"What's going on?" Latini's voice is heard before they even got to the door and when she opened it, she was greeted with the sight of a wailing Sasha with tears and snot falling from her face.
She immediately threw a glare at his husband who looked shock and shrugged his shoulders. She harumphed and took the crying child from his arms before she marched inside their house.
Little Sasha was unconsoled and kept crying until she exhausted herself and drifted off to sleep. Carrying her to her room, Latini laid her down on her bed then covered her with a blanket before she went out with a stern look in her face. Her husband looked on with all his innocence as she sat down. On the other side of the table, Tala is quietly eating.
"You better speak now before I send you out to accompany Zari and Huan in the guest room."
She said as she scooped some food from the tray and served it on his plate. Eder felt like being served his last meal before his execution. He cleared his throat and explained.
"Sasha injured one of her playmates today. The little boy was treated for cuts on his head and few scratches were also left on his body."
"Serves him right. Sasha heard him talking maliciously about me and blew him off. What kind of parents allow him to listen to those kinds of words at that tender age." Tala spoke up for her little sister. Eder just glanced at her and continued.
"There have also been reports that she is extorting food from other kids whenever she goes to town. What can you say about that, Tala?" Eder asked as his eldest daughter is about to protest again.
"Impossible!" She argued. "Sasha will never do that!"
"So you're saying the people are lying? That many people? Huh, Tala? Tell me!" Eder bellowed, walking the youngest member of the house up.
Feeling her grumbling stomach, Sasha walked outside to grab some food and saw the eldest people at home still at the table. She saw the angry look on her father's face and remembered how he yelled at her today. Her eyes still red-rimmed from her previous crying now threatened to let out tears again.
Still, her tummy kept grumbling and, unable to fight her hunger, she slowly walked towards the table full of dishes. She stood beside where her father was seated and lowered down her head. Eder wanted to reprimand Tala more but seeing the little girl on his side, Latini signaled him with her eyes and, he stopped. He gazed tenderly at little Sasha before he asked.
"Would you like to eat now princess?" Sasha nodded. He lifted her off the floor and sat her on one of his legs. Despite her plumpness, he endured her weight and fed her patiently. Once she felt satisfied, she stopped eating and looked at her father.
"Forgive me, Baba?" She asked with her angelic voice, her tears forming in her eyes. Eder smiled and wiped them before they even escaped her eyes.
"Is little Sasha mad at Baba for what happened today?" She sniffled and nodded her head but still hugged her Baba.
"I'm sorry. I won't do it again Baba. Forgive me." She repeated and lowered her face on her father's neck.
Eder felt the rivulets of tears that flowed on his back and he felt guilty. He raised her other hand and patted his child's back to console her. When she stopped shaking in tears, he pulled her from her embrace and looked at her eyes.
"Remember, you are more special that the rest of them. You're our little princess. Now, do you think a princess would hurt others?" He gave her some water as she let out small sobs.
"But Baba, they disrespected Mani. It's wrong!" She reasoned, her voice stubborn but still soft.
"A princess forgives and shows the people how things are done so you don't have to do it. If you hear anything like that, let Baba know and I'll be the one to take care of their bum bums, okay?" Feeling enlightened, little Sasha nodded vigorously.
"Tomorrow, we will go to your playmate's house and say sorry, alright?" Eder asked, worries of her response. Sasha held her breath and thought for awhile before she replied.
"Well, I will go apologize, Baba." But he is not my playmate, he said he doesn't play with fat people and I'm fat people, she thought but did not dare say it. Her father smiled.
"Now, Sasha, do you think a princess should get food from other people?" He moved on to another issue that's been bugging him. Sasha furrowed her brows and answered.
"Shouldn't they give me those, Baba? You help them out without getting anything in return." Eder scratched his head.
"Baba doesn't need those. Sasha doesn't need those as well. Do you?" Little Sasha wiped her still wet face and pouted.
"Yeah. I don't need those Baba." She said. But my friends want them, what should I do? Her little mind anxiously asked.
"That's my girl. Come here, give Baba a hug!" He spread his arms wide to let the little one jump on his embrace again and she did so.
Tala sighed and gathered the plates to clean them up then left for her room. Once inside, Sasha came toddling in.
The sisters share a room together now. There are two beds in the room but little Sasha jumped on Tala's bed and crawled to her sister who's sprawled on her bed. Not minding the added weight, Tala let themselves sink further into the soft foam of the bed as she rolled over and hugged her little sister to sleep.
Back at the dining area, the couple stared at each other in silence then walked towards the back of their house at the same time and stared at the wooden wall now filled with all kinds of hanging plants. Eder held his wife's shoulder with one arm as she hugged his waist while the other arm stretched out to tap on the wooden wall.
Upon contact, the wooden wall suddenly collapsed and unlike previously when Huan was younger and the hanging plants remained suspended, these hanging plants now floated away to allow entry to the couple who walked shoulder to shoulder towards the hidden room.
Before the couple completed their entry, a cloud passed by the moon above and light illuminated from the moon. It shone on the side-mirror of Eder's jeep and we saw a glimpse of two animal tails, white and red, disappearing into the void. The the light passed through, there was darkness again.
The room retained it previous setup except for the crib that is no longer there. Two cages are instead setup side by side in the room. The cages are made of some metal-like frame and the sides are transparent that one can see inside. Each cage has a shadow of something moving inside it, the other shadow has lively movements while the other shadow is showing some lethargy until a sound is heard.
'Thud!'