Everyone was spooked by Sophia's sudden reaction.
"Girl, what's gotten into you?"
Louis was so anxious that even his way of calling her changed, and without thinking, he grasped her arm.
Rachel also tightened her grip on Sophia's arm, looking at her with concern.
Sophia shook her head in a daze, clueless about what was going on with her. Seeing the dilapidated scene before her, her heart just sank in an instant.
She had this nagging feeling that it wasn't supposed to be like this.
But how it should be, she had no idea.
She had never been here before, and there was nothing in her memory related to this place, yet there was this faint sense of familiarity.
The whirlwind of emotions was giving her a headache.
Sophia subconsciously raised her hand to press against her temples, trying to squash the discomfort in her head.
Noticing Sophia's off state, Rachel worriedly pulled her along, "Let's head back inside and sit down for a bit, have some water first."
Saying so, she led Sophia towards a villa with lights on.
The villa's front door was a heavy, old-fashioned copper one, with a pair of lions
on the pull rings that had been polished smooth over time.
That feeling of familiarity hit her again.
Sophia stared blankly at the open door, completely zoned out.
"Dad, Mom, Grandpa, Grandma, you're back."
A familiar whiny voice suddenly came from the yard, filled with coquettish concern,
"I heard Grandma was missing, scared me to death."
Sophia instinctively looked up and saw Marian rushing out, her steps faltering slightly.
Marian only noticed Sophia when she got closer and exclaimed in surprise, "Sophia?"
Rachel looked at her in surprise, "You two know each other?"
Marian nodded, "Yeah, we work at the same company. We were in the same class in grad school, in Wye City."
Louis had an aha moment, smacking his forehead, "Now I remember, no wonder you looked so familiar. Did we meet two years ago when we went to Wye City to find Yoli? I think I saw you in the classroom, right?"
Sophia managed a small smile, "Seems like it."
Marian looked at Louis with delight, "Grandpa, you remember all that?"
After saying that, she affectionately hooked his arm and looked up at him playfully, praising him, "See, I told you you're still kicking, in great shape, and you didn't believe me."
Louis was tickled pink, playfully tapping her forehead, "You sure have the gift of the gab."
Gerald steered the conversation back with a smile, "Okay, okay, we've got a guest, let's go inside."
Sophia didn't catch what Gerald said. She just stared blankly at the affectionate interaction between the Marian and Louis, feeling the sadness she had pushed down surge up again, her nose and eyes tingling inexplicably.
Suddenly, a somewhat rough hand gently took hers, patting the back of her hand soothingly.
Sophia turned in surprise.
Renata had somehow appeared by her side, gently holding her hand, her face full of tenderness.
Seeing Sophia look her way, Renata said with a smile, "Don't worry, Yoli, we're going home."
Those soft words almost brought tears to Sophia's eyes.
She forced back the sting in her eyes, smiled at her, and said softly, "Thank you, madam. We're home now. Why don't you go back and rest up?"
Renata only understood the first part, nodding repeatedly with a smile, "Okay, we'll go rest."
With that, she began to lead Sophia inside.
Marian didn't miss the way she called her "Yoli" and frowned at Sophia.
Feeling a bit awkward, Sophia was about to explain when Gerald, probably to prevent Marian from overthinking, laughingly said, "She's got a bit of dementia. She can't recognize people and calls everyone Yoli."
"Oh." Marian flashed a smile back at him, "I know, it's okay."
"Let's go inside," Gerald said with a smile, beckoning Sophia.
Sophia smiled and shook her head, "Thanks, but I've got stuff to take care of at home. I should get going."
With that, she turned to say goodbye to Renata.
Hearing she was leaving, the old lady immediately started to fuss like a child, gripping Sophia's hand and repeating, "Don't go, you can't leave."
Then, acting up, she pulled Sophia towards the outside, insisting, "If you're going back, I'll go with you."
Everyone was a bit at a loss with Renata's tantrum, not daring to pull away forcefully for fear of hurting her.
Sophia, seeing her protectiveness in her words and expression, felt her heart melt.