[TLS#1] Senior
SENIOR 26

"WHAT?!"

Screeches Good, Ezra, Tian, Arnold, Malik and Adnan echoed inside Soraya's room.

"Don't yell shucks!" cetus Devan's. The boy was grimacing at Alka who was staring intently as if saying that they were bothering her Mama.

Meira who was sitting near Soraya's gurney turned to some of the boys sitting on the sofa.

"What's wrong?" ask Meira. They simultaneously shook their heads.

"Cil, come here!" it was nice calling Meira.

Meira raised an eyebrow and turned to Soraya. "May go there first huh, Tan?"

Soraya nodded with a wry smile.

"Why, Brother?" Meira sits between Bagus and Devan. Staring at them one by one with a questioning face.

An alka? He got up to his mother's gurney. Then sit on the chair that Meira had occupied.

"Lo's really Anna, right?" chirps Ezra. The man's face looked very incredulous.

"Lo's no longer our gut, is he?" timpal Malik's. He's just like Ezra. Very distrustful.

Kening Meira wrinkled. "Why should I lie? I'm his brother Gilang."

"Lo have proof?" challenge Arnold. She slightly dislikes the fact that Meira is Gilang's sister. Maybe he thinks it'll be troublesome.

"Sir Arnold doesn't believe me?" Meira turned to look at Arnold who was cross-legged with her back leaning on the sofa.

"Why should I trust you?" reply Arnold. The tone was quite sarcastic in Meira's ears.

Meira looked in surprise at Arnold. Since when is that guy sarcastic about her? It's not that Arnold has often been quiet and behaved as if he didn't care.

Meira sighed. Staring at them one by one in confusion. "Am I the only one here who doesn't know what the point of this conversation is?" ask Meira.

"We just need proof, May. Who you really are, and really or not you are Gilang's sister. Because this is really quite important information for us," chirped Tian who had been quietly researching Meira's face. Similar to Glory or not.

"Kan, I told you. I'm Silang's sister. How, anyway?!" apparently Meira has started to get emotional. No one believed in his confession that he was Gilang Abraham's brother.

"What evidence do you have?" chirp Arnold again. Flat expression.

"You all want proof?"

All the boys in the room nodded. Except Alka of course.

Meira quickly retrieves her phone from her school bag and opens the gallery menu. Gallery that stores its pictures with Gilang from small to large.

"Now!" Meira pulls out her phone. Right in front of Arnold's face that really made Meira confused by his attitude.

After Arnold who is now riveted. Meira starts showing her phone again to Malik who is next to Arnold. Then Tian, Ezra, Adnan, Good and lastly Devan.

All of them looked at Meira with a hard to interpret gaze after seeing a photo of little Meira and little Gilang who were embracing each other and showing a big smile in the photo.

"Happy?!" sentak Meira's. The girl stared cynically at Arnold.

"Sir Arnold is satisfied, right? Still want to recuse me if I boong again?" it's funny to Arnold.

Arnold. The guy snorted then turned the lazy eyeball. Why must Meira be the disturber of the Lion's tranquility? Her thought.

"The world is really narrow" Devan murmured. The guy rests his back on the couch.

"Gue didn't expect, anyway," said Good. He followed Devan's position.

"Die, the Alka." Ezra. He looked at his face like a frustrated person.

"Fate, fate." that's Malik's voice. The guy breathed a heavy sigh.

"Ready headset every day, mah." That's Tian. He scratched his suddenly itchy ear.

"Hopefully Alka is strong." Adnan is speaking. The guy leaned on the back of the sofa.

"Ck. Ngerepotin!" cetus Arnold's. The most different tone. He seems to dislike this fact.

Meira looked at them all in confusion. For whatever sake Meira was very clueless about what they all said. Meira's eyes turned to Alka there. The man was calm with his faithful hand stroking the head of his sleeping mother.

"Emang why the hell, if I'm his sister Silang Gilang? Why is everyone so much a lebai gini?" ask Meira. Baffled.

Devan straightened up and looked deeply at Meira.

"Say a message to us before he's in a coma. He told Alka to take care of her sister Anna." Devan paused a little before he resumed his sentence. "And for whatever reason we never thought Anna was, lo. Meira the bully."

Meira's eyes successfully rounded with her mouth slightly open. He didn't hear wrong, did he?

Should he be shouting happily at this moment?

Oh God! Thank you to Gilang for ordering like that.

***

"Where have you been?"

Meira who had just closed the door gasped in shock upon hearing that heavy voice. He slowly turned around and showed a row of white teeth to the man who was holding his chest in front of him.

Arya—Papa Meira— stared firmly at her daughter before her index finger pointed to a small black object that was coiled around Meira's left wrist.

"Do you know what that thing is?" asked Arya flatly. Seeing Arya's gaze, Meira followed her Papa's gaze. The grin got wider then and there.

The girl then stepped closer to Arya. "Why have you eaten?" just a distraction from Arya's question. He then turned to rubbing Arya's arm.

"Papa's first question you haven't answered."

Meira sighed after hearing that stern tone. Apparently her Papa is in serious mode at the moment.

"Meira abis jengukin Kak Gilang" he said. Not entirely lying.

Arya took off Meira's hand from her hand and sat down on the living room sofa. In front of the television.

"Papa never taught you to lie." Arya switched television channels to news stations. Focused his gaze on that square screen.

Meira sighed softly and sat down beside her Papa. Keep her school bag on that long enough table.

"Really, Pa. Meira did not lie, Mei was finished by seeing Kak Gilang earlier," he said. He stared at the face of Arya who was still very handsome at the age of four heads.

"Whenever you get home at this hour?" sahut Aryan. His eyes were straight on the television screen that was broadcasting the news.

Meira was silent for a moment before finally answering in submission. "Abis the Mei jengukin Mama Kak Al--"

"How many times did he, Mei, Papa say? Don't get close to Alka." Meira who had been down playing her finger now looked up at Arya who was also looking at her.

Meira's eyebrows are linked. "Why the hell, hate it so much, Brother Alka? Since the first meeting Papa has seemed to not like Kak Alka. Does Kak Alka have a fault with Papa?" meira cerca.

"Papa's dislike is not without Meira's reason. Papa doesn't like Alka because of the in-"

"He's brandal? The head of the motorcycle gang? Like brawls? Da? What is the difference between Kak Alka and Kak Gilang? Gilang was like that too!" sela Meira's. He looked at Arya inexhaustibly.

Hearing the voice of her son who had increased, Arya sighed and then stroked Meira's hair that was a little dull due to street dust.

"That's exactly it, May. You know, right, your brother has a lot of enemies out there. Same with Alka. Is there anything you can guarantee that you will be safe close to him? Is there anything that can guarantee that his enemies Alka won't hug you?" Arya. The man's face was really worried. He did not want it to happen again.

Meira lowers Arya's hand, stroking her hair and gets up. Attach his school bag to the right.

"There was. Brother Alka can guarantee everything. Even Kak Gilang before he was declared in a coma he advised Kak Alka to take care, Mei. So Papa won't be able to ban Mei from doing chores with Kak Alka again." Meira was about to step up. But Aryan's voice was heard first.

"Have you forgotten your promise to Papa before you moved to Jakarta?" Arya stand. His gaze was firm on his daughter.

Meira riveted. Her memory fell a few months ago before she moved to Jakarta.

"Meira promises the same, Papa. Meira will be diligent in learning and become a general champion in school. Meira's not gonna be as cute a guy as she is."

Meira's shoulders slumped considering that. With a heavy sigh the girl looked at Arya.

"What do you know about Alka so far? You just know that he's the head of a motorcycle gang and a brandal kid. You don't know who Alka really is."

"Meira tau!" sergeant Meira, he stared firmly at Arya. "May know how Kak Alka, even about his family. Mei knows that Kak Alka it--"

"A bastard?" sela Arya's. The man gave a small smile and approached Meira. Holding both of Meira's shoulders, she bent down to align her face with her daughter's.

"Even Papa knows better than you Meira. The fact that Alka is an illegitimate child is just a shred of information." Arya patted the top of Meira's head once, then straightened up. "Sleep, gih. From tomorrow you should be home before Papa gets home. Otherwise, you know the consequences."

Arya then turned towards the stairs. Just as the second rung of stairs, his feet stopped treading. The man looked back at Meira who was still standing in confusion. Confused as to what his Papa knew about an Alkavero Mahardika.

"From tomorrow Papa will hire you a private tutor."

The man then continued his steps. Leaving Meira with her frustration.

***

In the black and grey room, Alka lay with both hands as pillows. His head looked up at the ceiling of his gray apartment room.

Black and grey. That's Alka's favorite color. The color represents how he lived. Full of darkness and unclear. His life was always filled with alternating problems, as well as his obscure social status.

An illegitimate child born to a woman with uterine cancer. An illegitimate child who expects a family that is clear and intact. Not a family that is not recognized by its existence.

Alka breathed a heavy sigh. Recalling how she and her mother had all along turned out to leave a long, poignant incision in her chest.

Life is not normal because the other person inside him is so excruciating. He had to be alert whenever and wherever Azka did not come out and eventually lost control with the psycopath soul who did not choose prey.

The clang of the notification on his phone made the man turn to the nightstand near the bed. His right hand stretched out to pick up the black phone with the logo of the bite apple.

MeiraAnnastasia

Good night, Brother Alka

That's the message seen on the lookscreen of Alka's phone. The guy then clucked and kept his phone on the edge of the mattress.

Annastasia Meira. He was the big problem that Alka was currently facing. The girl he had been avoiding turned out to be the girl he had been looking for.

Funny universe, right?

He tried to avoid the person he was looking for.

He tried not to care about the person he should take care of because of the trust from his best friend who is none other than the older brother of that person.

Why is the universe playing with Alka? The more Alka shies away from the problem, the more trouble comes to her.

Her counsellor returned to voice. Alka turned a glance at the screen of her phone that was wrong then returned indifferent.

One hundred percent were convinced that the notification was from the same person.

The more left the more become-so the sound of notifications on his phone. Alka clucked loudly and grabbed the black phone. Swipe the screen to the side and start reading the contents of the messages that are not useful from Meira.

MeiraAnnastasia

How not to be billed?:((

MeiraAnnastasia

Alka is asleep, huh?

MeiraAnnastasia

Don't sleep yet, dong. Mei wants to confide in this.

MeiraAnnastasia

Back home Papa angratin Mei. He said he can't talk to Alka anymore.

MeiraAnnastasia

Mei's sad, you know, sister. The period of May is prohibited from Deket same Kak Alka, anyway, kak Alka no virus.

MeiraAnnastasia

There's the virus.

MeiraAnnastasia

A handsome virus, but, hehe.

MeiraAnnastasia

Brother is not sad if Papa refuses Mei Deketin Kak Alka?

MeiraAnnastasia

Yeah, peanuts:(

You slept, dad?

How not in read?

MeiraAnnastasia

Yaudah, yes. Alka must be tired, right?

MeiraAnnastasia

Good night, Senior. Have a nice dream❤

Alka stared at her phone screen flatly. There was no faint smile or blubber from the man's lips. He only snorted softly after reading Meira's extremely useless messages.

He just wanted to keep his phone. Alka was stopped again with a notification sound.  When he saw the name listed, he sizzled lazily. But his thumb still knocked on the chat room.

MeiraAnnastasia

WHAT IS MY CHAT READ FOR?!

IT'S A HELL OF A HUAAAAA, DAD, GOD!

NO PAPA, DEH, NO BALES. IMPORTANT BROTHER ALKA READ HEHE.

Alka's eyebrows shot up after reading a spam chat from Meira. Is it that happy that his chat was read by Alka? Then what will happen if the chat is answered?

Alka was silent for a moment. He remembered Gilang's message. The guy breathed slowly. From tomorrow he has to look after Meira. Want not to have to.

Alka then smiled obliquely. Type a few letters in the chat room and then press the send menu.

He could guess what would happen to the girl now.

***

"YYYYAAA!!"

Meira who was lying on her stomach with her mouth busy biting her nails is now prancing happily on the bed.

Open his eyes wide to clarify the sentence listed in his roomchat. Feeling unsatisfied, he then adds to the brightness of his phone until it is completely bright.

Rubbed his eyes repeatedly to confirm if he really did not see wrong.

I feel that sentence remains the same. Meira then slumps her body on the bed. Biting her lower lip tightly so as not to shout a second time.

Arya will confiscate her phone if she finds out.

Meira took a deep breath. Neutralizing his crazy heartbeat was only due to the four words sent by Alka.

He stared at the screen of his phone with a fluffy smile.

Alkavero.L

Sleeps. I'll pick you up tomorrow.