142 Moonlight 1

His face change to red to normal again. He was gasping, perspiration came out drenching his orange prisoner outfit, he lifted his head slowly facing Tereza. He heard her saying, "I know you hate Han. But I want to know why do you hate him? It has been months, aren't you tired to conceal everything by yourself? Tell me, so you can move to a normal prison." Her words almost like an order, it rang on his ears, his eyes turned to dim. He almost like a puppet.

Inside his consciousness, he was trying to keep his mouth tight, resisting, but his body and mouth disagree with him, he muttered subconsciously, "I hate him because he stole everything from me." His head was getting lowered.

Tereza took a chair and sat in front of him. "Continue..." After she said that, Stevan told about his story, the first time he met Han and Laura, when did he start to hate Han and what triggered him doing all this despicable thing.

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At the end of summer, six years old, the day was hot, so he was hiding under the shade tree near his elementary school. It was summer break, there was no school but he was running away from home after having a fight with his mother. He was having a depressed time, trying to find somewhere quiet with no people, so he could cry freely. Unfortunately, he didn't expect a certain girl with bob hair, red cheeks, yellow clothes, and red skirt watching him from afar.

Little Laura who heard his crying came to his side while holding an ice cream on her hand. She tilted her head looked at the boy weirdly, she didn't say anything besides staring curiously. Stevan glanced at her odd, he didn't know what was wrong with this girl. Why didn't she said anything while he was crying?

After a while, she sat down beside him, offering her ice cream to him. Startled, he reacted. He looked down at her ice cream which had her saliva in it. Disgusting, that was what he thought. Why should he eat someone else ice cream?

They both stared at each other without saying anything, she didn't want to give up, she let her hand hang mid-air until he tried it. Eventually, he stopped his crying and focused on the girl and her ice cream. He was confused, but slowly, lowered his head and tasted her ice cream. 'She wanted to share this ice cream to me, right?' He asked inwardly.

Chomp! He finished it in one go. Munching, his cheeks became round like dumpling, he felt ice cold and refreshing feeling, the vanilla flavor was slightly strong, yet it wasn't too sweet. He realized he may perhaps like this flavor. He kept his attention to the taste and didn't notice a certain girl whose face changing to ugly sight.

Laura suddenly shouted angrily at him, "Hey! Why did you finish my ice cream?!!" She pushed him on the ground, he stumbled and fell. She looked down at him with her princess bossy mode.

Stevan was confused weirdly, he stated, "Didn't your intention to give me your ice cream?"

"Yeah! But it didn't mean you have to eat it whole!! Now, look what you did! I'm hungry again!!" She humped and brought her hands to her waist. Her eyebrows were creased down. She couldn't believe this boy just stole her food!

Stevan replied, "Why is it my fault?" Laura heard his indifferent words, and suddenly formed water in her eyes, she started to cry, sobbing, until her snort fell through her nose. Stevan began to panic, he shouted, "W-Wait, don't cry, don't cry!"

"Ice cream! Ice cream! Uwaaa!!" Stevan felt a headache. Why he was the one who consoled her not the other around? He was sad today as well, so why he needed to bother himself to this weird girl?

"S-Stop! Don't cry! I will buy a new ice cream! I will buy you a new one! So don't cry!!"

"Uwaaa!! Uwa- really?" Her sudden changed expression shocked him. The girl looked at him with her gleaming eyes, her cheeks were even redder than before, she smiled while showing her white pearly teeth. He nodded in reflex, his eyes were opened wide when he witnessed her cute face. He was blushing.

He back away a little and said, "I will. So, stop crying." He turned his head away from her, afraid that she would catch his embarrassed face. This was the first time he got so close to a girl.

She was giggling nonstop, she clapped her hands and said enthusiastically, "Great! Let's go buy it now!"

"..."

She pulled his right arm and ran toward the convenient store in front of the school. Stevan was stumbling, when he followed her. He looked at her back and how her hair fluttering from the wind, she turned his head to him, shimmering, blinding his sight. How could this girl be so bright? He blinked his eyes a few times, perhaps there was something wrong with his vision.

After they both bought new ice creams together, they went to the park, playing on the kids' playground. Laughing, jumping, and running together like an old friend. It almost like it wasn't the first time they met today.

Two hours later.

The sky almost turning dark, they both felt tired from chasing around, they took a break on the bench, slightly to catch a breath, Stevan suddenly asked her, "You're Laura from class 1-4, right?"

"Hm? You're asking me now? I'm surprised you know about me!" She said while chuckling, "I'm quite famous, huh."

"Not 'quite' but 'a lot'. My classmates always talk about you. You're a half too, right? Just like me." Stevan stated with a cheerful voice.

"Half?" Laura looked at Stevan's face closely, she observed his pointed nose, lips, and dark blue eyes. "Now that you mentioned it, your face is not like typical Japanese people too, huh. Well, aren't we fate to meet?" She said jokingly, but Stevan's heart slightly beating from her statement. She laughed and continued saying, "That's right I've foreign blood within me. But I'm not half, only quarter, I got inherited this face because of my grandmother. She's German. How about you?"

Stevan diverted his gaze from her and said flatly, "My mother is a foreigner, she is from Scotland."

Laura hummed to respond. She asked him another question, "Why did you cry this noon?"

Stevan didn't say anything, he wiped his sweaty face and sat still looking at the sky, Laura didn't ask him anymore and lean back beside him.

Suddenly she heard his depressed voice, he told her, "I got a fight with my mother again. She kept venting her anger to me. Sometimes it's because of my father or something else which I don't what it was about. She never smiled at me, and always showed her fake smile to my father. I've no clue why she acted like that. But, I'm tired to face this every day."

Laura was muddled from his words, she didn't understand what his circumstance was. Judging from his low tone and poker face, she knew that he must felt sorrowful. His merry expression awhile ago changed to gloomy. Laura grabbed his hand, holding it tightly, and said, "I'm here. So, please don't be sad anymore. You have me as your friend. You can tell me anything if you're feeling down again, alright?" Laura showed her bright smile, staring at his eyes, but suddenly, her focused was change to the purple bruises on the back of his neck.

She reached her hands to touch his neck. Stevan jolted from her sudden initiative. He blocked her hand and shook his head. "Don't." Laura ignored his warning and grabbed his collar. She saw ugly scars and bump injury. Stevan grunted from her touching. "Let go of me." He said.

Laura frowned and held his shoulders, she retorted, "If you want to cry because it's hurt, just cry! Here!" She opened her arms wide facing him, she continued, "Let me give you a hug! My mother told me to make other people happy is by hugging! I want you to be happy so let's hug!"

Stevan looked at the naive little girl. Although he was still six years old, he already how to differentiate between gender. Boy and girl, hugging each other? This girl was so daring. But because they were a child, so it should be fine, right?

He mumbled quietly, "Silly, I'm not going to cry again."

Stevan blinked his eyes and burst to laugh, she asked, "Why are you laughing?" Stevan shook his little head and hugged her back. Leaning his head on her shoulder, he felt warm from the little girl, he mumbled, "You're so plump."

She responded positively, "Really? That means I'm healthy! Mother told me if a girl eats a lot that means they are healthy!"

Stevan noticed this girl was quite unique. For girls, if boys called them fat, they would immediately furious and a fight would happen, yet her answered was slightly unexpected. He snickered, "What kind of theory is that?"

"I'm telling the truth!!" She humped from his mocking question. He giggled and patted her back. He whispered to her, "Thank you. I feel a little better."

"Your welcome, Stevan." She answered while curving her lips.

"Oh? How do you know my name?" Inquisitively asked. He didn't remember he told his name to her before. Not like her, he wasn't that famous person in school but, maybe he guessed wrong? Was he well-known as well with the girls?

She innocently stated, "Your shirt has your name tag attached on it."

"..."

...

After they were done consoling each other, Stevan walked her back to her house. He was pretty surprised, discovering that their house was closer to each other. He also noticed that her family was acquainted with his family. In fact, they both from a military family. No wonder he felt he saw her before in this neighborhood. He thought it was just a hallucination.

Feeling vigor, he came back to his house, what was waiting was his mother angry face. He took off his shoes quickly and dashed upstairs to his room. But his mother caught him easily, slapped him, hit him with her stick, then yelled at him, "Where did you go?! Do you know what time is this?!! If your father found out you've been out for a day, do you know what will happen to me?! Because of you! He hates me! Can you try your best to keep your grade high all the time?! You should not bring shame to this family!! Look! Look! What did I found in your room!!"

His mother threw his exam paper on his face rough, it fell to the ground, slight paper cut scraped his cheek. He looked down to his result which lowered than eighty percent.

He heard her mother continue preaching, "Better not make me humiliated by your embarrassing result! What kind of son are you?!" She slapped his cheek again, but Stevan kept his face lowered, biting his lower lips, he halted his furious feeling. He heard her high pitch voice, "Tonight, you will not have your dinner. Because of your grades and coming home late, you are grounded until this summer break over."

"Mother!!" He screamed at her. His mother lifted him up upstairs to his room, she threw him inside and locked the door room from outside. It was dark. Stevan stood up, dashed toward the door, he knocked on the door fastly, he called loudly, "Ahhh!! Mother! Mother! Open the door, please! Please! I promise I'll be a good son! Please! Mother! Mother! Mother...Mo...ther..."

He choked from his words, his eyes were moist, tears fell from his eyes again, raining until it covered the carpet of his room. Cold-trembling, he covered his face with his hands, he sobbed sadly.

A minute later he got up and walked to his bed, he didn't light up his room. He didn't want to see the light today. He sat on the bed, curling his knee, buried his head down, and continue where he left out. "Ughh...why...why..." He mumbled depressingly.

Above the cloudy dark sky, was dispersed slightly, a light was shining through the window. He noticed, lifting his head with his mess up face, gazing at the window which had an iron bar secured on it, yet it wasn't that sight he noticed. It was moonlight.

The full bright moon was reminding him of a certain girl. Laura. He felt his heart warmth when he thought about her. He couldn't wait to see her again when the school started.

...

A man with his green uniform came inside the house, he was greeted by his wife. He asked with his deep intimidating voice, "Where's Stevan?"

"He's studying in his room. Do you want me to prepare you dinner?" She replied sweetly to him.

He shook his head and said, "Don't bother. I still have another task to do. I just want to grab my important documents here and then back to headquarter." He strode his legs to his room without looking at her.

She followed him, "You are going again? How many times already you are being like this? Don't you ever care about me? Why do you always priorities work over me!" She shouted angrily to him.

He reached his hand to cover her mouth, "I don't have time for you. If you don't like how lonely you become, we can divorce, and you can find another man who can treat you 24 hours for your romantic nonsense. In the first place, you are the one who wanted this marriage, not me." He shut her mouth up.

Grabbing his documents from his study room, he walked back to the entrance door. Turning his head, looking at her irritatingly, he advised her, "Teach your son well. I don't want him to be dumb like you."

Bam!

He slammed the door hard. Stevan's mother shrieked at him when he left the house, in the living room, she broke every electronic device, glass, and table. She shouted, "He's your son as well!!! You are the one who is dumb! You are!! Ahhhh!! hah..." She was gasping ragingly, looking at her and his wedding photo inside the white frame, she smashed it to the tiles.

Crash!