Once Humiliated, Now Wanted

Tragic

ESMERALDA

It was a beautiful sight to see the trees and plants drenched in rain, appearing greener and brighter. The clouds in the sky overcast the sun, giving relief from the scorching heat on a rainy day. The weather seemed extremely pleasant. I just love rainy days.

It was another day to walk home slowly while admiring the rain. My phone kept ringing in my pocket but I ignored it, thinking it was my mom on the line. I knew she had nothing to say except that I shouldn’t get soaked by the rain.

My phone beeped for the third time and I ran under the bus stop nearby to pick up the call, Mom or not, I should give the person a piece of my mind for blowing off my phone with calls.

Bringing out my phone, I saw the caller ID was Mom. I scoffed and answered the call, expecting her voice to yell at me for ignoring her calls but I got nothing.

“Mom, you should know I’m busy trying to get back home, You should stop disturbing me with your calls for crying at loud,” I said all at once but the reply that came over the phone wasn’t by Mom’s voice.

"Is this Miss Esmeralda Colters?” the voice said over the phone, making my heart pick up another range of pace.

“Yes, that’s me. Why are you with my mom’s phone by the way?” I asked casually and silence fell on the other end for a second or two.

“Wait, did she get into some trouble?” I asked again, trying to sound as positive as ever.

“No ma’am, I’m very sorry to say this but your parents, Mr. and Mrs. Colters just got into an accident and died on the spot” the voice replied and I felt goosebumps all over my skin.

My skin crawled, my heart ached, my knees went weak at that last declaration but I couldn’t believe it, I wished it wasn’t true. My parents couldn’t be dead, no, that’s impossible.

I was trembling so much as I made my way towards the address sent to me by whoever called me. I kept hoping that the person made the wrong call but who am I kidding? “He freaking called me with my mom’s phone!” I reminded myself as tears made their free fell my face.

Finally getting to the scene, filled with shouts of sirens, and cries of pity from those already at the scene, my head spun with fear as I walked briskly to the covered bodies on the stretchers.

I stopped the nurses from moving them and I slowly uncovered their bodies with shaky hands. In front of me was the woman I loved with my life.

Yes, we fought a lot but I loved her even more than myself.

Beside her was the man I grew to respect, he had always been busy with work and spent not much time with me but he had always tried his best to make it up to me whenever he was free.

I could exchange my ribs if it would bring them back because right now was the worst moment and worst day of my life.

I gripped the sheets hard as I sobbed silently and desperately. The detectives around tried getting me off their bodies but it seemed impossible.

I couldn’t let go. They haven’t said a proper goodbye before leaving us.

My sobs turned to cries and then wails as the realization hit me that I was going to live without getting to see their faces ever again.

“Mom! Please don’t leave me. I promise I’ll be good, I can’t take care of myself and Dylan all alone” I cried hard wishing to turn back the hands of time. I wished I was in the darn vehicle with them.

The officers finally succeeded in pulling me back from my parent's limp bodies and I sat on the ground crying bitterly.

I just couldn’t believe this was happening to me, I never once imagined a life without them, but here I am, about to live that life.

Right there and right then I lost the will to live. The rainy day I had grown to love became my biggest trauma.

I accepted my fate as an orphan and finally went back home. The home that I once cherished became one that haunts me overnight. I went into the master’s bedroom, inhaling their scents one last time as another round of hot tears poured out of my eyes again.

I went to Mom’s bookshelf, trailing my fingers on each one of them.

“Esmeralda, my dear” her voice echoed in my ears and I cried even harder.

“Esme!” I heard Dylan’s voice from the door and I quickly cleaned my tears, trying to look fine. I had forgotten about him. How would I even tell him that Mom and Dad were dead?

I left the bedroom and went to the living room. I could see his welled-up face and I wondered what had happened this time.

He was a bully himself, so he couldn’t possibly get bullied.

“What happened?” I asked worriedly but he hugged me almost immediately.

“Grandma told me,” he replied silently, hugging me even tighter. “Told you what?” I asked brokenly.

“About Mom and Dad,” he said again and I sniffed, hugging him back to comfort him. I barely had any more tears to shed. Besides, I needed to stay strong for Dylan and Grandma.

I kept patting him until he let out all his tears. He was a hard nut on the outside but a softie on the inside.

Three years later~~

I and Dylan had lived with our grandma ever since the incident three years ago. It wasn’t easy trying to get over their death but I tried my best. My best wouldn’t be enough if I checked myself out in the mirror.

I was never a pretty little pumpkin as my mom always called me. I had always been chubby but the weight of their death on my mental state was pretty much, according to my doctor. I grew fatter and uglier within those three years.

I didn’t get a particular diagnosis but my doctor suspects the ‘Prader Willi Syndrome’. It was the closest answer to my symptoms but he wasn’t certain.

I could care less about what others thought about my looks but I couldn’t bear the look of disgust and irritation my mates shot at me in school. This made me change schools every six months until I finally passed the entrance exam into my dream school with a long-term scholarship.

LOCCI HIGH SCHOOL!

A school for the wealthy, where people like me don’t stand a chance. I had always wished to attend Locci High even though I wasn’t from a wealthy family.

A school that was bound to change my life for better or for worse!