I woke up feeling like my skin was burning. My eyes hurt as the rays of light bursting through my windows flashed and pointed at my face.
I sat up in bed, rubbing my sore eyes. They felt a bit puffy. Did I cry last night? I wondered. Maybe I was too scared of Arifi, and without noticing, I cried.
I got up from bed and glanced at the clock on my wall.
It was almost nine in the morning.
Thank God it's Sunday and I can wake up later than usual. I don't remember when I fell asleep last night. As far as I remember, I covered myself with a blanket.
I stood up and walked to the door, opening it slowly, still scared that Arifi might be nearby.
I peeked out; the hallway was silent. There were no sounds coming from Arifi's room either.
I walked out of my room anxiously, taking light steps so nobody could hear me.
I had to pass in front of Arifi's room to go downstairs. I wasn't sure if they were still in there or if they were all sleeping soundly. I walked slowly until I reached his door.
My heart skipped a beat when I saw his door wide open. I peeked inside and was relieved to see them all sleeping soundly. The music was off, but the room was messy, with bottles scattered all around the floor.
I quickly ran down the stairs, looking for my family. Usually, by this time, they were already up and starting their morning chores. Mum would be busy with housekeeping, Dad would be watching television, and Intan would be lounging on the sofa, scrolling on her phone.
But it was extremely quiet this morning. There was no one downstairs. I tried to find them in the kitchen or outside, but I couldn't.
My stomach started growling. I was really hungry. I remembered I hadn't eaten since last night.
I went into the kitchen to find something to eat, but there was nothing edible.
"Should I make something like I did before?" I wondered.
But Mr. Razak's voice rang in my head, reminding me not to misuse the brush.
I shook my head, reminding myself to obey Mr. Razak. He gave me the magical brush, and I would follow whatever he said.
I walked out of the kitchen and headed to the front door, planning to go to the nearest food stall.
As I reached the door, I heard something behind it. The sound grew nearer, and the door knob started to twist.
Mum's face appeared behind the door. She looked at me with sleepy, exhausted eyes.
"Intan, go to your room and rest. I'll bring you something to eat later," Mum instructed Intan, who followed her into the house.
Intan looked pale and unwell, her steps weak as she walked upstairs to her room.
I stood still, curious. Where had they been?
Dad got out of the car with an exhausted face. He looked at me while entering the door, brushing my hair with his right palm.
"I'm going to bed now, honey. Wake me up once breakfast is ready," Dad said to Mum, who just nodded, looking tired.
I remembered what Arifi had mentioned last night. He said they went to the hospital. I guessed Intan was sick, which was why they went to the hospital.
"Dad, what happened?" I asked. He stopped and glanced at me but then continued up the stairs, ignoring me.
Mum didn't say anything as she watched him. She then lay down on the couch, trying to nap.
My stomach growled again. I remembered I hadn't eaten since yesterday, and I was starving.
"Mom, I'm hungry," I said. She opened her eyes slightly and looked at me.
"I'm tired. Go find something to eat in the kitchen, or buy something from a nearby stall," she instructed before closing her eyes again.
The kitchen is big, but it's only for decoration.
Aidan went upstairs to clean up and get ready to find his own food. Although he knew he could create food with his magic brush, he didn't want to misuse it. He cleaned up, got dressed, and took out his money canister. There were some red and blue notes along with coins inside. He picked up a red note and walked out of the room.
The house was very quiet, even though it was big. It was more comfortable when it was a small house. Aidan walked out, searching for food to fill his hungry stomach.
Some neighbors saw him from afar. There were fewer people standing in front of their homes today, probably tired of admiring the house. Aidan didn't mind; he kept walking in search of sustenance.
“Did you hear? Last night, she was at the hospital,” one neighbor said.
“Really? Leah? How do you know?” another asked.
“I visited a friend at the hospital last night. Strangely enough, she was there too.”
“Was it really Leah? She’s not married, is she? What was she doing at the hospital?”
“I don’t know. I asked her if she had just come out of surgery. I think she’s pregnant and maybe went to terminate the pregnancy. I always thought she would end up like this, hanging out with many guys. These kids are becoming more and more reckless.”
Aidan heard the conversation but wasn’t sure if it was true. He wanted to make sure Intan was okay, but he wasn’t certain because she had been at the hospital all night.
He ignored the conversation and continued to a stall by the main road, which sold banana leaf nasi lemak. Aidan hadn’t eaten rice in a long time. Just as he was about to leave, someone confronted him.
“Hi, Aidan. Want to buy some nasi lemak for me?”
Laila, wearing a pink dress, grinned at him. Aidan just nodded.
“Can you buy me one? Hehe.”
Aidan frowned but nodded, feeling weak. It was hard to deal with this kid.
“Auntie, I want two packs of nasi lemak.”
The stall owner smiled and packed two portions, handing them to Aidan.
“Thank you, Aidan. You’re so kind. Come eat with me.”
Aidan nodded silently. He followed Laila to a diner that only opened at night.
“Wow, I got a lot of anchovies today,” Laila said, smiling. Aidan ignored her and silently began eating his nasi lemak.
“Aidan, you know, you’re the luckiest guy in the world. Your family is rich…”
Aidan remained silent.
“But, you know, I heard my parents say your family got rich after winning the lottery. What number was it?”
Aidan choked on his food.
“It’s not true, Laila. We are blessed by God, not by the lottery.”
“Oh, really? Then how did your family get rich?”
Aidan felt uncomfortable with the topic. He just wanted to eat.
“It’s from God, Laila.”
Laila nodded and went back to eating. They finished their meal in silence, and then Aidan asked to go home after finishing Aunt Peah’s nasi lemak.
---