BROKEN BUTTERFLY; Beyond The Night That Differs Love And Lust
CHAPTERS 14. SANCTUARY

BRAK BRAK BRAK

I've broken it to knock as smooth as possible but this adrenaline rush doesn't let me do it.

“WEENA!!”

And my voice broke out so frantically, it must have sounded so strange.

BRAK BRAK BRAK

“WEENA!!”

Please Weena open the door. Please let me in.

CLUTCH

The door opened very slowly, as if the one who opened it did not want the outside world to see what was inside. From the slowly opened door came the figure, a girl with tied hair and glasses who hid a pair of puffy eyes after crying yesterday. Weena, if only she knew how relieved I felt to see you. All the terror and fear that had brought me here was lifted just like that as soon as I saw that face.

With unregulated breath I held the two tiny shoulders, wanting to feel like I just collapsed in his arms. My mouth is dry, and my breath is one-on-one. Couldn't explain anything to the face that demanded that explanation. But I don't think that's what he needs right now.

PLAQUES

One slap landed right on my left cheek.

PLAQUE

Two more slaps landed on my cheeks. And now I'm the one who demands an explanation from him. From the red face that seemed to melt with those tears. Her tears broke, her two tiny shoulders still in my grasp, I shook hoping for an answer. But only her tears were getting broken, pounding my chest with all her despair.

At least I know one thing. At the moment there are no words that can represent his feelings, only tears. And after all that was done, he closed the door again. Leaving me outside.

…

The sky of twilight. I'm still there, next to the door to her apartment she's living in alone. No more where to go. After what happened this afternoon it was not safe for me to return to my home. That woman knows where I live.

The twilight came down slowly to my stomach, which was beginning to feel hungry. Damnit damnit! I just left it in the park. I can't stay here, it's getting dark too. As he got out of the place, the door opened from the inside and his voice told me to come in.

I don't believe it. And from the slit of the door came a sullen face whose eyes were not willing to look directly at me.

“Log in!”

And when he looked at me, I could no longer resist those two eyes.

There was only one room in it, other than the bathroom. A room of roughly 6x5 square meters with a kitchen without a bulkhead, there was only one study table where she kept all her school supplies. On the small table was a bowl and a glass filled with water, I guess the contents of the bowl were chicken soup. I passed the pot of soup when I entered, and it was still warm when I passed.

Weena said nothing, not a word she said. Just sitting facing his laptop at that little table, across from him the still-warm soup was as if he had prepared it for me. I sat there, still not understanding what he was thinking. Behind her glasses she stared intently at me, I made sure with a hand gesture that the soup was okay for me to eat, and she nodded.

The soup is warm. Cream, corn, carrots and diced chicken meat, also accompanied by a piece of baguette bread. Countless times this Weena-made soup saved my life, so often. A warm feeling that finally calms my heart.

And seeing me finish with this incredible hindrance he moved out of his place. Removing his laptop from the table was also a bowl that no longer contained in front of me. Now nothing is stopping us from facing each other. He was sitting right in front of me, his glasses off. His sitting posture leaned forward with both hands folded in front of his chest propping up his shoulders, and those eyes, those eyes demanded an explanation.

I who had calmed down enough now began to string together the explanation in my head. Arrange all events based on chronology with the support of logical reasons. I looked steadily at the two eyes that demanded that explanation, and I realized I could not do it.

“You really..”

That face did not flinch before me, forcing me to continue that unfinished sentence.

“I shouldn't have confessed to the investigation **** this.”

“I should have heard you from the beginning, a normal high school student like I shouldn't have dealt with this kind of dangerous thing. I've met the mysterious woman.I don't know anything about her, at all. All I know is he's got a colt revolver, like he's deliberately pointing it out to be intimidating. And from there I thought everything was clear.”

She propped her cheeks with her palms, I knew she was getting bored. And that long breath.

“Please horrify me first. He's got a colt revolver, and probably a pretty big caliber. He's not a federal agent or a cop. My guess is maybe he's a private investigator or yes, a private investigator. Which means he does work in that field, yes, he is just doing his job and I. I have been a barrier.”.

“Maybe that's what he's trying to convey by meeting me today. He's trying to say ‘ move you boy! You're blocking Jalan’ or something.”

“And I think the thing like a private detective investigating a murder case is only in a fictional story. wow.”

“I should have beaten you from the beginning. In the end this case will be finished by itself.”

PLAAACA

The slap was so loud. My ears are ringing. Weena slapped me with both hands, and those two hands were still firmly stuck to my cheeks. He pulled my face close to his, so close that I could clearly see every detail.

That face is red. The eyes are melting. And those lips were shaking trying to control his feelings.

And I don't understand the meaning of his words.

“This is not about that stupid case! It's about you! What if something bad happens to you!?”

She.. worried about me?

“Yes, from the beginning I knew this was a danger anyway.”

“But you did too!”

My face was pulled closer to his face, making me able to clearly see every inch of the anger on that face.

We stayed in that position for quite a while, and what I meant by being here for quite a while felt like forever. It was just me and him, separated by a table that also propped his elbows. His face and my face were only a few inches apart, his hands clasped tightly onto my face. I could feel all his anger from this close. The two eyes that had somehow melted tears, no longer she was ashamed of her glasses that she used to cover them already did not know where.

I can't look into those two eyes. All this foolishness will not allow me to look at her, nor the guilt in my heart at her. In that eternity he punishes me with his gaze. It didn't give me a chance to run away because both hands were tightly clasping my face, pressing down hard on my cheek. And I let myself be punished.

I am guilty of not being able to protect his feelings. I was defeated by my ego, played easily in a game I could not win.

And here I am. Back to square one, back to being a cowardly Juno, expecting the protection Weena always had for me.

…

The city lights are bright. Yellow orange with a dark black background flashes one or two stars up there. I'm on my way back. Passed the streets I knew well, the streets were still crowded with the traffic of those who returned home, on that Sunday night. There was a burden that had just been lifted from my pudak, making my steps lighter than when I left this afternoon. No more hurry, and drip the stairs one by one through the alley illuminated by white LEDs. I want to go home soon, I still have to go to school tomorrow.

I opened the door with the key I had brought. Turning on the lights one by one, nothing strange, everything was exactly like the last I left. Another Sunday I used to go through.

And I hope these ordinary days continue.

I'm tidying up my study table from all the bullshit about this murder. There's no point in me thinking about all this. This case is clearly out of my reach, far beyond the reach of ordinary High School students like me. Sooner or later this case will be solved, by someone out there, or maybe by the mysterious woman I met in the park.

All right, before I go to bed, let me run my computer for a second. I had to make sure what troublesome tasks I had to complete the following week.

OS loaded perfectly, this computer is ready for me to use. But something strange, the cursor didn't move as I wanted. Is my mouse in trouble? Suddenly the screen went dark. I was shocked by the situation I had just experienced for the first time. Whatisthis? my computer was fine when I last used it this morning. And from the dark screen was a slowly emerging.. symbol?

CelwoodS16's

I read it clearly from the symbol. End the terrible noise. Whahuh? No way, my computer.. got hacked? And CelwoodS16 again?

The smartphone that I put not far from it vibrates more than the volume of vibration that I set. I saw the number that contacted me, a random number that seemed to deliberately cover his identity. Not likely. I thought it was enough of a strangeness that I experienced today, I was finally able to go back to my room and stay one step away from resting on my bed.

I picked up the phone hesitating. Not knowing and not being prepared for anything that will happen after.

“Halo?” My voice opened the conversation.

“Halo, Juno. Introduce me.”

“CelwoodS16. well, I got your message on my computer.”

The voice across there I can't be sure of, like a male voice but I'm sure he's using a voice changer. The pitch sounds unnatural.

“What's up? What do you want from me?”

“Just the opposite, I have the thing you really want.”

My computer screen showed me a number of documents. The documents I know she took from my school remember the logo listed there. I kept skimming through every single piece of data that was there, and in a moment I understood.

“See you are very interested in the serial murder case that happened lately.”

I was still staring at the monitor screen, my head was still trying to digest the data it had just received.

“I'm very interested in what you're working on, so I'll help you.”

…