An unusual start to a regular day was cut short by an unforeseen
event. Before today, I was Riza Inara, music student at the prestigious Sky
Garden Sevenite Academy, mastering the guitar in the String Instrument Class; barely
holding on to my third seat second row ranking.
When I first held a guitar, I saw my mother’s eyes glow once again. When we lost my father, my mother took it upon herself to fill his role, to do whatever she can for the both of us, with her probably not noticing she forgot how to smile, laugh, or enjoy life in the process.
Back then, she was still a nursing student and my father supported her. I was an infant back when she got the news that he had disappeared in one of his performances. I thought that, at the time, she may have felt helpless and lost. What was a young woman to do when she is left alone to raise a child? I cannot even imagine what she thought of as she was working hard whilst studying.
She told me once in one of our arguments that she found two jobs on the side of her studies just to keep us afloat and I had no right to talk back to her. She worked while studying for six years and once she graduated, I came up on stage with her as she carried me while receiving her diploma and license. I remember that I was about 6 years old back then. Her smile was forced. I can never forget the way she looked as she received the papers she worked most desperately hard for. That moment, I felt that my mother lost the very essence of true happiness.
Ever since I was a child, I’ve been hoping to bring her smile back, with true delight coming from her heart. I have never seen my mother truly smile. The only times I remember her showing her true emotions was when she talks about my father. She told me that he used to work as a musician. He used to sing very well and create beautiful lyrics as he was a very passionate man. I thought that, maybe, I can make her happy if I can write her songs and be like my father. That, maybe, showing my passion to her like my father once did, will bring back her vibrant outlook on life.
One day, I found my father's old guitar inside my mother's bedroom closet. I grabbed it and started playing the strings with no idea on what I was actually doing. My mother heard it and immediately ran towards where the sound was coming from. When she was by the bedroom door, she looked surprised and came into the room slowly. She approached and hugged me while caressing my hair. That time, I was so happy as for the first time, I felt the warm calming hug of my mother.
After a while, my mother bought me some guidebooks on how to play the guitar. She helped me practice basic strumming, but she told me that someone who actually knows how to play should teach me. So, after I finished high school, she told me that she enrolled me in a music school. Little did I know that the music school she enrolled me in was the best school in the city.
I was surprised at first, but then I realized the pressure that weighed on me. The fee for the school costs a lot more than I can imagine. She used our first household promotion for it as well. All those times we ate those dried herring that I hated because of its salty sea smell, the times that I could not have what I wanted even on my birthdays, it was all for that day, that moment, to prepare me to be a musician.
I try my best and give it everything I had. There were some hiccups here and there but as they say, everyone keeps stumbling before they can properly walk. I studied, I played, I wrote, I enjoyed. Everything in my life was solely focused on music. It was in my mind 24/ 7. But through the hard work and effort, I still feel average, maybe above average if I cut myself some slack. I knew within my heart that I was not gifted, I wasn't anything special, I was no protagonist to this grand story of victory and redemption against life's grueling trials. I was just a normal person trying to find success and make it through this hard life, just like a lot of other people.
But through it all, positivity and hard work pays off. This is my mantra, I believe that there is no individual in the world who achieved success by just sitting idly by a windowsill, waiting for something miraculous to happen. In this hard-edged life that we have, a little positivity, a little bright light to the world’s darkness is enough to get anyone by.
So this is what I decided to do every day, instill joy and happiness to the people I mostly care about, especially my two best friends, who now I can only imagine the horrors that run amok their traumatized minds as they saw their friend being taken away by the Ward Smiths.
I find myself alone inside this detention vehicle on our way to the Forgery without even having the slightest knowledge if I can see the light of day. This is not some pickle or a perplexing conundrum I can sort and talk myself out of. I didn’t know what I did or what happened, all I know is that for a Sevenite like me to be inside a vehicle like this, this is more than I can handle as a first-year college student, someone who was just about to start being someone in this world.
I feel the vehicle slow down to a halt. I cannot see where I am as there are no windows on the back side of the detention vehicle. I hear a clunking sound as the double hatch doors open and see the two Ward Smiths from earlier.
“Could I please know what I did?” I asked the both of them.
They came in and the shorter man put handcuffs on me as the other one pulled me out of the vehicle by my arms. As I got out, I looked around and see a huge space filled with black and white cars that look expensive. In front of me are two large metallic doors with golden handlebars.
The shorter man opened the door and the taller one tugged my left arm. There are a lot of questions popping in and out of my mind. How will I defend myself? Has my mother been informed of my situation? What will she think of me when she finds out?
We kept walking in silence. The only thing I can hear is the heels of our leather shoes tapping the cleanly polished white tiles beneath us. I kept looking around, trying to get a better grasp of the surroundings but in a long hallway surrounded by nothing but doors, I felt even more aghast.
“Please tell me anything, I just want to know what I did so I can be able to explain myself clearly,” I exclaimed to them.
I hear no sounds coming from them, not even a slight murmur or breath out of their mouths. Clearly, they were instructed to keep their mouths shut.
I’m slowly losing my sanity and scared out of my wits. I can't stop thinking. My head's starting to hurt, and I can feel my chest slowly trying its best not to explode. Tears started to come out of my eyes. My breathing became deeper, I feel myself slowly hyperventilating. I was trying to catch my breath so I wouldn't faint, but it would probably be best for me to do so to get me out of this predicament.
As I try to think of a way to escape, we stop in front of a door that had the number 216 on it. The door opens and I see a plain white room with two chairs facing each other in between a metal table and a plain fluorescent light on the ceiling. One of the chairs had a woman sitting with her back facing us. The taller Ward Smith pulled me in and sat me in front of the woman. The woman and I looked at each other with shocked expressions.
“Mo… mother!” I shockingly exclaimed.
“Riza, why are you—“ My mother said.
“An Arbiter will attend to both of you shortly,” the shorter man said to us.
Both men leave the room as we hear the lock of the door click. We both look at each other with puzzled expressions.
“Riza, why are you here. You didn’t do anything wrong, did you?” My mother asked with tears in her eyes.
“I... I do not know. I was just dragged here. I'm clueless,” I replied to her as I shake my head.
“I’m going to ask them to let you go. You’re innocent. I won't let them detain you,” she shakenly said to me as she reached out for my hands.
I reach out my hands to her, as we both held each other’s hand tightly. We both start to tear up, suppressing our bawls as to not be heard from the outside. After a few minutes, we hear the door open.
“The Inaras, I presume?” A thin man in the red suit said.
The man's suit looked like the one Atalia wears, but it was red. He has his chin up proudly and he stood with great posture, seeming to imply that he was trained under royalty. He holds a large black book and a black pen with golden accents. He approaches us from our sides and stands between me and my mother. He snapped his fingers twice as two men that look like custodians brought him a varnished wooden chair that has red cushions attached to its seat, back, and arm rests.
“So, shall we get down to business?” The man said.
“Yes, but please let my daughter go, she doesn't know anything.” My mother pleadingly said to the man.
“Oh, fear not, Mrs. Inara, your daughter will be set free,” the man said as he places his book on the table.
“Oh, thank you— “my mother replied to him as she exhales deeply.
“If she proves her innocence towards these violations, there would be no problem,’” the man menacingly said as he opens his book and leans toward me.
“Wait, what did she— “My mother said with a puzzled expression.
The man started reading from his book. The book had a list of all the violations I had done along with the respective rules and articles broken written beneath each offense. Apparently, our Maestro from the guitar class had reported me for failure in meeting the required expectations due to my lack of attention in class. Furthermore, he added that he assumes that I had stolen, forced, or coerced someone to buy me my new guitar. Seeming to imply that the guitar is actually that rare and expensive like Imori had told me earlier.
“But not only that, we found out something interesting. Apparently, little Ms. Riza over here is conniving with a certain Demon,” he added in a whimsical tone.
My mother looks towards me with eyebrows raised in disbelief. The man kept rambling on about how dangerous it was to be alongside such a mischievous and maniacal entity such as the Demon himself.
“Sir, if I may speak, what is this Demon you're talking about? Aren't Demons just a spiritual myth?” My mother said.
“Oh, how could you not know about the Demon, Mrs. Inara? Are you telling me that your daughter hasn't told you about it?” He said with a sarcastically shocked expression.
“Mother, I don't know anything about the Demon,” I exclaimed as I slammed my hands on the table out of anger.
“Oh, really now? Are you sure, little Ms. Riza? You sound as if you had already heard of this monster. From the tone of your voice, you seem to be well informed about it. Mrs. Inara, do you want me to enlighten you about the Demon and its connection to your daughter?” He said with a grin.
“Mother, please, you have to believe me,” I pleadingly said to her.
“I believe my daughter is innocent. Whatever this Demon you’re talking about; I have not heard of anywhere. I am sure that my daughter does not know about it as well,” she said with utmost surety.
“Well then, if you're so sure, let me enlighten you just in case,” he says to her as he gives out a wink along with his menacing smile.
Apparently, the demon is a rebel, a criminal of the law that threatens the very peace built up by Extol throughout Fraction 7. He is the leader of the resistance group that wreaked havoc against the pure blooded Rinnamads and is responsible for the various crimes and illegal activities across different cities and provinces within the fraction.
The Demon is said to possess inhuman strength, agility, and speed, the likes of which no human can go up against. It apparently can kill a whole platoon by itself as it douses itself in the blood and the remains of its victims.
“How have we not heard of such a vile thing living amongst us if it's so dangerous to the people? If it can beat a platoon all on its own, how can our leaders not notify the public of its existence?” She exclaimed with visible irritation.
“The Demon is not that of a problem now as each day, we are closer and closer to finding out where it is. To add, there is no valid reason to make the people panic. We assure you that the Demon would not be a burden to the lives of the people in this city, no, of this fraction. He is but a measly rat in the way of our peace,” he arrogantly said.
He slams his book down on the table in between of me and my mother and looks at both of us in a very intimidating expression.
“But people like you and your daughter are a problem to this very peace. Hiding valuable information about the Demon is surely a grave offense to the colony,” he said to us both.
“But we aren't—“ I said.
“Oh, but you are, little miss,” he said to me as he nods his head.
He turns to the next page of his book, runs his index finger down the page as if picking something from the list. He nods his head, holds the book with his left hand and stands up, walking around me as he reads the list in his book.
Apparently, there was an eyewitness account. One of the Frame Guards was looking on when the Demon leaned in on me as he looked into my eyes. The Frame Guard was there for the whole duration of the conversation between me and the Demon, though he could not hear what we were talking about.
As the Demon fled the scene, the Frame Guard saw the Demon carrying the body of the broken Arbiter, the man said it seemed that I was the one who ordered the Demon to get rid of the body of the Gate Arbiter. But luckily, they found him near the port, a few miles away from the Settlements, half alive.
“Now, do you believe me, Mrs. Inara? Do you now understand the consequences of your daughter's actions?” he said to her with an evil grin.
“No… I… I wasn’t—,” I said as I stuttered.
“So, tell that to her face. Tell her that you didn't know that Reign was an accomplice as well! That's why she gave you the rare guitar, right? She rewarded you, that’s what she did!” He screamed at me with a smile.
“No... I didn’t… Ms. Atalia just…” I said as I lost sense of everything that was happening.
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