【 Warning! There will be angst ❤️ 】
____________________
Philipia felt like she was being moved to the center of the bed. Her arms, neck, and face were gently cleaned with a clean and warm cloth.
It took a lot of effort to open her eyes and see her surroundings.
“We can't just tell them...”
“What do you want me to do then? You've seen her condition, something must've happened to her!”
“Keep your voice down China. She is still resting, we'll see what we can do once she's awake.”
Philipia fluttered her eyes open, her eyelashes quivered like a fan. Nepal, who was holding a warm cloth, saw her open eyes and gently wiped her forehead.
He looked at her with the same expressionless face, but his eyes were gentle and soothing.
“Awake?” He whispered. The two men behind him still continued to discuss in a low voice.
Philipia swallowed hard and nodded.
“Shhh... take your time, just rest more my friend.”
Friend...
Is Nepal her friend of Filipia's?
Nepal saw her looking at him in a daze. He sighed, takes out a small vial and leaned it close to her nose. “Egypt made this with the materials in the garden we made. It can help you relax your muscles.”
Philipia wasn't completely awake yet and unconsciously obeyed his words. His voice was kind and gentle, very calm and soothing as though lulling you to sleep.
She inhaled from the small vial and a minty and cool smell wafted to her nose. Her eyelids began to get heavier and heavier. Not long after, she fell asleep once again. But this time, it was more peaceful and relaxing.
Nepal sighed in relief, he put away the vial and resumed wiping her body but stop just as he was about to wipe her neck. He saw the dense hickies around it, like blooming purple flowers on a clean field. It was dark and it looked painful.
It wasn't the type of hickey that was filled with passion. But it felt like the person who placed them were mad, hungry, and crazy. There were even bite marks that was bleeding a bit around her collarbone and shoulder. There were also a faded bruise on her cheek and chin, as though someone grabbed her forcefully and make her face that person against her will.
But as he was about to wipe downwards, he saw the ripped shirt and another batch of hickies around her chest, stomach, abdomen and even further down.
Nepal breaths out a shaky breath and stopped. He couldn't even imagine what she has gone through. While he was out there tending and caring a plant, the person whom he cared about was suffering by themselves. He felt like he failed as a friend.
“How is she?” Egypt asked with his eyebrows still furrowing.
“She woke up just now.” he said, “but I put her back to sleep once more, she needs to rest.”
Egypt nodded and glanced back towards China who was walking around the living room back and forth. His expression was solemn and agitated. His mind was in deep thought as he circled the whole house except the bedroom.
When they got here, they saw the house was a mess. Bullet holes were on the wall, a shotgun by the kitchen floor, an embedded knife on a hanged cutting board, untouched dinner, ripped fabrics all over the floor.
But what shocked them the most was when they entered the bedroom. The bed was messy, the blankets and pillows fallen, and a lonely person lay on the edge of the bed. Her body was weak, filled with unimaginable traces, dense hickies around her neck and chest, red puffy eyes, and trembling.
Nobody could imagine how devastated and angry China felt at that moment. But fortunately, there wasn't any evidence of penetration, as told by Egypt, since he studied medicine to be a herbalist and have some medical knowledge about such common things. So he was confident nothing happened, but that doesn't mean it didn't happen in another way...
For now, Nepal placed her on the bed and cleaned her up while China and Egypt discussed if they should tell the others, especially her brother and Uncle. But recalling that time when she called them, her tone was vehement that she did not have any sort of business with the two. Especially now that China thinks that the true Philipia is back.
If it was Filipia that he grew up with, he would have the confidence to call her two relatives. But if it was this Philipia, he wasn't sure. She was completely different from the former that he didn't know what he was supposed to do. Thus, he could only walk around the house in agitation as Egypt and Nepal took care of her.
“Why... why would he do this, what am I missing? What am I missing?! Think China, come on, think clearly!” he exclaimed and stop in his tracks, stopping in the kitchen, right besides the shotgun still on the floor.
He glance at it momentarily and then froze. He slowly looked back down again and saw a shattered and broken phone.
He picked it up and examined it. He tried turning it on but it did not work, he even went to find the charger by the living room but it didn't work.
Calming down, he finally thought of the person who called him. Earlier, he was sure it was Philipia, but thinking about it now, before that person even spoke, the breathing was calm and gentle—not like a person who just went through something unimaginable.
He quickly takes out his phone, searched for the number again and called it. There was the sound of a dialling tone before he heard an unrecognizable ringtone from the bedroom.
“Huh? Mongrel China, why are you calling Anuket's phone?”
China frowned, stood up and slowly walked towards the bedroom. He saw another phone by the bedside table, flashing a bright light, ringing.
Nepal takes the phone and turned it off. He gave a rare angry look as he shot a glare towards China, “Can you be quiet?”
“Why does she have two phones?” He asked, almost in a trance. Ignoring Nepal.
Egypt thought it was a stupid question, “Why can't she? I have five phones myself. One is for personal, one is for games, one is for videos, one is for my plants, and one is for business.”
“I'm not talking about that—wait, where was this phone? Has it been on this table all this time?”
Nepal shook his head, “It was right there.” he points towards the study table that has an open notebook with a pen.
China walked towards it and picked up the notebook. There were words written on it.
[January.... No. February? When was it? What year is this?]
China frowned as he read the passage of sentences before he turn to the next page.
[Ah I remember. It was at this time... It felt like it's been a hundred years already...]
[He's still alive here. I want to see him one more time before he...]
[I'm running out of time again. I have to go back. I want to go back...]
Every sentences written were filled with loneliness, exhaustion, and melancholy. It felt like a traveller who had been walking for a thousand years with no place to call home nor place to take a rest. It was as if this person was so tired it did not want to live anymore.
