A lamp gave light in a dark and dusty room but its light did not reach a corner where Felix was ​​standing. In that corner, he was holding a gold necklace tightly.He saw the necklace at that corner of the room.
Earlier, he and Renata returned to their home in Rajanseth. As expected, it was dilapidated and dusty, but there were parts of the house that remained as solid as the room where Felix was.
He did not expect that he would see the necklace in their room. Velo always wears it because Felix gave it to her to express how much he loves his beloved.
He kissed the necklace and tried not to cry. He brought it close to his chest while holding it tightly. He took a deep breath and turned around to get out of the room.
Broken appliances and a door leaning against the wall were the first tocame in his sight. He picked up the lamp and left the dark room. He saw his neighbors’ houses. It was also dilapidated. Rajanseth can be likened to ruins after the Madreign blasted the town just a few days ago.
He slowly got out and rode his horse. Expected, his daughter's horse was gone. For sure, Renata went to the pier immediately to buy potatoes. So, Felix went to the pier because this was the day of their departure to become spies in Madreign.
"Father!" Renata's voice entered Felix's ear. Renata approached her father and immediately hugged him as soon as Felix got off his horse.
"Oh." Felix chuckled. He looked after the horse first before turning his gaze to his child. He noticed that Renata was not carrying anything. "I thought you wanted to buy potatoes?"
Revi rubbed her nape. "Uh, yes, but my horse is hungry. I need to feed him first. Actually, Iʼm on my way to the store when I found you, Dad." Renata looked around. There weren't too many people at the pier. Probably because it was still too early.
"Is that so?" Felix nodded. He suddenly remembered the necklace and their family tradition so he looked around, making sure that no one could see them. "Renata . . ."
She just stared at her father, waiting for what he would say. Felix kneeled down to reach his child. He took Velo's necklace from his coat pocket. "I gave this to your mother . . . And she left it in our room," he said. He slowly took Renata’s hand and placed the necklace there. "Please, keep this, Renata . . ."
Revi just nodded and hid the necklace in her pocket. "Uh, can I go now? The potatoes miss me."
Felix smiled at what his daughter said. It nodded as a sign that he was letting her go.
Revi immediately ran away. She was very eager to eat even though she already ate breakfast early in the morning.
She ran freely around the pier. It was a beautiful day for Renata. This was the day where she could finally step outside the island. The melody of the sea and the birds who were flying around the pier cheered up her soul. She continued running with a smile on her face until her butterfly friend accompanied her. She smiled even more.
She stopped running when she reached a small potato store. There she saw the vendor and a young boy having a misunderstanding. The butterfly flew away.
"No! That can’t be! Everything has a payment! If you want my merchandise, you have to pay first!" the vendor shouted at the boy. She was holding the potato that was supposed to be given to the young boy but he didn’t have any money to pay her.
Revi approached the two and handed the money to the vendor. "I'll pay for his potato and I'll buy ten pieces just for myself. Kindly, give those to him," she said.
The vendor accepted the money given by Revi. She gave the potatoes to the boy. She saw him quickly run away after she gave the food, then she turned her attention to Revi. "Ija, I'm sorry for what happened earlier. If he only had money, then you won’t spend yours!" She put the potatoes in the box one by one. "Aren't you the one going out of the island? Aren't you afraid about what they can do to you and your father? You're still young."
Revi sighed at what the vendor said. Everytime she encounters someone, they will immediately recognize her. Then, Renata will receive such reactions from them which made her irritated. "What choice do we have? What else can we do? If we continue to fear them, then we won't achieve anything." She picked up the box and walked away.
As she walked near the shore, she saw the boy earlier in the store sitting at the side. Revi approached him and waved. She noticed that the boy had not yet eaten the potatoes yet. "Why don't you eat your potatoes?" she asked.
The boy just looked at her. He didn’t bother to utter a single word and held his food tightly. He lowered his gaze and took a deep breath. "These are not for me . . ."
"Then those are for whom?" She frowned at him. Instead of returning immediately, she talked to him. "Is that your gift for someone?"
The boy nodded and grinned. "These potatoes are for my siblings," he replied. Renata gave him a slack-jawed look.
The boy looked bitterly at the potatoes. His stomach was already growling. He wanted to eat the potatoes but he’s restraining himself.
"Thatʼs great and sweet," Revi commented. She gazed at the sky and there she remembered her mother. "I wonder how it feels to have a sibling because I donʼt have any, and I will never have even if I want to."
"I wonder how it feels to have a father." Revi was stunned by what the boy said. Revi just looked at him. "We grew up in the underground, then we got a chance to go here. Unfortunately, the day we went here, was the day when Madreign did another sin. We were with our mom that day, happily exploring the town above the underground , then something exploded. Mamu was heavily injured and is currently healing in the hospital . . . " He was gloomy, don’t have any energy. His heart seemed to be stabbed by countless needles over and over again as the looks of his brothers came back to his mind.
He sighed. " . . .  We have nothing to eat and all I can do is to ask for food. It was hard because people were ignoring me, then you came. I want to say thank you for what you did. Hoping that one day, I can return something for your kindness. " He gazed at Revi. His mouth turned upwards while Renata was just stunned after hearing what he said.
To be continued. . .