2 I. Mother's Memoir

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***

Irina woke up catching her breath. Every night had been like that since her father told her the truth. She checked her phone. 2:00AM. "I slept for two hours. Yay." Even her thoughts were sarcastic, that was the longest sleep she had anyway. She sat up and fiddled with her phone while waiting for her headache to pass.

"Your mother is alive. She is in an asylum somewhere in the Central City. I will not tell you exactly where because you're not supposed to see her, but at least I owe you this truth." She had mixed emotions reading the email from her father. Her mom, while driving with her, supposedly died in a car accident when Irina was 6. Now 15 years later, her father would say she's alive all this time. Her father, Alexander Kaspian, was the most serious man she knew. He would never lie, or joke even in dreams, about her mom.

Irina grew distant from her father, the day she lost her mom. Somehow, even if he didn't actually say it, he blamed her for what happened. In fact, he may have blamed herself too. But now that her mother's alive, a new glimmer of hope sparked from her heart, and a renewed hatred towards her father.

She looked at the mirror. Her days of depression really made a toll on her face but despite the eye bags, dried lips, and messy hair, her eyes felt alive more than ever. She searched for her travel bag. She had been preparing to leave to study in Central City. Her initial plan was to leave before a couple of days before classes. There's still a week of vacation and she figured it would be best to get settled.

The cold water from the shower woke Irina's senses. She dressed quickly and grabbed her bag. It was still completely dark outside but she wanted to leave as soon as she could. On her way out of the Kaspian estate, there stood old Aunt Hilda. The 70 year old lady wasn't really a relative but was treated as such for her years of service. She served Irina's grandmother, and raised her father, so she's like a grandmother to Irina.

"I realized you will leave in the wee hours so no one would see you. Come here my little lady", Aunt Hilda said in a gentle voice like always. Irina came to her but she's decided to leave no matter what the old lady would say.

"When your mom supposedly died, Alexander was devastated. He ordered to rid of all things that reminds him of your mom. This explains why there's no picture of her here."

Irina being an intelligent person had already came to that conclusion. A selfish act to forget, she thought. Because of that, she could barely remember what her mom looked like.

"To me, your mom is like my daughter and just like you, I loved her very much. I served the Kaspian family with complete loyalty but it's impossible for me to obey such order."

Aunt Hilda took her hand and handed her something. It felt cold. Her eyes widened as the "thing" shone.

"That was the only memoir of her that I could save. It has been 15 years. Your mom was very beautiful, just like you are now. I don't know what the years have done to her looks, but this is how I will always remember her."

Irina felt a warm tear fall down her cheek. She opened the locket. Inside was a picture of her as a baby, and her mother. She let out a sob.

"Hush now, dear. You will see her soon" as Aunt Hilda consoled her.

"You have my thanks, Aunt Hilda. I promise I will find mom and get her back home."

Aunt Hilda helped her leave but she didn't want their driver to escort her. She decided to book a cab and travel by train.

"Take care, my dear."

***

It was still too early for the first train schedule so she decided to take a detour. Irina felt her stomach ache. She went to a convenience store to grab something to eat when she noticed a man dressed in a black hoodie. There's nothing really unusual with the man but he seemed like he's watching her. Irina was very perceptive. She felt a tingle on her nape so she's fairly certain she's being watched.

She ignored the feeling. It could be her stomach growling. She paid for her food and was about to sit to eat when she saw the man already sitting on the table where she left her things. Is he going to rob me, she thought. She composed herself and acted normal. The store was full of security camera, surely the man wouldn't dare, right?

"Hello! Those are my things, but if you want to share a table, I'm fine with it", Irina said.

The man just looked at her blankly. She examined the man. He looked just around her age, if not a little older. He seemed well built under his jacket. She would be in trouble if things got physical that's why always brought mace, just in case.

It was weird that the man didn't budge when Irina greeted him but now that she's eating, the man just kept staring at her. That was downright creepy! He didn't seem like under the influence of anything as his eyes looked alive, but he never broke his gaze to her. It's as if he was observing her. Sometimes his brows would twitch as if he noticed something wrong with her face.

What a perv, Irina thought. She finished her food and quickly left the store. It was already 5:00AM, only half an hour before the first train when the station announced there's an unexpected problem with the train that needed fixing. It would take 10 hours to make sure everything was functioning properly. She held in a curse. She was sure she's not going back home but the idea of spending 10 hours in a hotel didn't seem more pleasant.

"Excuse me, you look familiar", a man's voice called her attention.

"Can I help you?" she asked.

"You're Irina Kaspian, right? I used to work for Kaspian Security Agency and I'm sure I saw you once with your dad." he said. "I'm Matthew Morales." introducing himself and extending his hand.

"Oh! I see, yes, I'm Irina. Can I help you with something?"

"Nice to formally meet you, Irina. Actually, I may be the one who can help you. You seem confused about something and by the looks of it, you're supposed to take the train. Is this your first time using public transportation?"

Irina was hesitant and embarrassed to answer but she did nod her head.

"I knew it. Well, I work here now. Come with me."

He quickly grabbed her bag and before she could react, he was a few feet away already.

"You see, our government understands the importance of logistics and transportation so in events like this where the train is inoperational, we have courtesy buses for passengers. It isn't as fast as the train but traveling by bus is like a tour so it is enjoyable on its own way."

She looked around and saw the passengers already boarding the buses. The buses did look like the ones used for touring. As the only daughter to one of the wealthiest man in the country, the public things for common people were wonders to Irina. Her frustration to the train was now replaced by excitement.

"I'm one of the drivers. Come aboard, let me show you the commoners transportation."