Chapter 1

Zara Liayana, or Zara to those who knew her heart, held onto her childhood memories like a lifeline. Like any other child, she was a creature of the playground, raised amidst the high-pitched squeals and rowdy laughter of a sun-drenched kindergarten. Those days were a kaleidoscope of pure joy. Yet, one memory remained etched into her mind with startling clarity. It was a moment that first pulled back the curtain on a world far more complex than she ever imagined.

It was a golden afternoon. While the other children were occupied with jump ropes and tag, Zara’s attention was drawn elsewhere. There, beneath the sprawling shade of an ancient tree, sat a boy. He sat alone and apart from the chaos. His sharp gaze tracked every movement on the playground, yet not a single smile or stray laugh escaped his lips. He was a silent island in a sea of noise.

Zara paused as her curiosity piqued. Why wasn't he playing? Was he sad? Or was he just different? There was an aura of mystery clinging to him like a second skin. From that day on, her eyes drifted to the boy under the tree, though she never dared to ask why he stayed there.

One morning, as she watched him from a distance, two of her friends, Mira and Hana, approached her.

"Look at him, Zara," Mira whispered while pointing toward the tree. "He’s the new kid. He just started this week."

Zara nodded, her eyes narrowing in focus. "The new kid?" She watched as he remained perfectly still, seemingly indifferent to the world around him.

"He’s weird," Hana added as she leaned in close. "Super quiet. He doesn't say a word to anyone. He just sits there by himself, like he doesn't want to play."

Hana’s words only fanned the flames of Zara's curiosity. Something inside her, a small and persistent spark, pushed her forward. I want to know who he is, she thought.

As Zara drew closer, his features came into focus. He had a striking, ethereal look that seemed to be a blend of European and Malay heritage. His hair was a polished jet-black, contrasting sharply against his fair skin. But it was his eyes that stopped Zara in her tracks.

His left eye was a piercing blue, like the vast expanse of the ocean, while the right was a warm, golden hazel. The difference was so mesmerizing that Zara found herself momentarily breathless. She offered a small, tentative smile, but the boy remained as still as a statue.

His gaze snapped to hers. It was sharp and devoid of any warmth. Zara felt a small jolt of surprise at the intensity of it, but she didn't back down.

"Hi!" Zara chirped. Her voice was bright and full of spirit, trying to cut through his wall of silence. "I’m Zara. What’s your name?"

The boy shifted slightly, his eyes never leaving hers. In a voice that was low and unnervingly calm, he answered, "Aidan Reza."

"Your name is so unique! I love it," Zara said with bubbling excitement. "Why are you sitting here all by yourself?"

Aidan stared at her in silence. For a fleeting second, a flicker of something changed in his expression. Perhaps it was a ripple of confusion. He wasn't used to being seen, let alone spoken to. When the silence stretched thin and made the air feel heavy, Zara quickly changed the subject.

"You know, your eyes are incredible. I’ve never seen anyone with two different colors like that," she said, her voice genuine and full of praise.

Again, there was silence. Aidan looked straight ahead, his face a mask of indifference. Zara hesitated but pressed on. "I have lots of friends, and I’m always happy. I love talking to people. What about you? Do you have any friends here?"

Without waiting for an answer, Zara plopped down right next to him. Aidan flinched, startled by the sudden intrusion into his personal space. He instinctively scrambled a few inches away because his discomfort was radiating off him in waves.

"Oh! Sorry, I didn't mean to scare you," Zara said, her voice softening with guilt.

Aidan turned his head to look at her with a bewildered expression. It was as if he couldn't comprehend why she was still there. Zara couldn't help it; she let out a small, melodic giggle at his confusion.

"Why are you looking at me like that? You look so cute when you're confused," she teased.

Aidan remained mute. His face was a blank slate, cold and unmoving. Zara felt the sting of his icy demeanor, but she wasn't ready to give up.

"Fine, I get it. You don't want to smile," she said lightly. "But you should try it. It wouldn't hurt, you know."

Nothing. Zara wondered if he even knew how to smile. With a wide, exaggerated beam, she showed off her own bright, dimpled grin. "Like this! See? It’s easy!"

Aidan watched her. For the briefest of moments, something inside him softened. It was a microscopic crack in his armor. His heart hammered against his ribs even though his face remained as unreadable as stone.

Zara finally sighed, admitting defeat for now. Her mission to make him smile was a failure, but her resolve to know him was stronger than ever. She leaned in closer, her voice dropping to a whisper that was both tender and sincere.

"Aidan... do you want to be my friend?"

Aidan froze. His eyes widened as a rare flash of shock broke through his guarded exterior. In his short life, no one had ever asked him that. To everyone else, he was the weird kid, the quiet one, or the outsider.

Zara saw the change in him. She laughed softly, finding it endearing that such a simple question could leave him so stunned.

With renewed energy, Zara hopped to her feet and extended her small hand toward him. "Come on... let's go play together," she said with a radiant smile full of honesty.

Aidan stared at her outstretched hand. Slowly and almost hesitantly, he gave a small nod. It was a gesture that might have been trivial to anyone else, but to Zara, it felt like a monumental victory.

His small hand slid into hers. Zara gripped it firmly as she pulled him up from the dirt, helping him stand in a world that had never truly opened up for him before.

"Let's go," Zara said, her fingers laced tightly through his. She pulled him away from the shade of the tree, leaving behind the shadows that had sheltered him for so long.

As they walked toward the other children, Zara led the way with Aidan following close behind. For the first time in his life, he wasn't an observer. He was a participant, taking his first trembling steps into the meaning of friendship.

......................

Finally, for the first time in his life, Aidan had a friend.

Zara and Aidan became inseparable. They spent their days at the playground, shared their meals during recess, and were always by each other's side. The cheerful Zara never ran out of stories to tell, and Aidan was always her loyal listener. He remained the same quiet soul who spoke very little, but he would find his voice whenever it mattered, especially when Zara asked him something important.

Zara never questioned Aidan’s silence. To her, his mere presence was enough. There was something deeply comforting about the way he shared the world with her without needing many words.

However, that happiness was not meant to last.

A year later, the day Zara dreaded finally arrived. Aidan stood before her with an unreadable expression, but his tone was heavy with gravity.

"I am moving to Penang," Aidan said softly. "My parents have business there. We won't be coming back."

Zara’s world seemed to tilt on its axis. Her smile vanished, and her eyes began to brim with tears. "Are you really leaving?"

Aidan only nodded. "Thank you for being my friend. Even if it was only for a year."

Zara couldn't find the words to respond. Instead, she stepped forward and pulled him into a tight embrace. Her tears fell freely, soaking into his shirt. "I am going to miss you so much," she sobbed into his shoulder.

Aidan didn't know how to comfort her. His heart felt heavy, and a wave of guilt washed over him for breaking the heart of the only person who had ever truly welcomed him.

When her tears finally subsided, Zara pulled back and wiped her eyes. With a shaky but determined voice, she made a vow. "Don’t forget me, Aidan. Because I will never forget you."

Aidan watched her for a long moment before giving a slow, solemn nod. "That is a promise."

The moment Zara reached home, she threw herself onto her bed. Her heart felt hollow, and a deep sadness settled into her bones. She stared blankly at the ceiling of her room.

Even though Zara had many friends, none of them were like Aidan. His silence, the way he looked at the world, and those rare smiles made him someone she could never replace.

Zara sighed and buried her face in a pillow to stifle another sob. But then, a thought struck her like a lightning bolt.

Wait. Wasn't Aidan leaving tonight?

She realized she still had time. There was still a window to give him something to remember her by. With a sudden surge of energy, Zara scrambled off her bed and began rummaging through her room. She dug through drawers, opened old boxes, and scanned her bookshelves.

Finally, she made a choice.

She would give him a sketchbook, a pen, and a few of his favorite candies. She knew Aidan was talented at drawing because she had seen his sketches hidden in the back of his workbooks. She also knew he liked dark colors, so she chose a deep chocolate-brown box to hold everything.

Zara tied a small ribbon on top. It was simple but neat. She hugged the box to her chest, refusing to let it go.

"Mom! I’m going out for a bit! It’s important!" she shouted toward the kitchen before grabbing her shoes.

Her mother gave a quick nod of approval. Zara didn't waste a second. she sprinted out the door with the gift held tight. She knew where Aidan lived because he had shown her once. Even as the sky began to bleed into the colors of dusk, Zara kept running toward the house that might be the place of their final goodbye.

There was a small smile on her face with every step. She wanted their last memory together to be something special.

As she reached the front of Aidan’s house, she slowed down. Her lungs burned from the run, but her eyes searched the driveway.

A man, likely Aidan's father, was loading large suitcases into the trunk of a car. Nearby, a woman Zara recognized as Aidan’s mother was carrying more bags toward the vehicle.

Behind her stood three boys. They each held their own bags and wore identical, serious expressions. They looked remarkably alike with their fair skin and light brown hair, which stood in stark contrast to the boy standing further back.

Aidan.

Zara smiled when she spotted his jet-black hair, the only one of its kind among the siblings. Aidan seemed to be scanning his surroundings, searching for something or perhaps someone.

"Aidan!" Zara screamed. Her voice pierced through the chilly evening air.

Aidan flinched and turned toward the sound. His usually stoic face shifted the moment he saw her.

Zara kept running, the gift box still clutched to her chest. Her hair flew behind her, and a small smile played on her lips even though her eyes were still red from crying. She had to do this.

Aidan stood frozen as she approached. Zara was panting for breath but her smile remained. Before she could hand him the gift, her eyes drifted to the three boys standing near him.

They looked like triplets. They had pale skin, golden-brown hair, and emerald-green eyes, though one of them had eyes as black as ink. Their expressions were calm yet piercing, as if they were observing a suspicious intruder.

Zara swallowed hard, feeling a prickle of intimidation under their gaze. Still, she gathered her courage. "Hi. I am Zara Liayana. But you can just call me Zara," she said with a small smile.

The three brothers didn't react. They simply stared, as if they were measuring her worth from head to toe.

They looked like a cold blend of Japanese and Russian heritage. No smiles, no greetings, just a heavy, judging silence.

Zara felt a shiver of discomfort, but she kept her smile steady. She then turned her attention to Aidan’s parents.

His mother was standing by the car. She had dull brown hair and a porcelain complexion that carried an Eastern charm, reminiscent of a Japanese woman. Her eyes were a deep, kind black. When Zara approached, she offered a sweet smile.

"Thank you, Zara, for being a friend to Aidan," she said softly while patting Zara’s head.

Zara smiled back, feeling a bit more at ease. However, when she turned to Aidan’s father, the atmosphere changed instantly.

The man was tall and built like a fortress. He had light skin, reddish-brown hair, and a stern face with a sharp nose and bright green eyes. A faint scar ran across his cheek, marring his handsome features and adding to his intimidating aura.

He stared at Zara with a cold, serious expression and said nothing. His gaze was so intense that Zara reflexively looked down, her heart racing with fear. Despite the terror, she gave him a small, respectful nod.

Zara turned back to Aidan. Her smile faltered slightly as she held out the box filled with the sketchbook, pen, and candies.

"This is for you," she whispered.

Aidan looked stunned for a moment before taking it. He handled the box as if it were made of glass. He looked into Zara’s eyes for a heartbeat before speaking. "Thank you, Zara."

Then, a small smile touched his lips. It was a rare, beautiful sight.

Zara’s heart skipped a beat. The boy who was always silent and expressionless was finally smiling for her. It was enough to make her feel a rush of warmth and joy.

Suddenly, a loud "Hmph!" came from behind them. Zara jumped slightly and turned around.

Aidan’s father was glaring at them with clear dissatisfaction. He slammed the car trunk shut with a violent thud. The sound made Zara flinch and she looked back at Aidan with a confused frown.

Why is his father like that? she wondered. He seems so terrifying.

The man walked straight to the driver’s side and climbed in without a word. Aidan’s three brothers followed suit, their eyes never leaving Zara as they entered the car.

Only Aidan, Zara, and Aidan’s mother remained outside.

Aidan stepped closer to Zara and leaned down to whisper in her ear. "I am sorry about my father. And my brothers, too."

Zara looked up at him, their eyes meeting. She simply shook her head and smiled. "It’s okay. I understand."

Her sincerity seemed to put Aidan at ease.

"Zara," his mother’s soft voice interrupted. "You should head home, dear. It is getting late, and it isn't safe to walk alone. Your mother will be worried."

Zara nodded respectfully. But before she walked away, she gave Aidan one last, tight hug. "Don’t forget our promise," she whispered.

Aidan remained silent, but he returned the hug for a brief moment before she let go.

As Zara walked away, she turned back to wave. Aidan stood there, waving back with that tiny smile still lingering on his face.

On her way home, Zara couldn't stop thinking about Aidan’s smile. It was a small gesture, but it meant the world to her. However, as she walked, her own smile began to fade, replaced by a growing knot of confusion in her mind.

Aidan has black hair. But his brothers, his mother, and his father all have brown hair.

Zara stared at the road ahead, her thoughts drifting back to the family photo she had just witnessed. They looked like a family, yet Aidan stood out like a shadow in the light.

And his eyes...

The image of his blue and hazel eyes flashed in her mind. They were nothing like his family’s. One brother had black eyes, the other two had green like their father. His mother’s eyes were black too. But Aidan? To have two different colors was so rare and extraordinary.

"Could he be adopted?" Zara whispered to herself.

She shook her head, trying to dismiss the thought. But the questions kept coming. Was he not their biological child? Was he an orphan they were just looking after?

The thoughts felt too heavy for a child of her age to carry. A nagging feeling in her gut told her that something wasn't right.

"I am just overthinking it," she muttered, trying to soothe her own mind.

Lost in her thoughts, Zara didn't realize she had walked past her own house. She snapped back to reality when she saw that the street ahead was unfamiliar.

"Wait! I’ve gone too far!"

She quickly turned around and ran back toward her house. When she finally reached her door, she breathed a sigh of relief and stepped inside.

That night, as she lay in bed staring at the ceiling, her mind was still with Aidan. Before she drifted off to sleep, one final question echoed in her heart.

Who exactly is Aidan Reza?

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