Connectors of the Two Worlds

Chapter 18

As I took this man's hand to shake, my very core was shaken as well. Pictures started to spin in my head...

A great fire was scattered over the lands. It killed many plants and animals, destroyed many infrastructures and other's lives. It is a great war of the old. Because of it, many lives were put to an end, and risked the souls of the courageous Daemons in order to protect their race. Many of them mourned, suffered, and wailed across the universe.

Blood is everywhere. It covered the lands as the silence grew and reigned in the terror of darkness. To me, it was the most frightening thing to see. The chaos around that I'm seeing gets the hell out of me. It's taking away my sanity.

A tear fell from my eye. Not once did I wish to see such a catastrophic event to occur. I knelt in front of that chaos. There's no hope to gain anymore. We lost the battle. We lost it...

I gasped as soon as I regained back my consciousness. I found myself looking at a man. My eyes showed fear as I was trying to catch my breath.

He just stared at me in his calm and composed state. He even moved his lips a little.

When I realized what was happening, I suddenly widened my eyes. I looked down and found my hand holding his. I quickly let go and looked up to him. "W-who are you? What was that?"

He arched his eyebrows at me in confusion. "Umm... I said my name is Alfred. I'm Lorraine's cousin. A-are you okay?" he replied, sounding worried.

"W-what? D-didn't you see those pictures? I swear, I saw them! Why are they looking so real? Is it true? What was that?" I asked, in panic mode.

"Listen, I don't know what you're talking about. Are you sure you're really alright?" he asked again. When he was about to touch my arms, I suddenly flinched and yelled at him. After that, I suddenly fell to the ground.

I shuddered again and fell silent.

"Are you okay, Clarrianne?"

"Clarrianne!"

"Clan, are you okay?"

"Clan, stay still. I'll get a paper bag. Hold on..."

"She's having panic attacks again."

Those were the distant voices I started to hear after feeling a little nauseous. My heartbeats started to bombard my ears and my chest. My face started to get numb, so as my hands. My sight started to blur and my body finally reached the cold floor. Then, the images started to go away...

****

I put the wine glass on the ivory table and gazed temptingly upon Alfred's figure in front of a portrait that Madame Mantra has painted. A picture of peaceful scenery. A Falls with velvety cascades with trees and vines at the top.

Alfred was looking at it meaningfully as he sipped on his wine glass, put his left hand in his pocket. He was wearing his prestigious long and dark blue coat. His hair is combed neatly.

"How would you consider Madame's idea about Cassandra getting married to my brother Klaus?" I asked him meaningfully, relaxed on the soft sofa. My smile became a crooked one. "It wouldn't be such a good idea, Fred, you as my brother-in-law," I added while laughing.

Alfred turned his gaze upon me, eyeing my direction in a cool way. "Claudine, you know that I can't change her mind right now. Father is supporting her manner of decisions," he said, hiding his frustration from his face.

"Well..." I responded as I got to my feet and walked slowly to him. "I suppose that Cassandra has to say something about it." I slowly moved my arms around his neck as I've said it and kissed him.

We kissed slowly and passionately. Without any inhibitions. We love each other. We cherish each other. It pains me to know that my own brother will be married to his sister.

After a second, he moved to look at me in the eye. "Hmm... maybe later..." then, he kissed me continuously.

I laughed mumblingly as we kissed passionately through the night...

****

I woke up and saw the familiar ceiling. I sighed when I realized that I'm inside my bedroom. I winced later on as I felt a pang inside my head. I got to my feet and went inside the comfort room. I stared at the mirror and looked at my very skin covering my whole body. The very details of my face. My eyes and my lips. The shape of my face... they're all significant, the same...

The woman inside my dreams really looked like me. I can feel what she was feeling. But I am very certain that she's barely myself. She's barely an inch of who I am.

Alfred called her Claudine. That was her name.

****

Saint Claire Academy was irritatingly busy when I arrived at 6:45 AM. Rex was in front of me with his guilty look. I wanted to greet him with a smile, but he just walked right passed me.

I grimaced. "Rex!" I called him and turned to see his face and saw he had already. "Umm... I was just wondering if... if you could... help me with my Physics subject?" I asked bashfully. I don't even know if my alibi would make us friends again. "P-please?"

Lately, we had a little argument about hanging around with Joe. Although it just nothing but friendship, he couldn't stop being nosy. Until he became mad at me.

He was silent and blank after a moment and then, he smiled heartily. "Okay..." he agreed.

I smiled back in relief. "Thanks so much! So, I'll just sneak into your study room later, okay?" I asked him, and he nodded softly.

"Just don't break my stuff, okay?" then, he smiled.

"Yes, sir!" I winked at him while laughing.

****

I began walking around the corridor, happily thinking about Rex. I still loved him and still adored him. Giving up with something or someone beautiful will only make me lie to myself again. I still find him so perfect and flawlessly beautiful at his every angle. I still feel something for him.

But when I start to recall how Joe confessed his feelings for me, I couldn't help but to be worried. That was my real big problem. Being caught in the middle of them. I don't know whom among them weighed much for me. The only one who can make me happy.

I was busy wondering when I suddenly saw Alden Joe talking to a guy. The guy whom I wished to send back to my nightmares.

It was Alfred. He appeared to be flawlessly good-looking and effectively a good entertainer.

To my eavesdropping, it appeared that they were introducing themselves to each other. Joe turned and smiled my way while Alfred just stood there, blank on his face.

"Clan! There you are!" Joe walked towards me along with the cheerless guy beside him. "By the way, this is Alfred Voulner. Our new classmate," he introduced him. "Alfred, this is Clarrianne Sanchez," he introduced me to him.

"Yeah, I already met him last night at Lorraine's slumber party." I told him.

"Really? So, we got ourselves a new friend, eh?" Joe laughed and patted Alfred's back.

Alfred just smiled and nodded. He was not meeting my sight. He seemed too bashfully avoiding me. He looked like a guy who met an irritating woman.

Well, maybe I am. None of my traits are pleasantly pleasing for anyone. But that's not the case. The point is... Why is he acting like that?

****

The morning class started with our adviser, Mrs. Briones started making an introduction for Alfred Voulner in front of the class.

He was naturally showing off. A total bad boy. He sounded more like an old man to me. During the class, he started to correct our teacher's mistakes on our lessons.

During Physics class, we got into the laboratory. Alfred is my new activity partner. Equations were on the board and we've got half an hour to calculate it as of its measures.

I was in the middle of my solutions when I stared at Alfred beside me. He was getting busy with his final answers. Then, he looked at me in his blank face. I was not looking away but instead I tried to confront his intimidating look and attempted to read his eyes. "Who are you?" I asked him eagerly.

His face broke and smiled in ridicule. "Excuse me?"

"Last night... I'm sure of what I saw. Right from the moment you grabbed my hand, I know something was odd about you. And I believe this isn't the first time we met. I feel like I've known you all my life..." I asked desperately. I was brave enough to ask him without watching my crowd. I don't care anymore.

"Miss Clarrianne, I don't know what you're saying. Last night I only got to see you singing in the karaoke. We never got the chance to talk to each other," he explained.

"W-what did you just say?" I scoffed. "Why are you lying?"

"I'm not," he answered swiftly. He never even at his eyes at me. They were blank in expression. The muscles of his eyes were moving like he was waiting for my reaction.

"So, you're saying that I'm making this up?"

He didn't answer but he stared on his paper like he was trying to find the words to say.

"Is there any problem there, Miss Sanchez?" Mrs. Gomez asked me in a high pitch and strict voice, eyeing me on my seat.

"N-nothing, Mrs. Gomez..." I assured politely keeping my head down, often peeking on Alfred's side. I could hear the little murmurs around the lab from my classmates.

When the old teacher gave up, I stared back at him again. He was looking at me, too, in frustration.

"I know you're real and I know what happened last night. I can prove it..." I told him in a strong promising whisper.

"I told you, I'm not lying to you. If you just keep on pushing your alibi, then be my guess." He strongly marked his words into my head.

That made me boil my blood. "What's your reason for fooling me, huh?" I asked in sarcasm.

He didn't answer again. Instead, he stood up and grabbed his answer sheet to submit it to Mrs. Gomez's table.

I shook my head in disbelief. I can't be wrong. I know what I saw and heard that night. It wasn't a dream and I know that it's real. I can prove it.

After the morning class, I followed Alfred on his way out of Saint Claire and suddenly stopped in a shiny black car. The car has black tinted windows. It looked so expensive and elegant. Alfred smiled, making it see through the black window and suddenly, the window in the passenger's seat opened. It showed a beautiful lady, smiling back at him. They were inaudibly talking to each other. The car suddenly drove and hid back from the school gate before his sight catches me. When I thought I had hidden perfectly, I peeked again.

Suddenly, I widened my eyes in shock. I shouted a little as I saw Alfred's face near mine.

"Why are you following me?" he asked curiously, smiling at my shocked face.

"I-I'm not!" I lied. Felt the redness covering my face.

"Then, why are you doing here?" he has asked sarcastically.

"I uh... I just wanted to ask something from you..."

He chuckled. "What is it, then?"

I stepped forward near him and stared right into his eyes. Hoping to read something there. "Where are you from, honestly?" I asked, desperate to know the truth.

He was in a sudden pause and a blank on his face. He's so hard to read with his dark intimidating eyes. "From California, USA, honestly..." he stressed the last word to convince me entirely, then smiled. "Anything else?" he asked politely.

"You know what? You're not a good liar to me. Make me believe that I'm just making this up, I don't care. I'm really sure that we talked last night. And you know that this isn't our first encounter. Why don't you just quit lying?"

"Look, Miss..."

"Clarrianne..." I finished his sentence.

"Clarrianne..." he called me, then sighed. "Look, I know you're upset but I wish that I'm really lying right now. I could use to say that I know you for a very long time but I don't. Last night was fantastic. I found you with some friends but I didn't get the chance to talk to you alone," he paused, "And I hope you will forgive me for saying this, but I don't like hanging around with women with the likes of you. If you happen to like me, then I don't mind. Just quit saying that we know each other. I know the lines. So stop it," he reminded me.

I scoffed. I laughed sarcastically and eyed him in a sharp manner afterwards. "Quit dreaming! I don't like old-fashioned guys like you. And yes! I think you're right. I don't know you at all. And I wish this would be the last time that I may encounter you!" I uttered, then completely walked off from that scene.

What the heck! Did I just humiliate myself earlier?

"Me? Wanting to hang around with someone like him?" I scoffed. "Is he goofy or something?" I laughed sarcastically again while running away.