Chapter 2
Episode 2
El padre de Hilara continuo: -No sera mucho tiempo,pero es necesario que vuestra madre y yo nos vayamos de este pais,para daros un mejor futuro. -Prometemos venir lo mas pronto posible por vosotras,solo estaremos lejos hasta que nos podamos arreglar los papeles y encontrar un trabajo estable,mientras tanto os quedareis en la casa de vuestros abuelos.-añadio la madre como si la voz se le fuera a apagar. A Hilara se le nublo la mirada y solo pudo decir casi en un murmullo. -Mama,prometo no pedir nada mas,por favor no te vayas.-Papa,te hare mas caso,no me dejes sola por favor. Tira solo podia sollozar en los brazos de su tatarabuela.Los padres de Hilara las abrazaron y les dieron un beso a cada una,aguantando las lagrimas y el dolor del corazon que sentian como si se les fuese a romper en mil pedazos,mientras que salian por el porton de la humilde casa de la tatarabuela. El porton se cerro,e Hilara sintio por primera vez el miedo,la impotencia,la incertidumbre y la sensacion del abandono que se adueniaban de todo su ser. Un minuto despues Hilara escapo de los brazos de su tatarabuela,descalza,llorando y corriendo por el largo callejon por el que se habian marchado sus padres con la esperanza de poder encontrarlos y convencerles de que si se quedaban les ayudaria en el trabajo o que por lo menos se quedaran una noche mas,pero...no habia nadie,sus padres ya habian desaparecido e Hilara cayo al suelo llamando a sus padre sin obtener respuesta. -Mama,papa?; y no hubo respuesta. Tira de tan solo 11 años e Hilara de 7 se quedaron esa noche abrazadas,juntas, en la una cama enorme y bonita,suave pero fria y vacia.Estaban en la casa de su abuela Greta donde sabian que no estaban bienvenidas del todo,las queria a su modo pero por el simple hecho de ser hijas de Lora las solia apartar de la familia,sobretodo a Hilara.Aun asi sentian un alivio,el hecho de tenerse la una a la otra,las endurecia y las hacia mas fuertes,tenian que serlo,ya que se habian quedado solas junto a 7 primos que no se agradaban ni entre ellos y una abuela que claramente hacia diferencia.
Hilara’s father continued, his voice a low rumble that barely disturbed the quiet afternoon air. "It won’t be for long, but it’s necessary that your mother and I leave this country to give you a better future."
His mother stepped forward, her own voice trembling as if it might crack. "We promise to come back as soon as possible. We’ll only be gone until we can sort out our papers and find stable work. In the meantime, you will stay here, with your grandparents."
Hilara’s vision blurred, the world around her turning to a hazy wash of colors. All she could manage was a choked whisper. "Mama, I promise I won’t ask for anything else. Please, don’t go." Her gaze shifted to her father, her small voice laced with desperate pleading. "Papa, I’ll listen to you more. Please, don’t leave me alone."
Tira, eleven years old, could only sob, burying her face in the scratchy fabric of her great-grandmother’s dress. Hilara’s parents embraced their daughters, pressing kisses to their foreheads, their own tears held back by a pain so profound it felt as though their hearts were shattering into a thousand pieces. Then, they walked away, their footsteps echoing softly as they passed through the gate of the humble house.
The gate swung shut, and in that moment, Hilara felt it for the first time: fear, helplessness, uncertainty, and a crushing sense of abandonment that washed over her entire being. A minute later, she tore herself from her great-grandmother’s arms, barefoot and weeping, and ran down the long alleyway where her parents had disappeared. Her only hope was to find them, to convince them to stay, to offer to help with work, or at the very least, to beg them to stay just one more night. But there was no one. Her parents were gone, vanished. Hilara collapsed onto the dusty ground, calling out their names, but only the silence answered her. "Mama, Papa?"
That night, Tira and seven-year-old Hilara lay huddled together, clinging to each other on a large, beautiful bed. It was soft, plush, and inviting, yet it felt cold and achingly empty. They were in their grandmother Greta’s house, a place where they knew, deep down, they were not entirely welcome. Their grandmother loved them, perhaps, but in her own way, and being Lora’s daughters, especially Hilara, meant they were often set apart from the rest of the family. Still, the simple fact of having each other brought a small measure of comfort, a strength that hardened them, making them believe they had to be strong. They had to be, for they were alone now, with seven cousins who didn’t particularly like each other, and a grandmother who made her preferences all too clear.