai that I almost choked on my drink. "I don't know what you mean…" I denied, placing my glass on the nightstand.
"Oh come on, you know what I mean." Anika said, "You've been in love with the Supreme Kai since you were 12. Even after all these years, you're still obsessing over him."
I couldn't help but smile at her, "I just like the character, Anika. I'm not in love with him… And besides, he's fictional."
My sister chuckled, "Yeah right. As if you don't have a whole album with photos of him in your phone gallery."
"No, I don't!" I was surprised by her words.
My sister smirked playfully, "Yes, you do."
"No, I… Oh jeez." I was so flustered, I couldn't even speak. All I could do was nervously take a bite out of my food. Honestly, I never felt this flustered in my life.
Anika laughed lightly, "Naww, your face is all red."
"Can I please enjoy my food?" I asked, before finally finishing my first roti. My sister smiled, "Alright, whatever you say."
As we sat and ate our food, I noticed my sister on her phone as she took small bites of her wraps. At that moment, I knew she was talking to one of her friends or at least, a special someone. Honestly, I felt a little jealous… Jealous about the fact that she had someone to love and I didn't.
"Talking with CJ?" I teased. Anika blushed slightly, "No…Just checking in on him, he's working the nightshift."
I snickered, "Yeah right, as if you didn't spend the entire time chatting and sending heart emojis to him while Lily was driving us here."
My sister denied, "No, I didn't."
Her denial made me smile playfully, "Oh yes, you did."
Anika's face flushed red at my remark, "Shut up!"
I couldn't help but chuckle at how flustered she became. "Heh, now you know how it feels." I said.
"Don't make me slap you, Mal." Despite my sister's threat, my smile remained.
"You know I love you." I said, nudging her arm playfully.
"Alright! Fine, you win." She sighed, taking her glass of cola from the nightstand. Before taking a sip, she softly smiles, "And I love you too."
…
After we were done eating, we decided to relax on the soft mat in between our beds. We both watched movies on the small TV and ate a pack of chips, along with some chocolate.
As I was laying down on the soft mat eating chocolate, I looked at my sister, whose eyes remained on the small television set. "Anika… Do you think the Avengers will ever defeat Thanos?" I asked, placing a block of chocolate in my mouth and eating it. "I don't know, Malicia… I guess we'll have to wait until End Game comes out." My sister said, taking a bite out of a potato chip.
I softly sighed, "Can't believe I have to wait two years for the next Marvel movie."
"I know but sometimes, movies are hard to make. That's why sometimes it takes months, even years to create." Anika said, taking a block of chocolate from the bowel in between us and placing it in her mouth. We continued to watch TV until I then reached for my phone on the nightstand and started looking at the latest news, only to get a little upset when I saw people start talking bad about Dragon Ball. "You still worked up about the next Dragon Ball series coming out?" My sister asked, she noticed me looking at my phone screen with a frown.
I grunted softly, sitting up straight with my back against the nightstand, "These people have some nerve. They say they're fans yet they talk crap about Dragon Ball and assume it's a bad anime just because they watched Dragon Ball Super without even watching the first Dragon Ball or Dragon Ball Z, or even GT."
Anika raised her brow at me, "What do you mean? Almost everyone likes Dragon Ball."
At that moment, I couldn't hold my tongue any longer. I started venting, "I know, but you don't get it. Dragon Ball Super is more like a crappy fanfiction compared to the original. And on top of all of that, they made Goku look like a bad character in the show."
"Bad? How bad?" My sister asked, taking another block of chocolate and putting it in her mouth. "They made him reckless. Not only that, they just made him look bad. I mean, making him seem like some dumbass Saiyan that just wants to fight all the time and always ditches his family but that's nothing like him at all." I said, placing my phone next to me. "Everyone that watches Super assumes he's a bad father but how is he when he died twice for his son? And he didn't ditch his family to go train, he was dead."
Anika sighed, "People that watch the show and talk shit about it without understanding the storyline or the characters are just parasites."
"So you get my point?" I asked.
My sister sat up, placing the bag of chips on her lap, "Of course I do. You're not the only one that grew up watching Dragon Ball, along with Z."
Taking the last block of chocolate from the now empty bowel, I sighed. "Sometimes I really hate the new generation."
After I was able to get my frustrations off my chest, we got back to watching TV but when we saw the time had reached half past 10, we decided to clean up, put on our pajamas and head straight to bed…
"Ugh! Damn it!" I blurted out.
"What? What is it?" Anika asked, buttoning up her pyjama shirt. "I… I forgot about my nightgown at home. Damn it, I should've double checked…" I said, pouting in disappointment.
Smiling sympathetically, my sister takes one of her big shirts out from one of the draws. "Here, you can sleep with this on."
"This is too big for me…" I said, taking the top from her.
Anika shrugged, "I know but it's better than sleeping naked. Go ahead, put it on."
I was a little hesitant but I trusted my sister. Taking off my clothes, I put on my sister's big top… To be honest, I never thought I'd feel different in someone else's clothes. "Naww, it looks so cute on you." Anika commented when she saw how her shirt looked on me, the hem reaching till my knees.
"Can…can we go to bed now?" I asked, my brows furrowing with my cheeks blushing softly.
Anika chuckled, "Arlight, you can get in bed now."
After we got done changing, we both got into bed, my sister getting into the first bed while I got into the second one opposite Anika. "Night, Anika." I said, pulling the blanket over me. "Night, Malicia." With those words, she pulled the blanket over her shoulder, turning towards the wall next to her before closing her eyes. I remained still, my gaze shifting towards the ceiling and closing my eyes, letting myself be swept away into a peaceful slumber.
The Next Day - Late Morning
Though I wasn't an early bird, the mornings were the best hours for me. Especially when it's a hot day.
After me and Anika had breakfast, we got dressed in our bathing suits and went outside by the pool. While my sister got in first, I sat on the edge. My feet softly kicked and moved around in the waters as I bathed in the warm, glowing rays of the sun. I was never really a good swimmer but just sitting on the edge of the pool and enjoying the feeling of the water at my legs and feet was enough for me.
"Hey, Anika! Here I come!" I turned around when I heard Lily call out. She runs towards the pool and jumps in, the impact causing water to splash into our faces. "Hey, careful! You could've gotten my hair wet!" Anika chuckled playfully. When Lily pops her head up from her water, she then turns toward me. "Hey, Mal! Come join us." She called out to me. I shook my head, "No, I can't. I'm not a good swimmer."
"Oh, c'mon! Come swim with us… I promise we won't splash you." Lily insisted. I was a little hesitant… But I trusted Lily at her word. Slipping off the edge and dropping into the pool, I started stepping towards my sister and Lily, my feet walking carefully on the tiled floor below. But when I reached the middle of the pool, my feet were unable to reach the floor, as I was now on the deep end. Suddenly when I felt the floor disappear beneath my feet, I panicked and I reached out to Anika, my hands wrapping around her as my body pressed against hers. "Woah, Mal. Easy… You're not gonna sink." She said, pulling away slightly.
"Please don't pull away… I'm scared." I said, my hands holding on for dear life. Anika blushed, "Mal, I'm sorry but your boobs are crushing me."
Glancing down, I saw my chest pressing against Anika. Embarrassed, I slowly pulled away with my hands sliding up towards her shoulders. "Sorry…"
"Geez, you're so tense… Almost drowned me." My sister said, holding me by my arms.
"I'm sorry," I apologised, "I just panicked a little."
"Since when was the last time you swam at the beach, Mal?" Lily asked, coming up behind me. "No, I don't like the beach. The sand… I hate it." I said, my brows furrowing.
"You still worked up about that movie? That was 10 years ago, Mal. It's not real." said Anika.
The memory of that movie of the sand becoming alive and eating anyone that it touched, I couldn't forget. 'BloodBeach' is what it was called, I was 9 years old and that movie stuck to me since then. The gore and the effects were enough to give me nightmares. Ever since that movie came out, I never considered going to the beach again. I just went for the pools instead since it was more comforting than having to stick my feet into the sand while worrying about if it was gonna melt me down to bits like in the movie.
"That doesn't make the fear go away, Anika. Do you even know what lives in the sand? Worms… Crabs… Shit, even spiders." I said, my hands still holding on my sister.
"Hey, it's okay. We won't make you go to the beach if you don't want to." Lily reassured, her hand patting my shoulder.
I was a little relieved. A little…
"Hey, c'mon. Lay back on the water, I hold you up so you won't sink." Hearing Lily's words, I was hesitant at first but when I felt her hands press against my back, I let myself lay back into the water with Lily's hands keeping me afloat. "How is it?" she asked.
I softly smiled, "It's… okay." I laid in the water for a few minutes until suddenly I felt water splash on my face. "Ha! Gotcha!" Anika laughed lightly. It was at that moment, I realized my sister slashed me.
"You little…! C'mere!" With my hair and face now wet, I swam towards her. My sister tried to get away but I caught her and got on her back, my wet hands now on her shoulders. "Got you!"
"Ah! Hey, get off! You're gonna make my hair wet! Mal!" Anika laughed as she reached for the edge of the pool. "Well you should've thought about that before you decided to splash me!" I grinned, my hands still on her and my chest pressing against her back. Lily laughed lightly as she watched me and my sister.
"Mal, stop it. You're gonna drown Anika if you keep that up." she said while swimming towards us. I got off Anika's back but my hands remained on her shoulders while my chest was still pressed against her back.
"Ugh, Mal… You got my hair wet." Anika said when she reached up and felt her hair that was tied in a bun was wet from when I jumped on her back. The water that was on me dripped onto her and got her hair drenched. She turned towards me, a sad pout on her face, "I told you don't wet my hair, Mal. Now it's gonna get frizzy and tangled."
"Oh, c'mon. Your hair is dirty anyway. You can just wash it and then straighten it again." I said.
Suddenly, my sister then hit the water with her hand, causing a wave of water to splash me in the face. "Ah! Hey!"
Anika grinned mischievously, "Oh yeah? Well, how about I wet your hair then?" before hitting the water towards me, the waves of water splashing me wet.
"Hey! Stop!" I laughed. Our laughter filled the hot summer air as we started splashing each other in the pool.
"Hey! You guys!" Suddenly, Luna called out to us, coming out all clothed in a sunflower, summer dress. "My mom is going to the Sea Beach Mall at 2 o'clock to get some groceries and stuff. You guys wanna tag along?" she asked.
Anika stops splashing me, turning her attention towards Luna. "At 2?"
Luna nodded, "Yes, so you guys have enough time to get dressed and so on. Just don't be late, okay?" With that Luna goes back into the house and closes the sliding door behind her. At that moment, I splashed my sister one last time without warning. "Ah! Hey!" Anika wiped her face, as her whole face and hair was now soaked.
"Ha! Gotcha!" I chuckled. My sister sighed, "Alright, fine. You win…Just don't think this is over." She then turns to the edge and places her hand on the tiled ground, lifting herself up and getting out of the water. "Hey, Mal. C'mon, let's get inside and clean up." Lily said before getting out of the pool herself.
I swam towards the edge of the pool and got out, my body heavy and dripping with water. I sighed softly, "Well, that was fun."
Afternoon
A few hours later, after we got done cleaning up and getting dressed, Aunt Helen drove all of us to the Sea Beach Mall, which was located next to the beach in town. As me, my sister and Lily were in the backseat, I looked out the window and saw that the beach was full and everyone there was enjoying the waves, along with the summer heat and melty cones of ice cream. "Shit, I didn't know there was gonna be a lot of people here." I mumbled.
"It's summer, Mal. Of course the beach is gonna be full this summer." said Anika. "The beach was like that yesterday too…" Lily commented, "Not only that, the pools were also full."
"Hey, why did you decide to put on a long sleeve top under your clothes, Mal? It's summer and you're wearing that?" My sister asked, calling out my choice of clothing. "It's cold in the mall, Anika… And I got the chills. It's a little windy so I thought I'd put on something with a thin fabric." I explained, laying my back against the seat.
After finding an empty parking space close to the beach, Aunt Helen parks the car and turns off the car. "Alright, what do you guys wanna eat before we go in?" she asked, her head turning back towards us. Lily beamed, "Mcdonalds!"
"Well, if we're going to McDonalds, I'm just gonna have a normal McFeast burger." Anika said, taking off her seat belt. "What? Aren't you gonna have a Spicy McFeast like you always do?" I asked with a raised brow. My sister explained, "In this hot weather? Yeah right. I'd probably be sweaty all over after eating all that spicy sauce. I think I'll stick to a normal McFeast for now."
"What about you, Mal? What are you having?" Luna asked, checking her purse for her wallet. I thought for a moment before giving a full answer. "I think I'll also have a McFeast. With a McFlurry." I said.
"You want me to pay?" When Anika asked, I shook my head. "No, it's okay. I have 300 rand in cash in my pocket."
"That's all the money you have?" Luna asked, "I thought you saved up during your internship at your old school…"
"No, Mal actually has 6 000 rand in cash stacked away back at home." Lily, Luna and Aunt Helen's eyes widened in surprise when Anika revealed the amount of money I kept away. "Yahoo, Malicia… you've been saving a lot these past few months." Aunt Helen said, visibly impressed by how much I saved up. I blushed, "Heh, well… I've been doing my best. And plus, Anika's part time job alone isn't enough to pay our house bills so I thought I'd help."
My aunt smiled warmly, "I'm sure your parents would be very proud of you."
Hearing her words, I couldn't help but smile a little. To me, those words meant a lot.
***
To explain things, my parents had been missing for 2 and a half years. They were with me when I left the psych ward but 7 months after I was released, they went missing… I still remember that day they left… The day they went missing. It was July, 2018.
It was raining, and my parents were setting up their umbrellas so they could leave through the rainy weather without getting wet. I didn't know where they were going or when they were coming back, which was the reason why I had to ask. "Mom? Where are you and dad going? It's raining outside…" I said, tugging on my mom's jacket sleeve anxiously. When my mom noticed, she turned toward me and placed her hand on my cheek. "My baby… We're just going to town to go get some stuff. I promise we'll be back before dark." With that, she pulled me in and hugged me tightly. The hug lasted for a minute before my mom then pulled away. When my dad noticed, he walked up to me and also hugged me. He had a sad look in his eyes when he pulled away. "Malicia, baby. One of these days, you're gonna have to survive the world on your own. Be sure to look after yourself and Anika while we're gone, okay?" I didn't know what my dad meant by that. All I knew was… That was the last time I ever saw my parents.
After 2 weeks of not seeing our parents, me and Anika opened a missing persons report. The cops did everything they could to try and find them. They even opened an investigation and posted fliers all over the city. The case has remained open since then and it still is… It's been almost 2 years and no one even knows where they went or where they are.
***
After me, Anika and our relatives decided on where we were gonna eat, we got out of the car and entered the Sea Beach Mall which was across the street. The mall was slightly crowded but lucky enough, we were able to find the McDonald's restaurant, which was next to an electronic store. The line was short but every customer needed time to order. It was a good thing we all decided what we were gonna eat before we came in.
"Malicia, Anika. Could you two maybe find a table for us?" Aunt Helen asked us.
Anika nodded, "Alright. C'mon, Mal."
I followed my sister at the back of the restaurant, going up the stairs and onto the second floor, where a lot of people were dining in and enjoying their meals. It wasn't long before we found an empty U-shaped table booth, which was close to the kiddies play area. "Alright, Mal… Do you still have your money you're paying with?" Anika asked.
"Yeah, here." Reaching into my pocket, I took out the 300 rand cash and gave it to her, "A McFeast with a medium cola and fries. And don't forget the McFlurry."
"Alright... Aunt Helen, Lily and Luna will come up here soon so just wait here." With that, my sister left me alone at the table to go wait in line for the food. I sat by the booth and waited, staring at the cute little kids in the playground section of the restaurant as they laughed and played. Going through obstacles and sliding down the slides.
It reminded me of back when I was very young, when me and Anika used to go in the playground area and go through the obstacles, slide down the slides and even jump in the jumping castle. Honesty, I couldn't help but smile softly at the nostalgia I felt as I continued watching the kids play.
After a few minutes of waiting, Aunt Helen, Lily and Luna came with their food trays in their hands. Their food ready and their cups filled with ice cold cola. My aunt and Luna sat down next to each other while Lily sat on the other side, closer to where I was. As I sat at the opposite side and waited, Lily and Luna began eating their burgers while Aunt Helen ate her jalapeno chilli cheese fries, her burger placed beside it. "Hey, where's Anika?" I asked. "She's coming now, they're still making the order downstairs." Luna said before taking a bite out of her chilli cheese burger. I sat there fiddling with my fingers, only to breathe a soft sigh of relief when I saw Anika finally return with both our meals in a food tray. "Hey, Lily. Can you just move out for a second?" When she asked, Lily got up and got out of the booth, letting my sister go in and sit down beside me. Just as Lily sat back down with us and continued eating her food, Anika placed the food tray down and handed over the box that had my McFeast burger in it. Taking my McFlurry cup from the tray, I opened it and saw chocolate fudge covering, along with some crushed oreos. "I'll eat this after I'm done with the burger." I thought before putting next to the fries.
…
After 5 minutes of eating and drinking my cola, I was finished. While wiping my mouth, I noticed Aunt Helen didn't eat her burger, only the fries. "Hey, Auntie… how come you didn't eat your burger?" I asked. "I'm saving it for later, dear. I won't be making food tonight when we get home because I'll be working with markings so that's why we'll be going to the store when we're done." she explained sincerely. Nodding slightly at her words, I took my McFlurry and started eating slowly. The chocolate fudge was thick and the ice cream was still icy and delicious, especially with the oreo pieces.
After my sister and our relatives finished up, Lily threw the Mcdonalds bag that had the empty plastic cups and boxes inside into the dirt bin and we left the restaurant. I was still eating McFlurry as I was through the mall with my sister walking beside me. We took the escalator to the second floor of the mall and walked past a few stores until we found Woolworths which was in between a clothes store and a liquor shop. As Luna took a shopping cart, we went inside and started shopping. I stood and continued eating my ice cream while Anika took a basket which was next to the carts. "Well, since Aunt Helen isn't making food tonight, I guess we might as well buy a few snacks for ourselves." Anika said, turning towards me, "So what do you want, Mal?"
I tilted my head as I was deep in thought, with a McFlurry spoon in my mouth with the half empty cup still in my hands. "Well, I suppose we should look around and see what there is." I suggested.
Anika held the handle of the basket tightly as she started walking in front of me, "Alright, c'mon now."
We started walking through every aisle of the shop, looking for snacks and so on while Aunt Helen, Lily and Luna looked for their own stuff. I was too busy eating my McFlurry as I was walking behind my sister. Suddenly, Anika stops and puts the basket down on the ground before reaching for her pocket to take out her phone.
Her face blushed slightly with a soft smile when she unlocked her phone. My guess was it probably was from CJ again. "That CJ again?" I asked. My sister was smitten, "Yeah. He says he'll come pick us up tomorrow and take us to the movies."
Seeing her like that, I couldn't help but smile, "Heh, lucky him."
"You!" Suddenly, I spun around when I heard a familiar voice behind me. My heart dropped when I saw Daimon's mother, who was now storming towards me angrily. "You have some nerve being here!"
"No! Martha!" She was about to hit me but Daimon's father rushed over just in time to stop her. "No, let me go! That bitch killed our son!" she shouted as he tried pulling her away. "No, listen to me. We're not gonna do this here." The father tried to console his wife but by the anger in her eyes and the hate that burned in them, I could tell she wasn't going to just walk away.
"She killed our son! And you wanna act like nothing happened!?" She shouted as she tried pushing him away to try and attack me but he held her tightly in his arms so she wouldn't. "Hey, you need to calm the fuck down. We're in a public place." Anika said firmly, standing in front of me to protect me.
"Fuck you! I swear to god if it were up to me, I would've killed you myself all those years ago for what you did to my son!" The mother yelled at me with tears streaming down her cheeks.
"You're son raped me… And you're talking like he didn't do anything wrong," I said, my expression somber, "He tried to kill me! I still have the scars to prove it!"
"You're sick, you're nothing but a liar!" The mother said, still struggling to escape her husband, who was still trying to make sure she didn't attack me, "You're just like the rest of them! All those highschool whores who wanted nothing but our money! My son couldn't give you shit so you killed him! You took him from me because you wanted money, you stupid bitch!"
Just hearing her say those words hurt me like a slap in the face. It reminded me of the prosecutor who tried to demonize my situation by saying things like:
"You were probably tempting Damion."
"You were sleeping with him for money."
"You were asking for it."
"You provoked him."
"You killed him because he rejected you."
"You probably wore something to get his attention."
Those words were enough to trigger me to the point where I would be mad. But only this time, I just couldn't take it.
Tears began to fall from my eyes as I snapped, "Why does everyone keep saying these things!? It wasn't my fault! It wasn't!" With those words, I dashed out of the aisle and out of the store. "Mal! No, wait! Mal!" Even as Anika called out to me, I continued to run until her voice slowly faded behind me. As I was still running through the mall, flashes of what happened to me started playing through my head. Even though the memories of what I went through were a blur, the trauma still hurt me internally.
When I finally stopped running, I entered a nearby convenience store and walked towards one of the cooler fridges where all the drinks were shelved. I leaned my back against the glass door of the fridge and slid down slowly, dropping to the floor. I hugged my knees and put my head down in my arms, softly crying as the memories played silently in my head. I sat there with my back against the fridge for 7 minutes until I heard a familiar voice. "Hey, ma'am. You know you can't sit here right?" When I looked up with my tear streaked face,I saw a guy, wearing an apron and a red cap. "Wait… Mal?"
Thinking that he probably wanted me out of the store, I wiped my tears quickly. "I'm… I'm sorry," I sniffed, "I'll leave, I just need a moment."
"What? No, wait," The stranger said, taking off his red cap, "Mal, it's me."
I was surprised to see a familiar face from back in the day when I was in high school. "Fuad? Is that you?"
He chuckled softly, "Yeah, it is." A quizzical smile then crosses his lips. "Geez, it's been years, hasn't it?" I asked.
I sighed, clearly I was embarrassed that my high school crush saw me all curled up, crying in my arms after I got verbally attacked. "Yeah, I guess you could say that…" I said, tilting my head slightly to the side. At that moment, I realized I had dropped my ice cream back at the shop. "Shit, I dropped my McFlurry back at Woolworths. Didn't even get to finish it."
I honestly expected him to just walk away and wait for me to just leave but instead, he did the opposite… He reached for his apron and took out a five-star ice cream bar. "Here. I hope it helps." He said, handing it over to me.
"Fuad. You…you really don't have to. I-" I tried to refuse his kindness but seeing the genuine look in his eyes made me accept and take the ice cream bar nervously.
"Hey, you might wanna stand up. My boss is on break and I could get in trouble if he sees me talking to you while you're sitting here." When he warned me about his boss, I immediately stood up from the floor and dusted myself off. "Oh, sorry. I… I guess I was so overwhelmed, I didn't think straight." I said, unwrapping the ice cream bar and taking a bite of the sweet chocolate ice cream. When I took a bite, a sweet caramel center piece stretched until it broke and got onto my top.
Fuad then smiled in amusement, "Heh, there's caramel on your shirt."
Looking down and noticing the stain, I took a napkin from my pocket and wiped it off, leaving only a smudge. "Uh… So, you work here? In the mall?" I asked, trying to distract myself from feeling embarrassed. "Yeah, I had to start working to pay rent," Fuad admitted, "Plus, my dad needed the extra money so he could pay up his fees."
I took another bite of the five star ice cream, "And your mom? How is she?"
"She's doing okay… But she's been feeling sick recently because of the flu." He said, looking a bit sad to mention his mom being sick. "I'm sorry…" I apologised before taking another bite.
"No, It's okay… I just hope she gets better soon because it's terrible to be sick in this summer heat." Fuad said, putting his red cap back on his head. "Yeah, that's true." I nodded before finishing the five star ice cream with one final bite and then wrapping the stick with the napkin I used to wipe off the caramel on my shirt.
After I finished, Fuad then tilted his head slightly to the side, looking at me with sympathy in his eyes, "You know, it's been years and I barely see you around town."
I sighed, at his words, "I know, I just… I'm not around much because I'm still looking for my parents. It's been almost 2 years and no one knows what happened to them."
"I heard," Fuad said, "When did they go missing?"
"It was back in 2018. They said they were going to town for some stuff but they never came back. Two weeks after that, my sister and I filed a missing persons report. The case is still open and still nothing. No updates..." I explained while fiddling with the ice cream paper in my hands.
"And how are you doing now?" When he asked, I shrugged nonchalantly, "Honestly, everyday feels like a blur without my parents… I can't go places without my sister and I often visit the library when I need to. I don't really have friends, since… they ditched me years ago."
Fuad's face saddens, "I'm sorry to hear that."
"No, I'm okay. They… they were never my friends to begin with, they were just… bottomfeeders." I said with disdain, "They loved Damion… and they hated me for killing him."
There was a brief moment of silence between us until Fuad then spoke again, "It was not your fault… He hurt you."
I started blinking back tears, "I know… but everyone keeps saying that I deserved it. That I was asking for it… I hate it."
Fuad then places a comforting hand on my shoulder, "Is that why you ran in here? Did someone say that to you?"
I didn't say anything, I just nodded while looking down at my hands as I was still fiddling with the ice cream packet. I stood there in silence until a female cashier then called Fuad to the till. "Hey, Fuad! You need to come out here before the boss comes back from break."
"Yeah, just give me a minute…" He told the cashier before turning his attention towards me. "I guess this means I have to get back to work."
I wiped my eyes, trying to make sure I didn't end up accidentally shedding tears in front of him, "I should… get going. Anika is probably looking for me around the mall." I turned to leave but then, Fuad took my hand without warning. When I felt something cold touching my palm, I turned my head to face him, only to be surprised when I saw him place a bottle of water in my hand. "Fuad?"
"It's hot outside, you're gonna need this." He said before letting go. I turned towards him and looked at the bottle in my hand, my mind still thinking if he really cared about me or if he just felt sorry for me.
I looked up at him, gazing in his hazel brown eyes for any sign of concern or worry. "Why did you give this to me?" I asked.
Fuad smiled warmly, "Want ek het jou gemis, Mal."
I was a little caught off guard by his words but at that moment, I just smiled softly at him. "Jy het nie verander nie, nè, Fuad?"
He chuckled softly, "Not a bit."
In that moment, I really wished that I could stay in the store with him. Maybe buy a few drinks or two, or even spend some time at the beach after his shift. Even though I was scared of the beach, I felt safer with him.
Back in our high school years, when I first met Fuad, everything was neutral between us… At least during our pre-teen years. We were friends until I got older and I started developing feelings for him. During that time, I tried to ignore it but I couldn't. I wanted to tell him how I felt but that chance was taken from me when Daimon kidnapped me. During my time in the psych ward, Fuad would send me letters back and forth… And I would write back. We wouldn't talk about much, I would just ask about how he was doing in school and everything else. Back then, all I wanted was to at least spend the entire day with him. Even for a minute.
"Mal…" I snapped out of my thoughts when I heard Fuad murmur my name… Only then did I realise that my lips were inches away from Fuad's. Stepping back, my cheeks turned pink with embarrassment, "Eh, sorry… I really should get going."
Fuad smiled, clearly amused by my reaction after I almost kissed him. "Alright, I'll see you around Mal," he said as I turned away and started walking, "Look after yourself, okay?"
I smiled shyly, "Okay~" With that, I left the convenience store and started walking around the mall, looking for Anika. I wondered and wondered around the place until I then saw my sister standing next to a jewellery shop. "Hey! Anika!" I called out.
Just as my sister heard my voice and spotted me walking towards her, she rushed over to me and pulled me into a tight hug. "Mal! My god, I've been looking for you…" she asked, her voice filled with worry as she pulled away slightly to look at me.
I just showed a half-smile, "I… I just went to get a water bottle." I said, showing her the water bottle in my hands. Seeing the bottle in my hands, my sister sighed in relief, "Don't run off like again. You almost gave me a heartattack…"
I chuckled in amusement, "I'm fine, Anika. Really. I just…needed time to think and cool off."
"Well, you're okay now, right?" When she asked, I didn't say anything, I just nodded slightly. My sister then pulled me in for another hug, obviously she was really worried sick to the point where she almost panicked. "I'm so glad mom and dad aren't here because they would've killed me if they found out I lost you." she chuckled sheepishly before pulling away, "C'mon, Aunt Helen and them are waiting for us." With that, me and my sister started walking together.
…
After a minute of walking we finally got out of the mall but we found ourselves on a different road where there were houses across the road and not the beach. "Damn it, we must've taken the wrong exit." Anika said before taking my hand. "C'mon, the beach is this way."
Holding my sister's hand, we walked down the road until we then reached a bricked alleyway. "This is a short cut, c'mon." My sister said, pulling me with her. We walked down the alleyway and followed the sunlight up ahead…
"Just where do you two birdies think you're going, huh?" Suddenly, a voice from above then startled us. We looked up and on the roof top was a hooded man with what looked like wings on his back. When our gaze locked onto him, he jumped off the rooftop and landed on the ground like a street cat.
"Uh… Sorry sir, we're just trying to get back to our aunt." Anika said, holding my hand tightly.
We thought that this was just some random encounter with a stranger but the truth was… Things were about to get crazy...
End of Prologue