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Gempa knew that they're here in this party to meet her, as she can feel their gazes on her. However, Gempa ignore their heated gazes, making no move to meet nor to greet them. She knows when they make their move, approaching her.
When they are near, she turn her head towards them, while holding a glass of fruity champagne. Her face what you can tell a blank face. Face devoid of cheeriness or happiness and piercing cold eyes staring at them.
Her sudden movement, cought them off guard as they didn't expect her to to know their whereabouts, almost freeze them on spot.
And then Gempa smile towards them. But her smile never reach her eyes, an almost mocking smile. Before they can open their mouth, gempa beat them to it.
"Long time no see, my brothers. Fancy meeting you all here. Let's change the place, shall we?"
Gempa brought them to the garden behind the hall. A garden that is devoid of people beside themselfs, making it the perfect place for an unwanted talk.
The evening breeze gently stirred the leaves, creating a subtle rustle that underscored the tension in the air. Gempa stood there, her gaze fixed on her brothers and friends who had come to meet her. Their eyes avoided hers, betraying a mixture of guilt and defiance.
The air grew heavy with unspoken grievances, as Gempa's voice sliced through the silence like a knife, "So, why are you all here, in japan? You all came in front of me, so I know you want to talk. If there's nothing to say, we have nothing to talk about."
"None? Then we have nothing to talk about"
Yaya, the oldest of the siblings's wife, mustered the courage to break the silence. "H-how are you Gempa?"
Gempa's demeanor softened briefly as she replied, "I'm great, thank you for asking. I met a lot of people and friends here and received a lot of support from them." Her voice held a tinge of warmth, a faint echo of the sister they once knew.
Ying, trying to help break the tension, chimed in, "That's amazing, I'm glad-"
However, before she could finish, Taufan's voice cut through, raw with frustration, "Why didn't you come back?"
Gempa's eyes narrowed, and a wry smile danced on her lips. "No hello, no nothing? Why, you want me to come back?" she retorted in a tone laced with irony, her eyes locking onto each of her brothers in turn.
Gempa: "Why, you want me to come back? (Ridicilously tone) or you expect me to come back with some time?" (Grinning down them)
"What makes you all believe that i would come back? Did mom drill it to you guys that I can't live without you all? Or were you guys actually believe that i can't live without all of you ?
"Really, even after all this years the way you guys thinks baffles me"
"I'm the one who takes care all of you, pretty much my whole life in the previous life and half of my life in this life. So what makes you all believe that I can't take care of myselves?
"Yaya, Ying, Gopal, I do not blame you three for what happened, but since you all do nothing beside silence, it certainly mades me believes that you sides with them and believe them"
Yaya attempted to defend them, "That's not true!"
Ying echoed, "You're wrong!!"
Gopal stuttered, "It's not-!"
Gempa's gaze settled on each of them, her voice cool and controlled, "Yet, none of you tried to contact me."
She recounted the past, the missed opportunities, the unspoken words, and the hollow silence. Each brother seemed to crumble under her piercing gaze, their unease palpable.
Her voice gained an edge, "I know I changed my number and all, but certainly you realizes that, when Fang go back here in his vacation and then come back to malaysia, he did met me and currently know my new number. You guys knew that just by seeing his expression and his actions, yet you never have the courage to try asking my number from him. Or perhaps that he did offered giving my number to you all but you guys reject it, am I right?" Her words cut through the air like a well-aimed arrow, hitting their mark with precision.
"At the very least, Fang knew what's the truth and what is not. He also have the courage to know that he's wrong. That is why I still like him and still in contact with him."
The tension escalated as Halilintar, the eldest, attempted to explain, "You don't understand! You don't understand why we feel like that! You don't understand how we feel after... that."
Halilintar, then continue after a few seconds of silence with a much increased anger and volume "You're asking why should you come back? that's because that place was- is your home!! You have a family that love you. And you have responsible-"
Gempa: "responsible? Don't told me about reponsible when you don't even know your responsible as the oldest, Hali" (cold)
"You're saying I have responsible? Then tell me what exactly my responsible in the family?"
"To be the strongest so that you can lean on me? To be always kind? To follow each and every one of your whims and not complains about it? To clean every mistakes you all did, put the blames all on me and then forgives you all? To do all the chores that supposed to be spread out equaly? To always keep a smile on my face so that you can go to your merry way? To put myself behind in everything so that you have that position you all 'deserve'? Is that what do you think my responsbility in the family, halilintar, taufan, blaze, ice, duri, solar? To be all of that and not breaks even slightest?"
"Doesn't the reactions of Fang's parents, Kaizo, Kirana, and uncle pian proved that whay you all did is wrong? Ahh of course, you guys must haven't realize that this is all not my fault and also doesn't realize that the blame is on you all"
"I did loved you all you know as the only sister you all have, Wow, to see that you all only thinks of me as a smiling doll to be step on, I see you all not change at all" (cold)
"Am i not your sister, brothers? I thought that you all came to apologize to me, but i guess i'm wrong, it's too much for me to hope that. How come you all did this? Did i spoil you all too much that you guys are too dependant on me?"
"Do you have the answer of that question 5 years ago? That i'm in the wrong for sacrifacing my live for you all and died?
Hali: "W-well t-thats-!"
Gempa's voice remained unwavering, her gaze piercing through their defenses. "Ahh i see you still don't know, yet you alreading blaming me like before. And To answer your first question Halilintar, quite a contrary, I do understand you, all of you, even mother and father. After all i'm the one who takes care all of us. I can read you all like the back of my palm. An open book that i can always read." she replied, her words dripping with a mix of resignation and disappointment.
With each brother's name, she unraveled the intricate web of emotions and conflicts that had festered within the family. Gempa's understanding of their fears, insecurities, and desires was unmistakable, each revelation cutting deeper into the heart of their shared history.
"Solar, you are so very displeased with me because i am smarter than you in every subject, even after all those experiments you do and to do shoots"
"Duri, you don't like me anymore because you can't read me anymore, like how you used to do in our previous life and when i know very much about plants.
"Ice, you although have a logic mind does not believe that i'm was not supposed to lead anymore because hali is the who lead the role."
"Api, you always believed that all i did was nagging you, mad at you, and reprimand you. You thought that since i'm not with you through all of your lifes, i don't deserve to nag you anymore"
"Taufan, you as the second eldest believe that you have the authority and every word of mother's word is true since we all never have a mother in the previous one, thus you follow mothers's orders of me to staying behind everything and not at all feel bad about it."
"And lastly, Halilintar, you are the oldest, supposed to be the oldest, in our previous life you were quite content in putting the leadership on me, however, when i'm gone, and you were forced to take the role of leadership, you almost can't bear with all of the responsbility you have to put through, but you manage to carry the responsbility with time. And now, when i'm here again, with you, you are confused in who should take up the lead role and you decide that the lead role is with you. I was quite alright with it, but you keep comparing your leadership to mine in almost every action, that makes you feel inferior to me and started to hate me."
"Mother was confused with everything that happened as she never truly experiance motherhood. Thus she believes that by focusing more on her sons would brings her happiness. And only believes on the traditional value of a woman on me. Then, when everything come to south, she blames everything on me."
"Father, same as mother, also confused, but as he finally able to have the complete family he dreamed on, he just go along with everything mother said."
"Yaya, i know that you were hali's wife back then, that is why you keep on his side on this matter even you now its wrong. You two are also the same, ying, gopal. You two now its wrong yet since you both know him more longer that i know him, you trust him. You three are very loyal to him but, there os a difference between being loyal and being ingnorance"
"Now, with everything i said that i understand, am i wrong?(smiling) I told you right i know you all more than you know yourselves."
The realization dawned on them that Gempa had seen through their masks, understood their inner turmoil, and bore the weight of their expectations and disappointments all these years.
"Have you all ever thought of why i can do all of the things you can do? Able to master them? Able to understand better than you all understand them? Able to do them perfectly even when there's a disruption? Ever though of it?"
"It's because, at the time i have- I must- I was required to be able do all those things so that you all can just search for me, come to me, and ask me how things being done. I must to know all those things so all of you doesn't have to do all the searching and learning. I was required to do things perfectly so that no one can complains, yet there was always, always things to complains of and all of you blame that to me and never to yourself."
"You said that i don't understand, then i'm gonna ask you all the same thing. Do you all understand why i did all of that, why am i so dissappointed, why am i so mad at you all for how you treat me, why did i left and never come back, do you understand?"
" i bet you don't understand, because if not, you all won't appear in front of me, looking so unrepentant, demanding for an apology."
"To answer your question, taufan, that why won't i come back, the answer is I do not want to get in inside a house full of poison when i already got out of there. That, and I really love my friends here."
As she turned to leave, her voice trailed behind her, carrying a message of finality, "Now leave if you don't have anything else to with me. I do not want to hear your complains. Go search another doll if you want to. Don't you ever appear before me again if all you do is spouting nonsense."
"Oh yeah, for your information, there is another reason why i know so many things. Is because i lived another life before this life and after our previous life. Good bye" And with that, Gempa walked away, leaving her siblings stunned in the wake of her departure. Gempa then, turned around fully to leave the place and as she walks to the building, she waves a hand at them (they, screaming her name to not leave and explains what she just said) signing her goodbye in a careless manner.