11 years ago,
"Ow!" Athena screeching when one of the men shoves her to the big cage full of kids and teenagers.
"Stupid dog! Shut your fuck mouth up or I'll beat you till death." He shouts and slams the iron bar door loudly making all of them flinch their body.
Athena starts to cry. Her elbow right now bleeding a bit while her corner of lips also had a cut because she just slapped by one of those men.
"Hey, are you okay?" a girl around her ages with a burgundy hair color ask her with concern.
"Ermm.. my elbow..hurt.." she tried to form her word. That girl didn't speak in her language nor English. She speaks in the Hindi language.
"That's okay. It is only a scratch. Look at me, I got all beaten too." she smiles and shows her, her legs and some of the scars at her body.
Athena's eyes become teary. 'How could she still smile with all the scars on her body? She looks more pitiful than me!'
"I know it looks scary. But it will heal later. Don't worry much." she went back to sit at the corner of the cage.
Athena also sits beside her.
"Where are you from?" Athena courage up and ask her.
"Me? I'm from New Delhi."
"Wow..that's so far away.."
She chuckles. "I've been here for almost months. I don't know what month is this or what year we're in right now."
"How did you get here?"
"I was once a daughter from a very wealthy family. But then one day, my family got attack by the robbers, they killed my family and sold me to this thugs."
Athena dumbfounded a moment. "So..your family.."
"I'm sorry."
"Don't be. This is my fate."
Athena turns silent.
"What is your name? You had a beautiful dress. I bet you're not from middle caste or lower caste right?"
At first, Athena frowns a bit. She doesn't understand the term of caste. But then she shakes her head.
"No. My family name is Lee. I'm from the Great Empire."
"Ahh...I heard that the Great Empire is where all the wealthy family in Asia lives." she chuckles.
"I'm Athena."
"Well, I'm Renee Khan. You can call me Carla if you want." She smiles at her.
"Huh?"
"Well, my name in the birth certificate is written as Renee Khan, but my mother calls me Carla since I was a baby.
"Oh..you had a beautiful face and your hair color is quite unique too.."
"I am mixed."
Athena nodded.
That's the start for her to meet Renee. She also met with a few other kids from inside the cage.
All of them is mostly from a foreign country and most of them too are kidnapped and being sold to these men.
Until the day when they took Carla away from the cage.
"Carla!!" Athena tries to pull her hand from being dragged by the guard man.
"Athena no! Stay there. Don't get up." she yelled while her eyes already wet with tears.
One of the men went inside and kick Athena's abdomen making her cry.
"Let go, Athena. don't hurt yourself. I'll be fine. I'll see you again."
"Noo…" Athena starts whimpering, while other kid all lowered their gaze and even shivering because they were afraid. They have been tortured by these guys badly, so that form a trauma inside their souls.
"Please Athena…Don't hurt yourself." She tries to hide her sobs.
The one who kicks Athena then bulldozes her using a rope.
"Ahh!" Athena scream, her hand losing her grip and they finally bring her to somewhere she doesn't know.
…
"You know her?" Ralph ask curiously.
Athena nodded. "I know her." Because she had a burgundy hair color and a beautiful face, of course, one will remember her face.
"That's good. She lost her memory when she got mutated. I don't even know her family name."
Richard look at his wife and Hai Rin looks at Athena.
Sniffing, she said. "Its Khan. Renee Khan."
Richard pulls Athena into his embrace and kisses her head. He knows how painful the memory that she had back then.
"We discuss this later. You all must be tired from the long flight. How about if you guys take a rest first. We'll have dinner together. I call all the Lee to gather here tonight." Richard suggesting.
All of them nodded. The butler shows Ralph his room to stay tonight while Athena and Aurora went to their own room.
Zoro? He follows Athena to her room.
Open the door, Athena went to her bed.
"Ah..so comfy." She said.
"Hey, don't let your guard down in front of me," Zoro said nonchalantly and he went to sit at the couch.
"Oh, I forgot you still here."
"Tch! Fine, I'm going back now." he sulks.
"Haha..oh come on Z! Come here I need to talk to you.." She sits up and pats on the bed beside her.
"Umm..no thanks. You're not my lover anymore. The bed is really a big NO. So I stick with the couch."
Athena chuckles. Well, she praises his good point.
"So?"
Athena changes her tone.
"Well Z, I need all the info about Jye Yin when she was with my husband that day. I need her record or video or something that has been missing."
"Didn't Aslan already do that? I mean he even gets the cement tested right?"
"Yes, but the result is not convincing me enough."
"He said that he did not remember at all about that night. While he can recover from your dose, how is it he impossible to remember anything just because of drunk effect. Unless he has been dosed with something else right?"
"Hmm..but to check the drug, its been months. There is no more trace for that."
"I know. I also had a weird feeling about these pregnancies. Well, I can see that she really pregnant but why did the baby DNA also match with Aslan.."
"Well, maybe he really did something to her?"
Athena squinted her eyes and she starts throwing her pillow right at his head.
Bonk!
"He did not do anything like that."
"Ouch.." he picks the pillow and places it on his lap.
"Okay okay...I get it."
"I need her trace first on the day she met with Aslan for a short break."
"Yes, Princess." he makes a salute gesture to her.
"And…Z, did I had lost my memory too?"
"Huh?"