Julie's POV:
After exiting the arcade, I made my way towards my car. I continued walking with powerful strides, conscious of the eyes burning behind me. I took the keys out of my pocket, swung the car door open, and entered the driver's seat.
Once I was shut off from the outside world, I allowed myself to sink into my seat. Damn, I didn't see this one coming…
I grabbed hold of the steering wheel and lay my head on it. I closed my eyes; their faces flashing in my mind. The way they looked today and 14 years ago began to overlap. No matter how much I tried, I couldn't look away.
"Even after all these damn years, those faces still haunt me…"
Then, I heard quiet screams in the distance. I instinctively tensed. There's… no way, right? I covered my ears tightly, but the cries grew louder and louder– until they were right next to me. Stop, STOP!
'HELP ME, JULIE!'
'I'M SCARED!'
'WHY DIDN'T YOU DO ANYTHING!'
'YOU FAILED ME!'
NONONO! JUST SHUT UP!
The cries blended in my ears, blurring together. Eventually, they all died out, and silence enveloped my world once more. What just… happened? Suddenly, the sound of a car rushed past me, and I felt my hair whip across my face.
…What?
I slowly opened my eyes and found myself standing alone in an all too familiar street. I heard out-of-tune whistling from behind me, so I spun around– and froze. The person I saw was… myself. It was me from fourteen years ago– from that day.
***
I was walking around while spinning my phone on my index finger. My phone vibrated, causing it to fall out of my hand. Goddamit! Time slowed as static travelled through me. My finger twitched– then my body lurched forward, grabbing it out of the air.
A random couple walked by, and the girl whispered 'What the hell was that?' Her boyfriend told her to mind her own business, or I'd "hurt" her.
Without turning back, I glanced at the phone screen. There was a message from Uncle Su. It read "Do you want to come over for dinner today? Nana made some extra food." My grip tightened.
"Food made by Aunt Nana?! I'm in!"
I sent a hurried reply telling him 'I'm in' and ran to his house with giddy steps. Aunt Nana makes some killer food, but what I was most excited for was seeing her kids. They're just so cute!
They live about 20 minutes away from me, so I was there before I realized it. I dashed forward and banged on his front door.
"Yo, Uncle Su, hurry up! It's getting cold out here, man!"
The door slid open, and he greeted me with his usual casual smile. Or at least, that's what it looked like at first glance. After staring at him for a few extra moments, I could see dark circles under his eyes. Before I could question him about it, my nose caught the scent of a delicious aroma leaking outside the door.
Damn, just what the hell is Aunt Nana cookin' up?!
Uncle Su spoke with a slightly high-pitched tone, snapping me out of my trance.
"Hihihi, can't you just wait a little bit? I can't just teleport to the door the moment I hear you knock."
I crossed my arms and glared at him.
"Yeah– but you can run, and I know you ain't runnin'! I bet you're taking your sweet ass time getting to me!"
Uncle guiltily scratched the tip of his nose.
"Hihihi, sorry, I'll be quicker next time."
Without waiting for permission, I stepped past my uncle and made my way into the house. After I took off my shoes, I bolted straight to the kitchen. There, I saw Aunt Nana, who was still in the process of making dinner. My mouth dropped.
"What the hell? Uncle told me that you had leftovers. He didn't say that you were still making em!"
Keeping her eyes on the food, Auntie let out a soft giggle.
"I think he wanted you to watch over the kids. He's a little tired after work, and I can't do it while cooking dinner."
Tsk, I hate how that's a perfectly valid excuse. He still didn't have to trick me, though! I would've come even if it was just to babysit!
"You're not gonna make me do this for free, right? I'm just saying, my time is money."
Auntie gently shook her head.
"That's why we're making food for you. It's an even trade, no? Or… would you rather eat your mother's food?"
She turned around. She wore a warm smile on her face, yet I could see a small devilish glint in her eyes. Auntie was always a little more cunning compared to other people.
Just how did she and Uncle get married?!
But it's not like me to turn down free food, so I'll let it slide for today.
"Nah, I'll happily accept your food. Who do you think I am?!"
Auntie gave a single, satisfied nod.
"It'll be ready in 30 minutes, so go take care of the kids while you're waiting."
"Kay~"
I gave Auntie a quick kiss on the cheek and headed over to the playroom. I could hear faint childish screams leak out into the hallway. My heart began pounding in my chest as my pace quickened. Once I arrived, the two little rascals stopped what they were doing and stared in my direction. It took a moment, but their eyes began to shine in recognition.
"Julie!!!!"
The kid who recognized me first was Hoshino. He ran up to me with his stubby little legs and clung to my waist. The kid always had an infectious smile on his face. I crouched down and caught him in my arms, giving him a barrage of little kisses. He giggled as he tried to pull away.
"Hey, kid, how have you been?"
"I've been good! But why are you here?"
A wide smile formed on my face as I responded.
"I'm here because I wanted to see you!"
I lifted him into the air and started running around with him. I'd throw him up and catch him before he fell to the ground. He'd laugh so hard that he'd start coughing.
"Hahaha! Again! Again!"
"Okay, okay. Just don't tell your parents!" I said with a little wink.
After playing around with him for a little bit, I put him down and made my way towards his sister, Lily. She was only a year old at the time, so she could barely talk or run.
"Hiii princess, it's me, Julie!" I said while waving at her.
To be honest, I had no clue whether she could understand me or not. But she let out a childish giggle in response to me, so it should be fine. I picked her up and cradled her in my arms. I felt an irresistible urge to just squeeze her.
She's just so dang cute!
Her arms were flailing around aimlessly, so I assumed she wanted her bottle. I scanned the room and saw a bottle lying on the floor. Before I could even take a step, Hoshino had grabbed the bottle and given it to Lily. I let out a shocked breath.
Huh, what an observant kid. Not to be rude or anything, but I was under the impression that all kids were just stupid. I guess there can be a few exceptions here and there.
After feeding and burping Lily, I carried her to an area where a toy house stood and set her down to play along with her brother. I took a seat on a nearby sofa and relaxed. Taking care of babies is fun and everything… but man, it's tiring! I took my phone out for one second before a sudden cry erupted.
I took my eyes off them for one damn second! ONE!
I quickly got up from my seat and ran over to Lily, who was crying.
"Shh, shh, it's okay, baby."
I stretched my arms out in an attempt to cradle her. But the moment I touched her, I noticed that she felt wet. My hand reflexively jerked back. The hell was that? I glanced down at the floor and cautiously touched the ground with my index finger. It had a wet and warm texture to it.
Ahhhhh, I see how it is now.
It turns out she just peed herself. It was a completely normal thing for kids to do, nothing to be afraid of. What wasn't normal, however, were the faint sparks of fear in her eyes. A cold sweat started to form on my back.
Why is a kid making that kind of face? What do they have to worry about? She's damn near a year old. She shouldn't be makin' a face like that.
I picked her up and set her down in a more comfortable place. After that, I decided it would be best to tell her parents. As I got up, I saw Hoshino from the corner of my eye dive into the same place where Lily's pee had been and rolled around in it.
Hey– What do you think you're doing?!
In a sudden panic, I grabbed Hoshino's arm and pulled him up a little too forcefully. Sorry kid! He staggered back slightly, but he never lost his footing, nor did he make a sound. It was a little strange, but it didn't matter at the moment. What did, however, was why he did that.
Before I could ask him about it, Uncle Su barged into the room. His eyes swept through the room before instantly locking onto me. My back reflexively straightened.
He took a deep breath in and a deep breath out. I could almost see fog escape his mouth in this chilled room.
"Julie… what is going on here?"
He said in a low voice. That tone caught me by surprise. I've never heard my Uncle make that type of sound until today.
"O-Oh! I-uh… one of them peed on the floor."
I hung my head while saying that, trying to avoid eye contact with him. I waited for a reaction, but Uncle didn't say anything. I started fidgeting with my hands as I counted the seconds in my mind. The silence was utterly suffocating.
I peeked over at Lily; her whole body was trembling. She then turned towards me, and what I saw made me bite my lower lip. She had an almost pleading look on her face, like she was begging me to help her. I turned away from her and covered my face.
What the hell am I even doing right now? This isn't me. At the very least, I should look Uncle Su straight in the eyes.
As I raised my head, an earth-shattering shout reverberated throughout the room.
"WHO DID?!"
My body involuntarily flinched at the thundering voice I had just heard. My ears started ringing, causing a slight dizziness to invade my mind. The hell was that?! I turned my head in the direction it came from, thinking it was one of the kids… and saw that it was just Uncle Su.
My courage, my pride, my reasoning, they were all crushed.