Life is always a drama

"Granny...."

It was all I could muster. My chest felt like it was being constricted by a thousand barbed wires, and I couldn't even swallow my spit as something round blocked my throat.

"Yes, dear, I am his grandmother. Have we met before?"

Am I mistaken? No. How can I mistake my own grandmother for another woman? Same white hair, same eyes, same face, same voice... This woman was indeed my grandmother.

"Granny, how are you here? Don't you recognize me?"

I said with teary eyes; my heart clenched seeing her confused eyes. Was she pranking me?

"I am afraid you are wrong, Atarah."

Ryan's velvety voice didn't register in my ears. I got up, placed a half-awake Nyle on the seat, and held her wrist gently. That similar skin warmed my entire body. They have never considered me family, but they are the only ones who connect me to the human world, to my childhood, and to my memories. My entire life in the past revolved around them.

"Granny, it's me, Atty."

Tears were rolling down my face uncontrollably, and my grandmother looked nervously at Nyle and then at me.

"Sorry dear. I guess you have mistaken me for someone else."

She said, getting a little tense.

"What's taking you so long, Sara?"

Near the empty entryway to my side now stood the man whom I have called 'grandpa' for the past eighteen years.

"Grandpa?"

I swallowed another lump that was now forming in my throat. Ryan briskly walked towards me and held my hand tightly. He nodded at my grandma in greeting before leaning down to reach my ears.

"Calm down. I can explain to you everything once they leave."

I wanted to argue and scream at him but just stood still, staring at my 'once missing' grandparents. Ryan then slowly picked up a pouting Nyle from the chair and handed him to Granny, who took care of him delicately. She bowed her head at us and said, a thank you. Then she looked at me with worry-filled eyes. I remained silent until they left the waiting room to sign the papers and for verification purposes.

"Do you want some water?"

I nodded my head, still peering at her retrieving figure. Ryan handed me a disposable glass with the transparent liquid in it, which I slowly took from him and gulped down the contents in one go. I sat there, looking at him, defeated.

"Why are they avoiding me? Why is she pretending like she doesn't know me? I swear I am not mistaken, Ryan."

I completed the sentence with a sob. Don't cry, Atty. You shouldn't break down at a time like this. He took the seat next to mine and placed his hand on my shoulder.

"Maybe that's because they actually don't know you."

He was whispering the words, and I shook my head.

"No way. How can they forget me so easily? Unless..."

I looked at him with horror-filled eyes.

"Unless you did something to them."

He bowed his head a little, avoiding eye contact with me, and that was all I needed for confirmation. I grabbed his shirt's collar and started to shake it vigorously.

"How could you? How could you do this to me when they were my only family left?"

I shouted, not caring that we were in a public place.

"They are not your family, Atarah, but your caretakers."

Ryan said, holding my hands tightly. I stared at him with a betrayal-filled face, and he looked guilty. Without wasting much time, I got up from my seat and was about to leave when I heard him say something.

"What?" I asked angrily.

"I thought they lived in Spain."

Ryan murmured, clutching the hand rest of his chair.

"You were tracking them?"

I said, getting back to my seat impatiently. There was no response, just silence. I breathed out shakily and closed my eyes for a few minutes so that I could regain my composure.

"You said there's an explanation."

If I give way to my sentiments now, then I am seriously not going to know about it anytime soon. I have to learn to control my emotions, and this is a start.

"There's not much to explain here. After your parents' deaths, I hired these two people, who were struck with poverty, to look after you. They left you often to meet their kids, whose existence was unknown to me until a few years ago, and when you got older, they literally stepped out of their responsibility. Realizing they were no longer useful to me, I fired them and erased their memory over the course of time. According to them, they went for a certain job somewhere else and then returned after being dismissed. Now, because of some freaking coincidence, here we are in this situation. I just wish they would leave soon and never come into our lives again."

He spat with venom in his voice and covered his face with large palms. I kept silent as I stared at the unknown person in front of me. How can he be this heartless? I regretted giving in to him so easily. For him, they were just strangers. But can't he see that they were my family for eighteen years, and now that their brains have been cleared of my existence, it's only me with the memories? No matter how sour they were, it would have felt good to know that at least I had someone who remembered me. I straightened my spine and glanced at him with emotionless eyes.

"You are right. After all, I have grown up with my mom, dad, and so many others to look after me. So these mere caretakers, whom I thought were my grandparents all this time, forgetting me shouldn't affect me at all. In fact, I should be glad that they left me, shouldn't I?"

Ryan lifted his head with an apologetic face and strode towards my retreating body.

Sorry, Atty, that came out wrong."

No, Ryan, each word you said was right."

I didn't even flinch when he took my tender arms in his enormous ones.

"I screwed up, right?"

"Very bad."

With that, I stormed out of the room but slowed my pace when I found my caretakers, to be precise, with teary eyes. Grandpa or Michael was looking gravely at the two cargos that held his daughter's and her husband's bodies, while Sara held both the kids close to her chest. There was something new in her eyes that I had never seen before when she looked at the boys. It was love. Pure love of a grandmother, which was exactly opposite to what I received when I assumed that I was their granddaughter. The thought that they looked out for me only for money made my heart ache. A delicate finger wiped the tears that rolled out of my eyes. Helena side-hugged me and ran her hand up and down my back.

"You see, life is a drama. Just play along with it if you want to survive."

I didn't give her any response, but I heard it very clearly. There's only one mission for me now, and that is to find Ignacia.

.......

Both Nyle and Kyle kissed my cheek before entering their cars. The bodies have already been placed inside the Ambulance, which will soon be taken for funeral services. Sara and Michael gave a brief handshake to each of us and were about to get in when I stepped forward.

"Sara, one minute, please."

She looked at me questioningly but was taken aback when I hugged her all of a sudden.

"Please take care of them."

She nodded, wondering why a complete stranger was talking about her own grandchildren like that. I straightened up and asked Sid to hand over a pen. A paper was obtained from the cab driver, and I scribbled my name and new number on it.

"Keep this with you. Don't hesitate to contact me for help, financially or otherwise. Nyle and Kyle are like my own brothers."

She looked at me gratefully. Now it was her turn to hug me, which I happily reciprocated. After they left, I sensed four pairs of eyes staring at me with different emotions. The most intense one was Ryan's. Two cars were waiting outside for us. Unlike our previous journey, we had an extra person to accommodate.

"I and Atty will come by the second car."

Helena called out, already dragging me.

"No, it's not safe. You have to take one man with you."

Adrian said it seriously.

"I am a witch."

"But right now, you are just a normal girl who has come here for a vacation."

Adrian stared blankly.

"But..."

Helena was cut off by Ryan.

"You three will go in this car while I and Atarah take the other."

There was no one to object to his orders, so they were finalized. I looked at Helena with pleading eyes before they drove off.

"Shall we?"

I now looked at Ryan, who was holding out the door for me to get in. I walked past him to the other side of the car and opened the freaking door myself. I don't need anyone's help. He took the seat next to mine and closed the door behind him. I fixed my gaze on the passing scenery, though I could sense timely glances from him.

"I am sorry, Atarah. I shouldn't have said that."

"Yes, you shouldn't have."

I said it sternly. I am not going to fall for him again. But that was proven wrong when he suddenly pulled me towards him. I was held in a trance by his captivating jet-black eyes.

"You know, I didn't mean that. It just came out all wrong. I cannot see you like this, and I don't want to. Please. You can give me any punishment you want."

That was a mistake on his part, as I instantly punched him in the face. He looked at me with the utmost disbelief, but I remained just like that. He pursed his lips in a thin line, constraining himself from snapping my neck. Still, I was unmoved. To my astonishment, he chuckled and pulled me even closer.

"This is why I love you."

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