The living room had been calm just moments ago. Biyanka and I were still chatting when the sound of car engines broke the silence. Two vehicles pulled up at the same time, their glossy bodies glinting in the sunlight.
I turned sharply toward the window. As the doors opened, I recognized several faces all too well.
Biyanka's front yard was large, so it took them a while to walk up to the house.
Kayla, Livia, Dwi, and Nesa — all girls from my old campus circle.
Zein, Dion, Randy, and another Dwi — the guys.
The two Dwis were infamous for their constant bickering, always annoyed that they shared the same name.
I stood, instinctively ready to leave. But Biyanka's hand closed around my wrist.
"Where are you going?" she asked quickly.
"To Sewujiwo City," I replied shortly.
"I'm coming with you," she said without hesitation.
I shook my head. "Another time. You've got guests. Bye…"
Her face fell, but she didn't press. She only looked at me for a moment before saying softly,
"Be careful, then…"
I nodded, turned, and walked out.
---
The moment I stepped into the yard, the snide voices began.
"Well, well. Look who we have here," Kayla sneered, folding her arms.
I stayed silent. They had never been particularly kind to me, even back in college.
Dion took a step forward, glaring at me. "Fan, what are you doing at Biyanka's house? Shouldn't you be out there looking for that missing sister of yours?"
I said nothing, unwilling to give them the satisfaction of a reaction.
"Yifan! Dion's talking to you!" Kayla snapped.
And then… my tongue moved faster than my thoughts.
The words spilled out before I could stop them.
"Who asked you? You're nothing but a squawking chicken."
Silence.
It was as though the entire yard froze.
The girls gasped, covering their mouths. Even I felt a jolt of shock.
'Did I really just say that?'
Dion's expression twisted into something dark. He stormed toward me and grabbed my collar.
"What did you just say?!" His voice was low, dangerous.
Zein smirked from behind him. "Oh? Looks like the quiet kid grew a backbone."
Before I could even think, pain stabbed through my skull. The world tilted — and then…
My body moved on its own.
My hand shot up, wrapping around Dion's throat.
His eyes bulged, his face flushing red as his breath caught. His heavy frame felt weightless in my grip, as if I weren't even myself anymore.
"Yifan! Let him go!" Livia screamed.
The other guys rushed forward, but I flung Dion aside like he was nothing. He hit the ground hard, coughing.
The voice that came out of me was flat. Cold.
"Do not provoke me."
Everything went silent.
No one moved.
Even Dion was trembling, staring at me with wide, terrified eyes.
Kayla, usually the loudest of the group, looked stunned — and for the first time, at a loss for words.
I turned on my heel and walked toward my bike.
From the doorway, Biyanka appeared. She had changed clothes — this time, modest and simple, as though she wanted to draw a line between how she looked with me earlier and now, with everyone watching.
Her gaze flicked from the shaken group to me. There was relief in her eyes — but also confusion, as though she didn't understand what she'd just witnessed.
I started the bike and honked lightly. She only nodded and gave me a small smile — a smile that felt meant for me alone.
---
On the road, the dizziness still lingered. My hands shook on the handlebars.
"Was that me?"
I hadn't meant to speak. I hadn't meant to fight. My body had simply acted. My mouth had formed words I rarely used.
"What's happening to me?" I muttered under my breath.
And yet… somewhere deep inside, a dark corner of me was laughing.
It felt good.
Good to see Dion afraid.
Good to watch their smug faces go pale.
I shook the thought from my head and focused on the road.
---
By one o'clock, I reached Sewujiwo — the "City of a Thousand Souls."
The name had always unsettled me, but no one seemed to know where it came from. Perhaps simply because its population numbered in the thousands.
I stopped in front of a large house.
Viona's house.
Viona… Keinaya's friend. One of the victims of the massacre three years ago.
Back then, I had been too consumed with finding my sister to investigate why Viona had died.
Her parents greeted me warmly, as though no time had passed.
Guilt stabbed at my chest. This was the first time I'd visited since the tragedy. Keinaya used to spend entire afternoons playing here, and her parents had always been fond of me — so fond, in fact, they used to joke about marrying me off to Viona when she was grown.
I had laughed at the time.
Now, the thought made me shiver.
They invited me inside. In the living room sat a young woman.
Naina — Viona's older sister.
She looked more mature now, but the grief in her eyes hadn't faded. She had returned home permanently after the tragedy, leaving her job and studies behind.
"You must be here about Viona," Aunt Murni — Viona's mother — said softly.
Though we weren't related, I had always called her "Aunt".
I nodded quickly. "Yes, Aunt. But if this brings up too much pain, we can talk about something else."
"You don't need to hold back," she replied, though her voice trembled.
"We've accepted her passing."
Her words hit me like a stone.
She drew in a deep breath before continuing.
"That afternoon, Viona had just come home after searching for Keinaya with you. She ate dinner, then said she was going to the small shop nearby to buy toothpaste." Her voice cracked. "She never came back."
Tears filled her eyes, her body shaking.
Naina quickly moved to hold her, comforting her.
I bowed my head, every word piercing like a blade.
Then Naina spoke.
"Yifan…" Her voice was quiet, but her gaze fixed on mine.
"I think I know why Viona never came home that day."
My heart thudded.
"What do you mean?"
Naina lowered her eyes for a moment, then met my gaze again.
"I think… it has something to do with your sister."
My eyes went wide.