The Heart of Vania
Stay Alive

I can't lose him!

I chased across the street at a faster pace than him. The tears are in the eye bags.

Aunt ....

Aunt ... Don't go again!

My mind always calls out Aunt's name until– realizes that I've lost her. My body was peeling tears, regretting the foot so slowly guiding the brain's commands. Aaarrrgghhh ..between angry, sad, disappointed melted into one to tear my feelings.

Suddenly the reflexes of my eyes were rounded because the instantaneous flow of breath faltered.

"Hmmppffhh .. hmmmppffhhh ...."

My mouth was smothered and dragged into a deserted alley. My feelings were so chaotic that I let my guard down and did not have time to fight back.

"Shut up! It's Auntie!" his his hiss made my eyes that had previously been rounded widen their diameter, shocked mixed with pleasure.

I turned around, looking at her increasingly thin and dark face, "Auntie!" pekiku hugged him tightly.

"Pst! Don't be so loud," he whispered.

"Bi– bi ..." My voice trembled so longingly.

He stretched my arms, then his old hand wiped the tears on his cheek, "Auntie misses you so much. You're all good news, right?"

I nodded, "Very good."

"Thank God," he said in relief, "Why are you following Auntie? Though Bibi has tried her best to cover herself so that no one recognizes."

"How to walk fast and sometimes a little tiptoe belongs only to my aunt," I replied pretentiously.

"Other times it shouldn't be like this, even if you know it's Auntie, don't try to chase after her." His voice on the press warned me seriously.

"Why?" tanyaku plain.

"Can't just– just don't!"

"Auntie is afraid our identity is known to the Moon River Kingdom?"

Aunt Rima's eyes widened to the maximum until almost her eyeballs came out.

"YOU!"

Aunty's voice stuck in the throat to reveal veins on the skin of his old neck.

"I know."

"Young Master told you?"

I shook my head and raised the corner of my left lip upwards, "Forgot my eavesdropping skills?"

"Bas with this boy! When did you change! Bad boy!"

He hit me in the ass many times. Sick? Of course it was because he beat me with all his might but somehow I enjoyed it so much this time that I didn't even want to stop him.

"How much do you know?" tanyanya resigned after spying her own hands that achy for beating me.

"Everything, even I find out more myself and–"

My sentence stopped seeing Aunt Rima's shocked reaction that didn't believe me.

"Auntie, I've grown– can already keep a secret well. Only me and my brother-in-law know."

The middle-aged woman was sitting limp on the floor, leaning against the wall that had already chipped a lot of paint, her eyes glaring, "Lucky you guys can take refuge behind the surname of the Young Master, especially your brother. How's Tisha doing?"

"Sir Tisha is healed. Sister-in-law compensated Dharma Yasa Hospital for Kak Tisha's identity and medical history to be destroyed. The only remaining files are stored in the Pradipta Family's private storage, no one will know. His tracks are obscured and now he's in Irvine living the life he wants by remaining in the care of his brother-in-law's men hidden there."

Aunt Rima closed her eyelids, sighed by squeezing her two clutched hands together, "Thank God, at least she was untraceable. It's just you, Nia. Do not travel alone, even if you are not the main target at the moment but it does not mean you are free from their observation," he said bitterly.

"Sister-in-law deliberately raised me as his sister and pinned the name Pradipta so that the public did not know that I was actually the sister of his wife" I said.

Aunt Rima shook her head, "You don't think they've been figuring out how your mother's life has been?"

I fell silent, confirming what my aunt said. My mind flew everywhere, for a moment we didn't talk to each other. I don't know what Bibi was thinking but my hunch says it must have a common thread with the incident of Kak Litha followed by unknown people some time ago and they I believe are the men of the River Kingdom The Moon's.

Silent.

"Auntie where all this time? Why never call us? Where's uncle? Ah, there's so much I want to ask Auntie," I asked to shift the subject to break the silence between us.

"Auntie is eager to see Aunt's grandson, from the news that Aunt heard he was a boy. Must be handsome and funny."

My tears suddenly fell, I quickly wiped them off, "My phone missed in the car. Every moment of Zean's development I recorded. There's more to it than my selfie."

Ah, I'm so sorry I couldn't show how adorable Kak Litha's son is to my mother's successor.

Aunt Rima smiled, "Name Zean? In the news only mentioned Young Master Pradipta has a son."

"Yes, Zeandra Putra Pradipta's name, Bi. Everyone in the main house loved him. In a few days he'll have a second birthday."

"It doesn't feel like two years Aunt never saw you all." He smiled blandly, stripping away the confinement of his own feelings.

"Auntie doesn't want to go home and see it?"

Aunt shook her head quickly, "As long as she's safe and sound that's enough for Auntie."

"Aunt ...."

"Yes." Yeah."

"I'm engaged."

He stood with his eyes very wide open, "Who?"

"Assistant Yan."

"Assistant Yan?" her question was more surprised than hearing that I was engaged, "Assistant Young Master?" the question was convincing again.

"But– why?"

The look on her sad face instantly turned startled and full of questions.

"I like it."

"HUH!"

Aunty immediately closed her own mouth as she unconsciously raised the volume of her voice, "When have you liked it? Didn't you always say he was old?"

"Don't know. I feel comfortable and safe when I am around him, just like I am near my Father or Sister-in-law. Despite his sometimes very annoying attitude, he is patient and loving– like Dad."

Aunt Rima forced her smile, "You lost your father when you still needed him. It is unexpected that your wound for losing father could be covered by Assistant Yan. But why did Young Master ask you to get engaged? You complained to him, right? or maybe you asked your sister-in-law yourself? Basic flirty! Are you ready to get married, huh!"

Poked him on my shoulder loudly, "Duh, Auntie carelessly! I'm not the one asking! Sister-in-law is worried that her best friend is cursed by a Ragnaya woman and out of nowhere she knows that I like her too."

"Worried about the curse of the Ragnaya women?"

"He stole my first kiss, Auntie! Same with Sister-in-law who stole her first kiss, Brother Litha."

"Oh God!"

Aunt Rima was shocked and leaned against the wall behind her, "You're crazy!"

"Auntie!"

"Look! Your face is flushed red," she pointed to me embarrassed, "You're glad she kissed you, right?"

"No!" sahutku firmly.

"Why? Don't you like it?"

"Yes, I like her but I can't deny that I'm not a woman in her heart either. To him I'm just a little sister."

Aunt Rima was twitching her suddenly dizzy head, "Then why did she kiss you, Nia? Hhhc ... Auntie can't speak anymore."

"Auntie!" sulukku.

My mother sighed, "If Aunt could always be by your side, son ... Sure Aunt will be against your engagement by then."

"Why?"

"Because you yourself don't know how you are!" aunty answered a little emotion.

"meaning?"

"You grow up faster than your peers, but growing up faster doesn't mean you can make decisions. You lost your father and found his figure in Assistant Yan. Then you said yourself that she only considered you a sister, not a woman in her heart. Then why can she kiss you so much that your sister-in-law is worried she'll get cursed. Can you explain all this?"

I kept quiet, trying to parse out all the words Auntie had cornered me.

"It's all confusing, Nia. Even you yourself are still confused about what happened to you. Don't make a decision before you're sure of yourself and her because–"

Aunty stroked both of my shoulders, "Because later you will be the one who will get hurt if it turns out your decision was wrong. Protect your heart, son. Be strong with your own efforts."

"Aunt why say that?" Both of his hands slipped off my shoulders after hearing the protest from me. "In the end Brother-in-law and Brother Litha can love each other even though their relationship began with the same incident with me?"

"We cannot equate the end of our story with the story of others even though it begins with the same paragraph. Each story has its own destiny, Nia."

Aunt clasped both hands with both hands while looking at my bead, "Auntie is against your engagement just because you want to think about it more. Think before deciding on something. As long as there's no doubt in it, Auntie will always support you."

Shuhhhh ....

It felt like a warm wind was blowing through my chest cavity. Although not a relief, but the wind can open the horizon of my thinking to see and reconsider all the turmoil that has been raging lately.

"I'm sure I like it."

"What about her?"

Ck. I'm clucking bitterly.

"Nia, don't beg for love in people who don't love you let alone take advantage of the curse of the Ragnaya Tribe's women. Remember that! The curse exists to protect rather than fulfill personal desires."

"Bcr ... He kissed me forcibly, really."

Aunt Rima sighed for the umpteenth time, "Close to Litha because she's your mother's father's successor who has gone– don't find their figure on anyone else. You may like him but as him it's not like seeing your father's figure on him."

"..."

"Kiss, don't think too much. True or not only God knows because we live hundreds of years after the ancestors who created the myth. Man only justifies what he believes."

Bibi's advice slapped me, even though she was raised with the original traditions of the Ragnaya Tribe she can still think rationally, not merely believing 100% in a hereditary belief that can be right or not. In addition, I should hold my brother tightly when I miss the parents who have died, instead of looking for his figure in the figure of others let alone want to tie him.

"Auntie can't take long. Return ... Take good care of yourself and support every step of Young Master to protect your brother. He's all we can hope for" Bibi said, ending our brief meeting in a bit of a hurry.

"Bi, Uncle?" my question was realized if the existence of Uncle Tino was not mentioned at all from earlier.

"Engg ... She must be happy to see you, Litha and Tisha are in good shape. You don't have to worry about it."

"But–"

My words hung as I heard the footsteps heading towards us.

"Nia, we must part now and return immediately to your place ... Auntie loves you all, take care of yourself and stay alive."

Aunt Rima hugged me then turned her body away from me. All happened as fast as lightning without having time to say goodbye even just return his embrace– a hug that I will always miss.

I stared, weeping for the passing of my dear aunt before my own eyes until her shadow vanished between the narrow, moist high walls.

Take care of yourself and stay alive.

I gasped in memory of Aunt Rima's last message, realizing that someone was on the way and getting closer to me. I immediately hid behind a wall gap that could load my body and then stand by to attack anyone who appeared later.

Yeah, I gotta stay alive. Whatever happens I will take care of myself and stay alive to make sure my family is in good shape.

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