3rd of April, 1646:
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Golden orange locks brushed against the dusty cell walls of the prison, a young girl sitting against it in a fetal position, singing to herself softly. "Happy Birthday to me, Happy Birthday to me..." She chanted in a soft, light voice. "Happy Birthday, dear Aya..." She felt tears well up drastically, overflowing and spilling down her slightly sunken cheeks, displaying to the now empty world that she was starving, slowly fading away from the hunger she fought. "Happy Birthday to me..." She choked, before sobbing softly, burrowing her head into the scrawny, pale twigs that were supposed to be her legs. Her mind wandered back to what happens only 2 days ago, what drove her to the edge.
"Quiet, Aya! I won't be long, okay? Just keep your little brother safe, alright?" Her sister whispered, picking at the chunky cell lock with her star-shaped hairpin, the metal now rusted and the pendants shimmery gold paint chipping at the edges, making its way inward and the white plastic showing underneath. Aya cradled the toddler in her arms, holding him tightly to her chest to silence his cries as the other slaves slept. She also used him to comfort herself, not knowing if her big sister would ever come back after her escape to retrieve another loaf of bread and any other delicacies she could get her hands on. "But Rozu! What if you get caught? They'd kill you! And what about Fideo?! He'd be devastated if me and Amadeo come home alone!" Aya argued as Amadeo started to cry louder, shushing him sweetly while twirling his long, auburn locks.
Rozu looked back at the pair with a bright white grin, trying to reassure them and to distract them from her tearful azure eyes. "Now where did my optimistic little sister go? C'mon Aya, I'll be fine! You know I will! Now stop arguing, you silly goose. I'll be back by 1am, alright?" She said cheerfully. But it was clearly a lie. They both knew it. Aya tried to believe her, but she could tell that even Rozu didn't know if she would come back herself.
Blowing them a kiss, Rozu slipped out through the cell door. "I love you" she whispered, before disappearing behind the wall and running like a flash down the hall, only the faint "pitter-patter" noise of her feet cutting through the stillness and slowing disintegrating.
"Hey"
Aya's head shot up, glancing around her frantically.
"Hey"
There it was again.
Aya sat up, hesitantly staring at the wall before pressing her ear against its dusty, rough surface. "Hello...?" She replied, once again hesitant. Was she finally going insane? Did she finally snap? "Hey! What's wrong?" The voice spoke its reply, sounding genuinely worried. Aya blinked, sniffing quietly as she released a light, shaky breath. Aya closed her eyes, feeling a baby tear run down her cheek and hang on the end of her chin. "I lost m-my little brother 4 hours a-ago..." She answered, the breath hitching in her throat.
There was a moment of silence and procession. "Your brother?" Aya nodded.
More silence.
"....How old is he?" The voice asked, Aya now presuming the voice belonged to a male. Aya didn't reply. "I-If you don't mind me asking!". She sighed. "No, it's okay." She said. Opening her eyes, she started to wipe her stained cheeks of any left over residue. "He was 2."
The boy sighed from the other side of the brick wall. "Oh...um...--" "He was stabbed in the eye, if that's what your wondering" She interrupted, suddenly forgetting her sadness. She felt numb. She felt that she needed to get this out, that she needed to stop mourning over things, even though it would do nothing.
She was stuck in this prison, she was now a slave and all she could do was endure it. The last thing she should be doing is crying over spilt milk.
"I ripped off the bottom of my shirt and tried my best to stop the wound. One of the doctors soon came around and helped him. When the guards left, he told us that he and his wife used to be slaves too, only for a short period though, until he confessed to being a doctor. He told me that they were escaping and they would take my brother, take good care of him. They would've taken me too, but I couldn't. My sister's husband is coming to rescue us soon." Aya stopped herself, feeling the words rolling off her tongue and tumbling out of her mouth.
She felt the tears rise up again, her stomach churning once more. "Maybe I shouldn't have let him go" She continued. "Maybe I should've kept him by my side. Maybe I should've been more patient. But I could tell that he was in so much pain. More than a little boy should ever experience. And I knew that with him being a doctor, he and his wife could take good care of him. They could give him the home he deserved."
Aya shuffled slightly, curling her knees into her chest, pressing them on the filthy beige cloth she used to call a "dress". Memories of the past flooded through her, resulting in a wrenching pain in her heart. "I don't know where he is now. I don't know if they made it out alive. I don't know what Fideo would think if three of his family members got captured and only one returned to him. I don't know if I'll ever see either of them again." There she goes again. With her crying and her blabber mouth. She was such a baby, wasn't she? Such a weakling.
Aya waited for a response. She wouldn't be surprised if the boy stopped listening to her. It was stupid and pointless anyway. No one else listened, why would he? She heard a shuffle from the other side. "I'm so sorry." The voice said, letting out a hiccup. Was he...crying as well? Aya blinked, before smiling sorrowfully. "It's okay. I'm just glad to let it all out. And I'm glad you listened to me." She heard a chuckle. "No problem. But it's getting late. You should go to sleep now" Aya nodded, before laying down, back against the wall. She yawned right on queue. "You're right, I should. I'll talk to you tomorrow, alright?" She listened out for a very faint hum of agreement from the other side. "I'd like that." She didn't know how, but she felt him smiling. "Goodnight."
"Oh, by the way. My name is Shizuka Aya. Nice to meet you"
