"Hikari?" Evelyn called out to her daughter who was returning with Leyon. She'd come to Claire's house to fetch Hikari for lunch, not knowing that the two kids had gone to play outside. She stood waiting for them in the front yard of the cottage while engaging in conversation with Claire.

Seeing her mother in the distance, Hikari ran up to her and hugged her. Hikari pulled back and grinned at Evelyn, showing her big white set of teeth.

"I assume you had a wonderful time with Leyon?" said Evelyn, smiling back.

"Hikari, you should come here to play with Leyon every day. I'm sure he wouldn't mind," Claire lovingly declared, to which Hikari furiously nodded her head in response. Leyon just stood there, looking uninterested.

"We should go now. Come Hikari." Evelyn led her daughter by the hand.

"Wait just a moment." Claire stopped them. "Kids. You can hang around here for a bit. Granny needs to have a little talk with Evelyn," she said and dragged Evelyn away.

"What is it, Mama Claire?" Evelyn asked curiously.

"I've been meaning to give you this," said Claire, pulling out a small white envelope from her frock's pocket. "Here. It's not much but take it."

"Is this money?" Evelyn looked at Claire, shocked. "I can't accept this. Why are you giving me this much money? Mama Claire, I can't accept this."

"It's okay, my child. It's for Hikari. This will be of some help in her treatment. I know your family's condition and how your husband is. I know how much you're struggling. I just want to be of some help."

"But I can't. This-"

"I'm doing this for Hikari. Take her to the hospital and get her treated. You must make her speak again. She can't stay like this forever."

"But if I take this much money, how will you-"

"You don't need to worry about this old lady, Evelyn. I have plenty of money if that's what you're worried about, enough to raise my grandson. I sold off some lands, you see, after my son and his wife's death. So, my grandson and I can manage well by ourselves now. Besides, Hikari is like my granddaughter. I want to help her."

Evelyn sighed, knowing there was nothing she could do to convince Claire. She, very reluctantly, accepted it. "Thank you," Evelyn muttered with a strained smile.

.

.

.

"What were you talking about with Hikari's mother, Granny?" Leyon asked Claire later that night as he helped her wash the dishes.

"Why do you want to know about that, honey?" Claire replied calmly. She knew her grandson wasn't the type of kid to poke his nose in other people's business, but when he suddenly asked the question so out of the blue, it made her quite curious.

After a long silence, Leyon spoke again. "Is it something concerning Hikari? I saw you giving something to her mother. Were you giving money?"

"So that's what you were curious about. Now I understand why you're asking me all these questions. It's because of Hikari, isn't it?" Claire laughed.

"Is something wrong with Hikari?" asked Leyon, bringing the plates into the sink one by one.

"It's a long story, honey. But I'll tell you... You see, Hikari wasn't born mute. She hurt her neck when she was four years old. That's why she can't speak."

At those words, something clicked in the back of Leyon's mind. The reason why Hikari suddenly cried earlier that day was that she missed her voice too much. She wanted to speak normally like everybody else, but she couldn't, even if she tried to. "So how, how'd she get hurt?" Leyon continued to ask.

"It's because of her father... Her father, well, he... used to be a good man. He is a fisherman now, but a few years ago, he was also a businessman. When he suffered a major loss in the business, his career went downhill. As a result, became depressed and addicted to gambling. He changed. He started drinking, became violent, and abused his wife and daughter every day. I don't think he sees Hikari as his daughter anymore." Claire inhaled sharply. "Hikari is mute because he had once almost beaten her to death. When she was taken to the hospital, the doctor said her vocal cords had been damaged and if treatments weren't done soon, she might never be able to speak again."

"I didn't know she suffered like that." Leyon furrowed his eyebrows, hands balling into fists.

"That's why I gave some money to Evelyn. It was for Hikari's treatment," Claire concluded, scrubbing the dishes clean in the process.

"Hikari... she doesn't deserve to be treated like that by her father."

"I know, honey." Claire sympathised. "It's all due to gambling. You know what they say. Gambling is like a disease. One person gets addicted, but the whole family suffers."

"How can she live with a father like that?" Leyon said in a low voice.

"Hikari loves her father very much," Claire replied. "She usually accompanies him on his fishing trips because she wants to spend more time with him. She misses the father who once dotted on her and treated her like a... daughter."

"Stupid. It's not even worth it," Leyon spat in disgust.

"I can get what you're saying honey, but you should know that we cannot understand what a person is going through unless we put ourselves in their shoes. We should try to understand their feelings even though it's hard sometimes. Everyone has their reasons for behaving the way they do," Claire reasoned with her grandson.

Those words made Leyon ponder the whole situation one more time. Perhaps his grandmother was right. Perhaps he should try to understand others before judging them based on their stories.

"Why are you so quiet now?" Claire asked her grandson after not getting any response from him.

"Nothing. I was just thinking."

"Are you feeling bad for Hikari now?"

"No. I just feel that she's..."

"That she's what?" Claire urged him to go on.

"She's... pitiful."

Claire could not say anything back, besides giving him an apologetic look.

.

.

.

"Where is it?" Evelyn thundered. "I know you took it. Tell me what you did with the money." She barged into the living room like a madwoman to confront her husband who was sitting peacefully on the couch, sipping tea.

"I have no idea what you're talking about," her husband replied, pretending to look surprised.

"The money that mama Claire gave me yesterday, where did you put it?... Or did you gamble it all?" Evelyn cried.

"It's eight in the morning and you're shouting like a crazy person. I can't take this shit." Evelyn's husband forcefully slammed his hands on the table where he placed his tea, spilling its contents on the floor. "Can you shut that disgusting mouth of yours, you hoe?"

"What did you call me?" Evelyn fought back.

"You heard me."

"That was our daughter's treatment money. Our daughter's. Have you got no shame? How can you gamble it all away?"

"What I do with the money I found is none of your business!"

"The money you found? Don't you mean the money you stole? You pathetic liar. Did you forget you were the one who caused this? You caused her to be like this! You made our daughter mute."

"Do I look like I care? At least she's not dead."

"How can you say that?" Evelyn faltered. "... And with such a straight face. Are you even human? Does Hikari not mean anything to you?" Evelyn screamed at his face.

"Are you being delusional now?"

"Answer me!"

"This unbearable woman. I should just beat you to death, then you'll learn not to scream like that to me." Evelyn's husband got up from the couch and lunged at her, grabbed her by the neck, and pushed her down on the floor. Evelyn hit her head on the edge of the table from the impact. Drops of blood trickled from her head to the floor. Satisfied at what he had done, Evelyn's husband went out of the house with a triumphant laugh, proud that he had shown her who the boss was in that house.

Evelyn sat in a daze, eyes wide open, unbelieving what had just happened. For the first time in her life, she felt scared of her husband. He was insane. He might as well be capable of murdering people. One of these days, he might kill her or her daughter. She couldn't be more thankful that Hikari had gone to school that day.

It was partly a blessing that Hikari's school started very early in the morning, so it gave Hikari less interaction time with her broken family. She didn't have to witness the suffering Evelyn went through every day or the inhumane treatment of her father. Evelyn wished Hikari would never witness those horrible events.

"... I'm tired," Evelyn muttered to herself. "I'm tired of living this way." She leaned on the couch, still sitting on the floor. Hugging her knees tightly, she began to weep. "Hikari... I'm sorry but mama can't take this anymore," she said in between sobs.

.

.

.

"Hikari? Is that you?" Claire called out excitedly and immediately stopped watering the plants in her garden. Hikari came running to her and jumped to hug her. "Look at you. So beautiful in your school uniform. Is today your first day at school after summer vacation?" she asked.

Hikari nodded furiously.

"I see. You know, my grandson will be joining you next year. I'm going to enrol him at your school. Both of you will be in the same class. Won't that be exciting?"

Hikari beamed with joy at those words. She just couldn't wait for that time to come.

"Look at you. You're looking so fantastic, my Hikari." Claire pinched Hikari's cheeks, smiling lovingly at her. "Leyon? Leyon? Come outside, dear," Claire called out. A few seconds later, Leyon came out of the house, sporting a bored, indifferent look as always.

"What is it, granny?" Leyon asked, not even caring to know what made his grandmother so hyped.

"Look who's here. It's Hikari in her school uniform! Isn't she cute?"

"It's just a school uniform." Leyon sulked.

"Don't say that. You're making Hikari feel sad."

Leyon immediately directed his attention to Hikari, as if to check if she got offended by his remark, but all he received from her was a vigorous shake of her head. Unknowingly, he breathed a sigh of relief.

"Look at you two. I wish I could take a picture," Claire said to herself. "Oh wait. I have a camera. Stay there. I'll go get it." With that said, Claire rushed into the house to retrieve her camera.

...

"Okay... now get a little closer, you two. A bit closer. Yes... yes... a bit more. Smile. Come on Leyon, stop brooding. Smile like Hikari. I'm going to take it now... one, two, three..."

*CLICK*

"See. That wasn't so bad. Leyon doesn't know how to pose, look at his blank expression." Claire laughed, looking into her camera. "Should we take one more? The three of us? Oh no." Claire frowned. "The battery's dead. I forgot to charge it. My bad. Maybe next time. We'll take it next time." Claire laughed sheepishly.

...

That night had been the longest for Hikari. She'd spent the entire day at grandma Claire's house with Leyon. It was five-thirty in the evening when she walked home. She was sure her mother wouldn't mind as long as she told her she was with grandma Claire.

Hikari found the rooms dark and unlit when she finally reached home. Her mother was nowhere to be seen. The feeling in her gut told her something was horribly wrong. Alarmed, Hikari ran, turned on all the lights in her house, and began to search for her mother. Running into the living room, and spotting the broken glasses and spilt liquid on the floor, Hikari immediately knew something terrible had happened between her father and mother. She searched everywhere in the house but couldn't find her mother anywhere. A sense of foreboding consumed her as she imagined the worst. All she hoped to God at that moment was to see her mother alive.

"Look who's here," a voice interrupted her train of thought. "Looking for your mother?"

Hikari gulped in fear. Her father was drunk again. Staring intently at her with his menacing eyes, he approached her. Hikari unconsciously stepped back, her little feet weakly trudging backwards until her back touched the wall behind her. An ominous feeling grew in the pit of her stomach.

"Your bitch of a mother is gone. She'll never come back. Because she ran away with a guy. She's left you. And she's left me and this is all your fault," Hikari's father shouted at her, giving her the most hateful look she had ever seen. "If only you had been a normal kid, your mother wouldn't have left. She left because she was tired of you. Who wants a mute child like you?"

Tears pricked her eyes, but she did not let them fall. Hikari never would have anticipated this at all; the words spoken by her father ripped her heart apart and tore her soul to shreds. Whatever that was upsetting him, he believed she was the cause of it. He was crazy, mad even.

"She's never coming back here. I will not let her," he continued. "If she does, I'll make sure to kill you both when that day comes," he threatened.

Years of alcohol abuse and gambling addiction reduced him to this unbearably pathetic and miserable state. Hikari didn't know what to think. Everything was like a dream, a nightmare to be precise, and she desperately wanted to wake up from it. Her delusional mind processed the idea that if she woke up, everything would be back to normal. Her mother would be there in the kitchen cooking something delicious for her, and her father would have gone fishing in the sea, leaving them alone. And lastly, she never would have heard the terrible news concerning her mother.

"What are you thinking so deeply about?" her father interrupted. "This ugly daughter of the bitch, I should teach you a lesson. That way, maybe in the future, you won't turn out to be like your mother." He cracked his knuckles, a sinister smile spreading across his lips as he closed in on her.

Knowing what her father was going to do, Hikari ran to her room and tightly shut the door behind her. She could hear his angry outbursts coming from the other side of the door. With shaking hands, she desperately held onto the doorknob, trying to drown out his voice. It was only when she heard her father's voice becoming fainter and fainter that she knew he had gone. Exhaling a long breath she didn't know she had been holding, she slowly slid down onto the cold floor and finally allowed her silent tears to fall.

.

.

.

Around midnight, Claire noticed someone knocking on her door. It was Evelyn. Claire quickly invited her in and sat her down in the living room.

"You can't be serious, Evelyn. Why are you doing this?" Claire exclaimed in horror. "What about Hikari? Are you leaving her to run away with that... that man?" Claire continued.

"I'm sorry. I really can't do this anymore. I can't live like this," Evelyn cried.

"But how can you do this to your daughter? Did you even consider her feelings?"

"I'm sorry. I know I'm being selfish. I love Hikari very much-"

"Then why are you doing this? I'm not angry that you found yourself a new man. I'm not mad at you because I know how much you have suffered living with that mad husband of yours, but what I'm mad about is that you're leaving your daughter behind."

"No!" Evelyn denied, violently shaking her head. Harshly wiping away her tears, she continued, "I'm not leaving her behind. I'll come back for her, but not now. My husband will kill me if I returned. He would kill my daughter too. I can't go back. As much as I want my daughter to go with me, I can't."

"Then you should have taken her with you before your husband found out."

"It's my fault. It's all my fault. I was so emotional I didn't know what I was thinking. When I went to get Hikari, it was already too late. And I didn't want to provoke my husband. He would murder my daughter." Evelyn broke down and sobbed.

"How long has it been going on with that man- no that's not important. What's important is Hikari," Claire said.

Evelyn immediately looked up and crawled to Claire's side. "Please. I have a request. Take care of my Hikari. That's all I can say. You can blame me for being a bad mother, a whore, anything. Just please, please look after my daughter until I come back," Evelyn begged, gripping Claire's hands tightly.

"Evelyn, are you drunk? What do you expect an old woman like me to do?"

"Please... please... please."

Behind the corner of the stairs in the house, Leyon silently watched them. The more he kept listening to their conversation, the more he felt sorry for Hikari. He clenched his fists helplessly.

"You're leaving now." After a few minutes of silence, Leyon heard his grandmother say to Evelyn.

"I have to go now. He's waiting for me," Evelyn said, and rushed out the door.

Leyon heard his grandmother running out the door to stop Evelyn. "Evelyn, wait! You can't leave like this." He heard his grandmother shouting.

"Granny," Leyon called out, running outside. He found his grandmother there, crouched on the ground, her hand clutching her chest as she struggled to breathe in the darkness. Evelyn was nowhere in sight. "Granny, are you okay?" he asked, extremely concerned. He could feel that she was in deep pain.

"I'm okay, honey. I'll be fine. Just some old disease acting up. That Evelyn has extremely fast legs. Granny wasn't able to catch up to her," Claire replied, taking in deep breaths to calm herself down and then giving Leyon a fake smile.

Leyon could easily see through the fake facade but chose not to say anything.

"I'm fine now," Claire kept repeating over and over again, staring deep into the blackness of the night that stretched ahead.