The beginning of the end

"He left?"

"Yes, Young Miss."

Ava held her breath before slowly releasing them. She covered herself with a blanket. Underneath, she instructed Anna to leave. "Thank you, Anna. Please leave me alone,"

Anna hesitated as she had just seen the miserable state the Young Miss was in. Her messy hair seemed to highlight the paleness of her skin. Anna wanted to console her, but she also knew it wasn't the right time to interrupt, hence, she did what she was told.

Ava pulled down her blanket a little and watched Anna disappeared behind the closed door. That was when a golden color of sunrise torched her room. It was bright as if trying to heal the heartache she was feeling. A rueful smile rose on her face. She got up slowly and leaned against the headboard.

'Don't cry,' she whispered. Not to anyone else but herself. She hugged her knees. A contrast to the joy of a new day, Ava let her tears wash the dark half-circles under her eyes due to last night's insomnia.

"It's good that you two are together," she talked again as a pair of birds perched on the framed of the window. Slowly, she got off from the bed and walked in the direction where the spread of colorful landscape greeted her.

'You are always beautiful!' she praised the view as she bent her upper body to look at the part of the garden that was hidden from her sight. 'Sadly, today, your beauty seemed to diminish,' her sad voice echoed.

'Clang'

The sound of metal clashing startled her. She looked down and saw the rabbit pendant of the necklace she was wearing got stuck between the window sill. "No!" she cried and rushed to free the rabbit from its misery. She observed for any damage before sighing in relief after confirming that there was no damage to it.

Then it reminded her that Zen was no longer a guest of the residence. He was no longer there to play with her, nor would he be there to argue with her over nonsensical things. His silly comments and smiles would nowhere to be heard and seen. And most importantly, she had lost someone that understands her the most.

'It's sad. I don't want him to leave!' Ava screamed. A way to comfort the suffocating sensation on her chest. She hated how she felt at the moment. 'This would be the last time I cry over this matter,' she promised. Then, she started to shout all sorts of nicknames she had given to Zen over the year. The moment she did that, someone rushed inside her room while calling her name.

"My dear, grandpa is here!"

"Grandpa?" Ava saw her grandfather approaching at a rapid speed. He pulled her into an embrace. One that was so tight, she almost couldn't breathe.

Willow Sr. was in a state of panic. When Anna reported Ava's situation to him, he immediately left work and rushed home. He knew that she would be affected by Zen's departure to his country. However, he thought she could handle it. Oh, how wrong was he!

"Little princess, Zen left because of family issues. We cannot keep him here," he explained after a thorough observation to confirm that she was in a sober state. "One day you'll see him again," he added.

"I know," Ava replied. Seeing the crease on her grandpa's face, she understood how worried he was about her situation.

"You need to live for his sake too. Eat well, dress well, sleep well and most importantly, enjoy life and believe that one day you'll see him again," Willow Sr. wasn't finished. He was really worried and thought that his granddaughter needed the bits of advice to be motivated again.

"Grandpa, have I made you worry?" Ava asked with a slight smile on her face.

"Yes. But, I understand why you're sad," he answered while looking at her. There was a concern in his eyes, one that warmth Ava's weeping heart.

"I'm sorry, but, you don't have to worry anymore. I've screamed all the sadness away," Ava giggled as she spread her arms and swung them like she was flying. She could see the emerging relief in her grandfather's eyes.

"It's only that, I have nobody to fight with anymore," she said, almost like complaining.

"Hmm, grandpa can solve your problem. Here!" Willow Sr. took out his phone and passed it to Ava. The little girl seemed excited but soon her face turned sour, "Grandpa, I cannot use the phone except for study purposes. That's the rule you set up." Ava pushed the phone away. Inside, she was giggling.

Willow Sr. was scratching his head. He regretted establishing such a rule. That rule served as prevention to avoid the misuse of a mobile phone. Something, that seemed to plaque the young generation in today's society. Now, the rule was no longer fit the situation Ava was in.

"Unless grandpa decided to lift the ban," Ava suggested with a nonchalant face. Willow Sr. chuckled as he finally registered the true meaning of her words.

"Hmm, that's a good idea. From now on, the rule is lifted and this grandpa will gift you one," he agreed with interest. "Really?!" Ava was surprised since she wasn't expecting him to agree so fast. "I'll pass it to Anna this afternoon. She'll teach you how to operate the device," Willow Sr. reassured.

Ava's excitement escalated. It wasn't that she really wanted a phone, but now that Zen had left, a mobile phone was one of the most convenient things she could use to reach him. She hugged her grandfather and thanked him many times.

"But, remember, no phone in the study room except for study purposes," Willow Sr. reminded and watched how Ava rocked her head up and down like a parrot. She looked happy, but her eyes were still showing the bits of sadness and loneliness.

"So, how does my little princess feel now?" Willow Sr. asked while walking towards the sofa, bringing Ava along. "I'm still sad," Ava admitted her real feeling. She played with the necklace hanging on her neck. "At least, he left something for me. Grandpa, isn't this cute? This is a token of my friendship with Zen," she showed the necklace to her grandpa who in returned praised how cute the pendant was.

"I hope his family problem will be solved soon," Ava spoke full of sincerity. "Grandpa hopes so too," Willow Sr. wished the same. Ava smiled, happy to know that they were both thinking the same.

"But grandpa, there are only two of us now." Ava pouted. She could see her future of playing alone when her grandpa left for work. That made her longing for Zen increased. He was the one who would always be there for her. Until it ended, today.

"Hmm, grandpa has a solution for that," Willow Sr. said. He looked at Ava who was now staring at him. "I have invited your uncle and his family to stay here with us. That way, you can make a new friend," he explained.

"Uncle?" Ava frowned. She wasn't feeling good about her grandpa's decision. Her hunch told her that this new event would bring them no good.

"Yes, your uncle Cain will stay here with his family. They'll move in tomorrow," Upon hearing her grandfather's explanation, Ava felt something was pricking her chest. She thought it was a premonition that something bad would happen soon.

"But, their house will be empty. And..." Ava stopped talking once the eyebrows of her grandpa rose. "You don't want them to live here?" Willow Sr. asked curiously. "You've met Ivy right? She is a sweet girl. I hope she can be your friend," he revealed another intention of his.

Ava swallowed the saliva inside her mouth. She wasn't sure how to respond when her grandpa complimented Ivy as 'a sweet girl'. But, she also knew why he wasn't suspicious of Ivy's real personality.

Ivy was a smart girl. Someone that good at getting people to pay attention to her. Honestly, if it wasn't because of her mind-reading ability, she wouldn't know Ivy's real personality. That girl was an excellent child actress.

"Little princess, what do you think?" Ava looked up to see the face of her grandfather. "How long will they stay?" she finally asked.

"Well, until the new project is finished. I'm helping your uncle to complete it," Willow Sr. didn't hide anything. He explained the main purpose of why his eldest son planned to stay in the residence.

"Grandpa, what is the name of the project?" Ava asked. An ominous feeling started to form in her mind. She recalled what she had found from reading Ivy's mind, and remembered that there was also a project mentioned there.

"We plan to expand our merchandise in our neighboring country. It's one of the biggest projects of the year," Willow Sr. gave some detail, one that enough to answer Ava's curiosity.

Ava started to feel restless. She touched the edge of her sleepwear, folded them in tiny parts again and again. When she let go, messy lines were seen on its surface. Perhaps, what her grandpa was telling her was a coincidence of what she already knew. Still, her instinct wasn't aligned with her thought. It was leading her to think of a coming disaster.

"Are they good people?" Ava didn't realize when she asked such a question. She had a lot on her mind that her lips were simply saying anything that came to her mind. Willow Sr. thought she was referring to their acceptance of her, therefore, he confirmed it with a hug.

"They are good people like your mother," he expressed the pride he had for his children. "You will love them too," he continued and released Ava from the hug.

The happiness in Willow Sr. words and actions somehow convinced Ava that her uncle and his family were indeed a group of good people. She temporarily caged all her suspicions away and decided to wait for the course to take its turn.

Soon, the truth would be out and true to Ava's earlier suspicions, the arrival of Cain and his family to the residence would bring upon the disaster she had foreseen. It also marked the beginning of the end for both of them.