That day, the sky was so clear it looked as though it might crack like a winter lake.
"So cute, Ay. I miss Blue now."
Ayla beamed, wholeheartedly agreeing with the short-haired girl beside her about how adorable the pitch-black creature in the photo displayed on the phone screen was.
"Want to stop by? Blue would be so happy if you came over."
"I don't think I can right now. I have to help Mom tidy up the house for the neighborhood gathering tonight." The short-haired girl puffed out her cheeks, pouting just at the thought of the work her mother would give her. "How about tomorrow afternoon? I'll bring Namu too," she said excitedly, earning a light nod from the girl walking beside her.
"Wow, great idea! Blue hasn't seen Namu in a long time either, right?"
The two girls in white-and-gray school uniforms stopped in front of a house, greeted by the furry black creature who had just been the subject of their conversation at the gate. Ayla grinned when her pet cat immediately approached and rubbed its round body against her legs.
"Good afternoon, Blue. We were just talking about you," said the short-haired girl, quickly crouching down to stroke Blue's thick fur. "I'll bring Namu over to play tomorrow. It's been a long time since you and Namu played together, hasn't it?"
The black cat meowed, purring softly as its head was stroked, as if it understood what its owner's friend was saying.
"See you tomorrow, El. I'll be waiting for you and Namu." Ayla waved as Elzira said goodbye. "All right, let's go inside! I'm starving. What did Mom make today?"
The small pitch-black cat in Ayla's arms meowed, as if answering the girl's question. She immediately said a delighted “Oh!” with her lips rounded.
"Mom bought you a new-flavored snack? Ah, I'm jealous! Mom seems to love you more, doesn't she?" Ayla grumbled.
Blue meowed once more before jumping out of Ayla's arms, its tail swaying as it ran toward another room. Ayla giggled when she saw it. Her clever cat was definitely going to find Ayla's mother and nuzzle her adorably.
After climbing the stairs, the seventeen-year-old girl entered her room and immediately changed out of her uniform into a short-sleeved white T-shirt and knee-length jeans. Ayla checked her phone for a moment, shrugging when she found not a single message she considered important.
Ayla left her room again and headed straight for the kitchen. Her smile widened when she saw the food that had just been reheated on the table.
"Mom!" Ayla called brightly, hugging the middle-aged woman who had just finished setting down the plates.
"Wash your hands first," said the long-haired woman, her smile gentle as she affectionately stroked her daughter's head. "You came home early today. What's up?" she asked, glancing at the wall clock.
"Oh, we've been dismissed from school until there's some progress in the case at Tribakti Hospital. They said it was for everyone's safety, and no one is allowed to go out at night. Did Dad tell you the details?" Ayla asked while washing her hands at the sink.
"It's not a vacation; you're studying at home. That case isn't your concern, Ay. Kids should just focus on studying and playing."
Ayla snorted at Mom's answer. Well, what else could she expect?
Not wanting to think about the case that had caused her school activities to be suspended, Ayla started spooning food onto her plate instead, enjoying Mom's signature stir-fried water spinach with shrimp paste and fried tempeh. Mom had a point. The problem had nothing to do with Ayla.
After finishing lunch, Ayla hurried back to her room after washing her own dishes. She happened to see Blue curled up on the stairs, asleep.
The previous night, the final episode of the anime Ayla had been waiting for had aired, so she planned to watch it today, now that she had more free time.
Two days earlier, a mass murder had taken place at Tribakti Hospital. None of the nurses, doctors, patients, hospital staff, or patients' families who had stayed overnight to accompany them had survived. They had all died with their stomachs ripped open and their internal organs spilling out. The incident hadn't been recorded by the security cameras. For some reason, every surveillance camera had shut down when it happened. There were no witnesses, since the entire security staff had also lost their lives.
The news shocked the entire country and left everyone worried. Because of the incident, Ayla's school had been dismissed until the authorities captured the culprit or guaranteed the public's safety.
Ayla's father happened to hold a fairly high position at Badan Intelijen Nasional, so he was extremely busy and still hadn't come home. Though she was worried by the tense atmosphere, Ayla couldn't do anything except follow the rule against going out alone at night.
"Besides, I never go out at night anyway."
Ayla spent the day in front of her laptop, watching an anime that was the talk of the town because it was based on a famous novel. She had already read the novel, so of course Ayla hoped the animated versions of her favorite characters wouldn't disappoint her.
The girl only stopped when her stomach began to growl and she went to the kitchen for a snack. Ayla didn't see Blue on the stairs. Maybe it was playing in the backyard, keeping Mom company while she pulled weeds from her flowerpots.
At exactly 5:30 p.m. WIB, Ayla finally closed her laptop because Mom had reminded her for the third time that she needed to take a shower.
Ayla came downstairs after showering and drying her hair. It was almost six when she joined her mother in the kitchen.
"What are we having for dinner tonight?" Ayla asked, peeking into the steaming pot in front of Mom. She smiled as she inhaled the aroma of the soup, which instantly made her stomach growl.
"Dad's coming home. Can you help Mom make an omelet?"
Ayla immediately gave a salute and hurried to carry out the order. Her father loved omelets. No matter how many dishes Mom put on the table, if there wasn't an omelet, Dad would start a whole drama about how nobody in his house loved him.
"Oh, Mom, I haven't seen Blue all day. What if he went out to play and hasn't come home yet?" Ayla asked after setting the plate of omelet she had made on the table. Of course she was puzzled because her cat hadn't appeared at all.
Blue usually purred near the kitchen door while Mom was cooking and would get up when Ayla came over, rubbing against the girl's legs. But since earlier, Ayla hadn't even heard a sound from him, let alone seen him.
"Blue? What do you mean? Is there a character named Blue in the cartoon you watched today?" Mom frowned when she heard Ayla's question, staring at her daughter, who stared back with an expression that clearly said, Don't joke around!
"Not a cartoon, Mom, an anime—but never mind! Where is our cutest cat in the whole world, Mom?" Ayla asked again, slightly annoyed that her mother was fooling around.
"What are you talking about? We've never had a cat. Come on, go open the door. Dad's here!"
Mom's answer left Ayla silent as she tried to remember what date it was. It wasn't April Fools' Day, and it wasn't Ayla's birthday either, so why was Mom joking like that?
"That joke isn't funny, Mom. I'll look for him myself later! He's probably playing at the neighbor's house across the street," Ayla said as she hurried toward the front room and opened the door for her father, who had just arrived with a tired look on his face.
"Ayla, the most beautiful daughter in the whole world!"
Ayla let her father hug her tightly, as was the man's habit whenever he came home from work. He said hugging Ayla and Mom restored ninety percent of his energy. The rest would be restored by an omelet.
"Mom's cooked, and I made an omelet too. Go take a shower, Dad, and then we'll eat together. I'm going out front." Ayla pulled out of his embrace. The growing darkness meant she had to hurry to find Blue.
"Why are you going out front? You know you're not allowed to go out at night, right? There hasn't been any progress in yesterday's case, so the situation is still dangerous."
Ayla shook her head. "It's not that late yet. It's only six-thirty. I just want to look for Blue for a minute. He's probably courting the cat at the house across the street."
"Blue? What's that? Why would he be courting the neighbor's cat?" Dad frowned, his expression the same as Mom's. He clearly didn't understand what his daughter was saying.
"What's wrong with you and Mom?! It's not my birthday today, so stop messing with me and making such exaggerated jokes. And why pretend you don't know Blue? If you want to tease me, you could use some other method!" Ayla pouted, unable to understand why her parents were acting so annoying.
"Pretend what? I really have no idea what you're talking about, Ay. Is there something I've missed these past two days? You have a cat named Blue? Why didn't you tell me first?"
Ayla was speechless. This time, her heart began pounding violently as she grew afraid of the 'joke' her parents had made together. Blue had lived in this house for two years. In fact, Dad was the one who had found him injured in front of the neighborhood and decided to take care of him.
Why were they using Blue to prank Ayla?!
"That's taking the joke too far, Dad. Mom too. Anyway, I'm going to look for Blue first!" Ayla said as she walked past her father, pouting over her parents' unpleasant teasing.
She pressed the doorbell of the house directly across the street. It was the only house around here that had a cat, and Blue sometimes played there.
When a young woman opened the door, she smiled at Ayla in greeting.
"Ayla? Come in. You want to play with Aren, right?"
"No, sis!" Ayla answered quickly. "I'm looking for Blue. He came over here, right?" she asked, craning her neck slightly to look inside the house, hoping Blue would hear her voice and come running out. But the one who hurried toward the door was Aren, a large orange cat that immediately meowed in greeting at Ayla.
"Blue? What's that?"
The woman's question made Ayla's body go rigid as she began to worry about the 'joke' everyone around her was playing. Why was the neighbor across the street asking what Blue was too?!
"My cat, sis. His name is Blue!"