About an hour or so later, I was standing in front of a man who looked like a thug with a slightly wrinkled face. The man smiled as brightly as the sky of Pangkalpinang after putting my suitcases in the trunk. Some people seemed surprised by us, as if they were watching a scene of a thug yelling at a poor girl.
Well, I am not a poor girl, by the way. Just… forget it.
“Gran!” I beckoned to the thug. “Why do you have to wear clothes like this?!”
My grandfather laughed. He guided me to get into the passenger seat, and then he himself got into the driver's seat and started the black Toyota Avanza.
“I'm still fifty-one years old, you know,” my grandfather said jokingly. “I am still not old!”
I scowled as he started to run his car. “You are still not old, huh? Seriously, Gran, you already know your age, and then you must understand the situation, are you not?”
My grandfather pretended to be hurt. “Hey! My face still looks young! You see, right? If you want, I can find you a new grandma. How do you think?”
“GRAN!”
Gran laughed loudly. “I'm just kidding, Bara!”
Secretly I smiled because he still called me by that name as before.
“Besides, I have a reason.” Gran turned the steering wheel as he turned the corner, and then briefly winked at me. “There's a D'Masiv concert tonight and I'm planning to watch them. Do you want to come?”
Well, it is indeed tantalizing.
“I am coming along. But, Gran, D'Masiv isn't a rock band or a very fierce boy band,” I said flatly. “What does that have to do with pop music with thug clothes?”
My grandfather laughed again. “There is nothing. I just want to, just because.”
I just rolled my eyes in disbelief. I yawned and decided to sleep. Gran said the trip from Pangkalpinang to Koba city took quite a long time. About an hour or so, or less; I don't know, again I don't really remember. The thing is, I am already in sleep.
When I finally woke up with sticky eyelids due to chin, we had arrived in front of a simple, one-story white house. The house has a small yard on each side, with several trees and wild plants that live freely on either side.
“So, welcome!” my grandfather smiled, then got out of the car.
Gran dragged my two suitcases into his house and I followed with feeling still sleepy. The inside of Gran's house is just as simple as it is. It is consists of one living room, two bedrooms, one family room and one kitchen. Bright red sofas hurt my eyes as we passed the living room to go to my bedroom.
A few seconds later, I just remembered that Gran likes red. That is why almost all of the tools and furniture are red. Even the frames that framed my photo as a child were red too!
“Why didn't Gran paint the house and the floor in red too?” I grumbled disgustedly to Gran's back as he passed the living room.
Gran turned around suddenly, startling me. “I still don't have enough free time, but I already bought red paint for the walls. I was worried because I ignored it for too long and the paint dried up. Should I just hire someone? Moreover, for the floor, I thought I would order red tiles too. What do you think?”
I snorted. I should not have said anything about the red.
Gran opened a door. “By the way, this is your room.”
I looked doubtfully. Fortunately, the red color does not rule my room. Looks like Gran knows that I prefer neutral colors like black or white.
“WOI, YADI! KELUER KA!” someone shouted.
Surprised, I turned to Gran who looked flat. It sounded that the sound came from the front of the house.
“MEN DAK KELUER, KUDOBRAK RUMAH IKAK!”
Without understands the meaning of the cry of a strange person outside, I stared nervously as Grandfather met him with galloping steps.
I sighed for the umpteenth time that night. I raised my head and looked at the cloudy sky. The swing with the reclining chair I was sitting on seemed to sway slightly as I justified my sitting position.I was in Koba City Park… the name on it was displayed, but Gran said, people prefer to call it the square. Whatever the reason, I am not in the mood to care about that.The song titled “Jangan Menyerah” (Don't Give Up) sung by D'Masiv thumped in my ears. However, that's all. I can only listen to that music without being able to watch them properly.“Ape-ape ikak ne!”I turned my head. A few meters from me, Gran was joking in Bangka language that I did not under
“Ikak ni diem-diem nek nyari' tunang ka yang selingkuh, ok?”I was surprised and turned to the brash person who made my heart almost over. After making sure Gran was still chatting with his friends—now sitting cross-legged on the ground—I looked back to the side and glared.“I don't speak Bangka!” I said curtly.I tried to ignore the word “selingkuh” which sounded the same as “cheating” if interpreted in Indonesian.The brash boy's eyes rounded. He nodded as if he understood quickly.“Oh, you just moved here, huh?” the boy said curiously with a rather loud voice, acting out the voice of the artist singing beside us. His brow furrowed. “Where do you come from?”This time my brow was creased. I review his appearance. He wears a blue denim jacket with a white shirt, black jeans and casual shoes. His short-cut hair is as black as his irises. The boy's face was qu
Trying to relax the body from the sudden freezing, I lowered my hand and turned around like a robot. Something is wrong with my joints.“Hello, Gran.”Rian D'Masiv's melodious voice drowned my screams. My neck and back are hot; the signs of worldly calamity were about to explode.“Where are you going?” Gran snapped, but his eyes glared at Saga.“Uh, not going anywhere, really,” I replied quickly. “I just walked around here and accidentally met him.”I smiled nervously. I wanted to give the code through the gaze so that Saga can match my lies, but failed to remember how his mind goes.“Don't lie!”I was shocked. Geez, it turns out to be Lie Detection from this old man to Dad. I decided to stay quiet while waiting for Gran to take me home.WHERE IS MY GREAT COURAGE?“And you!” Gran's index finger surprisingly pierced Saga's chest with furious. “S
When I say, “It’s up to you,” Mom and Dad will really do whatever they want to do. They never understood that behind the words “up to you” what was said, hidden the meaning of “I want to be heard”.However, I did not expect Gran would act the same as Dad and Mom.I often confided in Gran by phone before coming here and he sounded annoyed and always entertained me, I seemed to have thought that Gran would not have the heart to limit my space. In fact, I was wrong.The next day after that night, Gran warned me not to leave the house in the slightest. He left at seven in the morning to go to school as an Indonesian Language teacher in one of the middle school at the city.Before leaving, he very clearly stated, “I will take care of all your homeschooling needs later. Just stay at home. If you need anything, just buy it online. Or you can let me.”Because I was in a phase of frustration at the level
Saga sped like an arrow apart from its bow. I mean, he really looks like that! There is nothing that I exaggerate. My nose almost broke because I followed Saga’s movement.I shook my head as if I wanted to drive away flies around my head. I slapped myself without using excess energy. I sat back down like a fool.I must have been hallucinating, I decided in my heart. There was no way the friend of Salvatore Brothers came to Indonesia to look for Katherine who was attractive.I must be hungry.Before I could go to the kitchen, Saga returned with the express movement once more. I stared at him with horror.Something is wrong with my brain.Saga brandished a wire, and then he shot again—for God's sake, streaking! He did not run, but shot!—towards the front door. I took a few steps back. Suddenly alert, lest he will break it!Click.The door opens as if Saga has the key. My face was pale as Saga grinned in the door
I sat, but on another sofa. I do not want to get close to anyone wrong.“How strange your family is,” Saga started. “Why do they have to hide who you are?”My eyes twitch. Sitting on the edge of the sofa seat, I noted carefully in my mind to run away immediately if something suspicious happens. However, the idea then immediately erased considering what Saga did a few minutes ago.“Listen to me, Bara,” Saga said, advancing his body seriously. “I don't really know what you are. As I said before, your body's scent is a bit chaotic. Therefore, I cannot be sure. Either you are a vampire, or a wolf-cha—”I stopped him by raising my hand in front of his face. “You are crazy. Thank you for helping me open the door, but please leave,” I kicked him out.Suddenly, he pulled his lips and hissed. A pair of fangs appeared from between his teeth. The boy's eyeball turned white like the singer who a
Cafes in this small town are very different from cafes in Jakarta. Even so, still the aesthetic appearance did not disappoint me. Especially the Ananda Cafe that I—we—stopped by.I sip a cappuccino ice drink with brownish granola topped with pleasure. A boy and a part-time vampire in front of me were staring at a group of girls in shorts across the place where we sat. The girls who were mostly wearing minimal tops were giggling when they realized Saga was watching them.“Seriously,” Saga grunted on the green ice-colored basil drink under her nose. “The girls think I'm admiring them or something. Their clothes lack material.”I laughed. “You're so old-fashioned, Saga. How old are you?”Saga pouted. “I'm only one year old!”I almost sprayed the espresso milk liquid into his face.“Don't say it's true!” I shrieked under my breath.Saga rolls his eyes with bored. &ldq
I gape to hear the explanation. If he is joking, the composition is very good. If he is serious, that sounds weird.“Why don't you publish yourself in this world?” I said curiously. “And… gosh, do vampires really exist? How could I be so far behind?”Saga grinned. “Bara, humans will hate us when they see us truly in this world! Again, the law really exists. It's just that only vampires know.”I leaned with an unsatisfied attitude.“But, you see? We love movies and stories about vampires because they look cool, handsome and pretty too! So why not?” I tried to argue based on impromptu market research in my head.Saga laughter bursts out. The waitress girl who was passing by turned to be curious.“Try to imagine,” Saga whispered, leaning toward me. “Just imagine first. You beautiful girls are gossiping somewhere about Damon Salvatore's good looks, then a similar creature s