Chapter 11
863 Words
"knock! Knock! Knock!" Leonie returned to her senses after she heard the pounding hands on the door. She jumped away from her bed and opened it.
"Leonie, are you okay? It seemed you're having a nightmare." Her Aunt Charrie was (nag-aalala)
"Hah? No, Tita. Why did you think of that?" Her eyes were confused
"You'd been wailing, that's why I came here."
"Sorry, Tita. You may go back to sleep."
"Okay. Just call me if you're not feeling good."
She just nodded and closed the door, then, leaned on it. She was perplexed on her Aunt's action. Leonie took her laptop; opened it then all of a sudden her fingers began typing the next episode. They seemed to have their own minds and she could not stop them.
The next day, the Episode 2 was uploaded to the internet. Her best friends, Claire and Bhea called her on the phone.
"Leonie, what are you doing? Your story seemed to have hit the internet, but there are many side comments about it. You told us you're going to change the plot." Complained Bhea on the other line.
"I'm trying but I can't. I don't know why." She was also confused on the outcome of the episode 2. All she remembered was she just slept last night and had this dream where a man in the dark night was crying.
"Girl, the university was trying to contact you because you uploaded the episode without their permission. Where have you been since last Thursday?!" Bhea was on the line screaming.
"Huh? I said I just slept coz I really get tired. Thursday was two days ago, right? Meaning I slept for two nights?!!!" she was also puzzled with the situation.
"Okay, calm down. Leonie, the chairman of the competition, Mr. Arguelles and his staff want to meet you this afternoon at the university cafeteria. We are going there to support you, so don't worry, girl." explained Claire whom after her last word, the line was disconnected.
Anticipated to go, Leonie remained sitting on her bed, she thought that they might deny her access to the competition and maybe that was the end of everything for her. But she decided to face the circumstance of her action so she took a shower, and dressed up quickly. She had to accept whatever their decision would be. Before she left her room, she made a quick glance at her reflection on the mirror, there she saw a more matured and determined lady.
After two hours on the taxi which carried her to the university, Leonie treaded the hallway going to the cafeteria. She paused for a minute before she opened the sliding door, a huge group of people were waiting for her, then somebody grabbed her arm and pulled her to the left side.
"Miss, please follow me. You will be meeting them before this." Instructed the old man whom she thought was a part of the press.
She could not do anything but to follow him. In a moment, they were in front of the staff of the competition. She saw there Mr. Arguelles talking to few highly recognized persons in the university.
"Miss Rhoa, I'm glad to see you again." greeted Mr. Arguelles who first approached her. He smiled at her and shook her hands.
"I don't understand this, Sir. Kindly explain why there are press out there and huge of students are waiting." Leonie was puzzled
"Congratulations, Miss Rhoa. Your story was hitting the internet. Huge fans out there are waiting to talk to you. But I'm afraid they might express their objection as to why you had to make a man die in your last episode." elucidated Mr. Arguelles, his last few words were getting into her nerve.
Instead of responding, Leonie walked down the pathway going to the stage. She didn't mind the people calling her name. All what she wanted was to face them; clear whatever they were thinking about her story.
She sat on the chair offered to her, and took the microphone handed to her.
"Good day to all of you." She greeted them with a smile .
The crowd began screaming her name. The emcee signaled them to keep quiet so the interview could start.
"Miss Rhoa, your story has a big impact to the readers especially on the teenagers like me. You have created a guy we started to love, but why he has to die in the end?" asked the young lady of her age.
"Thank you for following my story, thank you for loving Rodney Janzen. There are still few episodes left, we'll never know what fate shall dictate his life." She smiled cautiously.
"He is your creation, so why you are going to let the fate dictate his ending?" another girl from the crowd asked her in confusion.
"I maybe the writer, but sometimes there are decisions that I have to sacrifice to make the outcome better than we expect it to be." She could not bear the rising tension with the students in front of her.
Leonie stood up and decided to leave the stage. She could not stand the situation and ran behind the curtain where she was pulled by a strong hand.
"Let's go. This way, Leonie" the familiar voice called her.
"Claire, thank you."
Her best brined just gave her a small nod.
- Writer
