DYING IN SILENCE

The deep rumbling sounds of the thunder blast the earth, the sky is ablaze with the Stormy pattering of the rain, it's raining cats and dogs, the sound of the rain splatter overcast rapidly, the street looked isolated and there wasn't a single souls passing by, universally seemed quite like a cemetery.

A lady is seen running, looking shattered and breathing heavily, she looks like she is about to syncope as a wave a dizziness hit her, the stressful event stimulate a bodily reflex on her, her heart slow down and pump less down, she is panting and running out of breath but that didn't stop her, she must get out of here, she can still heard footstep behind her, she once turned and see she is a few metre away from her.

It was her mother's.

She is coming behind her in a massive speed, she has to maintain her pace if she wants to survived her wrath, she heard a thud but not for long, it continues again, she constantly turned back and didn't notice a cliff ahead of her, she missed her step and stumble over the cliff into the river.

"Alyssa!" her mother faint voice echoed into the air.

NO!!

Alyssa eye snapped open as she woke up panting heavily, covered in a cold sweat.

She looked around the room suspicious and paranoid in fear that the horror may have followed her, she sit up cautiousness, shivery and rubbed her hair and eye trying to fully awaken.

"It was the same dream" she mumbled silently.

She stood up, stumble to the bathroom, looked in the mirror slowly as if not sure of what she'll see. the sun shine brightly through the window, washing away the vestige of the horror she passed through, she place her hand on her chest in relieved to return to her mundane existence. she picked up her brushed and start brushing her teeth.

She suddenly jumped in fear, a shrienking scream left her mouth when she see a shadow behind her in the mirror, she swiftly turned back to face the shadow but signed in relieved when she realized it was just her hallucination, not bothering to brushed her teeth again she staggered back into the room and sat on her reading chair.

She checked for the time on the wall clock and realized it was already 8:28am. today is her free day from work if not she would have face the fear and rushed into the bathroom to take her baths and escape to works.

Her only sources of relief and only things that can comfort is her passion for readings, she stared dumbly at the book in front of her and inhale deeply, her shaking hand grab the book and opened it, the first page that hit her face makes her broke into a smile.

"My savior" she mumbled referring to the books, filling her mind with the thought of the book.

The book has always been her way out whenever she woke up from her dream.

*My savior please save me* with that, she started reading.

★★★

|| Tyler POV ||

Snow was falling.

The soft flakes Cascades all around us, catching on my eyelashes while I stare down at the the short lady before me, clad in a sleek, red gown , she was starked against the snow as a drop of blood on the white parchment, she considered me with meeky, pleading eye.

"Help me.....please save me!" she said desperately and pulled me closer to herself.

"Why should I" I asked, only to realize that no sound emerge when I spoke.

"I couldn't heard you" I said.

Tears streamed down her cheek. I glanced at her for the last time and turned to leave.

Where I to let go, there would be nowhere to run away to, nothing but snow covered terrain surrounding us for a mile.

A suddenly touch, something colder than the snow made me jumped. I whipped around to find the girl reaching for me with her hand, wrapped in a swirling pattern of a delicate butterfly tattoos.

I yanked her away and said angrily.

"I don't know you"I said but it came back to me in whisper, no sound emerge from my mouth.

The lady brushed her hair backwards and smile sadly, displaying perfect porcelain teeth.her reply whispered from her lips like moths rustling dry leaves.

"You know me but doesn't recognize me" she emphasized the word.

"please help me, save me"

She looked at me again, those putrid orb bore into me and the scrapping, fluttering sound returned, it intensified to a roar, drowning out whatever she'd been about to say.

I don't fucking understand how she can heard me even when I can't heard myself. That seemed puzzled to me

I could read her lip moving, spultering the word to me "Save me" before she slowly faded away from my sights.

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart frantically beating against it's cage of rib as I vividly remember the vicious voice of the girl's, the room was silent, except for my alarm clock ticking and the barking of a dog inside the compound.

I want to stay under the duvets after my nightmare but going back may trigger another dream.

I sit up, reached for the table lamp and turned it on. my hand move to the glass of water on the nightstand, stared at it and signed deeply.

*save me*

The words keep ringing in my head causing my headache to risen up.

The door burst open and Wilson suddenly rushed in.

Wilson is my personal assistant and my right hand man.

"Boss are you okay?"

"Another nightmare?" he added.

He must have heard my rough breathing, that prone him to enter to check if everything is okay.

"Wilson" I called.

"Yes boss"

"Get me my drug"

Wilson quickly open the shelf, rampaged searching for the drugs.

"Here sir" he said as he hand over the drug to me

"You can leave"

Wilson bows and leave the room.

I immediately took the pill and washed it down with the water.

It was the same dream.

A dream that has become a nightmare for me, a dream about a girl's calling for my help. a girl's I didn't know or seen in my entire life.

I signed out loudly and rubbed my forehead tiredly.

I stood up from the bed and moved closer to shelf, opened it and bring out a sketch of the girl's tattoos.

I walked slowly into the bathroom, stripped off my damp pyjamas, placing the sketch in my hand on the mirror table and stepped inside the shower. I turned the water to lukewarm and leaned forward, my hand against the wall. the water splashing down my back.

"Butterfly" i mumble silently staring at the tattoos.

I closed my eye and inhale deeply.

★Somewhere in New York★

The parademic who came to my house when my two month old daughter was stolen, knew exactly what she ought to do, she said

"You need to sit down and start to grieve" she says but I didn't want to grieve.

I wanted to put my Jacket on over my pyjamas and take my twelve year old adopted daughter to school.

Rosella didn't know Amelia was kidnapped at that stage. all I'd told her was that she wasn't well and we need to call an ambulance, I know the police were about to arrive since it was a kidnapped case and I knew the house would soon be swarming with people, and that would be a very scary place for a little girl to be. I desperately wanted to get her out, so she wouldn't be left with difficult memories that might make Amelia loss even harder to cope with.

I felt angry with the parademic for trying to tell me she knew the best, I was furious. i said to her.

"What are you going to do? stop me from leaving the house?"

What I now know is that the professional bereaved family have to deal with, and the wider community have a very narrow frame of excepted behaviors and outcome for those who are family when a child is kidnapped. recently, this has been the focused of my research as an academic.

I did take Rosella to school that day. nineteen year on, I know I was right " Rosella remember Amelia but she doesn't have traumatic memories about that day and I'm so please about it.

But all that story change when a slight mistake made by me ruined all my effort of ensuring Rosella doesn't remember Amelia went down in grain.

In reality Rosella isn't my birth daughter, but I have always considered her as my first fruit of womb. I was fruitless in my marriage for a very long time, my husband and I decide to adopt a child then and that is how Rosella come to be .

I raised Rosella as my daughter for eleven years, I already lost hope in giving birth and has learned to embrace Rosella as my only child, but miraculously I finally got pregnant with Amelia at the age of 41, we found out over a party weekend. my husband was like "Are you excited, I can't tell" and I totally was, but I was also just in utter shock. during my pregnant period my husband was very supportive and understanding.

I delivered a healthy baby girl two weeks before my due date, I didn't have any contraction or other early signs, and then one Sunday morning my water broke in a giant gush.

Once we got to hospital, I took oxytocin to induce labour and eventually I got an epidural injection, I dilated to ten centimeters and stated pushing. they could see the crown of Amelia head but no matter what we did, she just wasn't coming out. they even tried suction to no avail.

At 10pm, the ob-gyn on call recommend a cesarean. I felt really deflated about that, after going through all that labour I felt like I have failed, even though I know I hadn't, Amelia was born through cesarean. I never imagined I would end up with this little family, but now that we have Amelia, I can't imagine it any other way.

My joy knew no bound when Amelia become part of my family but that joy was shortened when my two month old baby was stolen or should I rather said kidnapped, the police tried their very best to make sure Amelia was found but to no avail.

I tried to stay strong for Rosella but I think I didn't tried my best. I just couldn't bear the loss of Amelia. I totally lost my mind, should I think of the year that I waste before giving birth to Amelia or the pain I go through when I give birth to her.

I don't even know if my baby is still alive or if she is died. my hope was still high on Rosella and I am thankful that my daughter didn't know anything about all what I am going through. I conceal my true feeling about Amelia from Rosella, and give her the impression that I have totally gotten over Amelia. I make sure Rosella get a sound education from one of most prestigious institution in America, she later study in police University to become a detective. I don't know if I am being selfish but whenever Rosella Excel in anything my mind always go to Amelia, my wish will be that if only Amelia is here with me she would have also be able to do what Rosella is doing.

Rosella is a very jovial person, always smiling, she is happy every moment of her life, there isn't any sad moment in my daughter life. she has the most beautiful smile in the world but suddenly my jovial daughter turned into what I never imagined when she learnt about Amelia case.

it was one sunny Monday morning, the police are still working underground on the case of Amelia per my instructions. that particular day the detective in charge of the case has sent a report on how the case is going to me via email, but Rosella at that moment gone into my study room and has seen the mail. my daughter being inquisive as a cop begin an under ground investigation on the case without my knowledge, when she learnt that Amelia was kidnapped and wasn't sick has I have told her. she turned into what I never expected.

She came back home to confront me about it, I was so perplexed on how she get to know, I tried to calm her down but Rosella refused to heed any of my word, she was so furious that day

"Did you think you can hide my sister kidnapped case from me forever, I suspect that what you told me wasn't true when you didn't tell me anything about my sister health, all you say is that she is sick, i was expecting you to tell me about her condition but you didn't say anything" she rant angrily that day.

"I have been here living a princess life while I don't even know the kind of life my sister was living, I don't even know how she was treated wherever she is; did you not trust me. did you think I would be able to take care of my sister case, is that why you didn't tell me" she said with tears rolling down her cheek.

My heart break into a million pieces when I see my daughter tears. I felt like a thousand of nailed pierced my heart.

I pulled her closer and held her cheek in my hand, and cleaned her tear with my thumb.

"Don't think like that Rosella, of course I know you are capable of taking the case, but the person in questions is your sister; imagine the emotion pain you will go through if you are the one working on the case. I won't want you to pass through such pain beside we don't even the person who kidnapped your sister till today, I don't want to lose you like I do with your sister. you are the only one I have left, even your father died because of this matter, I don't want to lose the only family I have left" I said to her pleading

" No that is not possible?" she shake her head in bewilderment.

"That is the true" I replied

"My father died because of this matter" she asked sobbing, water gushing down her face.

I nodded my head slowly.

I was afraid that if I talk I may burst into tear, and I won't want to cry in front of Rosella, I bite my lip to muffled my cry, but I fail woefully as I suddenly burst into tears when my body could contain it anymore, the tears I was trying to hold started pouring heavily like a rain.

Rosella immediately hold me when she noticed I am going down, she led me to one of the sofa and sat me down while she kneel in front of me

"I am sorry mom, I didn't know that this what you are going through"

"Your father, couldn't bear the loss of your sister and he committed suicide, he blame himself for your sister Shanghaied" I said looking down at Rosella hand on my lap, I squeeze her palm together.

"So please l..l..." my word got struck in my mouth when I look up and my gaze met with my husband picture that was hunged on the wall

All the memories with my husband came rushing back at me, I stood up and move closer to the picture, I bring it down from the wall.

I caressed the picture and hugged it close to my chest, my husband last word flashed through my mind.

"Please make sure you take good care of Rosella, don't let anything happen to her" he said that day before breathing his last.

"Your father was concerned for you till his last breath, he make me promised him that nothing will happen to you, and I already promised him that nothing will happen to you so I can't take the risk of letting you know anything about your sister" I said and turned back to face her

She move closer to me and hugged me tightly, I heard her sniffles, I let her cry to her heart content while I pat her back slowly.

"let the detective in charge handle this case, take your hands off this case don't even tried to interfere with the case please" I beg her desperately

"Promise me you wont show any interest in this case?" I asked her looking in her eye kneely.

"there's no way I can stay silent on this matter, not after Knowing all of this, I will make sure I find the person who put my family in this pain and make sure to bring him/her to justice" she said within gritted teeth.

"I am sorry I can't promise you anything"she added.

With that she stormed out, I called her repeatedly but she didn't turned back to look at me for once.

I fall on my knee and cry bitterly that day.

Ever since that day, Rosella has turned into a daughter I can't control anymore, every second I see her she is always with a information containing Amelia case, I tried to talk some sense into her but my daughter refused to heed to any of my word, she lost her own freedom and is always pre occupied with Amelia case.

Now this has land her in hospital, I have received a call that my daughter was involved in some accident and is admitted in hospital. I later find out from her colleagues at work that Rosella has received a call from an unknown number and she rushed out immediately after receiving the call, her colleagues start getting worried when they call her and she isn't picking up because she was supposed to be on night duty that night, they organize a search party and found her in an alley closed to death, she is stabbed deeply and has lost conciousness there, she was immediately rushed to the hospital.

They called me when they check her phone and found out I am the last person on her call dial aside the unknown number, my daughter was lying lifeless on the bed, even though the doctor said she is fine, I could help but panicked, I know what happened to Rosella got something to do with Amelia case.

*Maybe the person already know Rosella is tracking him* my subconscious whisper to me.

I nodded my head in agreement.

I move my chair closer to Rosella who was lying on the bed, she is breathing through oxygen mask, I took her hand in mine stroking it gently.

"I shouldn't have told you anything about Amelia, I should have ignored you when you confront me about Amelia, then all this won't have to happened to you" I said moving my hand to her forehead, I caressed her cheek gently.

"I am already failing my late husband,I couldn't fulfilled my promise with him" I mumbled silently.

My tears came rushing down in a giant rushed, I sobbed bitterly.

"Lying down there doesn't suit you at all" I said to her.

"Why did you go? get up now and answer me, you never listen to me, now look at what happened?" I said weeping bowing my head on the bed.

"Because I was close to catching the person who kidnapped my sister"

I heard a voice say, my eye snapped open and I quickly raise my head up and there is my little munchkin looking at me with tears lace in her eyes.

"Rosella are you okay, are feeling hurt anywhere, hope you aren't feeling pain anywhere" I asked bombarding her questions.

"Mom" she called her voice breaking.

I engulfed her in a tight hug before she could say anything.

"Is okay , everything will be fine" I said soothing her back slowly.

She cry on my shoulder.

"I am sorry mom" she said amidst sobbing.

"It okay" I replied.