Chapter 26: Panic Attack

Mai is in a mall that is not far from her campus with Thomas. Did she dream last night that she was able to go alone to the mall, Mai to the point of patting her cheek to make sure that this wasn't just a dream? Her cheeks immediately felt a little hot and sore. Ok... This is not a dream.

"What's the matter?" Thomas was confused by Mai's behavior.

The girl had slapped her cheek earlier, and now she was grinning to herself.

"It's okay," said Mai with a smile.

Thomas touched her forehead which immediately made Mai's cheeks turn red. Mai immediately brushed off the hand.

"What the hell," she said, trying to hide her nervousness.

"You're just smiling to yourself

from earlier. Why is it? Are you having fun?" Thomas said.

"Mmmm... There it is." Said Mai.

Mai walked ahead of Thomas. She smiled again and then touched her chest, her heart beating fast as if it was about to jump out. Hopefully, Thomas didn't hear it, she had to control herself.

"Yes, let's hurry!" Thomas said as he grabbed Mai's hand, sending a strange swish and her heart beating even faster.

Even though Thomas's small actions made her hot and cold, Mai didn't want to pull her hand from the man's grasp, she

love it.

Thomas took Mai in circles, she doesn't know what he was looking for. Until finally Thomas stopped at a jewelry store. He looked at the necklace hanging on the display case. A necklace with a bluestone.

"Isn't that good?" he asked Mai.

"Beautiful, do you want to buy it?" Said Mai.

Thomas didn't answer and rushed into the shop. He spoke to the shop assistant and pointed to the necklace on the front window. The price is quite expensive but it doesn't seem like a problem for Thomas.

"Borrow your neck for a moment, okay?" he said to Mai when the maid gave the necklace to Thomas.

Without waiting for Mai's approval, Thomas had already wrapped the bluestone necklace around Mai's neck.

Mai looked at herself in the mirror, the necklace was beautiful, she liked it.

"I'll take this," said Thomas to the shop assistant.

Mai turned, Thomas bought the necklace? She thought.

Quickly, the maid wrapped the necklace that Thomas had chosen. After finishing paying for the items he bought, Thomas and Mai rushed out of the shop.

"Let's eat. I'm hungry." Thomas determined their next destination.

"Who's the necklace for?" Mai ignored Thomas's invitation just now, she was curious. And Mai had imagined that Thomas would give the necklace to her. Dream!

"Mmm... For Linda," Thomas said shyly.

Linda? Linda is Thomas' friend from childhood, she is a year older than Thomas. It was Linda who made Mai not going

never reached Thomas. Even though Linda thinks of Thomas as her brother, Thomas doesn't. Thomas fell in love with Linda, for him Linda was everything.

"Linda's birthday?" Mai remained relaxed even though there was a bit of annoyance in her heart.

So this is the reason Thomas asked her out, looking for gifts for Linda, and even borrowed her neck all earlier. Mai is too grandiose to think of this as a date. Stupid.

"Nope. She's back in Indonesia next Sunday. I want to surprise her." said Thomas.

"Oooh .." Mai's heartfelt squeezed from the inside. Sick.

Linda did live in Paris to start her career as a model, it seems the girl decided to go home after wandering for so long.

"You still like her, don't you?" Mai stared at the shiny mall floor as she asked this, ignoring the ache in her chest.

"Mmm... How are you... I'm not feeling

changed. I love her but it seems she only thinks of me as his brother. It sucks." Thomas said.

Mai also felt annoyed, she shouldn't have to ask. She already knew the answer. People say first love is hard to forget and Linda is Thomas's, first love. Like Thomas, who is Mai's, first love. Love one-sided.

"I see," she said slowly.

"Hey, let's just eat there!" Thomas pointed at a Japanese restaurant, insensitive to Mai's sudden sad expression.

Mai didn't answer but followed on

behind Thomas, she wasn't hungry at all.

"That's Aaron. Who was he with?" said Thomas.

Thomas stopped in his tracks as he entered the restaurant. On the other side, Aaron was seen with a beautiful woman, her appearance was like a career woman and it was obvious that she was several years older than Aaron. Aaron seemed to be carrying the woman's groceries, a lot of them.

As they approached, Mai suddenly felt uncomfortable. There was something with that woman, she felt... Afraid. It was strange to be afraid of people she didn't even know.

Mai took a step back and stood behind Thomas. Mai realized that she was overreacting but somehow she didn't like the woman. Especially when the woman looked at her, Mai felt like she was electrocuted. Her round brown eyes, the same eyes the child had in her dream. No, not the kid. There is another kid.

A strange image flashed in Mai's mind, there was a girl. Who else? Mai couldn't take her eyes off, it felt familiar.

The woman seemed to have met.

Where?

"Hey, Ron.. you are done shopping?" said Thomas.

"Not me but her." Aaron glances

at the woman next to him. His tone

was a little annoyed.

"Your friend?" She asked.

"His junior level of Riven. Sis, are you already

finished shopping right? I have to go back

to campus." Aaron said.

Aaron calls the woman 'sis', meaning that woman is her sister? What is wrong with me? The first time I felt deja vu

met her brother then now with his sister? Mai doesn't understand anymore.

"What a rush. We don't spend much time alone together. I miss you. Try to go home sometime." Said the woman.

"Seriously. We just met two days ago," said Aaron.

"How about eating first. I'm hungry." Said the woman.

Aaron and the woman talked while Thomas and Mai were just spectators.

"We want to eat too. How about we just be together?" Thomas suggested.

What? With? I don't want to eat with that woman, Mai thought. Her hunch said she should stay away from that woman.

"That's fine," said the woman.

"I'm Rara, Aaron's sister." Rara introduced herself.

"I'm Thomas and this is Mai. Oh, so this is Aaron's sister. I often hear about sister." They shook hands.

Mai hesitated when the woman stretched out her hand, for a moment she froze and just stared at the woman's white hand until

Thomas had to rebuke her. Mai immediately apologized, feeling bad but when she shook Rara's hand, the bad feeling got even worse.

"Aaron must have said I was fierce," said Rara. Thankfully she didn't notice Mai's strange attitude.

Thomas smiled as if confirming Rara's statement just now.

"Sis, you are fierce," said Aaron.

Rara glared at her and Aaron acted as if she didn't care. Rara turned to look at Mai, her face wrinkled like she was thinking.

Mai looked down, not daring to look back at Rara. Oh, there's no way she realized it, Mai thought. Mai meant Rara might have noticed her strange and impolite attitude earlier.

"You . . . your face looks familiar," she said.

"Have we met before?" Rara said again.

"That's impossible," said Aaron quickly while Mai was still gawking, it felt like she had also met Rara but she didn't want to remember. Like something was scaring her.

Then the strange image appeared in her mind again. The girl who has the same brown eyes. She cursed and pushed her violently, accusing Mai of harming her sister. Mai closes their mouth, she almost screamed but she just whispered.

"The child has a sister," Mai said quietly.

"What do you say?" Rara asked. She frowned.

"What are you doing, Mai? How come your face is so pale." Thomas looked worried while Aaron looked at her with a strange expression.

Mai just shook her head, she held her chest that felt tight, the pieces of memory hit her again.

Mai saw herself in the garden again, yes, it was a park near Aunt Puspa's house. Mai lay on the ground, her eyes blinking in the glare of the afternoon sun, confused at what had just happened, she looked around her. People started arriving, talking to each other and making Mai dizzy. Her cousin, Karina was among them, asking if she was okay, a worried look on her face. Then Mai heard someone talking.

"Poor boy, is he still alive?"

"Oh God his head is bleeding, hurry up and help him."

What do they mean? Who's bleeding? Mai followed the direction of the people's gaze, she turned to her left and was surprised. A boy lay beside her with a bloody head, his eyes closed. Not to mention getting over his shock, a girl came to break up the crowd. She screamed and looked fierce.

"What did you do to my brother?!" She snapped at Mai.