I stared at the box on the highest compartment of the shelf. I just decided to clean my whole room and dispose things I can no longer use. I pulled a chair and placed it near the shelf. I took the box, and it's somewhat surprising that it's not that heavy. I was about to get down when I lost my balance.
“Ahh”
I shrieked. I closed my eyes and felt the box flew out of my hand. I landed on my buttocks, and it hurts like hell. I gently caressed it and opened my right eye.
I hissed. It hurts, especially when I stood up. It feels like my bones just got dislocated. I groaned when I saw how much of a mess that single stupidity has made. Everything that box contains is located everywhere in my room.
I picked up the piles of papers first and laughed when I realized that these are my test papers when I was still studying. And the fun fact is, those are the lowest scores I've got ever since.
I checked all my papers and teased myself about how idiotic I was. When I finished checking those papers,, I proceeded with the laminated photos. I can't believe I am this ugly and dirty when I was a kid. We also have a family photo when I was a toddler, I think it was taken in a park or somewhere in the countryside.
I flipped the album and my eyes squinted when I saw a picture of me in high school. I think it was our prom night. But I can't see any resemblance of me from that photo. Her skin is tanned and mine is almost as white as snow. She has this chinky brown eyes, while mine are rounded and green. Her hair's blonde and straight, I have a wavy obsidian hair. Her nose were pointed and big. Not only that, but her lips are too thin. She's quite short. She's the the opposite of me when we're talking about appearance.
I lost grip of the photo album. I gulped and stared at my shaking hands. I sat on the floor and took that photo out of the album. I flipped it and read whatever was written on it.
Raeya's prom night. I gulped several times.
She looks like mom, and she has the same eye color as dad. I tilted my head and put the album back inside the box. I lost interest. I started putting everything inside the box. I was about to seal when my eyes darted on an old newspaper leaning at the wall.
I picked it up. I stared at the girl on the picture wearing fancy clothes and smiling brightly. She looks exactly like… I gulped, and my hands trembled harder. She looks exactly like me.
Athijha Esmeray Alonzo-Saavedra, an international model and a well-known Architect, went missing after meeting an accident.
I felt a lump in my throat which I tried to swallow and prevented my tears from falling. I took the picture of the real owner of the name I am using.
“Athijha,” I mumbled.
'Remember me, baby,'
I slowly shook my head and went downstairs while clenching the newspaper.
My parents never let me read newspapers nor let me watch television. They never let me have any social media account. Never encourage me to make friends.
I sneaked into their room and turned the television on. My mouth agape open when the current news they were discussing was a picture of a lady in a crowd.
“…right, partner. Miss Athijha has gone missing for a year now. Let's hope that she's not a doppelgänger but the real one.” The reporter laughed.
“Argh, I miss seeing Miss Athijha on the magazines…”
All I could hear are my heartbeats. That was me. That photo was captured yesterday, when I was out to find a job. I bowed my head.
“Raeya!” A loud, muffled voice called my name. Or was it even mine?
I remained sitting on their bed silently, feeling numb, until the door swung open and revealed my parents.
I slowly lifted my head and looked at them with a dead eye. Horror is clearly written on their face.
“Rae, darling,” She called and let out a nervous smile. Her eyes darted on their television. “W-what are you doing here? Haha.”
"Who are you talking to?” I innocently asked with a smug smile plastered on my shaking lips.
“Raeya, show some respect to your mother.” Dad warned.
“Oh, are you even my parents?” I sarcastically retorted.
“Raeya!” Dad's voice echoed.
Tears fell out of my eyes uncontrollably. I sobbed and threw the newspaper together with Raeya's picture.
“Am I really your daughter? Is my name Raeya, or was it Athijha?” Mom's eyes watered. “Why? Why did you forbid me to read magazines, newspapers, or watch TV? Why did you lock me up in this house? Why?”
I let my body drop on the floor.
“We did that for you, for us,” Dad responded.
“You did that for you! My family's looking for me.”
“We saved your life!” Mom roared.
“You saved me to be your daughter's replacement? You saved to be Raeya! Why? Do I look like her?” I covered my face. “I had my life. I have a family and you both are too selfish to keep me away from my family, from my happiness.”
“You ungrateful brat! If we didn't save you from that car accident, you should be dead by now! You should be roasted and even your ashes will be everywhere!” Dad snapped.
“But you should have reported it to police!”
They fell in silence.
“You took advantage of me when I lost my memory and filled my mind with your daughter's memory. Why, huh? Where is she? Damn, she's dead.”
I received a slap.
“Is it wrong? Is it wrong if I can't accept that my daughter is dead? That even if it's been five years, I still long for her presence?”
“But you deprived me of being with my family. Just accept the fact that she's gone. Please, return me back to my life. Return me back to my family.”
“Do you really think your family cared about you?” She retorted with sarcasm. “Your husband didn't even look for you. The industry you've worked in was happy because according to them, you're the biggest bitch in the whole world. Your family announced that you went missing, but your issue got covered with a new showbiz controversy.”
I looked a her, puzzled.
“What?” Mom smiled in melancholia.
“Your sister got engaged with your husband.” My world crumbled like an asteroid just hit the Earth. “We saved you and don't want you to go back to your old fucked up life. We don't want you to experience what our daughter has gone through because of those greedy bastards.”
“I'll just… I'm sorry. I'll just go and freshen up.”
I ran. I ran away from them. I want to get away. I can't stop my tears from falling. I can't even clearly see my surroundings.
I ran. I ran away from them. I want to get away. I can't stop my tears from falling. I can't even clearly see my surroundings.The heaven sympathized with me. In justmoment, the clouds cried cats and dogs.I screamed my heart out until my voice break. I fell on the damp, empty street.“Why? Why, of all people out there, you chose me to be in this situation?” I hugged myself. “Am I that bad? Did I step on other people's dignity?”I laid on the cold street and let the heavy drops from the cloud hurt me. Because I feel so empty right now."Please, tell me the reason why because I can't recall, I don't know what to believe. I want to blame it all to someone
When I reached our home, mom and dad came rushing and hugged me tight. I hugged them back and cried on their shoulders."I'm sorry," I muttered between the sobs.Mom gently caressed my hair and dad kissed the top of my head."Shh, it's normal, darling. We're sorry too. We shouldn't have kept you away from the world, from your family," She cried with me. She cupped my face and looked straight into my eyes. "Listen, it's okay if you're leaving us. It is okay if you're going back to your family. We've talked about this already. We're setting you free."I pulled her into a tight hug like I never want to let go."Don't throw me out. Forget what I've said yesterday. Mom, keep me with you,"
"I love Cleandra, Jha. She worth the world to me." "But I love you. I love you, Exiquel!" I almost lost my voice when I screamed. He looked at me with a shock expression and shook his head like he can't believe what I just said. "I won't go against our family's decision, Quel. I'm sorry. I have been so selfless my whole life, let me be selfish, even if it's just for now. I love you." I groaned when the sunlight hit my eyelids. I removed the wet towel on my forehead and sat at the edge of my bed. I massaged my temples when it throbbed a little. I looked at the door when it opened. "Daddy," I called with a hoarse voice. "Are you
I opened my eyes. The luminous moon greeted me. It is so beautiful that it even had me captivated. I looked at the man who saved me."What the hell are you thinking?" He asked in mixed emotions.Quel. I called him at the back of my mind. I looked at the moon, this will be the last, I faced him and offered a one genuine smile."Hey, the moon is beautiful, isn't it?" I uttered, not minding his scary aura."Athijha!" He exclaimed while I just smiled."I just measured how deep the ocean is when the moon is too beautiful for me to resist." I answered.He remained sent so went to the deeper part again.
After few minutes, my partner arrived. At first sight, I doubt we'll get along. He has this flirtatious aura and he looks like an innocent demon. Shit, what the hell am I thinking? "Come on, strike a pose..." He pulled me by my waist and touched my face. "You're beautiful, Miss Athijha," He whispered but I remained smiling at the camera even though I want to punch him straight into his eyes. "Make it more seductive," "Shit!" I placed my hands against his chest and he was about to touch my bare legs when someone pulled me and hid behind like he's protecting me. "Don't touch m
My heart suddenly stopped for a second then it raced like it's in a marathon. Butterflies held a party in my stomach and my mind turned haywire. I was unable to speak and was just staring at the screen of my phone. "Athijha? Love are you still there?" Reality knocked my head. "Y-yes, I'm sorry. Why'd you call?" I stuttered. "Love, you're uncomfortable." He concluded. I don't know if it's just me but I feel like I heard a pang of pain ih his voice. "No, I'm not," I denied. But yes, I feel uncomfortable because you're giving me sensations that put my mind in a whirl! "You're stuttering whenever you're uncomfortable, love." I gul
When we arrived, I just stared at the enormous mansion and my instict stops me to go any further. If this was my home before, then why can't I feel any comfort. Why do I feel like burning and just suddenly wanns run away from here? It took him about ten minutes to pull me to get in the mansion. We were greeted by expensive furnitures and patterns that screams elegance. Me, entering this place gives me the feeling of de ja vu. Maids bow their head whenever they see us. Why do I feel like we're some sort of royalties? Quel was about to knock on the door when it opened and revealed a sophisticated lady who looks years younger than us. "Exiquel," She greeted.
I stepped on the documents. "Do you know that I can sue you for this? Performing a DNA test without permission." I laughed. "Mother, look at my sister. She's being impulsive." I wore an angelic smile. I picked the papers and handed it to our mother. "C-Clea," She called with a trembling voice. She hugged the bitch and cried on her shoulders. "Clea, your sister's finally home." The maids are setting up the dinner table after everyone has been calmed. But still, the tension between me and that whore sister of mine is still there. Everytime I look at her, my blood boils and something deep in my heart keeps on resurfacing but my locked memories keeps on stopping it. I wanted to hurt her, slap her one hundred eighty degrees and kill her. Everything about her makes me sick.