She's Different

Why?!?! 

Why are they here? 

Of all the days ahead, why are my family here?

You ask me why am I so shocked when i saw them? They're my family, right?

Yes. But— 

Ninety-nine point nine percent out of one hundred, they are not with me at breakfast. Even when I was but a child. Only my nanny or one of the maids accompanied me back then. And as I grew older, I started eating alone. I can count the time that they ate breakfast with me on one hand. 

As for other meals, I only ate it with them when there's a business related banquets and the likes that needed my attendance. If my absence won't cause a bad reputation and rumors, then sorry for me, but they're going to leave me alone.

Sigh. 

What a life! We're rich, yes. But what is wealth when you're family doesn't care! 

And now... 

Upon reminiscing those scenes, I realized the reason why they didn't believed me back then. They didn't care for me. And still doesn't care now. 

Maybe they cared, but not as enough care that they show towards my older brother. Even in the past, when my brother was already married, they cared more for my sister-in-law rather than me, their daughter.

I can't blame them... I'm useless compared to both my brother and sister-in-law. They are both smarter and wiser, unlike me.

 Sigh...

Alia sighed yet again, as reached the dining table. She sat at the furthest seat that she can sit on. If only this table is for a hundred people,or maybe even just for twenty! At least, that's still further than this table for ten!

While Alia was having these thoughts, she didn't notice her family looking at her, then at one another in confusion. 

Why is Alia sitting far from them? What happened? The last time they saw her, which cannot be remembered when, she was still pestering them to accompany her. 

What changed? 

And why does she have such a long face, rather than a happy one, considering that they're all here with her? 

Did something bad happened? Why did no one reported to them?  

They should ask the head butler and maid later.

---

Alia has no idea what was going on with her fsmily's thoughts. She was busy thinking of different ways on how to lessen her contact with them as much as possible during this time. She doesn't hate them, but she's still not ready to see them, how much more is interacting with them?

She wants to think. She wants to plan first, before seeing them, but who knows what happened that they're still here. 

Even until they've started eating, she's still not talking to them. She just nodded at them, then nothing else. 

Unknown to her, this made her family a little worried. They had never seen her like this.  Alia was always chattering or smiling at them. 

She's different from the Alia they know. Her family was not used to this quiet and frowning face of her. 

“Alia.” 

Alia looked up when she heard this. 

“Yes, mother?” 

Mrs. Qin almost dropped her untensils when she heard what her daughter called her. Even her husband and son are no better. 

And if you asked why? 

Because Alia never called their parents so formally like what she did just now. It's always ‘mom’ and ‘dad’.

And her tone... 

It's so calm that it brought chills to them. 

What really happened? Are they really right that something bad happened? Did someone bullied her? Then who? Why didn't she told them? Is someone threatening her? 

There are so many questions in their head that they don't know the answers and they felt at lost for the first time. 

“Mother? Are you alright?” 

Alia asked as she looked at her family. She felt a bit curious as to why their faces looked like they've eaten something too sour. 

“Wha–?Ah, yes. I just want to ask how are you?” 

“Oh. I'm fine, you don't have to worry.” Alia replied despite being surprised. She didn't expect to hear such questions from them. Alia knew that she had been an annoyance to them when she pestered them. She just can't help it because she wants to feel their care and love. But until the end, she's just a nuisance. 

“Did anything happened recently?” It's her dad that asked.

“No,father. There are no major events that happened” 

She replied simply as to avoid annoying them with her chatter. 

“Are you sure?” 

Why did her family  suddenly became talkative? They're the kinds of people who only replied to her with a ‘Hm’, ‘Yes’, ‘No’, or ‘Okay’ and nothing else. 

Why would they ask her like this?

...

...

Is it because she's quiet and calling them formally? 

Oh. Isn't it what they'd wanted her to be?

“Yes.” she replied with a small smile. 

~~~

“Can I please go now?” Alia asked as she finished eating. 

Her family looked at her, then her father nodded. 

She said good bye and take care  to them then went out of the dining hall. 

As she walks away, she never noticed how they looked at her deeply with a united thought—

She's different now.