"I am present, but I am unseen.
A puppet? Sat down when you need me, discarded when you tire?
I… am tired."
And here, a tear fell.
Only one, heavy, silent, but it made a sound heard only by those who had waited for it for a long time.
Then he continued, in a voice so quiet it was terrifying, like a final whisper:
"Are we here… acting?
Then tell me, why haven't you given me my role yet?
All of you… are good at lying…
As for me, I was off-script from the beginning."
Then he breathed deeply… as if casting off a mask, declaring the end on stage:
"The play is over."
[At the Travel Station – The Moment of Boarding the Bus]
The bus engine's sound began to rise, cutting through the silence that had settled over the place.
Sera boarded first, her last glances at the buildings behind her were mixed… a quiet farewell seeping from behind her eyes.
She sat next to Rina, by the window.
She put on her headphones, but the sound of the past continued to whisper in her mind.
Rina held her phone, but her eyes searched for something else… something that resembled reassurance.
Eileen sat beside her mother, her feet tapping with excitement, as if she carried an entire city in her small heart.
Her mother, in a warm, weary tone, said:
"We have a long journey ahead of us…"
Eileen, laughing softly and reaching her hand towards the window:
"No, another world awaits us!"
Rina, leaning her head against the seat:
"She'll go crazy with excitement… and we'll go crazy with her."
Sera, in a low voice as if talking to herself:
"We don't know what the days hold for us there… but we're going anyway."
[At the Same Moment – In the City of Izora]
Light spring breezes drifted through the alleys, silently and warmly announcing the arrival of summer.
In the air, the scent of jasmine mingled with the night dew, carrying something of nostalgia, and something of mysterious promises.
The city of Izora was not asleep; rather, it seemed like a pulsating entity of lights…
Sparkling like a true jewel, reflecting its brilliance on the sidewalks, on the windows of crowded cafes, and in the eyes of passersby.
Aiden stood there, on his motorcycle, at the street's edge, as if he didn't belong, though he was a part of it.
His black hair, tinged with blue, scattered over his forehead in rebellious disarray.
His eyes, that strange mixture of night's blackness and sky's blue, were still…
But they hid a suppressed anger behind them, like embers under ashes.
His small black earrings gleamed whenever a light passed from a streetlamp or a car window.
He held his helmet, slowly lowered it onto his head,
Then leaned his body slightly forward,
Looking at the street ahead as if staring at an inescapable fate.
He started the engine…
Suddenly, the motorcycle's roar echoed through the city, deep, rough, like the growl born from the chest of a wounded animal.
It shook the silence around him, its echo reverberated between the walls, and terrified the quiet of the back alleys.
Then…
Aiden sped off on his motorcycle, leaving behind small sparks and a trail of gray smoke,
As if its sound was saying:
I am here… even if you don't see me.
Beside a giant skyscraper, towering to the sky as if trying to touch the clouds, circular balconies were distributed across its facade like layers of a glass halo, reflecting the city's shimmering lights.
Below, Aiden's motorcycle stopped, quietly roaring like a mechanical beast not yet extinguished.
Car lights reflected on the glossy black paint of the motorcycle,
Before he dismounted from his seat, his mobile phone rang, with a sharp tone as if cutting through the silence with a blade.
He raised the phone to his ear, his voice confident, calm, but not without sternness:
Aiden (in a dry, clear voice):
"I'm working tonight. I'll leave shortly.
And before morning begins, I'll stop at the cafe…
I don't want to see any mess or mistakes like last time.
Is that understood?"
A short silence on the other end… then he hung up without waiting for a reply.
He looked at the city around him, evening breezes seeping in, while the lights of the skyscrapers illuminated his eyes with a fleeting silver hue.
He entered through the building's transparent glass gate, where the electronic entry system greeted him with a soft welcome tone.
He firmly entered his pass code:
7-1-4-2…
Beep… The door opened smoothly.
When he entered his apartment, the place looked more like a luxurious hotel suite:
Marble flooring, panoramic windows overlooking the sleepless city, and dim lighting as if concealing the place's secrets.
He lightly opened his closet and pulled out his uniform:
A sleek black jacket, a silver badge on the chest, and a dark shirt reflecting his discipline.
He buttoned it up one by one, as if preparing for a mission that allowed no error.
He looked at himself in the mirror for a brief moment, then picked up his gun, placed it in his side holster, and cast a final glance at the city from his window… as if whispering to it:
"Time to work… Izora won't sleep tonight."
Then he left…
And the sound of the door closing behind him was heavy.
After hours of travel…
The lights of dawn began to shyly creep into the sky, drawing delicate purple threads mingled with gold, as if the horizon was wearing a robe embroidered with light.
The sky's color turned to a cold blue, touching hearts and announcing the start of a new day in a city unlike any other: Izora.
Eileen, overwhelmed with excitement, pushed her small body towards the window, her eyes sparkling:
Eileen (shaking her mother's shoulder):
"Mom! Mom, wake up, it's Izora!
How can anyone sleep in this beauty?!"
Rina replied from the adjacent seat, without opening her eyes:
Rina (lazily):
"That's because the excitement has made you lose your mind, little Eileen…"
At that moment, no sooner had the bus passed the city's eastern gate than a police car followed it, and the sharp sound of a motorcycle roared behind it, as if splitting the air.
The driver whistled and pulled the bus to the side of the road.
A policeman got off with steady steps and a stern face:
Policeman (in an official voice):
"Excuse the inconvenience, there's a search.
We received a report of a suspect on one of the buses coming from neighboring cities.
We will check passengers' IDs; your cooperation is appreciated."
The police officers began moving between the seats.
One of them approached, dressed in a very elegant uniform, his gaze sharp, his presence preceding his steps.
It was Aiden.
He took Eileen's card first, then Rina's, and continued on his way…
In the adjacent seat, Sera was fast asleep.
Eileen (hitting her sister's shoulder):
"Rina! Wake up your stupid sister!
This beauty shouldn't be kept waiting!"
Mother (whispering anxiously):
"Naughty… lower your voice, he'll hear you!"
Then she turned to Sera and shook her gently:
"Sera… Sera, wake up. You've delayed everyone with your heavy sleep!"
Sera (yawning and slowly opening her eyes):
"What is it… did the bus overturn?"
Rina (sarcastically):
"Your mind is overturned, not the bus."
Aiden's voice was close now, low and deep:
Aiden:
"Miss… did you give me your ID?"
Sera, who had barely opened her eyes, stared at him… for a moment she forgot everything.
His eyes, a mixture of night and sky… as if they concealed something mysterious behind their darkness.
Sera (flustered):
"Oh… of course, of course, just a moment… but why?"
Rina, slyly, leaned into her ear and whispered:
Rina:
"Didn't you know? He's marrying you today.
He said: I dreamt of her last night… I liked her…
So he stopped the bus for her!"
Sera's face flushed deeply, she pushed her sister's shoulder in embarrassment, then looked back at Aiden, who calmly returned her card…
But her hand remained suspended, rigid, as if her nerves had forgotten how to move.
Mother (laughing and whispering to the girls):
"Wake her up… she's lost in his features!"
The bus engine roared again, and the bus resumed its movement through the city of Izora, where everything suggested the story had just begun…
At that moment, as the bus made its way into the city of Izora,
Its engine emitting a soft hum like a faint heartbeat,
Aiden's motorcycle roared from behind, strong, sharp, cutting through the dawn's silence.
It was as if the entire scene was a harmonious electric guitar performance…
The first string: the bus's roar.
The second: the motorcycle's screech.
And the third: a faint heartbeat that began to quicken when their eyes met.
The sound of metal and air, the sound of the police's footsteps, the sound of the sigh that escaped Sera's chest without her realizing…
Everything seemed to play the symphony of the first encounter.