Connectors of the Two Worlds

Chapter 13

"Creepy scenarios... Expect the worse of the worst! He wouldn't be going this far if it's--" The actor was cut off from his sentence as the bell suddenly rang. The students hurried to the door and sprawled out quickly, getting excited to end today's classes. The characters of the small play had stopped their acts and grabbed their bags.

While everyone was getting out, I just quickly pulled out my bag from the chair and walked to Wednesday's side. "Hey, are we to finish the play later after class? We need some dry-runs," I prompted while looking at her shove her things up. I was talking about the play we were about to act after today's assigned group. We were always carrying with us the props and other paraphernalias.

Wednesday is the one assigned to the scripts while me and our other classmate named Jonathan are the ones who carry our props. Others who belonged to our group are now preparing their costumes and scripts.

Wednesday and I were the only ones that stayed inside the classroom after the bell rang. I stayed by her side since I need to ask her about the changes in the script. We must do a rush rehearsal before proceeding to other subjects. Our professor in English gave us a quick role playing act as our project for this 3rd grading period. I don't know if we have enough time to do the revisions but we need to make it quickly as possible.

"Uh... I can't practice with you, guys. I have an errand coming on at the house. Emergency," Wednesday refused bashfully. She didn't even wait for me to respond and just quickly walk away from my position. She hurried through the door and gave me a quick smile. Her dimples appeared as she waved at me. "I promise I'll come by at your house tomorrow," she uttered, then walked off the corridor.

I sighed and smiled bitterly. "What's with her today?" I asked myself. Afterwards, I just shrugged and hurried outside.

~~~

Little did I know something was bothering Wednesday. After she got out of the room, she suddenly heaved a sigh.

Thank God... she thought.

She wasn't sure of what to do. She lied to me about having an emergency at the house. The truth is, she was bothered. Really bothered by something lately. Her heart was in t****l to the fear she's feeling. She has become restless.

She wasn't certain why she had led herself to Jermaine's classroom door. There was this pain she's feeling recently on her palms. At first, she felt like needles pricking them every night. Until it felt burning. She had isolated herself in the Arts Club Headquarters applying some petroleum jelly or some ointments she found from the club's first-aid box to ease them. But it didn't help. The pain wouldn't subside the way she expected it to be.

She began constructing lies to her parents and to her friends, telling them she's busy doing club duties. But in truth, she begged the adviser to make her do the paperworks. She hadn't told a single soul about the burning sensations she's feeling. For her, it's weird. There is something abnormal going on inside her body, she can sense it. She just couldn't tell what was happening. She couldn't even go to a doctor. Her gut says so that she just had to hide herself until it subsides.

The burning sensation attacks only when she passes by the boys' restroom next to the other door of their room. IV-Green's room has two exit points where the first door is used only for the teachers, while the other is for the students. She began using the other door to avoid the pain. It was really bothersome for her. She couldn't even focus on her subjects' seatworks. She just wished the day would end. She would rather rest inside her bedroom or just spent time inside the Arts Club headquarters.

Slowly, she noticed that her hands got weird marks when the 2nd week began. They had some kind of circular burn residue tattooed on both of her palms. They were lesser painful than the previous one she had experienced. They were the marks that was made after the painful endurance. It started to be visible every time Jermaine's eyes met hers. The pain may subsided afterwards, but the darkening of her palms didn't quite appeal her.

Since then, she began to follow him everywhere he goes. She looked like a stalker rather than an admirer she was before. She became sick of her actions but she couldn't help herself. She needed to know what's making her feel the burn. Wednesday was curious not only with the marks but also with the Jermaine's life. She felt a need of coming to him. She longed for him, a feeling she can never define. It tripled since the day she felt the burns.

She wanted more of his presence. It's like she's been enchanted by the way he spoke and looked at her. She didn't understand what was going on but she tried as much as she could to investigate. Her longing for his presence didn't seem to be pretty natural. It's kind of creepy for her. She has never been this curious before.

She needed to know all about him. All she knew was that he is a foreigner. A Japanese descent, an isolated person, and that he's new in town who loves playing basketball.

There wasn't much to know about him. She thought of him as boring at first. But she naturally liked him before feeling this weird phenomenon. She became obsessed with him.

Wednesday walked and finally found him walking down the street, a bit farther from her place, deeper of all the streets she had been. She followed her instincts a while ago. She just thought of Jermaine and started to walk out of the school. She only found herself walking at the deeper part of the subdivision. It is the most isolated part of Saint Claire. She has never been to this place before. She hated silence and creepy places. To her, this place brought her chills down her spine.

The boy stopped and entered an unattended gate. She also looked at it. Autumn leaves are everywhere, fresh from the trees and woods. She smelt the scent of old and dry leaves. She smelt them as if they were once a part of her.

She has been here before. She remembered. She remembered how she laid on the grass talking all day to her sister by just looking at her niche, and frankly laugh all by herself. This is the reason why she couldn't bring herself to come here. It's because of her sister.

She, too, entered the same unsounded cemetery and continued to follow him. Inside, she was trying to keep up with his pace with the distance that she made sure she won't be felt tailing him. But she suddenly lost him as soon as she took the turn to her right. She looked around but she couldn't find him. She just settled herself to the tracks he had obviously left her. But even though he was nowhere to be found, Wednesday can sense him. Every part of him like they were connected to each other. His heartbeats, his gulping, the movement of his bones and the way his brains kept sending neurons to his body parts. She all felt them.

Because of it, Wednesday thought he might be her destiny. The missing piece to her puzzle. Of course, even before this unexplainable phenomenon that had happened to her, she obviously is attracted to him. She anticipates every presence he has made known to this place. The connection she somehow wanted to feel before became too powerful to even bear. She needed to see him every minute of the day, like a vitamin to her soul.

She had passed many tombs, apartments and streets inside the cemetery. She's getting closer, she anticipated. She walked and walked and just followed his footsteps whenever she can. Until she found him finally.

She gasped at the sight as she saw him knelt at a marbled tomb colored in vermilion. Withered flowers everywhere and melted candles offered at the name of "Oliverus Martin". By the looks of it, the deceased was rich and proud.

Wednesday was hiding in another house next to where the boy is.

Jermaine half-knelt at the tomb and offered a silent prayer. He was like that for a long moment. Wednesday stayed silent and gave all of it to him. After a long while, he suddenly spoke louder. "You shouldn't have come..."

Wednesday gasped while her eyes widened in shock. All along, Jermaine have sensed her but he didn't make a move. She managed to come out slowly behind him with timidness covering her face. She started to tremble. "J-Jermaine, I..." she trailed off, pulling the hem of her shirt bashfully.

"You've been marked, haven't you?" he interrupted as he got into his feet. He was still looking at the tomb as he asked her that.

"H-how did you--"

He did not reply but instead, he turned around to look at her bewildered face. He was wearing his calmed composture as he showed his palm where a triangular burn marked on it.

She gasped in horror, hand covering her mouth. It's the same burn that she had experienced. The difference is that hers were all in circular shape while on Jermaine's were triangular burns.

"We're now connected..." he finally uttered. His eyes became grey. "You know what that means?"

Wednesday's chest raised in marvellous rate. She couldn't apprehend what's in these marks she had received. She shook her head while trying to figure out the answer to his question. She wouldn't know. No matter how much she tries to think of it, there's no answer within her subconscious mind. She's very confused. Why the sudden she was morbidly linked to him? What's really happening to her?

"It only means that your life isn't normal anymore," he answered. He walked away after he said that.

Wednesday was back into her senses and tried to follow him. Funny, but she found herself curious about everything. The impossible things haunting her recently made her very interested with her life. There must be a secret that her family is hiding to her. She has to find that out.

She once dreamt of having to see an invincible being. A hero. A powerful hero who might save the world and she would be glad to see him saving the world. She'd be glad to be one of the fortunate witnesses. But, she could no longer dream of powerful heroes to save her. She could no longer dream of her being the inferior being who needs saving. Because she's one of them. She might be one of them, she thought so?

At least, she's no ordinary girl anymore. She's now someone who can save poor people. But a thought suddenly came into her mind: what if she's made to be someone who can harm the world for her existence? What if she was made to instill misery into people's lives? How can she live in peace if she was made to harm people and not save them?

"Wait!" she called to him. "I don't understand..." She came to a stop, so as Jermaine who turned to her and leaned forward.

His scent almost made her faint. She anticipated this day coming to her life, being able to look at him closely and feel him. His unique Asian beauty left her astounded. He's exotic. An alien, she presumed again. So, that means she's an alien, too?

"You don't need to understand anything..." he uttered. "It's dangerous being around me. It is best if you stay away. If you still love your life and your dream of seeing good heros, then stay away from me. It is better if you stop following me around. I tell you, you're only safe if you're not around me. So, save yourself before you pit yourself into harm," he said with finality, then walked off.

Wednesday managed to follow him again. She couldn't just stop right here. She needed to know more. She wanted to understand and embrace what's happening. "Hey! Wait up!" she shouted. She ran after him as they got out of the cemetery. After so many attempts, suddenly she lost Jermaine. She was panting, imagined him disappeared in a blind second like hidden in some summoned portal, or teleported in other place farther from her location.

Wednesday shrugged. She would expect the worse in him knowing they weren't normal people anymore, wouldn't she?

Wednesday felt weakened and depressed. She whimpered for het desperate measures she tried to carry out. She wasn't able to sense him anymore, nor even track him. She felt lost. The boy didn't even leave a single sign for Wednesday for her to follow him.

She stayed silent after crying. Her expression changed into a blank one.

She wouldn't let him get away. She's determined to know his secret. She wanted to know everything. Questions started to bother her system.

What is she anyway?

Her heart was enlightened, opted in discovering about herself, but she knew there will be lot of adjustments to be done. And that includes the safety of her friends, especially mine...