Luna

Luna. A small girl with straight brown hair and a pretty face for her age, I estimated she was around 8 to 9 years old.

At first, I thought this child was a thief in my house, but after taking a closer look at her clean, fair skin and face, I changed my mind. There was no way this child was a thief, especially since she was wearing a neat elementary school uniform and had the soft scent of children's perfume.

However, I was still curious. Why was Luna in my house?

"Alright, Luna, listen carefully. I am Andra Anggara, the only child of the Roy family, and we live in this house. Did you hear me? The only child," I explained, crouching down to her eye level. I was still waiting for her response.

"What did you say?" Luna whispered, glancing around.

I raised my eyebrows, "What did I say? Are you deaf or just dumb?"

"Oh, Mr. Andra?"

"First of all, please call me Andra, not Mr. Andra," I corrected her, "and I'm here to meet my family, my real family," I quickly corrected myself again.

Her lips curled up slightly in confusion as she studied me carefully, "You mean your mom and dad?"

I rolled my eyes. Of course, she knew about that. Everyone knew about my family.

"Yes," I replied shortly, feeling bored.

"But I've never seen you around this house, or even in this neighborhood," she said confidently, seemingly no longer afraid of me.

What Luna said was true. I was never seen anywhere. Because I was always inside the house. I never went out unless it was necessary.

Some people said I couldn't socialize. But that wasn't really my nature. I wasn't an introvert either. I liked hanging out with my school friends and the neighborhood kids.

Then I made a mistake back then. I didn't come home until dusk. My mom was furious, she said she would call the police to look for me. Not to mention my dad, who lectured me in a loud voice. He said I was their only child and wouldn't let me fall into bad influences. I remember I was still in 9th grade at that time. Even though I already knew what was good and what was bad.

Because of that, I never went anywhere except inside the house. That also made me increasingly uncomfortable with my own parents, who were too controlling and always stressed me out with their demands.

"Why are you silent, Andra?" Luna asked, hands on her hips.

"Because you're right, I'm never around here," I replied.

"But how can you be here?" I asked again.

"I'm here every day, inside this house."

"Who are you?" I asked again.

"I'm Luna."

I took a deep breath, starting to get annoyed with her.

"I mean, who are you? Whose child are you?"

"I'm Luna, my mom's child."

"Oh God, give me patience," I muttered.

Luna chuckled briefly, seeing how annoyed I was. It seemed she was very happy and satisfied treating me like this. Or maybe she did it on purpose. Yes, I think she did it on purpose.

"Is something funny?!"

"Yes, you're so funny when you're angry," Luna replied with a small laugh.

"Oh Andra, how are you, dear?" Suddenly, my mom appeared from behind the main door of the house. And I didn't notice her at all because I was busy with the annoying Luna.

She looked beautiful and elegant, as if she was about to attend a big event. Her makeup was like that of a celebrity model.

"Uh... Yes, Mom, I'm fine," I answered nervously.

My mom hugged me tightly for the first time in my life. And slowly, I hugged her back, as I wasn't used to it.

"I'm glad you're healthy and doing well, Andra," she said softly, stroking my hair with affection, very different from before. It felt strange to me.

"Oh, by the way, Mom needs you to take Luna to school, okay? I'm afraid she'll be late, poor thing. You have a motorcycle, right?"

"Mom? Whose child is this? And why do I have to take her to school?" I protested.

"I'll explain later, I'm in a hurry."

Then a shiny black luxury sedan arrived in front of the house gate.

"Luna? Luna, go to school with Andra, okay? Just for today, it's fine, right?"

Before my mom got into her luxury car, she kissed my forehead and Luna's. Just like real siblings.

"Wow, the car is nice," Luna said, watching the luxury car drive away.

"There must have been a lot of changes here while I was gone," I grumbled.

"Andra? So, are we going to school or staying here?"

I sighed in annoyance. My heart said, why should I take this kid to school? I don't even know who she really is?

Especially when Luna asked to ride in the front.

"You should be in the back," I said irritably.

"I like sitting in the front, is it okay?" Luna said with her cute expression.

"Damn, this kid is so fake cute," I grumbled again, annoyed.

While I was riding the motorcycle, Luna kept talking non-stop. She talked about her school activities and the things she dreamed of doing someday. I even got a bit bored and frustrated listening to her.

After arriving at the school, I helped Luna get off the motorcycle.

"Get off, we're here."

"I can't get off, Kak, the motorcycle is too high."

I almost forgot that she was very short, her height only reaching my hips. While I was riding a sports motorcycle. Of course, Luna had trouble getting off.

Finally, I had no choice but to help her down by carrying her.

After that, Luna put on her backpack and started walking toward the school gate.

"Andra, can you take me to my classroom?" Luna held out her small hand to me.

I hadn't even responded, but without thinking, Luna grabbed my hand. Although it felt a bit awkward holding her small hand.

In less than a minute, we arrived at the girls' classroom where Luna studied. The classroom was already full of students wandering around.

"Can I go now?" I asked irritably.

I felt self-conscious because many eyes were watching us.

Luna nodded and gently released her grip on my hand.

"Have a nice day, Luna," I said, trying to hide the frustration growing in my heart.

"Thank you, Andra!" she called out enthusiastically. While I just snorted in annoyance.

***

Luna's presence changed some situations in this house. Starting with my mom, who was acting friendly, unlike usual. But I also wondered, was this all because of Luna or the mysterious person driving the luxury car this morning?

"You must be curious about who that child is?" My mom asked.

"Luna?" I answered indifferently.

"Poor child, since she was a baby, she hasn't had a father figure by her side. All this time, Luna has only lived with her mother, Riana. That's why Riana has been leaving Luna here recently because Riana is busy with her catering business. Until Luna feels comfortable in this house," my mom explained.

From here, I began to understand. The meaning behind Luna's smile when I took her to school. Maybe it was the first time she felt happy and comfortable. I felt a bit regretful because my response to her was not very friendly.

"Did they divorce or did her father... Sorry, pass away?" I asked.

"Riana never told anyone about her husband. I don't know why."

So, Luna was a victim of a broken home. Poor child, having to be cared for by someone else temporarily because her mother was busy making a living for her only child.

"Luna has been curious about you from the start. When I told her all about you, she was also curious why you hadn't come home for a month."

"Yes, Mom, sorry. Lately, my college schedule has been hectic, and assignments have been piling up."

"Oh, I thought you had some problems or something. It's okay, as long as you're fine."

Honestly, I was still surprised by my mom's drastic 180-degree change in attitude. From being indifferent and stubborn, she had become a friendly person. But I ignored all that, as long as everything was better while I was away.

In the middle of our conversation, my mom's phone rang. She said the call was from someone who had picked her up this morning. She stepped away from me for a moment to answer the call.

Then I looked at my watch, which showed 11 a.m. That meant I had to pick up Vigo from his school. I almost forgot.

But for some reason, I suddenly remembered Luna at the same time.

"Mom? What time does Luna get out of school?" I asked my mom, who was still busy on the phone.

My mom whispered back, "At 11."

I hurried off, not forgetting to say goodbye and kiss the back of my mom's hand.

"Be careful, Andra!" My mom shouted from afar.

At first, I was confused about who to pick up first. Vigo or Luna? Finally, I chose Luna.

"Andra!"

Luna shouted enthusiastically and happily, running toward me as I arrived in front of her school gate. Then Luna hugged me tightly.

"Thank you, Andra," she said.

"I just picked you up from school, I didn't give you anything," I replied.

Luna ignored me, she kept hugging me tightly. And again, I wasn't used to this. To me, this was something very strange.

"Are you hungry? Do you want me to buy you some snacks?" I asked while stroking her soft hair.

She nodded, smiling brightly, and looked at me with hope.

I knew it. Kids love snacks. I smiled softly at her.

For some reason, at this moment, I found her very adorable. Until I couldn't remember the last time I saw Luna looking so innocent and annoying.