Chapter 77: Westward, A Promise
Both went near where most of the cultural center’s records were placed, beside the bulletin board where a map was drawn portraying the altered geography. Marek picked up a white, frayed folder from the table occupied with records.
Amara’s name appeared on a handwritten request list near the registration desk. This time, she was not listed merely as someone searching for somebody.
AMARA VALE — MET PRIVATE GEMINI GROUP. DEPARTED SEPARATELY.
"Separately, huh?" Marek read the line twice, but he could not help but feel strange about it. There was something missing he could not currently pinpoint with his limited knowledge of things.
"Amara is the name of your mom, right?" Nadia asked, her curious eyes sparkling with interest.
Marek did not answer, but she took it as a yes. She then clapped the sides of her jacket twice. Then, she dusted off her shoulders.
"You could’ve done it a little bit farther," Rhovan complained, staring at Nadia from head to toe. "You’re soiling the place with your crudeness."
Nadia just rolled her eyes at him and leaned closer to what Marek was reading over and over again. "Hmm... that could mean your mom found Mara."
"But then she parted ways with her... why?"
"Perhaps because she knew Mara was safe?" Nadia replied.
Marek did not reply, but he came to the registrar lady with hastened steps. Rhovan and Nadia immediately followed.
"Is there anything I could help with?" the lady asked.
"I want to ask if you’ve encountered a lady in her mid-forties. Her name’s Amara and her hair’s faint gold. She has steel blue eyes," he quickly said. "Have you encountered her? She must be wearing some breathable walking shoes and a gray, knitted jacket. It was her favorite jacket, and she always wears that because my dad gave that to her as a birthday gift before he disappeared..."
Realizing what he said, he stopped midway and lowered his head. For a moment, he spaced out, as though silence swallowed the world around him. The lady began talking, but it felt like his ears were not ready yet to receive anything, as though his mind had slammed a door between himself and the rest of the world.
He lifted his head and saw how the lady’s lips moved, but none of her words seemed to reach him.
Then, all at once, the silence broke, and the world rushed back into his ears.
"She refused," was what he heard from the registrar. "She said she still had someone to find."
"Refused what?"
"I just said it," the lady said, staring at Marek in disbelief. "I mean, I offered her a cot for her to rest, because she looked really drained. But she refused. The folds on her eyes were already a little darker."
Marek pulled his notebook out of his backpack and asked, "Did she speak to a blonde girl traveling with that Gemini group?"
"Yeah, I think I noticed that," the lady said. "That’s because they were talking for quite a while back then."
Marek went silent as the grip on his notebook tightened. "Did... did she leave anything for Marek Vale?"
’It’s okay if she didn’t... but it’d definitely be better if she did...’
"Several people left notes here finding their families... wait, let me check..." The lady pulled the table’s only drawer and took out a transparent plastic container. Its solid surface appeared dull and cloudy, but he could still see the papers inside.
Marek’s eyes were glued to the papers, some folded, some open—he just hoped that there was at least one from his mother.
The lady scoured through the papers, thumbing through the stack, just waiting for the name of "Amara Vale" to pop up. Then, she suddenly stopped. "Oh! There it is!"
Then, she narrowed her eyes and looked at him. "What do you need this for?"
Marek looked at Rhovan.
Rhovan got the cue and said, "This man here is Harey Potah, but they call him Marek for some unknown reason. He’s a nephew of Amara Vale. Both he and that blonde-haired girl were raised by the same woman. He had been searching for both of them, but little to no avail. It also pains me to see the Op—"
"You heard what he said," he cut him off and pinched the side of his waist.
’Where did he even get that name’s reference?’
"I see," the lady replied, her face mirroring someone sympathetic to another tragic story. "So that explains the way they acted when they saw each other and had talked for a while back then. It seems like all three of you were separated. I’m so sorry for whatever suffering you’ve gone through. It must’ve been tough."
Hearing those words from a stranger somehow made a little crack in his steeled heart. For some reason, it made him feel better. ’They say strangers sometimes could offer more comfort than those you were close with, or even compared to those closest to you. I guess that had some weight to it.’
The lady handed the paper to Marek.
The moment he laid his eyes on it, he immediately recognized the handwriting.
Marek,
I finally found Mara. She is safe, so rest your worries.
I am not bringing her back because she chose to remain with the woman helping her. I know you will dislike this the moment you read it, but let Mara explain to you, if given the time, before you decide what to do about your sister’s decision.
I am going to find you. Soonest.
Please don’t tire yourself too much. It hurts me to think that right now, my child must be suffering. I just wish I could be beside you to hold and protect you.
Mom will find you. I promise.
If you see this letter, please relax your tense heart and be at ease. Again, both Mara and I are safe. Now that you know this, please take care of yourself. We’ll see you soon once time allows us to cross paths again.
—Mom
"..."
"B-But you’re already tired yourself, and you’re... you’re still trying to find me... please rest also, Mom..." he muttered, his voice sounding a bit strained as his grip crumpled the corner of the paper he was reading. He stopped breathing and bit his lip.
Nobody tried to fill the silence. Even the lady went silent, witnessing Marek’s reaction. For several seconds, Marek did not breathe.
"Breathe," Rhovan suddenly said, tapping one of Marek’s shoulders. Then, golden light uncoiled from him in thin, serpentine strands, circling Marek’s shoulders and chest.
The knot in Marek’s throat finally broke as he forced a gasping breath that whistled past his teeth.
’Warm...’—was his first reaction the moment he became aware of his surroundings again. He looked at Rhovan and found that he was offering him a genuine smile, as though he was saying he was still there for him.
Nadia also gave him a thumbs-up. She did not say anything, but she just flashed a smile so wide that her eyes closed.
Then, Marek looked at the letter again. ’But Mom doesn’t have anyone to help her... I think she’s on her own...’
The warmth of Rhovan’s golden light still lingered around as he carefully tried to flatten the corner of the letter he had previously crumpled. He then placed it inside his notebook, next to Mara’s note.
"Do you know where she went after leaving this place?" Marek asked the registrar lady.
The lady glanced at him. If her eyes could talk, they would probably say, Everything will be okay.
However, she just answered him with a smile. "West, I think. She asked about other shelters and registration points before she left."
"Of course, she did," Marek muttered.
His mother had already found his little sister and confirmed that she was doing fine. ’It’s just that, instead of giving herself some time to rest, she had simply moved on to the next person she wanted to find.’
’Me.’
Marek shook his head in defiance. ’You should’ve rested first, Mom... Don’t worry. I will surely find you... and Mara. I want to eat noodles again with both of you.’
Marek, along with Rhovan and Nadia, was silent as they returned near the entrance. The others were already finished looking around the streets and rejoined them. Marek briefly explained what they had discovered within the center.
Rafe immediately unfolded the route map in his hand. "If your mom is checking public facilities as well, we might eventually cross the same places. We could start leaving some traces behind for her."
When Marek was about to agree, the Scorpius Astrant who had been asking about Mara crossed his mind. "So could someone else."
Rhovan stood with arms crossed, anchoring himself in place. Then, he nodded. "Same rule twice. A route that can help your mother find you can also help someone you don’t want following you. A cautious mind brings about a prison in one’s own making. However, that doesn’t apply here."
’So what’s the point of saying the last thing you said?’ Marek was speechless. One time, Rhovan sounded reasonable; the next moment, he would sound stupid. But he basically spelled out what Marek meant with his reply. That was already obvious enough, but for slow people like Dario... ’Yeah, apparently, it was necessary to do so.’
Afterward, he ripped off a blank page from his notebook. Then, he wrote something on it. Everyone watched him write as if it were an exciting reveal of something.
Mom,
I saw your letter. Mara’s too. I’m going to move west. If you pass by here again, leave the nickname Mara gave to her first boyfriend and indicate the date they ’broke up’.
Nadia leaned over his shoulder. "That’s strangely specific."
’Oh, another slow person. Now, there are two.’
"That’s the point," Marek replied.
"Who’s her boyfriend? Wasn’t your sister very young?"
Marek almost wanted to pinch her cheek and throw her on a chimney top, but he still answered, "If I tell you, that ruins the whole point."
Nadia stared at him while Rhovan grinned behind her. Marek went inside the cultural center and gave his letter to the registrar lady to keep and pass it to Amara when she’d return.
The moment Marek turned his back to the lady, the latter read the first part of the note.
"Mom... so she’s your mom. You could’ve just told me the truth..."