The once steamy cup of tea, with the aroma wafting through the air, is now sitting on top of the coaster, its smell diminishing.
Nova stared at the cup with disdain. It was her favourite drink for as long as she can remember. Her grandmother used to make a cup for herself and Nova, and would tell her stories about how her mom would go to work at the tea plantations to pick out the leaves and make a living from that. See, Nova didn't know her parents well. She grew up with her grandmother Pearl, whom she called Mom. And her real mom was someone that she idolised, someone that she longed to meet. When she was young, Nova dreamed that one day her mom would come and find her and whisk her away to the beautiful farmland she imagined her parents living in. Pearl would always rave about how pleasant the countryside is, and every morning, the place gets covered with a thick blanket of fog that adds a whimsy and a surreal feeling to the people who visit there.
It was green as far as the eye could reach. Something about the land there made the visitor physically feel all their worries dissipate into thin air; the refreshing, gentle wind blowing through the trees throughout the day is by far the best white noise machine ever. Pearl says she visited Nova's parents once. This happened a few months before Nova was born. Carl and Elisa, Nova's parents, had decided to give her up for adoption, stating that it would be impossible to raise the child with both of them working and their unforgiving working hours. And Pearl went and tried to talk them from doing so. She tried appealing to their parental instinct by asking them how they would feel if their baby ended up in a terrible condition. She told them they might regret giving the kid up when they see other families blooming with their loved ones. But nothing seemed to work.
This positively shattered the illusion Nova had that she might one day reunite with her parents. She might have seen them once, maybe, she can't remember. But from the stories that she heard from Pearl, she wanted to see them, she wanted to see where she could have been brought up, and not in the city with her grandma. Not that she isn't thankful for Pearl for taking her in, Nova knows that it had to have been the best outcome for her. She can't imagine being raised without her 'real' family, even if it only consists of one person who truly cares for her.
"It was a warm summer day, just like this," Pearl starts talking. "I had just woken up, but I had this feeling that something wasn't right. This... sinking feeling I couldn't just shake off." She paused to take a look at Nova and sighed. "Your mom called me the night before and asked me to come over, saying that she had given birth to a daughter." "I was so happy when I heard her say that, she almost sounded happy that she had you, you know," she trailed off. "I promised her that I'll be there the next day, I told her I will do her laundry, I will cook, clean, anything she wants, as long as she keeps you." "I promised her that I would also help her out financially, since that was something that she always complained about. She always said she didn't have any money."
Nova takes it in, trying to keep an open mind about all of this. She is wondering why her grandma decided to spill the beans and how she came to be her sole guardian at the crack of dawn, when all she wanted was a cup of tea to wake her up fully. She decides she'll just ask her the question. "Mama, why are you telling me all of this? Are you also going to kick me out now that I'm turning eighteen this weekend?. " Nova can't help but feel a bit sad. She feels like she's going to be betrayed by someone she thought loved her. Pearl just looked at Nova like she had grown two heads. "I.. What?? No.. That's not what I'm saying", she stumbled. "Nova, you're never leaving here. Unless you decide you want to." "I just need you to promise me that you will keep an open mind and listen to what I have to say. Hopefully, you will have your answers when I'm done". Pearl held her hand out for Nova to hold.
Nova sighed. She just wanted tea, but it was sitting on the coaster, untouched, and her grandma was motioning for her to drink it. Nova didn't want to. The tea was getting lukewarm already, and it seemed her grandma was nowhere near the end of her supposed story. She can make herself another cup in a bit, she told herself. "No mom, but please continue with what you were saying, sorry I interrupted you."
This made Pearl smile, "You remind me of your mom when she was younger," she said, smiling softly at the distant memory. "She used to be so polite and loving. I always wondered if your dad was a bad influence on her." "But no, it was all her. The morning after that phone call, when I went to make myself some tea, I heard a baby crying. I peeked through my peephole and saw nothing. But when I opened my door, I saw you. There was a little note she left with you that said she doesn't want any contact, and if I cared too much for the baby, then I should raise it." Nova felt her eyes burn with tears. She didn't expect her mom to be so heartless.
Pearl could feel tears forming in her eyes as well. She continues when she realises that Nova isn't going to say anything. "I'm not trying to make you hate your ma, you know, I just want you to know everything before you make your decision." Pearl sniffed. "I have something for you. Take this, it is your mom's address and phone number." "I believe she still lives there. So, take your boyfriend with you and spend your eighteenth birthday with your parents. You deserve to know them." Nova thought her grandma was going crazy. She shook her head no and was about to tell her off on how this is possibly the worst idea her grandma had. "No, no.. I insist. Listen, Nova, I understand that you're not happy with what I've told you. But you need to get closure. I know it's hard, honey, and I can't imagine the pain you're feeling right now. But please, do this for me. I'll be waiting right here when you get back to take care of you until I die." "Mom," Nova whined. "Don't ever say that, okay. I can't imagine my life without you," cried Nova.
"Okay, I understand. I won't say that again," Pearl said, smiling. She is way too young to be talking about death, Nova thought to herself. With a big sigh, Nova agreed to go see her mom. It was decided, she would leave the next day early in the morning to see what all the fuss was about regarding the climate there.
She sets her alarm for 5 the next morning, and she leaves with her boyfriend. They are jamming music on their way in the car, taking in the view, and smiling to themselves. By the time they reached the address, the happiness in them had multiplied. Nova was nervous about the first time she was going to see her parents. What if they didn't approve of her relationship? Would that even matter to her? She had all these questions and more that could only be answered by the people inside. They walked up to the front door, walking past the tea plantation that looked a bit messy, not that Nova would know what it would look like clean. Nova slowly raises her fist to knock at the door. A feeling of unease settling in her stomach, and she isn't sure why.
When no one answers the door, Scott, Nova's boyfriend, contemplates trying the doorknob. They look at each other, and Scott twists the doorknob. The door slowly opened with a creak. Never in a million years did Nova imagine she would be standing in front of her parents' house, forcing her way in because no one would let her in.
The couple slowly walks in the front door, feeling disturbed by the silence that surrounds the house. She smiles when she sees what appears to be her mom's diary and a dirty cup that has tea residue in it. They walk further into the house, hoping to make enough noise so someone would come to the door and let them inside. But no such thing happened. They keep walking into the house when a strange smell hits their nose. Scott looks at Nova questioningly and pushes open the door through which they think the smell is from, while Nova takes the diary in her hands and opens it to the last entry.
Her eyes skim through the texts, hoping she might find where her parents might be, or even what plans they had for the day. But all she sees are random names scribbled on it with the time and date next to it. This leaves a bad taste in her mouth.
Nova feels as though the walls are closing in on her. She tries to yell for Scott, but she can't find him. She went into the room where she saw him enter, but he wasn't there either. She calls out for him as she enters another room, wondering why her parents had such a nice house with the land surrounding it that also seems to be owned by them, but then complain to her grandma about having no money.
She doesn't get to think more on that, as she sees Scott stumbling away from the closet and heaving, motioning for her to leave the room. Nova peaks into the room to find red stains all over the grey carpet, and the closet that Scott opened has what looked like a human body just laying inside. She screams.
What happens next feels like an out of bosy experience for the couple. She can hear Scott calling the police and Nova's grandma to inform what is happening. Nova doesn't remember much about what happened, but when she gets home to her grandma, everything is clear.
Her parents are the most wanted serial killer couple, who are now on the run, would steal from their victims, and bury them inside their garden. The same tea plantation in which they would harvest every day and send some to her grandma and her. "The names in the diary are the victim's names, along with the time and date in which they were killed," the police explained to them. Nova thinks that it makes sense. She only wishes she wasn't the one who found them.
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