Red Threads

Women in a Room

"See?" A satisfied smile was printed on Anggita's lips because he knew his guess did not miss.

"It could be that, today, he no longer has a job in his Papa's office. Or maybe, she's helping her Papa here." Mika still did not fully believe in what she saw. He still does not believe, if all this time Raga gave too many lies to him.

"Papa Raga Office is now moving to Mental Hospital? Not a furniture entrepreneur, huh?" I guess a little did not accept it because Mika still doubted something that was already in front of their eyes.

Mika did not answer. He only looked at the outside of the hospital with mixed feelings. What else will he see after this? Actually, how many lies has Raga given her?

"Wear this." Anggita handed over the jacket and mask to Mika and Raya. The weather is unstable now. Cloudy and cold that occurs in the morning, does not make this afternoon cooler. However, at least, the jacket and mask could help them to disguise themselves.

The suspicion of Raga was not completely resolved. The presence of the man in this place actually raises new questions in the heads of each of them. The man did not look at all about to cooperate with the hospital as Mika initially suspected. Seen from Raga who entered the building while carrying a bouquet. It is highly unlikely that Raga would give the flower to her Papa business partner.

“Let's go down, before we lose track,” Anggita said, after making sure two of her friends were wearing jackets and mascets properly.

They got out of the car at the same time. Armed with jackets and masks, they launched a research. Mika confirmed the location of her mask that was slightly tilted. Then, walk quickly to follow Raya and Anggita who had already set foot on the hospital floor. The sweat started to wet his forehead. Wearing a thick and black jacket on a hot day like this is not a good idea.

The three of them stopped their steps when they saw a turn and entered a room. From a short distance away, Mika could see if the flower in Raga's hand was a bouquet of white lily flowers. A flower that instantly brings Mika's memory to Kai. The day the boy gave the flower to her. And, the day when the guy said that he had to be careful on Raga.

The room Raga entered was located at the end of the corridor. Unlike hospitals in general, the corridor is filled with visitors. This place was much quieter, and seemed to be uninhabited. Every now and then, they heard shouts and roars from the direction of the patient's rooms. The thing that makes their hearts pounding with shock, as well as evoke a gripping atmosphere, even though the sun is shining very bright.

“We're there?” Raya pointed at the room that Raga had just entered.

“Do not! We just wait until he comes out,” said Anggita. Then, he took two of his friends to wait in the hospital garden. The scorching sun, making anyone lazy to be in the minimal garden of the trees. However, the lack of trees makes them free to observe Raga, even though it must be drenched in sweat.

“It seems, coming home from here I have to stretch deh,” said Raya. His back rubbed the sweat flowing from his forehead.

"Gue too. I want to soak milk,” chirped Anggita, although both of his friends know it is only a form of satire for Raya. Never mind a milk bath, the girl never even smeared powder.

Raga left the room nearly an hour later. Anggita, Mika, and Raya could finally breathe a sigh of relief. It was enough for them to roast themselves in the sun in a dark-colored jacket. Staying in that place even longer, they may blister like Spongebob when they want to get into a dance.

Raya stands near the flower array. Anggita standing near a dry bird bath. Meanwhile, Mika hides behind a small mango tree. Their views were equally fixed on one focal point, Raga. The man walked down the corridor towards the exit. Nothing changed from the look on the guy's face. Still flat and mysterious.

Aggita walked first to the room that had just been left by Raga, with great care. The direction of view was still fixed at the corner of the corridor, where Raga had just disappeared. His vigilance increased, just in case Raga would return at any time.

Mika and Raya followed behind. They are also no less tense. It seems, they are already like detectives who will investigate big cases.

An ear-splitting creak was heard as Anggita pushed open the door of a nursery that Raga had just left. The smell of oranges mixed with the scent of the distinctive white lily flowers ambushed their noses as soon as the door opened. A girl fell asleep on her back in bed. The girl's long hair was broken. No tangling. Looks like Raga just tidied it up. The girl did not look at them in the least. Only when Anggita mentioned one name did the girl turn her head. The movement is slow, to make Mika anxious and want to turn the skinny body forcibly.

There was no expression on the girl's face. The girl's eyes were empty, as if there was no soul in the body. Dark circles surround the girl's sunken eyelids. If coupled with a slightly black eye shadow polish, the eye must have resembled a panda eye. The girl's cheekbones were slightly protruding, making Mika sure she could imagine the shape of the girl's head bones in just one look.

Mika rounded her pair of eyes. Raya squealing. And, Angita did not react. Their focus was on the same object, and with the same shock.

Just a few seconds later, Mika regained her consciousness. He took a step closer. Then, take off the jacket and mask. Supposedly, the smell of orange and white lily is able to make the atmosphere calm, but not. Mika's body stiffens as the distance between her and the girl approaches.

“Alana? You're Alana, right?” There was no answer to Mika's question. The girl was still staring blankly at him. Unknowingly, that dead-looking gaze made Mika slightly goosebumps.

“Why are you here?” Mika arranged her voice to remain neutral. Something like a lump had already blocked his throat, presenting a sense of tightness and discomfort in his chest. The girl in front of him still did not make a sound. However, the girl's pair of eyes continued to cling to Mika. As if interested in Mika's presence in that place.

“You okay? Can I introduce myself?” The girl did not wince. Only his eyelids blinked occasionally.

“I Mika. Nagra's sister. You must remember Nagra, right?”

One sec. There was no reaction.

Two seconds. The girl remained silent.

Three seconds. The girl's eyelids blinked. This time, it took a little longer.

Four seconds. The girl's hand moved to touch her head.

Five seconds. There was a transparent layer on the pair of eyes of the girl.

Six seconds. The girl's lips opened slowly.

In the eleventh second, the girl's lips opened. "Ma...Gra..." The girl said softly and clearly. However, it managed to leave the three people around him flabbergasted.

At the sixteenth second. The girl started to sob. Very slow.

Mika. His gaze whirled, looking for anything that could ease the girl's cries. But he had not found anything yet, the girl was already roaring loudly. The girl's free hand grabbed her own long hair. Clawed his face, and banged the bed.

Mika confusion. Raya and Anggita run to hold the girl's hand. They did not anticipate that something like this would happen.

The girl thrashed, roared, and shouted, until Raya and Anggita felt overwhelmed. Mika tries to get closer. He put his face to the girl. Trying to stare at the iris of the girl's eyes deeply. People say that talking through the eyes is the only thing that can be done when the lips are unable to say.

Unfortunately, the girl did not want to stop thrashing. The uproar in the room made several nurses run into the room. Right behind those nurses, Raga appeared with a breath of breath. His face looked very worried.

Mika gasps, when her eyes meet Raga's dark iris. They exchanged glances for a few seconds, until Raga finally broke contact first. The guy approached Mika with a dead red face. Pulling rough Mika's arm to leave the room.

“Ngapain lo here? Do you want nyekalain Alana?” accuse Raga. His pair of eyes shone with anger that Mika had never seen in all this time.

“It is not so, Ga. I just want—”

“You what?” cut Raga. “Ngot enough Nagra to make him so. Now, you want to hurt him too? Ha?"

“I have no bad intentions with Alana, Ga!” mika toilet. “I just want to find out about him. About her circumstances.”

“Oh, I know. You want revenge on me, right? You took revenge on me through him. That's, right, lo's destination?” Raga laughed gruntingly.

“This is not what you think, Ga!” Mika shouted in frustration. Instantly, he wanted to bang his own head against the wall.

“Keep, why did you follow me here? WHY?” Raga snapping. Suddenly, his hand, which was hanging beside his body, floated up and landed a blow on the wall beside him.

Mika yells. Astounded. He was so hard to swallow. This time, Raga managed to make him really squeaky. How not—as long as they are near—this is the first time Raga has issued such a loud clash to her.

“Gue just wanted to know, why he could be here.” Mika's voice started to tremble. There was a transparent layer pooling in his eye pelup. Just one blink, the liquid would definitely spill.

Raga rubbed her face, while snorting violently. “Lo want to know, why is he here? IT'S BECAUSE OF THE NAGRA! THE NAGRA MADE HIM SO! Lo satisfied, now? Satisfied to make Alana's life a mess? Satisfied after knowing, if it turns out Alana's life is no better than lo?”

Mika shakes. The clear details finally decayed from the corner of his eye. Forming a trace of flow on his reddened cheeks. Stiffness filled his chest cavity. It was as if a giant hammer had just smashed his heart, in there. Tearing his lungs, making it difficult to breathe.

“Lo and Nagra are the same. Fuck together! Feel that your life is the saddest. Fortunately, that day he died. So, I don't have to look at her face anymore.”

Raga left, after saying that. Leaving Mika who fell on the floor. Crying the pain in his own heart. Lamenting all the facts he got today.

But in the midst of the pain, there was one thing that filled his head. Bouncing around in a corner of the memory room. It echoes with other sounds he cannot hear clearly.

Fortunately, that day he died.

Did Raga admit to killing Nagra?

Mika could not answer those questions. He no longer wants to prejudice, without proof. It's enough he thinks Kai killed Nagra. He did not want to repeat the same mistake. Even in front of his eyes, all of those possibilities already seemed real.

Raga attached her picture to the school wall magazine.

Raga persuades him to drop the charges on Kai.

Raga continues to urge him to immediately hand Kai over to the police.

The one that hid about Alana.

And, about all that guy's pretenses.

Until finally, he chose to remain at the point of worry. Vacillated by one certainty that has not found a common ground. Drowned with all the regrets that wrapped his heart, after knowing the state of Alana.