CHAPTER 16 : YOU’VE PROMISE, LEV

"Did you see how big is that tiger last night?" asked Vianka. Her word opens the talk after they leave the tree which save them from Khisima since morning, and walks into the forest without saying anything."I just saw tiger as big as that."

"His name is Khisima."

"Khisima? Don't tell me you can communicate with animals now. "

Lev chuckled, "Khisima is not just any tiger. He's invisible…"

"Invisible? Are you kidding me?"

"I'm afraid not."

"How do you know then?"

"Our guide leader, Samsudin, tells me about him. Khisima is the most trusted guardian of King Siliwangi. You know about his legend, do you?"

"He's the one of the respected figure in West Java."

"According to Samsudin's story, Khisima has a part on it."

"If I'm not mistaken the royal symbol of his kingdom was tiger."

"And do you know Khisima love victimizing? Many air plane and people who climb this mountain are lost, which eaten by Khisima he said. The amount probably about six crafts, including the Sukhoi, from the internet."

"If I'm not experienced it, I'm not going to believe such story…" Vianka commented.

"Yes, and I'd experienced the monster's attack myself. How shit, all things that he said are correct. How can I deny it?"

"Did he tell you how to kill it if we've got to deal with him?"

"No! Perhaps it's because he doesn't know."

"Too bad…" hisses Vianka in regret.

"Tiger, magical or not, has same habits. I will use it to fight him if I must too…"said Lev.

She's not answering because she was busy to look around, "Where do we want to go, anyway?"

"Go to the east."

"East?"

"To the first peak of this mountain," said Lev.

She doesn't look so sure because she know that Lev had never climbed a mountain, "And how can you sure that is the right direction?"

"I've checked compass before we leaves. I also look at the sunrise this morning to make sure we're heading the right way to the east."

"It's okay if you're sure. I probably just get stresses caused these trees, they all look the same."

"If we escape from here I promise to take you to someplace that has no tree," said Lev.

"Where is it?"

"Mall."

Vianka laughed and ruffled Lev's hair from behind, "Screw you…you always know what I want."

"And I'll take you to the best restaurant to eat…you have to gain your weight a lot…we'll eat sirloin steak from the best Australian cow's meat and French fries covered with mayonnaise and sour sauce."

"Mmm, yummy…but first thing is the appetizer…fruit salad with much pineapple."

"And for the last but not least, banana split for the dish. We ate it together, as usual"

"Considering what I've been through…I can eat it alone, thank you."

Lev laughed, "Okay, banana split for each one us then…"

"After that…we're going to shopping."

"Shopping? Why wasting all the money?"

"That's it. Don't boast me…like you have much money."

"No problem, as long as you took me to massage and spa," Lev replies. "My whole body was totally falls out with this…long walk and…." he stops talking because he almost said that Vianka also contribute to what he feels right now, by carrying her all the way of course.

"And what?" asked Vianka.

"No! Forget it..."

"You must be wanted to say…and especially with you carrying me, right?"

"I'm not saying that."

"Your lips may not but your tone is."

"I don't mean it, Vi..."

"You're so mean, do you know that?" Vianka roared. "I don't want to be like this!"

Lev realized his mistake, "I know. I'm sorry ..."

Instead of being calm, Vianka's emotion increased. Her volume rises," If you don't like it just put me down…NOW!!!"

"Oh, yeah right…and how you supposed to go home?"

"I still can shove the way down."

"Just take it easy, will ya…I'm just joking."

Vianka grumble for almost an hour. He let his sister with it because he already learn from the expert, his father, how to deal with a noisy woman like his mother, and one of them is how to reduces the 'song' of a woman when they're angry, put it in the right ear and let it out.

Actually, is not just this time she acted like that. The girl seems to love to nag him. Therefore he never puts all of that raving to his heart because he knew it would make him dizzy because he knew the girl didn't mean it. The girl just wanted to lose her frustrations…when it all gone she will be back to normal.

But there was a time when Vianka was angry and he will never forget that day…that madness…but it was for his good because Vianka's anger kept him alive till now....maybe it was something that made him hard to forget the moral duty of her… and just maybe it was something that drive him to go to the crash site to rescued her…

***

Lev-Yasin Anggodo for Listvyanka certainly not a figure without a flaw….

Although he was one of the man that she adored, after Lord Jesus and his father of course, who else would be her patron throughout her life which has been proven in every chance, especially after what he did in the river.

Lev is a brave guy, protective, and the protector of her. But when they entered the college, the rebellion of his soul starts to shown and sparkles some outrage that Vianka never seen before. He's doing the things that originally regarded as vanity, tasting something that was considered folly on their youth. He did it all on the pretext that it should be felt to bring ideas to write.

Lev's hobby on writing began to hone since he became a college journalist. His article such 5 Ways of Economic Dean to Corrupt, Exclusivism Behind Campus Pluralism, and Colleger as a Hands of New Political Movement became horrendous headline on her campus and also attracted big hits like Kompas or Seputar Indonesia.

In order to get that kind of theme, totality becoming a key point for Lev. Totality in this case is not only a matter of time and energy to devotes focus but also art, an art for Lev is to understand and imagining some perspectives from others. To get this art then Lev tasting all kind of thing being provided by his campus like a cheapo shop window, start from cigarettes, alcohol, vandalism, beating, and drugs. Well, maybe not all of it…because sex was excludes, which he know as something that make Vianka still have respect on him, probably because he didn't want to mock her. Lev knew something like that would hurt her opposite sex's twins.

Sometimes Lev can't distinguish between the courage to accept a challenge or showing off the impertinence from what he did. One thing for sure, it was big stupidity that often makes him get into troubles…trouble that made by his own, for example hauled by the police after he was caught on a brawl against other student or falling from motor bike due too drunk.

And one of his stupidities was on the top when he became too addicted one night. Some crazy thing just pops to his mind and makes him swallow the pill, which he use to consumed, three times much more from the ordinary days. Maybe it's cause by the fatigue, exhaustion of whack due to staying up for six days induced by the side effects of methamphetamine which he use at drugs party at Rudy's house.

Obviously he wanted to get rest…to relax…taking a break…and when he lay down on bed he wanted to drift into seventh heaven, waiting until his eyes were closed completely. Unfortunately, it's not that easy. Ten minutes passed and his eyes still wide awake just like a fire that doused by gasoline. Restlessly on his bed, Lev tried so hard to have the drowsiness. He switched the sleeping position; tilt on left, tilt on right, recumbent but that left him on alert position. Suddenly he felt his stomach twisting. Nausea and just a minute later some fluid suddenly slid up from stomach to his throat. Lev knew that he would throw up soon because he often felt something like that after downed two bottles of Jack Daniels at a time.

He rushed to get out of bed and ran to the bathroom outside. He opens the toilet's lid and throwing up all the stuff in his neck. The liquid was not a content of stomach because he didn't eat anything for the past six days. His appetite was lost, destroyed by meth, but that's something that makes things great because it can make his body full of energy without food as a fuel.

The liquid is red…thick…and it taste shit…

The next thing, the whole body of him twitched and foam was poking out from his mouth. A basket of fire was gripping his stomach and the odd circle inside his stomach slowly moves to his head. He staggered and fell forward. His face hit the outskirts of latrines, might causing big bumps on his forehead but he didn't feel it because the greater pain confines the whole body. The liquid foam was getting out heavy, his vision blurred, and his body shakes faster.

Among the blurred sight, Lev saw a pair of legs ran over to the bathroom and screamed in terror, "Oh, God ... Lev!"

Those leg's gone for a while then return. Lifted him roughly to sit down and filled him with a glass of warm milk, the only fluid that can reduce toxicity. The white liquid is stinks. Bitter and tastes like mud. Lev wanted to vomit but powerful hand was forced over his mouth so the milk is going through his throat.

Only God knows how much of that liquid strokes his body and the next thing he knew he was dragged into the ambulance and brought like hell to hospital, where he had to end his night's adventure with a variety of hose are stabs on his arm.

"If you tired to live please find another way to die…something more elegance than this…shoot yourself with a pistol like Kurt Cobain does…" that sentence fill his situation after he passed the sober. "Being overdose brought your family to a deep shit. You're an asshole, you know that?"

"What the hell?" Lev replied while holding his throbbing head."I'm just back from unconscious and you chirped like a parrot."

"Damn you! Do you realized that you make everybody panic? We think you're dead!"

"If you really think so, why the hell you're taking care of me? Just leave me dead."

"What a cocky! You think we don't know that you use drugs?" Vianka opened her bag and took a small package which Lev knew contain equipment, meth, and some part of the drug that still remains. "Do you think we're blind? If you really want to die…here…take it all now."

"Bitch!" Lev said with red-faced, especially when the girl throws the package to his face. His pain increasing with all the tube that swarmed all over him.

Seeing it, Vianka laugh at him louder, "Just tell me now that everything you did make you some tough guy. I'll laugh to dead to see you like this. Tough guy are not defeated by tubes or end up in hospital. Tough guy should receive pullitzer from his article. Tough guy stands on the stage and watched by hundreds people. But you? You're pathetic."

Vianka's tirade didn't stop but continues to the next days. Actually, he hope to stop his twin's babble but alas...only Vianka who stays with him since he entered the treatment room…and only that girl who always saw the pains when the drug's effect torched him every night, made him almost passed away at one night, so the doctor was forced to injected a lower level drugs just to make him calm.

That night, when he was on the brink between consciousness and unconscious due to drugs, Vianka looked at his face with some expression that difficult to describe...

"You see now? All things you've did that make us anxious…and still, you don't want to admit it…you such an ass, Lev…"the girl beat his chest. But it seems not enough because she also strangle his neck, "If you really want to end your life…I'll help…"

Her hand grasping very tight, ready to crush his esophagus, but suddenly her body was trembles and she cries out loud. Vianka couldn't hold her emotion so she collapsed next to Lev and hugged him. The girl never does that since puberty.

Once they realized something wrong on each of them...that they are different...that on Lev's neck grows a large bump which also grows a pair on her chest, the girl move away and seek for her kind. Since then they have rarely embraced, kissed, even Vianka deliberately avoid the bath tub event and bath duck's ritual that he like when they were kids. The existing familiarity vanished just like a scalded fire. However women mature faster.

But at that time Vianka wasn't just hugged him but she also cries in a frustrated, her shoulder shaken up and down so hard to release all fears she's hides.

"Fuck you, Lev…"Vianka cries, her voice hoarse with emotion."If you think what you did was no harm to others, you're totally wrong. You've messed up everyone, especially daddy, mommy, and….me. You're such a selfish ego maniac who only wanted to pleased yourself."

"Do you think I'm not afraid seeing you dying on the toilet? I thought you'll pass away… leaving me alone…" says Vianka."The hell you Lev…you say you won't leave me. You promised me we will be together in live and death at grandpas' place."

Lev had not expecting Vianka still remember that promise, he think she had forgot it as she discovers a new world of hers, the woman's world. But he was bound to that promise. Still remains in his memory when their little finger were hook after saying that promise and makes Vianka's somber face smiles.

She still remembers...

It's him who forgets…

Caused by anger on how his twins began to stay away, make him feel like a disgusting disease bacteria, until he makes that absurd conclusion that he doesn't need to keep his promise! It appears to be a stupid decision! It appears that Vianka still keep the promise, folded neatly inside her memory's room, which probably begin to worn out due to his stupid act, questioning the veracity of the childhood promise if Lev dies not by fate but his shortsightedness. Is it fair for her to live…in a matter of togetherness as live and death…with a person who destroys himself?

"You've promise, Lev! You promise me."

He felt stabbed…humiliated…guilty…stupid. He's the one who changed....not Vianka ....

Tears begin to flow on the corner of his eyes. He raised his little finger towards Vianka and answered her with a trembling voice, "Forgive me…"