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2024-10-29 19:42:56The downtown square is one of Zack's favourite spots in district one, he's always loved visiting this place since he never had anything special to do. When he got out of his father's car when he arrived, Zack looked around, which still looked the same crowded since he had left two weeks ago. Their purpose in visiting the city centre is because his father works in one of the shops in this place and Zack can also be free to buy necessities for the almost finished house.
"Don't go far from the city market, okay? You made a promise to Dad, so don't break it," Father warned his only son again, to which Zack immediately nodded. "Before three o'clock, you have to be back here," he added again, Zack just nodded again so his father wouldn't worry.
"Any more messages?" Zack asked with a mischievous smile once his father stopped making a sound. Zack thought the message had run out because he was just about to turn around so he could leave immediately, but his father held him back.
“Zack, are you sure it's okay to go around alone? You can wait at the shop if you want, we can go shopping together after Dad's work is done."
Zack could easily catch the worry from the look in his father's eyes, seeing that made Zack sigh and then smile. The man didn't need to worry too much because even before asking for permission this morning, Zack had already thought it through—whether or not he should go to town. Even Zack has also anticipated all the possibilities if he comes along.
Suppose you must wait at the tavern until your father's work is finished. In that case, the man will die of boredom because there's nothing he can do, so Zack volunteers to help find the needs of the house so he can also take a short walk around the centre city.
His smile still hasn't faded, he wants to tell his father that he believes that he will always be okay. "I'll be fine, you don't need to worry. I will come to the tavern in one piece before three o'clock in the afternoon, so dad, don't worry," Zack said to his father. He intended to eliminate all existing worries.
With just that, his father nodded. Zack immediately said goodbye and then disappeared in the middle of the downtown crowd. Moreover. It's impossible, isn't it, if Zack has to follow his father continuously while he's here. Hence, he leaves while waiting for his father's work to finish. He also promised that he would not mess up in this place.
Today was Wednesday—Zack had looked at the calendar this morning, so it was no wonder why the town's market square looked more crowded than on other days today. Not only is it packed with visitors, but every corner of the city is taken over by many stalls selling various flowers, fruit and vegetables, pastries, cured meats, and many more, some of which you can't find. Zack mentioned them one by one.
Because there are so many things being sold here, Zack is interested in buying something, but he is pretty self-aware because he remembers that he forgot to bring a penny of his own money, so he can't use anything, Zack also forgot to ask his father earlier.
He holds some bills, but he must first use them to buy things at home. Zack has to be trustworthy because he wants to take responsibility for shopping. In the end, the man could only look around while buying the necessary items one by one as well as the food. Zack didn't need to rush because the day was long.
After he was satisfied enough to see the beautiful flowers displayed in front of the stall, Zack went back around to remember every place he hadn't been to in a long time. Even though the count of his family moving out of town was two weeks, it somehow felt like it had been a long time. Even though he rarely interacts, Zack always likes to visit the town square because many things can attract his attention.
He had visited a fruit stall to buy because his mother wrote fruits on the order list that Zack had to buy. As long as he believes Zack keeps his hat down so no one can see his face, he has to be extra careful when he's in an open place that's crowded with visitors, for sure, Zack's identity can't be recognized.
"Thank You." Zack took his shopping bag and immediately bowed politely to the seller.
The man walked back and no longer stopped by the stalls, he thought he could shop later because it was still early. In the end, the man just followed where his two legs wanted him to go, he just resignedly walked according to his instincts until he subconsciously began to move away from the town square towards the housing complex where he had lived long ago. After this, he would have to apologize to his father for disobeying orders not to go too far.
Zack still felt that he was violating orders. He looked at the sturdy building dominated by a dark brown colour. That place had been the most comfortable shelter for his family for many years. Sometimes, Zack can't lie to himself that he misses this house because there are too many memories in it. Moreover, all the memories of his childhood are stored there.
The house is still vacant, meaning no new owners have occupied it. Zack hopes that whoever will occupy the place will continue to take good care of the home. Hopefully, his old house will still stand firm until he is old so that every time Zack visits the city, he can still see it, even if it's only from afar, it doesn't matter because for him it's more than enough.
Zack turned as soon as his ears caught the sound of footsteps approaching from a distance not far from him at this time, apparently several people were coming from the right, looking like they just wanted to pass. However, the boy immediately took swift action to retreat and lowered his head when they passed him by.
The hat he was wearing again was lowered deeper when the surroundings started to get busier, this was done to block people's eyes from being able to see his face. Zack had said not that he had to be careful when he was in a crowd. Still, he had to avoid interacting with everyone, especially those who happened to know him already.
There must be a question about why Zack should avoid them if they already know each other. Not that it would be better to get to know each other so that on this visit he could meet old friends and in the end be able to chat again together.
Unfortunately, it can't be that easy.
There is an underlying reason why Zack has to avoid many people. The answer is still closely related to the father's earlier concern and the basis for his family moving from the urban district to one of the tiny houses near the forest.
All of that was done by his parents because they said they wanted to protect Zack from the mouths of evil people. They chose to stay away from crowds, closing interactions with many people, because too many of them had hurt the man by calling him a monster.
Only because he is different from most kids his age.
Because Zack has an ability that not all of them have.
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Doppelgänger 03. Unsuccessfully Saved
There used to be a story about a child who was born to coincide with the presence of a full moon. The time of his birth missed far from what had been predicted by the previous doctor, the baby was born faster than it should have.On that night, the full moon was shining very brightly as if its light was an absolute marker of the birth of a little son from two happy parents because the couple could only have children after their marriage touched the fourth year of marriage. However, no one knows that it turns out that the full moon is also a sign that the birth is not an ordinary birth like babies in general. The little boy is blessed with a unique ability that was never expected.A few moments after birth, instead of crying loudly like babies. The baby smiled broadly as if someone was joking with him then. Realizing this strangeness, at first, the nurses were still regular, but the baby still didn't cry hours later.As a result, the nurses did various ways to make him cry because she
Doppelgänger 04. The Doppel
The incident appears in the head like a roll of film that rotates once without the aid of a tool. From his point of view at that time, Zack saw from the top of the stairs how grandma fell and lay down there. In the end, the household assistant soon came out because he had heard a loud sound from outside the room.But no matter how fast he moved, the grandmother still could not be saved.Zack was still trying to persuade his mother that day with a face full of requests. "Yes, mom? Let's stay here, okay?" Zack feared what he saw would become real because he had a strange feeling about his grandmother that he couldn't shake off.Zack was distraught at that time.Hearing his nonstop whining, finally the father came closer, holding each of his son's shoulders and then looking at him intently. "Tomorrow, Dad still has to work, and you also have to go to school. Just postpone the stay to next week, okay?”"But, I-""Dad, we promise to stay here next week," interrupted his father with a sever
Doppelgänger 05. Vision of Death
While waiting for Dad to finish all his work, Zack spent the remaining time visiting a park near the city market. Zack had also informed his father because he thought he would look for me later, so as not to cause concern, Zack chose to tell his father about his current position.Zack chose a seating spot that was not easily reached by anyone's eyes. This garden chair was covered by a large tree and flowers around it, and its sitting position was also facing away from the crowd, so he was sure that no one would come near it.He didn't want to cause trouble if he encountered his old friends.Tamara : So, what have you been doing since coming to town today, Zack?Zack looked at his cell phone, Tamara's reply had just come, we had been exchanging messages since earlier because Zack suddenly wanted to tell her. Tamara has always been an excellent listener to every man's complaints.Zack : Not much, just walking around town and saw my old house earlier. Hopefully, none of my old friends wi
Doppelgänger 06. They're Coming
Ronald's mother thought that Zack was the mastermind behind the accident. She said it was Zack who deliberately caused her son to have an accident and die because Zack held a deep grudge against her son. Then everyone believed the rumour until finally, the school decided to call Zack's parents.So far, Zack has always hidden from his parents that he was ostracized at school. He always told them that he had good friends and was treated like other kids, his school years were going well and Zack was good at limiting physical contact so he didn't have to see what he shouldn't see.But all the lies were finally revealed after the call. Zack's parents learned that everything Zack said to them was a lie. Both are wrong, not even for one point.But Zack's father still defended Zack as best he could, he still said that Zack was not Ronald's killer and he did everything to make his son free from punishment. Zack's father didn't mind Ronald's mother wanting to bring the police to investigate thi
Doppelgänger 07. Dead, Lost, or Back?
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]Three days later.At the night's end, I walked in the middle of the forest while tightening the jacket I was wearing again. Now all I can hear is the sound of my footsteps echoing the silence of the night, as well as the rustling sound caused by the friction of my shoes against the dry leaves that have fallen to the ground.A gust of night wind often whispers too strongly in my earlobe to stop by. However, I ignored everything that was heard, my irises instead focused on circling, remaining on guard for whatever I might find."Calm down, Zack. You need to stay away from the crowds and find a place to hide temporarily, you can think about other matters later, the most important thing now is that you don't wander in the forest for too long, because at any time there will be wild animals that can pounce on you at any time," I whispered. to myself, trying to calm down even though, to be honest, I was terrified. In my heart, I keep reminding myself that I have to be
Doppelgänger 08. Quiet District One
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]What would you do if you accidentally got the chance to explore the forest alone? For those who are cowardly, they will immediately reject this opportunity, they will choose to stay in a comfortable room for one whole day instead of having to spend time doing something that they think is not important.But some people with the soul of an explorer will feel pleased. If they get the opportunity, they will explore further and take advantage of this opportunity to find more information while adding to the trip experience. Some will also capture every moment they can see as a symbol and a form of memory that they have gone there.I am one of the types of people who also like to explore. I want to look at nature, lying on the grass while gazing at the vast expanse of the universe through my irises. It's always been like that, I usually would go to the hills if I were feeling annoyed after school because of bullying by my friends. After moving house from the city, I al
Doppelgänger 09. The Telepathy
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]"Zack, did you hear?""Zack, it's Dad. Can you hear Dad's voice now? How are you? Have you reached the city and found a hiding place?”"Zack, why aren't you answering?"“Zack!”I woke up to the sound of a pounding heart so loud that it could be heard in my ears. My two nets immediately circulated the room and realized I was still in my old house. I dreamed of listening to my father's voice asking about my condition. Still, after he shouted, I was shocked and woke up reflexively due to too much shock."You awake, Zack?"As fast as lightning, I looked around again, the sound of my heartbeat grew more assertive because I felt scared after hearing that voice. I knew I was alone now, so how could I listen to a voice similar to my father's? Do these groups have the ability to mimic someone's voice until they sound so incredibly alike? If that's the case, they're likely using that ability to catch the people they're looking for. Approaches victims by sound, then grab t
Doppelgänger 10. About What it Looks Like
[ZACK'S POINT OF VIEW]Those black-robed groups were everywhere.I'm currently texting with Tamara, who lives in district three, the girl asked me if my district was visited by some unknown people who have black robes and I immediately replied to her message saying that they did come. Our message continues to this day, Tamara and I had to guess who the identity behind the black robe was, there were several presumptions that we each raised, but until now, we both couldn't find the correct answer.Tamara : Zack, I suddenly remember memories from a few years ago. Do you still remember when I asked you to see my doppelganger? At that time, I was too curious about how I would die, then you saw it. Do you still remember what you said to me at that time?I was silent for a long time as I read a line of messages that just came in from Tamara on my cellphone. My brain functions quickly to search for fragments of memories of what she said just now, I found them, then my hands became shaking aft
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37. News From Ditya
Haikal is a good person.It only took a few hours for Zack to convince himself that the man sitting beside him while playing something on his cell phone was indeed a good person.There was a reason Zack could say such a thing, and all of his reasons had been proven by his own eyes.First, when Zack accidentally realized that his late grandmother's house looked neat and clean even though it had been abandoned for a long time, Haikal told a story without being asked. He said that long ago, when he was bored, Haikal would come here and clean this house.Zack also just found out that his father knew this man. That's why Haikal could enter and exit the house easily. He had permission and a mandate from Zack's father to guard this house. Haikal was already very familiar with all the rooms in this house because he was the one who often cleaned them when he had time.Second, Haikal has always remembered Zack since the man came here. At every opportunity, Haikal would always try to talk to Zac
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36. Joint Decision
“If you remember, I used to cry because you didn’t want to be friends and kept avoiding me when I tried to approach you to ask you to be friends. Even though we were still little at that time and I had no other goal than asking you to be friends, you always avoided me—not only from me but also from the outside world.”Haikal spoke up again and tried to awaken some of Zack's memories about him that had been buried for a long time in his head. They had never been close before and had only met a few times, and it was just like what the man had said—Zack would always immediately move away whenever Haikal tried to approach him. That was why Zack couldn't clearly remember who the man in front of him was right now. Moreover, they had never chatted for a long time before, and Zack didn't have a good memory of him.By the way, it was no wonder Haikal knew that Zack was the grandson of the late owner of this house because he was an old neighbour of his grandmother."I just remember that your fa
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35. A New Person Named Haikal
Zack was still passive after the unexpected incident that had just happened a few minutes ago. The man was still in shock from what he had just seen with his own eyes, so it was extremely difficult even to make a sound. Plus, the man who had been the main focus of the incident not long ago was now sitting not far from him.They were currently still in the kitchen and sitting on the cold floor. The man had already offered Zack to sit on a chair, but Zack just shook his head and didn't make a sound to answer him. However, when the man again offered him to move and sit on the softer front sofa, Zack could let out his voice, which was full of annoyance.“Do you think I can sit on the front couch after just seeing someone die in front of my own eyes right there?” Zack asked sarcastically. Even if the man could pay closer attention, he could see how Zack’s body was shaking right now because he was so scared.The man grinned innocently as if what had just happened was something he had witnes
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34. Next Stop
District Two will be his next stop. Zack must stay at least a week before finally going back to district three. From the notes that Zack read from his father, it was like that. One week was a hiding time intended for children with special abilities when they arrived in one of the districts because every week, some of the Orions would go to the central headquarters so that the district environment would be quiet.Zack arrived on the eighth day, which meant he had to hide first to wait for the number of black-robed men to decrease.Zack finally started moving towards his late grandmother's house without waiting long. His eyes remained wide open to observe the surroundings, and his grip on the knife tightened. The sun was quite hot, shining down on the earth from above, which made Zack even more afraid because his father always advised Zack to be in the dark when he was in a crowded place where Orion might be in. Zack spent too much time on his journey, even though he could have arrived
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33. Easy Pass
It took Zack a day to travel from district one to district two on foot. If he had taken a vehicle, it would have been faster because the distance between the two districts was not too far, but Zack couldn't use any vehicle, so the special road from the map that his father had prepared was the only way for Zack to get to this district.The journey that the man had gone through was better than he had expected. Zack had already thought badly and made various plans if he ever met one of the Orion members. He had thought about how to fight and win the battle from them.But in fact, none of the black-robed men managed to find him. Was it because Zack was too good at hiding or because no one, or more likely, ever knew the secret path his father gave him because they failed to find the man?Zack couldn't guess which answer was the most correct. Being able to safely get to District Two was enough to make him grateful.There was no disturbance during his journey yesterday. The man only saw some
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32. Final Decision
“Brother Ditya.”Gaby's call made Ditya aware of all the things he was thinking about at the moment. Ditya once again forgot about the girl's existence because he was too busy with his own thoughts. However, since earlier, Gaby also seemed to be daydreaming and thinking about something, so Ditya didn't want to disturb her.“Brother, you don’t need to help me find Father.”However, what Gaby just said immediately disturbed Ditya. How could the girl say that she didn't want Ditya to help her when the man had promised her since yesterday?They would leave any minute now, but now Gaby was asking him not to help.“But, Gab—”Gaby shook her head quickly, interrupting the man’s words immediately. “I don’t want to ruin all the plans that Brother has made for a long time. Brother has prepared everything for a long time, and just because of me, Brother has to postpone some things, even though what Brother has to do is important. I don’t want to be an obstacle to all the tasks that Brother Ditya
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31. Gaby's Choice
Reminiscing about the past can be likened to sailing a river with a relatively strong current. Still, we are in a boat without any oars, which should be a tool to guide us through the current. Because there are no paddles, we can only follow how the current flows according to what they want, and we can't do anything other than follow it.If the current feels calm, then the memory we are remembering must have a pleasant enough background so that it doesn't need to make it difficult for us to navigate the current. Still, if the wind is too strong to be able to shake the boat, we are riding in several times. The memory that we are remembering is one of several memories that may be painful, so we need more effort to get to the end of the flow.It feels like we are forced to open an old wound that we have kept tightly in our hearts.And unfortunately, Ditya is now feeling that feeling.It wasn't just painful because the wound had been opened too big to tell Gaby some stories. However, Dity
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30. Ditya's Final Decision
"Then let's continue the story first." Niana smiled slightly and took a deep breath before finally continuing her story. "Just like I said earlier, my story will only be the beginning as a guide to other clues. After this, to learn more about our parents, you can study all the notes my father has left in his secret room and our parents' room. I never actually went to father's secret room, even though I knew the place by sight. Father always forbade me when I said I wanted to go there. I followed what he said even though I was curious about what father was hiding there—the secret room. “But, for Brother Ditya it's a different story. Father never realized that all this time Brother already knew about Father's hiding place, I myself have known for a long time but I chose to keep quiet, I thought maybe sometime Brother would share a story with me about Father's secret room because all this time Brother Ditya rarely keep any secrets from me. But it turns out that Brother himself never sa
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29. Niana's Little Secret (2)
"I'm starting to use my future-seeing abilities less because I don't want to lose my lifespan repeatedly. I don't want to die early because I still want to spend time with Brother."However, I also learned several facts I never knew through that vision. Especially regarding our parents' jobs... oh, yes, actually, father and mother already knew about this ability of mine, and they also advised me to stop using it because its side effects were too great.""Does that mean I am the only one who doesn't know? Why did you tell mom and dad about this secret, but never told anything to your older brother?"Niana shook her head quickly, disagreeing with what Ditya had just said. “I never told them, but they guessed it themselves. Moreover, at that time I was still small and I didn't think about keeping my abilities a secret, and at that time I invited the two of them to talk privately about their work, because from what I saw I felt that father and mother's work was too dangerous and I could a
