Connectors of the Two Worlds

Chapter 8

"Dad!" I heard Rex shouted. Footsteps getting closer.

"Oh, thank God! Rexander, you found him!" shouted Uncle Gio in relief. "Go and give it to her."

I felt my bed had moved and heard a "meow" sound.

It was the wake-up call.

I hurriedly got up, and just like consuming an energy drink, I was relieved from my worries.

"Eddie!" The cat suddenly transferred to my arms from Rex's and I started cuddling it. "Oh, Eddie! I thought I'd never see you again! Don't you ever leave me again, okay?" I said and caught Rex staring at me in amusement.

I realize just now that I look awful and crazy. I've been brought back to reality, felt the weakness of my knees and the grumbling of my stomach.

"I think you should fix yourself. The dinner's ready and I bet Eddie's starving," he reminded me.

I held my head. "Oh! I'm so foolish!" Then, there goes the laughter around like nothing happened. I know the Cervanteses just got here so worried about me. It made me shriek with so much shame.

I smiled at my best friend. "Thank you, Rex..." My tears fell down my face all of a sudden.

He touched my cheek, caught my tears and wiped it away. "Stop it. It's bad. You'll permanently be ugly for the rest of your life!" he snapped and we laughed so hard.

After I've changed into my loose shirt and jeans, I hurriedly climbed downstairs and was very surprised with all the dishes on our wide table.

"Uh... What am I missing, Dad?" I'd asked indifferently as I scanned the whole room, with the Cervanteses cheering at the side-- much like they were waiting for me or something. There, I saw Dad with this very cute black and white polka dot apron that I bought last month, surprisingly thinking he wouldn't dare to wear but he just did while cooking. Also, I looked at Eddie who was busy munching with his dish on his bowl.

"Well, we just had in mind of making a good dish for you, Angel. So..." Dad explained.

"You call this 'dish', Dad?" I giggled, "Oh, my! 'Dish' it is, isn't it?" then, I walked towards the table and found me my favorite spot. And so we ate a-- err-- a festive dinner.

After the meal and all several chitchats, the Cervanteses decided to go home. I heard they were preparing something for the Resto. Rexander, however, called up after telling me I could drop by and lend a hand, and so I agreed.

"So... how are you feeling now?" Joe asked on the other line while I prepare myself to get out of the house.

"Hmmm...better."

He laughed gladly. "That's good."

Silence came.

"Hey, thanks!" I started.

"For what?"

"For calling and for being so kind," I said, then there's this sweat about to drop from my forehead.

He suddenly laughed hard.

I suddenly went cold and felt disappointed. Hey! It took me thousands of courage just to say that to him and that's the only answer I get?

"What's so funny?" I asked, sounded so annoyed.

"Well, you just told me that I'm being kind. That's how it's funny."

"But, I'm serious!" then, he laughed again.

I can imagine his figure shaking hilariously on the other line. I, too, couldn't help myself laugh at the sound of his laughter, but took it back afterwards. I quickly frowned and cleared my throat. That's what made me disappointed and continued my preparations.

"Wow! Thanks for appreciating, Joe. Thanks a lot," I told him sarcastically, then started walking off the room and locking the doors at the second floor of the house.

"Hey..." He finally stopped laughing and changed his tone with worry. "Are you mad? I was just kidding," he said.

I sighed. "Yeah, yeah. I'm going out," I headed to the living room, turned off the switches, then got out of the door behind me.

"To where?"

"At the PG's. The Cervanteses and my Dad had a plan coming on," I answered while I was walking down the streets to the Resto. The streets were lightened up and the vampires of the city is just waking up. Disco music and the people of the such are psyched up. It might be out of the subdivision, but I can still hear them.

"Oh, I see. Hey, wait up a sec. Are you walking alone?" Joe asked.

"Yeah, apparently..."

"Don't walk too fast, I'll be with you in a flash," then, he paused, "and don't try to end the line, understand?"

I laughed. "Woah, Uncle Joe! You certainly sounded like my Dad."

"Is that a compliment?"

"Depends on how you take it." I smirked. I'm five blocks away from the house and four blocks down to the Resto. Not as if I don't take a hold of what Joe told me, but I'm trying to slow down.

It was five minutes or so, but Joe didn't come up to walk with me until I had arrived at the Resto.

It's past 9pm and the store is still operating.

"Bingo! Finally arrived at 9:15pm," I gladly uttered on the other line as I read the time on my yellow wristwatch.

"I told you to slow down," Joe reminded, dismay in his voice.

"Well, for the record this is my slowest walk ever in my entire life. I can never be slower than a slowpoke." I stopped at the entrance door and the guard opened it for me but I gesture him to not to bother.

I was busy looking inside and look for the Cervanteses. Maybe for Rexander who intends to wait for me here.

The customers were coming in and out of the store and Joe and I didn't stop at the same topic.

Until I stopped at my tracks. I stopped in front of the glass door and saw something that made my heart stop beating.

Ashley talks seriously at Rex, who in return looked gloomy and unrelaxed. Felt he was being watched.

That broke my heart. I didn't even realize that I have this tendency to cry out there. I wanted to look away but I couldn't. My feet are stuck to the ground.

When Rex wandered his sight around and was about to catch me, I hurriedly turned around. To my surprise, I faced something like a wall. And when I looked up, I saw Joe.

And there it was... I couldn't hold long enough of the tears, so it fell so easily making me look so fragile and vulnerable.

I just cried and cried. Joe was fast enough to pull me towards his chest and let me pour all my frustrations there. I didn't bother looking back to Rex and Ashley.

My shoulders tremble badly while I lean on him. I don't care right now if I'm being embarrassed, seen by some crying over Joe's chest. I just want to let this all out. I feel so stupid for letting in a small yearning for my own best friend, that someday he would look at me as a woman, not just his best friend, not just his sister.

But how could I be so stupid in letting myself believe in such foolishness? I know the truth. The truth is that I'm only just Rex's best friend forever. Nothing more. Nothing less.

Joe pulled me away from that place afterwards. He pulled me until we came by an empty street full of bright lights. The homeowners association must have forgotten to remove all the Christmas lights they decorated last month.

It made the street bright with sparkling and colorful lights around. It somehow felt a little cheesy for the ambiance that I wanted to achieve. I somehow expected a lonely place, but to my dismay, Joe pulled me only to discover this place.

I just sighed and sat on the bench under the huge and fake mistletoe with twinkling simultaneous Christmas lights. Joe just sat beside me just on the other side of the long bench.

He cleared his throat. "Sorry if I pulled you into this place. This is the only private and serene part of the subdivision, so it is the right place for you to cry," he started to speak. "You know... you can cry. You can shout here. No one's going to mind you. If you're ready, I'm just beside you, ready to listen..."

My tears suddey felt on my cheeks for the nth time. "I must be an i***t for crying, mustn't I?" I chuckled bitterly. "You probably think that I'm crazy for dreaming of a guy that only looks at me as his sister. I must be a fool...

"I tried so hard to avoid this feeling, but I don't think I could. I felt so stupid for crying and having pity of myself.

"I'm so jealous of her. She's been loved by my best friend. He thinks of her as a woman. His woman. I start to compare myself and look at myself in the mirror. I see my insecurities. I feel so ugly. I feel so plain." I laughed. "This must be a curse. I wanted to have him all by myself, but I can't seem to achieve it. Sometimes, I feel like I wanted to slap myself for wanting him so badly. I feel like an idiot... for laughing bitterly all by myself. I've never been this insecure before. Not until I felt like I love him already..." I said in a long statement.

Silence.

"Do you really love him that much?" Suddenly, Joe asked me.

I nodded meekly, not looking at him. "I do..."

"But, what if someone might love you? What if someone truly loves you? Would you forget about your feelings for him?" he asked again.

I opened my mouth and tried to utter a word, but I paused for a moment before actually answering him. "How could someone love someone who loves another? He must be stupid like me..." I chuckled at the thought.

Joe laughed, too. "Yeah. He must be stupid..."

I suddenly turned to face Joe with my curious face. "How could that someone be so stupid to love someone like me?"

He returned a warm look at me and flattened his lips. "Because he knows he can love her more that she loves that someone who loves someone else..." he quickly answered.

Suddenly, I heard how my heartbeats started to pound my chest harder. The harder they get, the louder they invade my ears. I suddenly saw brighter lights on Joe's background.

He smiled again. "That someone can be anyone, Clan. He might be someone you might know. Someone you thought is never capable of liking someone like you..."

~~~

After talking to Joe, we parted ways. My head has gone above the clouds, numb and a little light. I didn't notice that I was already in my bedroom. I didn't even bother to open my diary to write. I just gave away to the tiredness that I'm feeling. Dream suddenly invaded me.

As I was sleeping, a shadow came to visit. Someone was watching me from my study table beside the bed where I laid peacefully. He was unnoticed with all of my life. Silently watching every move I make, following me everywhere I go and protecting me from the bad things that are lurking around.

"Keanson Wills is just as brilliant as I am to take part of this dilemma. He knows she'll be triggered again. She's lucky. The Dioleppard just saved her ass from the nightmare wizard," a woman said matter-of-factly behind my guardian whose focus was incredibly keen to even notice the lady's presence before she spoke. He counted my heartbeats and listened to my blood streaming through my veins.

"He promised he'll protect her while I take care of them, so we owe him her safety," the man replied resting his head by his hand that also rested on the table.

"Well, technically... you're the only one who owed him her life in the first place, saving your prospect Connector. You've risked everything for that carbon-copied Claudine and you haven't determined yet if she's the real one this time." She arched her eyebrow and paced a little away from us.

She looked at a frame where Rex, Wednesday and I were smiling back at the festival. She smirked at it. "Hmmmm... I can't wait for the right time where we can show up and startle her for the truth. That's going to be interesting, isn't that?" she smirked to herself.

"It's barely the right time, Cassandra," he sighed.

"I know..."