*Hey guys, I'm back with another chapter! Yay! This is published on April 30, 2021. If you guys like this chapter, don't be afraid to vote and spam the comment section. That would be greatly appreciated. The songs used are called "willow" by Taylor Swift and "What Hurts The Most" by Rascal Flatts. Warning: Heavy Themes with gore. Enjoy!*

Flashback:

Sirens were blaring through the streets while the caution tapes created a border around the crime scene.

What they find were the house crumbled into ashes and two dead bodies.

The news was all over the scene like it's the biggest shock to all kinds of animals. The reporters interrogated the cops, questions escaping their mouths without conscious thought placed into the situation.

While all that happened, a koala with glasses was wrapped in a blanket, cradling a baby koala with shiny blue eyes.

The police officer, who's a bull, approached the koala. "State your name, sir."

"Arthur Moon," The koala stated with a cough. He's covered in fire powder and smoke around his face.

"What happened here?" The officer asked while pointing to the house.

"My neighbors...Sheila and Milo...were--" Arthur coughed, his sentence interrupted. "--I heard they were in a fight. One minute there were screams...and then the next minute...the house was all up in flames."

"You called us because you heard a gunshot?"

"Yes...but after I called you guys...the house was set on fire," Arthur stated, shivering in the cold.

"Then...why were you in the house?"

"I-I was hoping to help Sheila...and her baby," Arthur stated while holding the baby in his arms a bit more tightly.

"Not her husband?"

Arthur shook his head. "He hit that woman so many times, officer. And there were bruises. She didn't want me to report it because it will result in further abuse. She couldn't run away from that...that animal. Besides, I couldn't save them."

The officer wrote down the notes. "And the baby?"

Arthur gazed down to see the baby smiling up at him with bright blue eyes. His heart instantly melted from that smile while looking up at the officer. "The baby is the only one I can save. He deserves the world."

The officer looked between him and the child to notice something forming between them. "We have to take this baby to the adoption center. If you like...you can adopt him there."

Arthur glanced up at the officer, a bit teary eye from both of the smoke and the words. "I would like that."

The officer nodded his head while clearing the scene.

Arthur glanced down at the baby koala, snuggling up against him as the people from the Child Protective Services obtained the baby from Arthur.

Arthur noticed the baby crying as the people were trying to calm him down. And the baby calmed down.

~.~

Meanwhile, on the other side of the city, a woman koala was breaking down crying. Her heart shattered into a million pieces once she realized that her baby was dead from her womb. She laid on the hospital bed, eyes full of tears while the doctors explained to her about the situation.

It was another miscarriage, no doubt about that. A missing chromosome and the fetus wouldn't develop normally. But, how could it develop normally out of wedlock? Even that scumbag of a man left her, she wanted to have a child. A daughter perhaps. A little girl she would love and nourish forever.

But that never came. The pink blanket was long discarded. That baby girl had moments before she could live and her breath went out.

Barbara Reeves couldn't bear this kind of pain. After a few days of recovery, she was sent back home...to her lonely home. It's only a small house in a bad neighborhood but it was never enough with tiny feet pattering around it. Her mind wandered into deep thoughts unknown to men and women alike.

It was one day that she found hope. She happened to be walking by a house, a nice-looking two-story house with a beautiful kitchen. There was a family of koalas, three of them to be exact. A mother, a father, and a little baby girl cradled in her mother's arm. The little girl appeared to be four months old, snuggling into her mother's chest as a source of comfort.

The woman koala looking in from the outside couldn't help but adore that little girl. Her mind was made up that day.

Barbara snuck into the house with a knife in her grasp. She was able to reach the master bedroom where the couple slept peacefully with the baby cradle across from them.

She placed the sharp edge against the male koala's neck, slitting his throat quietly.

The wife woke up to the sound of her husband gasping and choking next to her. Before she could react, Barbara stabbed her in the chest while covering her mouth for her to scream into her hand. The wife's eyes were full of terror, breathing heavily as Barbara twisted the knife around her insides.

The wife's breathing quickly ceased. When sure that she's dead, Barbara pulled out the knife, cleaning the blood off of it.

The baby wailed as she glanced over at the crib with the name embroidered on it.

Maya.

Barbara looked into the crib to see the pretty baby girl with blue eyes staring up at her in question.

Barbara put the knife away and picked up the baby, cradling her in her arms. She felt like she's holding her baby all over again, except for the baby's breathing and healthy. No more miscarriages...no more pain. Just her and her baby. Her baby Maya.

That day...Barbara changed her identity and buried the bodies underneath the rich house. She's not longer Ms. Barbara Reeves, the woman unable to give birth...she's Lilith Hart, the woman who had a child and was more than determined to keep her all to herself.

~.~

Present:

Lilith got off work earlier than usual, looking forward to seeing her daughter. Her sweet little smile, her sweet eyes staring up at her in innocence. Although, lately she's been rebellious...and she didn't like that. If only her daughter knew why she's keeping her safe from the world.

She knocked on the door. "Maya, I'm home!"

There's no answer, concerning her.

"Maya?" her mother unlocked the door herself and stepped into the big empty house. Looking around, her breathing became heavier. "Maya?!"

Panic started to rush through her as she began to run through the house, searching for her daughter.

"Maya!!"

Lilith began to search in her daughter's bedroom...only to find that she's not in here at all. She looked on the bed, around the room, and then under the bed until she noticed a box hidden in the shadow. She pulled the box out to find that it's a box for a smartphone. Her breathing became heavier as she opened it to see a sticky note.

Moon Theater.

Lilith's fear instantly turned into anger, storming out of Maya's bedroom while leaving the box behind on the bed.

~.~

It's been a few days since Ms. Crawly was hospitalized. However, Buster and Maya passed out the scripts to the cast and the new cast members.

"These are the scripts that you will be rehearsing from. Your names should be on the front cover. Remember your parts and we'll get straight into the practice," Buster instructed with a smile.

"Hey, yo, Mr. Moon," Dareel, the turtle, responded while coming up beside the koala. "Why am I a preacher?"

"You have a soothing elegant voice that would comfort somebody in sadness," Buster explained in the accordance with Rosita's notes.

The turtle chuckled a bit. "Comfort people. Ya realize that I rap, right?"

"Well, maybe you just need to get out of your comfort zone," Buster implied with a small smile at the rapper turtle.

Mike noticed his parts highlighted. "I still question why we have to name this character Mercuteo."

"It's Mercutio, sweetheart," Nancy corrected her boyfriend.

There's a brief awkward pause.

"Still...I don't get why we had to name him that," Mike responded while sighing heavily.

"Hey, Moon," Ash called while walking up to Buster. "You gave me one of the main leads."

"I know, isn't that great?"

"Well...yeah...but there's one tiny detail...I'm not an actress."

Buster smiled a bit. "I just told Dareel to get out of his comfort zone. Maybe you should too."

"Mr. Moon," Johnny uttered as he came up besides Buster and Ash. "I got the main leads."

"Yes, you guys are the main characters," Buster responded to both Johnny and Ash.

"But...I don't know how to act...I never took a class on theater," Johnny uttered in panic.

"I have!" Mike shouted, hearing the conversation.

"See? Mike will teach you all you need to know," Buster replied. "Besides, having a representation of interspecies romance is a great way to draw an audience in."

With that, the koala winked at Johnny and Ash and strolled off.

Johnny and Ash exchanged weird glances at each other while arching brows in confusion until they realized something. They glanced at the mice couple conversing with each other and then back at each other.

Buster and Maya gave the last of the scripts to a panda, hippo, and a parrot.

"I'm going to need your help," Buster replied while guiding Maya upstairs in his office, his office door open while he took out a blueprint so that they both could examine it together.

Meanwhile, Gunter was stretching his limbs with an excited smile with the panda next to him.

"See, Leonard, ya stretch like zhis. Does that make sense?"

"Yeah, yeah, hold on." the panda, Leonard, stretched his limbs until he heard a crack.

Rosita approached the scene with the ferret and a red parrot by her side. "So, you want to be able to comfort Montgomery, aka Johnny, in this part with your words flow."

"So, Dapper is a poetic type?" The ferret asked.

"For a gangster, yes," Rosita answered with a nod.

"Look, just because my name is TweetTweet, doesn't mean that I'm a logo of Twitter!" the parrot clarified in a squeaky voice. "Why can't I be a pirate?"

"Look, I understand, but you're a messenger for the Capitols," Rosita reassured the parrot.

The doors suddenly burst open and the group looked just in time to see an angry woman koala, striding down the aisle.

"Which one of you is Mr. Moon?!" the woman interrogated the animals.

Everyone's eyes widened while instantly assuming that this woman koala must be Maya's mother. The one that said she sang like a dying goat with bob-cut hair and angry blue eyes.

"Look, Karen," Mike replied in an abrasive tone. "We're in a middle of a rehearsal. We already had the slots filled."

"Which one of you is Mr. Moon?" the woman koala growled again.

"You're talking to him," Mike responded, referring to himself without even thinking about the consequences.

The animals turned to glance at Mike, arching brows in confusion.

The woman koala stormed towards the small mouse glaring at him. "Where's my daughter?"

"Uh...who?" Mike questioned with a brow raised.

"My daughter! Her name is Maya Hart! Where is she?!" the woman koala barked at the mouse.

The mouse flinched a bit but shook his head. "Geez, lady, couldn't you just have yell any louder?"

Rosita looked at this situation in complete fear.

Dareel, Leonard, Boba, and TweetTweet glanced at each other in confusion as to why Mike was pretending to be Buster Moon until Rosita whispered to them the situation. They nodded their heads in complete understanding.

Gunter watched the scene unfold while Nancy had her worries for her boyfriend.

Johnny and Ash noticed this scene from backstage as they slowly backed away.

The woman koala flicked her ears. "Where's my daughter? I won't ask again."

"Right behind you," Mike pointed behind her as she turned around. He sprinted away from the woman koala as fast as his little legs could go.

~.~

Buster's smile was stuck on his face for once in his life. In his mind, he could convince himself that both he and Maya were talking about theater and the musical and that's why he had that stupid smile on his face. It's theater! It's his passions and dreams but...he already accomplished them. Then what made him smile dumbly? His eyes would occasionally drift off and glanced over at Maya. He listened to her plans and she sounded more confident than she was when he first met her. She felt right at home with the theater gang and he couldn't help but be happy for her. However, there's something about her that just...made his heartache. Not in a bad way. Almost every time she'd go home, he didn't want her to leave so soon. He understood why she must go but...he couldn't help but ask her to stay. Stay with him and the theater gang where she can grow her confidence and self-esteem.

Buster would rather her stay in the theater where she'll be welcomed and loved for being her...not for her hair, her glasses, her talents, and other attributes she may have that he couldn't wait to see more of. A place of encouragement and bettering yourselves than ever. However, he knew that this was Maya's choice...and if he was Maya...he wouldn't go back home with a mother who always put down her spirits and her talents.

"Why don't you stay?" Buster found himself slipping up out loud.

Maya turned to him with a brow raised. "Huh?"

Buster blushed madly while looking at the blueprint. "I mean, why can't we just move this background from here...to there." He drew a diagonal line without even thinking.

"Buster...that goes out to the audience," Maya gently reminded him.

Buster blushed harder. Usually, the koala would know how to do this but...he's fumbling and bumbling like an utter fool.

The door prompted open in the lobby as Mike ran into the office and locked the door.

Buster arched a brow. "Mike?"

"Hey, Moonster," Mike greeted with a nod.

They heard the door pounding.

"Where's Maya?!" An angry woman voice shouted from behind the door.

Maya gasped. "Mother?"

Buster glanced at Mike. "What happened?"

"I may or may not have pretended that I was you," Mike responded, earning a pound from the door.

"Where's my baby?!"

Maya looked around. "Oh no, Mother must have come home early."

"Then we need to get you home," Buster determined. "Mike, distract her."

"Sure thing, boss," Mike responded with a nod as Buster opened a secret passageway behind the portrait, letting Maya in first. He went in after her.

Mike unlocked the door as he quickly climbed up to the desk and sat on the chair that was too big for him to sit on.

The woman koala opened the door while looking around the office. "Mr. Moon?"

"Right here, toots," Mike responded while trying to raise the chair up so that she could see him behind the desk. "Maya ain't in here."

"Then where is she?"

"Tell me about your social life," Mike responded while relaxing a bit.

"No."

"Okay, what about hobbies?"

"What is wrong with you? I'm here to find my daughter that you heartless people kidnap."

Mike almost burst out laughing.

Oh...if you only knew.

Meanwhile, Buster led Maya through the secret passageway of the theater that led them to the alleyway.

"I didn't know you have a secret passage," Maya replied with a smile.

"Well, I have lots of passages, this is just one of them," Buster responded while getting his bike ready and climbed on it. "Hop on."

Maya jumped on the bike as Buster rode away with Maya hugging around his waist. She rested her head on his shoulder, more at ease than she had been from a few days ago.

Buster noticed her head on his shoulder and her arms around his waist that his face was redder than a radish. From an outside perspective, it would look like he had a sunburn on his face but deep down, Buster knew that it wasn't from the sun. His heart soared that he felt like he wanted to fly. Maybe it's the thought of the theater. No! Buster couldn't lie to himself like this. With Maya's head on his shoulder, becoming more comfortable and confident around him, caused him to blush madly and scream internally.

He reached her house and stopped in front of the steps. He felt cold as soon as she let go of him and he didn't understand why. Without any thought, he got off the bike and faced Maya.

Both koalas were standing face to face, so much to say in so little time. Maya frowned at the thought of departing from Buster.

"Well, if I don't get in trouble from mother, I might be able to see you tomorrow," Maya replied while staring into his baby blues.

"If not...I can swing by before work...maybe bring you some coffee," Buster offered with a fake smile. "I'll try to be sneaky about it."

Maya giggled. "I don't want you to get caught. I don't--um--have a door for my room."

"I can try for the window," Buster replied with a smirk.

Maya giggled a bit more. "I don't know if that will work."

"Well, you never know until you try," Buster responded, earning a chuckle from both him and Maya.

They stared into each other's eyes as it felt like time and space were a void.

Buster broke off the stare when he felt his hand on hers. He realized that he did that without even thinking about it, holding her gently.

"Don't go," Buster had his words slipped off by accident but...deep down, he knew he meant it with all of his being.

"I'm sorry," Maya uttered sadly while hugging him, causing Buster to blush more now.

He hugged her back while having the urge to hold her and keep her away from that toxic place. He thought that she would hurry back in the house as he was about to let go until she still held him loosely around his waist. They stared into each other's eyes as Maya smiled a little and kissed him on the cheek. That caused him to let go while blushing like a fool.

Maya let go of him and hesitantly walked back into the house, shutting the door softly.

Buster frowned while he got back up on his bicycle to ride away. He went back to his theater, back into his office while noticing Mike gone along with Maya's mother. Mike must have done a good job distracting her and scaring her off.

Buster sighed heavily while sitting down on the chair while leaning forward on his desk, hand holding up his head while his arm was laid horizontally and fingers touching his arm slightly.

He sighed heavily while leaning back against the seat, staring up at the ceiling.

He heard rain drizzling on the rooftop while he gave another sigh.

https://youtu.be/OYPAM_XblG4

"I can take the rain on the roof of this empty house.

That don't bother me.

I can take a few tears and every now and then, and just let them out."

Buster looked back down on his desk to see a blueprint both Maya and him worked together on as he continued to sing:

"I'm not afraid to cry every once in a while even though

Going on without you still upsets me.

There are days every now and again

I pretend that I'm okay.

But that's not what gets me."

Buster spun around and looked up at the posters on the walls of everyone he knew and care about.

"What hurts the most.

Is being so close.

And having so much to say.

And watching you walk away.

And never when...what could've been?

And seeing that loving you is what I was trying to do."

Buster noticed a picture of him and his father as he picked it up and caressing lovingly on the portrait. With tears in his eyes, he still continued to sing.

"It's hard to deal with the pain of losing you everywhere I go.

But I'm doing it.

It's hard to force that smile when I see my friends smiling.

And I'm alone.

It's still harder getting up, getting dress, living with this unknown hurt in my heart.

But I know if I could do it over.

I would trade, give all those words unspoken that I saved in my heart.

That I left unspoken."

Buster put the portrait down and stared up at the drizzling rain hitting his window outside.

"What hurts the most

Is being so close

And having so much to say

And had to watch you die

And never knowing

What could've been

And not seeing that life ahead.

Is what I was trying to say."

Buster frowned while leaning back against his office chair, almost ready to burst into tears.

He sighed heavily while looking at the portrait of his father. "I wish you were here, Dad."

A soft knock came from the door as he saw a door creak open. It appeared to be Ms. Crawly, with a small cone around her neck.

"You sing beautifully, Mr. Moon," Ms. Crawly replied in a soft tone, which was healed from the hanging.

Buster had tears in his eyes as he jumped from his chair and hugged her tightly, holding onto her for dear life.

Ms. Crawly smiled warmly while hugging him back.

"I miss you," Buster uttered a bit tearfully.

"I miss you too, Mr. Moon," Ms. Crawly responded while rubbing his furry head. She looked around the room, trying not to turn her head too much. "Where's Maya?"

"She had to go home early," Buster responded, hugging her before breaking away to see Ms. Crawly in a slightly better condition than she was days before.

Ms. Crawly smiled softly again. "Are we ready for work?"

"I don't know, Ms. Crawly. Your condition--"

Ms. Crawly shook her head. "Forget my condition. I'm putting on a show with my favorite boss."

Buster smiled back and nodded at Ms. Crawly. "Okay."

~.~

Johnny and Ash were sitting in the sound room, reading scripts to each other while Mike watched. This time, they were trying without the scripts.

"Montgomery, what are you doing here?" Ash asked, reading off a script and was trying to sound concerned.

Johnny stuttered and stumbled over his words, trying to think of the line. "Bugger. I forgot."

"Don't worry, Johnny boy, these things take time," Mike responded while pulling out the script. "You were supposed to say 'I want to see you'. And you got to give it off as desperate and excited at the same time. Like you couldn't get enough of her. Try again."

Ash and Johnny cleared their throats and faced each other.

"Montgomery, what are you doing here?" Ash asked again, memorizing the script.

Johnny shifted awkwardly. "I want to see you." He tried to sound desperate and excited at the same time but it didn't sound...natural to Mike's ear.

"Why? You know you're not supposed to be here," Ash said with a bit of a gasp.

"But I can't help myself. I want to see you and be able to touch you and give you everything you ever wanted. I can't help but loving you and wishing you were mine," Johnny spoke passionately, shocking both Ash and Mike.

Mike slowly pulled up a script. "That's...a bit off script there, Johnny boy."

Johnny blushed madly. "Sorry. I was making things up."

Mike pulled a smirk at the corner of his lips coyly. "Sure you were. Speaking of making up things, I made reservations at this really elegant restaurant, are you free tomorrow, Johnny?"

Johnny shrugged while nodding his head. "Yeah. Sure."

"Cool. What about you, Ash?" Mike asked Ash.

"Yeah, I'm free tomorrow," Ash answered with a nod.

"Great, because I'm not. Enjoy your date!" Mike responded while waltzing out of the room with a proud smile.

Both Johnny and Ash looked at each other in more confusion.

"Did he just--?"

"Yeah, he did." Johnny cut off Ash's sentence.

~.~

The ferry was ready to leave. The mayor, who's a lion, was already boarded on the ship with Serpent as his assistance.

While Serpent was one of the mayor's assistants, he knew being an assistant will never be enough.

His rise of power was almost complete and he already had Chirea inside, posing as one of the waitresses in a huge banquet. Serpent and the lion mayor sat across from each other.

"I can't believe that D'acka was slaughtered heartlessly. She's just checking on the supplies," the mayor vented to Serpent, who tried to act in sorrow.

"It is a shame. D'acka was going to become mayor if you were ever deceased or impeached," Serpent pointed out, trying to act disappointed. "She would've been a great mayor."

"She would've been the first female," the lion growled but not intentionally at Serpent. "And this...this assassin, whoever it is, needs to be caught and punished."

"Oh, I do agree with your logic sir. But you don't know who it is," Serpent responded while Chirea snuck a pill in the bottle of beer while carrying the tray over to the lion and the snake.

"Thank you," the lion thanked Chirea without paying attention to her.

Serpent smiled coyly. "You know, sir, you were going to choose D'acka. Why?"

"D'acka showed leadership skills. She can make decisions within a blink of an eye," the lion replied.

Serpent arched a brow.

"I know you've been wanting to be mayor for a long time," the lion stated, looking at the snake. "I know that. I know you have a history with the Rattler family and you hated anyone who had an upper hand. It's funny that as soon as your brother is dead...you decided to take the inheritance."

"What are you saying, sir?"

"You've hated D'acka for a long time and she's dead now."

"And you think I have something to do with that murder?"

"I don't know, Serpent. Do you have something to do with it?"

Serpent chuckled at the lion's accusations. "I thought you trusted me, sir. Why would I murder my own brother? A filthy mongrel did it. Whoever that was. It was a tragedy of what happened to both Kobra and D'acka. And I don't hate them. I just want to be better than them but not to the point where I wish them dead, sir. It's something I can overlook and move on with my life."

"You have never gone to their funerals though," the lion stated further, watching the snake. "You never show sorrow or even the slightest empathy. You were always off somewhere and you even didn't drop by and pay respects."

Serpent stirred in his drink. "Oh sir, I do have empathy and sorrow for them. I didn't drop by because I wasn't close to them. You made their funerals monuments and millions of people join. Now you know how I feel about crowds. I don't like to get stepped on."

The lion sipped the beer from his bottle while staring at Serpent unflinching. "You know, Serpent, you're not going to fool anybody. I know that you have done crimes involving your brother and D'acka. I have proof."

"Proof?" the snake chuckled a bit. "From where?"

The lion slipped in the picture taken where the white wolves were surrounding a familiar snow leopard. And Serpent was with them.

"I hired a photographer to follow you wherever you go. She took some interesting photos," the lion showed more of where he's at the rooftop with Chirea, conversating.

"You mean this photographer?" a silky voice came in as Serpent and the mayor glanced over to see a photographer being strangled by the rope. Chirea smirked and dropped the dead photographer on the floor.

The lion looked around to see everyone slaughtered in the banquet. He glanced back over at Serpent in panic.

"You are very smart, sir," Serpent added while taking his sip from his Tequila. "But not very attentive."

The lion began to choke while falling over his chair, suffocating. He's trying to breathe while Serpent and Chirea glanced down at him.

Serpent looked up at the cheetah assassin. "Let's go."

He slithered away while Chirea looked at the suffocating lion. She took a deep breath in and out and walked away from the scene, leaving numbers of dead bodies inside of the boat.

When she got out of the boat with Serpent, they walked towards a vehicle waiting for them with the white wolves standing idly with dark sunglasses looking at Serpent.

"The replacement will take a while," Serpent responded while getting into the car. "But I will be chosen as mayor."

"I wouldn't get your hopes up--"

"Chirea," Serpent called as Chirea was almost ready to leave. "Since the mayor is dead. Here's the money. As promised."

Chirea saw a huge bag of coins as she put it in her backpack.

"Now...the theater is yours," Serpent replied with a smile while the wolves drove him away from the dock.

However, Chirea stood there and took out a letter she stole from Buster's office, rereading and skimming through the words again.

That theater was just as good as hers but then again, seeing the letter puts a whole new perspective on Arthur Moon. She looked at her hands to see blood staining her paws.

She remembered the moment she felt afraid the first time she saw blood on her hands.

~.~

Flashback:

"Pappa!" Young adult Chirea cried out. She's trying to charge towards the scene but was held back by people that she couldn't remember their faces. "Stop!"

Her father looked at her as his back was turned on Arthur Moon's, touching the koala's back. Both of them had guns in their grasp...both had their backs against one another.

"I'm sorry that it comes to this," Arthur whispered his apology.

"You've already brought this upon yourself, vriend(friend)," Chester growled.

The referee watching this was giving them both a signal about the duel. Ten steps forward, turn around, and shoot. Those were the rules. Simple at best but raises the stakes. Will her father come out of this alive?

Chirea was sobbing, shaking in her core while watching her father and Arthur taking their first step.

One, Two, Three, Four.

Chirea saw her father staring at her lovingly.

Five, Six.

Arthur tried to hide his sobs, shaking in his little body while holding the gun.

Seven, Eight, Nine...Ten!

Chester and Arthur turned around, firing their bullets but one bullet missed and the other made it through one of the men.

Chirea's cry became louder when she saw a hole through her father's back, his legs wobbling while falling over onto the ground. Chirea pushed the crowd aside and ran towards her father's body. She had her hands on his chest, trying to keep pressure on the wound but her hands became stained with his blood.

The cheetah glanced up at Arthur, who had a guilty look on his face while breathing heavily and dropping the gun instantly. He fled from the scene, eyes watered with tears.

She looked back down at her father, who's barely conscious. He caressed her face with a scared look in his eyes.

"Ek is lief vir jou, dogter(I love you, daughter)," her father spoke in a crack tone.

"Ek is lief vir jou ook(I love you too)," Chirea cried as her father drew out his last breath, instantly killing him.

Chirea's hands were trembling while cradling her father, letting out a painful scream. "Pappa!! Pappa!!" Chirea sobbed into her father's dead body as police sirens were blaring through the streets arriving at the scene while she held her father close.

~.~

Present:

Chirea gazed down at her hands, sighing deeply.

"Jy verdien beter, Pappa(You deserve better, Papa)," Chirea replied while looking up at the sky.

She began to stroll through the docks, getting away from the scene while sirens were blaring and arriving at the horrible scene.