C2 Two

I have a bad feeling about this, and all my unexplainable restlessness seems to make sense now.

My nanny instead of bringing me coffee brought me the dreadful news that I lost my father that very night.

It was heartbreaking...

I could not even breathe.

When we reached the hospital, his body was already at the morgue.

Some of our relatives were there already, I could not even see even slight grief on their faces.

Instead, they even looked happy.

I squeezed my bloodshot eyes, trying to wake myself up from this awful nightmare.

When I saw my dad, I felt that my small body went into a complete breakdown.

I tried to wake him up, I tried to shake his shoulders but my nanny kept pulling me, hushing me.

My tears are nonstop dripping like waterfalls.

I... I still can't believe that he is gone now.

We were just playing earlier, we were so happy and now he is lying in a cold place and I was not able to bid him my goodbye.

I was not able to tell him how much I love him, how precious he is to me, and how proud I am to be a daddy's girl.

"I-I love you so much, daddy..."

I kissed his cheeks and hugged him tightly for the last time.

My insides were screaming while my relatives were celebrating.

I, Lily Emerson at the age of six became an orphan in my own home.

...

One month later...

I spent my whole day, reading and just being locked inside my spacious room, the only place that I am at ease in this huge suffocating house that I used to call my home.

Lying on my bed, I busied and entertained myself being engulfed in every word inked on the old delicate pages of the book.

As I flipped the next pages, my amusement intensified as I was amazed by the new knowledge I got from this old book.

Our body, they say, is just a borrowed vessel from the deities and was never ours, to begin with, and I truly agree with that theory.

It also further elaborated that each of us has our version of the life hourglass, the flowing sands which represents the remaining time left we have in this world before we return it to them.

What makes it more interesting is that mythical creatures are existing which makes the world of life and death stable.

One of the most popular is the grim reapers, which are also known as the angel of death or simply death.

Few people also call them the "Grim of Death".

For thousands of years, various cultures have had different figures to represent death.

Some describe them usually as a creepy skeletal figure, who is often shrouded and covered in a dark, hooded robe and carrying a long scythe to “reap” human souls but others believed that they have similar body features to human beings and are extremely beautiful but deadly.

They exist to cut the soul's last ties to life and grants it a safe passage to the afterlife but some people are afraid of them, having misconceptions that they are evil spirits but actually they are neither evil nor good. They are just merely a force of nature and order.

Dying is a fundamental part of living and it is their job to claim the souls of the deceased to maintain the balance of nature.

My eyes fluttered in curiosity, “So are they also the ones who are responsible for killing the mortals who are due to die?”

“Lily, stop being lazy and help your cousin pick her dress! You did nothing all day but lock yourself in your room!” My aunt suddenly barged into my room. “Is this what your father had taught you? You should be grateful that we took you in and—”

“You did not take me in, I already lived in here my whole life,” I cut her off and rolled my eyes.

“What an ungrateful bitch for a young girl, are you?! You dare to talk back to your aunt who did nothing but take care of you! Such an impudent brat, did Marcus failed to teach you some manners!?” she exclaimed as she dragged me outside my room to the nearest hallway.

“Pretending to care to be able to get your hands on my dad’s assets that have been transferred on my name,” I spat coldly.

My aunt was speechless, can’t believe that a six-year-old girl will be able to understand what the lawyer has read on the last will of testament.

Well, she underestimated me. I have read tons of books in our library and I had an idea about it. She badly wanted to be my guardian to be able to control me for she thought I am nothing but a weak abandoned child.

“You’re peculiar! A normal child does not act like that. Y-you are merely six, for heaven’s sake. You don’t know what you are talking about,” she stuttered looking defensive.

“I do.. and yes you are correct, aunt. I am not like the other normal child on my age. I am well aware of my situation right now and I am aware of your hidden agenda,” I replied with a calm tone, “I know you cannot hurt me physically because it will invalidate your right to adopt me. However, just let me tell you that you will never be able to touch even a single penny of my dad’s money nor his assets over my dead body.”

I ran to my room reminding myself that I need to be strong. I can do this, I want to grow up fast so that no one can take advantage of me. They are all after my dad’s resources.

I can’t forget their faces celebrating after the burial ceremony, a month ago.

Then, they were fighting about who will get my custody.

My aunt, the greedy and most influential of them all, was able to get the temporary rights to have me under her care.

Her spoiled daughter, Patricia who is of the same age as me thinks that the people are meant to serve her was no good either.

It will take only a few months if there will be no problem to make her my official guardian.

I sighed deeply with all the mishaps happening in my life.

My fate was already unlucky as it is. Could it get any worse?