The Act of Escaping

Chapter 2

The bright light coming from the sun hit my face as I opened the window.

"Good morning inday"

I can't help but to jump a little when I heard that voice. Ghost's breathy voice.

"Good morning ghost," I replied. There's no point of arguing, I'm in his house after all.

Tall plants with large yellow flowers, sunflowers welcome my sight, with butterflies flapping their brightly colored wings and birds flying freely while humming a beautiful sound. I smiled at the lovely view in front of me.

Looking at the butterflies, I suddenly remembered my mom singing a song that her teacher taught when she was in elementary. Hearing mom's voice inside my head, I started singing, eyes closed as cold air passed through me in a gentle and comforting way, like an embrace.

'Fly, fly, fly

The butterfly,

In the garden is flying high

In the meadow is flying low

Fly, fly, fly

The butterfly'

"So the young Prexon can sing, huh?"

The first to react was my heart. It was beating so fast, about to do some escape from my ribcage. What on earth is happening? Am I sick? Why is my heart beating like this?

"Sho-- I-I mean, Dexman," I said slightly panting, calming myself from being startled.

"Did I shock you?" He asked, eyes looking intently at me.

I nodded slowly and bit my lower lip. Why is he looking at me like that?

"Sorry about that, Have you eaten breakfast?" c*****g his head to the side, eyes still fixed on me. I blinked a couple of times and slowly brought my right hand to the chest, rubbing it lightly. Stop it baby heart!

"I, ah, n-not yet," I said and swallowed a lump on my throat. Sofia! Why are you stammering like a teenage girl who just got noticed by her ultimate crush? Ugh, stupid mouth!

Dexman raised his left eyebrow after hearing what I said. I pouted, I don't know how to cook!

"Why is that?" Dexman asked, the corner of his lips slightly tugged upward.

My forehead furrowed. Should I tell him? But he won't stop teasing me, I'm sure of that! What to do? What to say?

"I get it, you don't know how to cook," he said. I turned to looked at him but he's now in front of me, towering outside the window.

I looked down after seeing how his eyes glistened with amusement. What now?

"I know how to cook!" I exclaimed, hiding the embarrassment that was building up inside me. Really Sofia? What a liar! My pride is eating me alive. What have you done Sofia?

"Really?"

"Yes, really," I said, faking my confidence.

"Okay, I'll be watching as you cook and prepare your breakfast," he said, leaning in, drawing his face closer to mine.

I step backwards. What is he trying to do?

I turned around and walked towards the kitchen, biting my lower lip.

I was readying the rice cooker when the main door opened, showing Dexman. With big, long strides, he stood inches away from me.

"Uh, you can take the seat," I said, pointing the empty seat beside me. He followed what I suggested.

My hands were trembling as I scooped a rice from the bucket, using the cup.

I poured a cup of water to it, washing off some dirt from the grains then turned the cooker on.

Is this right?

I turned to my side, facing Dexman, who was looking at me, watching every move I make.

"What?" He asked and positioned himself beside me.

I closed my eyes. Okay! It's time to surrender.

"Okay, I, I don't know how to cook. You can laugh now," I said without looking at him.

Seconds passed and I didn't hear him laughing to death. I looked at Dexman, only to see him cooking some kind of dish.

"What?" He asked.

"Uh, no teasing?" I asked.

"Nah, just sit back and relax," he said with a smile on his lips.

What happened to him?

I didn't do what he said, instead, I stand beside him, watching how good he is at cooking.

His future wife would be so lucky to have him. I wish I would be lucky too, with my future husband.

'Hallo inday!'

Uh, not now ghost!

'Hey!'

"What?" I asked, feeling a little bit irritated.

'Sorry. Do you want to come with me?'

"Come on ghost, I don't want to be a food for cannibals," I said while rolling my eyes. I don't want them to feast on my body. It's better staying inside the house.

'Oh, don't worry inday. Cannibals are nowhere to be found when it's daytime. They only come out at night'

"Like a monster?"

'Yea, like that. They're under a spell'

A spell? What?

"Spell? Who would do such thing?"

"Prexon"

I turned my head to Dexman's direction. He's looking at me like I did something wrong.

I pouted. What did I do?

"You can eat now," he said with an irritated tone. What happened to him?

"Aren't you going to join me?" I asked, on and hoping for his positive answer.

He shook his head, giving me a disapproval sign.

"Why? I can't eat all of these alone," I said with a hopeful and sad tone, making him feel pity towards me and giving him no option of declining.

He looked at me for a couple of seconds.

"You can eat with the ghost," he said bitterly and left the kitchen with feet stomping on the ground, taking hard and heavy steps.

'Jealous bastard'

"Huh?"

'He's jealous'

"Dexman? Why?"

'You talked to me'

"What's the problem with that?"

'Not a problem really'

"Then why is he acting like that?"

'He had a heart problem awhile ago. Someone punched his heart when he listened to our little chitchat'

"Someone... punched his heart? Who could it be?"

I'm confused. What is he talking about? What kind of mind he has?

'No, silly, I mean he kind of felt jealous'

And? What's that supposed to do with walking out? Why would he feel jealous?

"I don't understand, ghost. Let's not talk about him, okay?" I said as I sat on the wooden chair. In front of me was a wooden table. On it, were lots of foods, which Dexman cooked and prepared earlier.

I sighed and prayed silently before eating.

After eating, ghost asked me out, inviting me for a tour around the town.

"Prexon's coming with us?" asked Dexman, turning his head to the left. Is he looking at ghost? He can see him? How? Is that possible?

"His name is Daniel," Dexman said, looking at me, making me blink countless times.

Ghost's name is Daniel. Now I know.

He walked towards a weird-looking tree. It has gray-hued leaves and there were probably thousands of small and thin branches. What kind of tree is that?

He picked a leaf and threw it on the ground.

I looked at it, waiting for something to happen but after a few minutes, we just stood there, doing nothing. I thought they're gonna give me a tour?

"Cover her eyes," Dexman said.

Huh?

After a short while, I felt something covering my eyes, making me see nothing.

When Daniel covered her eyes, Dexman immediately do the ritual.

"Dahon nga lapad, pasakya kami. Among tuyo kay ang isuroy ang dalaga sa tibuok nga lugar, hinaot imo kaming tugtan," Dexman chanted in a monotonous tone while moving his hands in a side to side motion.

The leaf floated flat in the air, like a paper flying without wings.

He carried Sofia bridal style and laid her down on the leaf. Together with Daniel, he squatted on the leaf like it was some kind of solid ground.

After awhile, Daniel removed the Koine paper in Sofia's eyes. It was wet and slimy, a paper he cooked using the koine leaf.

"What's this?" Shock was written on Sofia's face.

'We're flying!'

"Flying without wings," Dexman added.

I narrowed my eyes at Dexman. So he's back on teasing me, huh. What a weirdo!

I looked at the 'thing' we're riding and frowned. Riding on a leaf? A huge leaf! W-what?

"I know you're having a hard time understanding things but, I hope you can just go with the flow. I mean, you've got no choice," Dexman said without looking at me.

"Okay," I said. We fell into silence after that. Only the sound of the air passing through us can be heard.

I sighed and looked at the houses. Nipa-hut styled houses, they looked the same to my eyes but it was decorated differently. There were different kinds of flowers in every frontyard of the houses.

The right side was occupied by the houses while the left side, there was no house built, only trees of different sizes and kinds. And oh! The road is muddy. Don't they have some construction workers here?

'Inday, it's different from Phines'

Phines?

"What are you talking about, ghost?"

'Phines, the place where you came from. It was your home before the explosion happened'

"Stop giving her information Daniel," Dexman said making my brows furrowed.

Phines, it sounds familiar but was it really my home? I don't think so.

"Are you sure about that, ghost?"

A few minutes of waiting, I heard nothing from ghost.

"Gho—"

"You can't see him so why talk to the ghost? I'm here, Prexon!" Dexman snapped beside me, making me jump a little. I swallowed hard. Is he mad?

"He's good to me," I gently said without looking at him.

"Good, huh? What about me? I cooked your food," he said, trying to hide the bitterness in his voice but failed.

I pouted. I'm sure ghost can cook too, if only he wasn't a ghost.

"You can't comfort me the way he does," I said while playing with my fingers, still not looking at him.

I heard someone laugh so I looked at him, but he wasn't laughing, what I see on his face is far from the laughing expression, more like sulking.

Maybe, it's ghost.

I was thinking of something to say to him when the leaf stopped in front of a house, still hovering.

The house is still nipa-hut styled, but the front is decorated with yellow, glossy, cup-shaped flowers, the buttercup plant!

Dexman jumped off the leaf and faced me, hands stretched towards me. I crawled on the edge of the leaf and grab a hold on his hands. He put me down and the leaf disappeared like a bubble.

He was still holding me on my waist when I asked him about the house.

"Whose house is this?"

"Mine," he said and guided me towards the circle-shaped door, with a tiny silver bell on top. He has a nice house!

Not minding his hands on my waist, I tiptoed and touched the buttercup flower. Awed and fascinated by its appearance and how it complimented the front part of the house. I wish I could have a house as pretty as this.

I smiled and looked at Dexman who was looking at me intently. I blinked three times.

"Let's go," he said and opened the door, making a tinkling sound coming from the bell.

"Uh, your hand," I said as I looked at how he snaked his well-shaped arms on my curvy waist. He immediately let go of me like a man who just touched a very hot surface.

He went inside the house and I followed him. Lavender scent spread through the insides of the house making me closed my eyes and sniff its rich aroma.

After awhile, I opened my eyes and had a look on my surroundings. Bamboo-made chairs and table. Two chocolate-colored doors and one vanilla-colored on the left side. What a style!

"Shot Dexman," I heard a male-like and not-so-deep voice, with a soft melody accompanying it.

"Queenie Bacla-an," Dexman said. I turned around and saw a petite girl with short brown hair, wearing rugged jeans and oversized shirt paired with a leather jacket.

I hid on a tall, coal-colored cabinet beside me. Who's that girl?

"Where's the maiden?" She asked, face remains impassive, with a slight wilderness registered in her eyes.

"She's not here," Dexman said calmly.

The girl named Queenie smirked.

"Really? That's not what I heard," she sneered.

Dexman's jaw clenched.

"I'm giving you the permission to search for the maiden inside my house," he said and rubbed his palms forcefully.

'Daniel, hide Sofia' Dexman said to the ghost, communicating using his mind and palm-rubbing technique.

'On it'

Daniel, who was wearing a bloody-red cloak, hugged Sofia, covering her with the cloak.

A bloody-red cloak is worn by a middle-class ghost with an ability to make a human invisible when worn.

The search started. Five men wearing a knight's costume entered and seek for the maiden inside the house in a fast speed.

Few minutes passed and they saw no one.

"Nice game Shot Dexman, but this isn't the last time. I'll visit your house more often," she said and walked away, leaving the house.

'Are you okay, inday?'

"Uh, what happened?"

'Nothing'

"Prexon," Dexman called. Sofia come out behind the cabinet, clothes slightly crumpled.

"Daniel, we need Lalyn," Dexman said to ghost.

'Is there a problem?'

"We need Lalyn," he said firmly once again.

He held Sofia's wrist tightly but not enough to hurt her.

Sofia, on the other hand, felt an electrifying jolt inside her, running from her wrist and all over her body. Feeling the romantic excitement through her insides, she walked with Dexman towards the two-wheeled vehicle.

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Hi!

Is it confusing? I hope not but if you answered yes, don't worry, I'll edit it one of these days. Sorry for the long wait. Thank you for reading!

English is my third language so I'm not really good at it. I hope you understand (puppy eyes)