Serenay Moon
Special
XVI: Don't hide your tears, little star
©2001 Kitty Ocean
He snapped up, bathing in sweat. He looked aside and noticed he was still in his bedroom. Moka stepped out of his bed and walked at the bathroom to take something to drink. He noticed the time. It was 8 a.m. 'Great,' Moka thought, 'Now I won't be able to sleep any more.'
He walked through the cold empty house downstairs. He looked around and saw that his brother didn't come home again! Moka also remembered why his parents weren't here: they were on an expedition to find some lost city.
Moka poured some milk over the Cornflakes. Being all alone in the holidays wasn't very joyful. He was actually eager to go to his new school that would start within a month. This would be his first time he would go to a school and actually stay! His father promised him that when they would come back, they would stay in that town at least till Moka graduated.
Moka turned on the radio and listened to the music. Whatever the happy tune was, he couldn't shake of the nightmare he had before waking up. He saw himself sitting in a plane and then suddenly there was a blinding light. But even through that blinding light he saw a black figure. It felt evil, very evil.
Suddenly the kitchen door cracked and opened. Moka took an extra bowl. "Well, just in time for breakfast." He sarcastically sneered. "What girl kept you away from home this time? Mom told you to be at home each night for me! Do you want me to tell her that...." But then he noticed his brother's pale face. "Something happened? Did you get into trouble again?" Then his brother grabbed him and hugged him. "Okay!" Moka gasped. "Getting a wrong idea here!"
His brother then let him go. "Moka... I... Mom and dad.... I just heard it."
"Heard what? Did they call you on your mobile phone?" Moka looked questioning.
"Their plane... vanished." He finally managed to say.
Moka let go of the bowl he had been holding and it crashed on the floor into shards. Then his brother hugged him again.
"The police told me that there has been no communication since last week." He cried. "Nobody knows where they are. Their plane simply vanished into thin air."
Moka's eyes stayed dry. "Did... they crash?"
"They don't know!" His older brother exclaimed. "They started a search expedition, but so far no luck."
"Great," Moka started, "an expedition looks for the expedition."
"How can you stay so cold?" His brother asked. "Mom and dad may be dead!"
"They shouldn't have left anyway." Moka walked out of the kitchen to his room and lay down on his bed. Then his brother came in. "Leave me alone Denko." He said. "This is just a nightmare and I want to wake up."
Then Denko saw his little brother started shaking. He laid his hand on him and sat down next to him. "It is not... and you know that." And together they cried.
3 weeks passed and Denko and Moka waited for any answer from the expedition crew. However, it remained silent. 3 days before Moka's new school would start, Moka found a letter on the table.
'Dear Moka,' It started, 'I can't wait any longer. I'm going to look for mom and dad myself. Don't worry, I'll take care of myself. I know you can. You were always more mature then I will ever be. Some day I will come back, with mom and dad. Much love from your brother, Denko.'
Moka felt anger burning inside. How dared his brother to leave him too! Now that he needed him so much! "I won't care about any one any more!" He yelled. "I don't want to get hurt any more!"
3 days later Moka came to his new school. He walked cold-hearted in the school and walked into the principal's office. She was nice sweet old lady with too much gentleness. "So you are Moka! Welcome! Congratulations on your 14th birthday! Yes, I know your birthday was yesterday, but it's the thought that counts. Had a nice day with your parents?" Moka nodded. Nobody had informed the school of his parents' disappearance. "Great! I'll take you to your class."
She led Moka outside and towards a class. "Mister Howards, this is the boy I told you about." She said and left again.
"Welcome." Mister Howards said. "Why don't you introduce yourself to your new classmates?"
Moka nodded and took some chalk. "Hi, my name is Moka." And he wrote his name on the blackboard. He looked around and saw friendly smiling faces. He saw 2 giggling girls; one with brown hair and blue eyes and the other had a dark skin with 2 braids. Behind them was a boy with red hair that snored softly. Next to him sat a young girl with soft orange hair and bright blue eyes.
Mister Howards pointed to the girl. "There is a seat left behind Mika, you can sit there." Moka stepped towards the girl and looked carefully at her. He saw her smiling and he smiled back. She then hid her face in her books and Moka took a comb to comb his hair. This girl seemed very nice. He hadn't seen her before, but he somehow knew that he had to get to know her better. Moka suddenly stopped combing. "No feelings!" He softly whispered.
At that moment Mister Howards slammed his ruler on the red haired boy's desk. "Mister Stevo! Wake up or leave!"
After school Moka walked outside. For a first day at school, it wasn't that bad after all! He remembered Mika's sweet smile. Mika. He remembered her name. It looked so much like his. But Moka smacked himself. No feelings, he had promised himself that. Then he saw Mika walking. He thought for a moment. "But asking for homework would be all right." He said and ran after her.
That evening Moka opened the door to his house. Mika cried at his shoulder. "I... I can't believe it!" She cried. "Mom... dad... gone!"
"Do... you want something to drink?" Moka carefully asked. Mika shook her head. "Something to eat?" Mika shook her head again. Moka sat down next to her. "Ehm... you can stay here tonight if you want..." He suggested.
Mika then hugged him and tried to smile. "You are so sweet." She sighed.
The next day Moka brought Mika to school. He didn't want to go to school himself. He walked to the place where Mika's house had been. He walked through the ash and black walls. Moka ignored each safety line and walked further. "Why am I here anyway?" He asked himself. "I didn't know them and I don't know Mika either!" Then he noticed a picture. He whipped the ash away from the glass. He saw a picture of a beautiful young woman, a young man and a small Mika. For a moment he saw resembling with a picture he had in his own house.
Moka kneeled and looked at the picture. "I won't cry!" He said trembling. "I won't cry!" Then he saw a black figure standing in the doorway. "Who are you?" Moka demanded to know but he simply vanished. Moka then remembered his nightmare. "It was him!" He exclaimed and the realised something else. "Mika!" He then yelled and ran away. "Her parent's weren't the target, it was Mika!" Moka thought. "That person tried to kill Mika!" He grabbed some flowers and ran to the house of Kem, one of Mika's friends.
Kem opened the door. "Moka?" She asked. "Can I help you?"
"Is...Ehm... Mika here?" He asked.
Kem nodded and let him come in. Moka offered Mika the flowers, knowing it was only a poor excuse to come near her now and to be certain she was all right. She was, not knowing that it wouldn't be Mika who would disappear, but her friends.
After Mika's friends also vanished, Moka decided he would take care of her. His teachers wondered why he was doing so badly at school, even though his past school results were awesome! They didn't know that each night Moka tried to find a way to find Mika's friends or his parents. Each night he e-mailed with his brother and shared his pain. But his eyes stayed dry.
After a few months, Mika was doing a bit better again. She didn't know that Moka was doing so poorly at school and she also wondered where his parents were. "Moka." She asked one day. "Where are your parents?"
"On a journey." Moka coldly replied.
"Oh." Mika sighed. "When will they come back?"
"Never."
"Never?"
"Yup, they thought finding some ancient pile of rocks was more interesting than staying here." Moka snapped.
"Do you talk to them?" Mika asked again.
Moka turned away. "They don't bother to tell me they are all right!"
Mika revealed a picture. "I found this in a drawer." She softly said. "Are these your parents?"
Moka gasped when he saw the picture. "Where did you find that?! Give back!" He screamed and grabbed it away.
Mika swallowed. "I remember their faces." She whispered back. "They are those scientists from that Xeos Expedition, right?" Moka didn't reply. "The one where the plane from vanished?" Moka took the picture and held it close to his heart. Mika saw him trembling and she hugged him. "It's all right. Cry. Let it go. It's all right."
And for the first time in 6 months, Moka cried for the loss of his parents. Mika felt his sorrow and it remembered her of her own parents. And she cried too.
The end.