After a brief cross examination by the police and a medical check up with the doctor at the hospital to ensure she suffers no injury, she was quickly entrusted to the next kin, her oji and oba. Her oji is her mother's older brother.
She have only met her oji once, when they first came here. He seems rather brooding and stern to her mother. Who keeps on bowing and apologizing to the tall figure in front of her. Her father stood stoic beside her, but he didn't say anything. She has a feeling that he was angry with mother but she does not know why.
Her oji take one look at her, face scrubbed clean, clad in a t-shirt two sizes too big for her, which her oji has brought from home. He said nothing, take her hand and lead her to his car. He was quiet along the ride, sometimes take a quick glance at her. She just stare at the window, watching the morning days pass by.
Then he asked her something in Japanese.
She remain silent. Blinking slowly. Eyes still on the view outside.
He tried again.
No answer.
'You speak English?' finally her oji asked in halting English.
She turned to look at her oji but still said nothing.
Her oji sigh and mutters something. Not that she cares. She is in a dark world now. Nothing matters. Except the pain.
***
After weeks of going to the police station, the hospital, the mayor's office, the media station, psychologists, she was finally allowed to be left alone.
The murder of her parents has been concluded as first degree murder by a group of hired assassins. Not that the government cares about who killed her parents. They know who did it.
They are more worried about the bad publicity the country received as her father is a reporter from England. And the people of the country are demanding justice.
The government quickly caught the hired assassins said and after a long three months trial, the were convicted to a lifetime imprisonment. She did not sat all through the trials. Just the important ones, like the first and the last. Just to win the hearts of the juries.
With her inability to talk or react to anything after the murder, the psychologists concluded that she suffers a trauma that might be long-lasting and she will have to go through a long series of session.
Personally, her oji and oba were relief. They does not seem to know how to communicate with her. Their children, all three who can speak English did not manage to make her talk as well. They finally leave her alone.
At least she does not cause any problem. She follows what they asked of her diligently. Eat when they ask her to eat, bath and sleep when its time.
She does not suffer from any illness or mental breakdown, other than her silence. So they left her alone.
She was home-schooled with the advice from psychologists, even that only starts after six months.
'To give her time to heal', they said.
She listens and do her homework but never utters anything. Her tutors were baffled but since she is a nice girl, and does her exercise, they did not say anything ill about her.
And then, something happens.
