The Moon and My Way of Life

Rayle’s POV (Dream) “Leave now, Duncan! You must live for all of us!”, James shouted as we heard the footsteps of Juliana’s men. With my heart beating, I screamed, “I won’t leave you, guys! If I were to leave, we'll go together!” I couldn’t help but cough multiple times because of the thick smoke that the bomb created. Even though I had difficulty breathing, I tried to find where James and the others were. “F-CK!” I walked forward as safely as possible holding the gun in front of me. Closing my eyes, I ran as fast as I could, following the familiar muffled voices. I can’t lose them at all costs! If they’re gone, what reason would there be for me to continue? James, Arthur, Freya, Jen, and the others, I won’t escape all alone here! I know I’m risking everything that everyone has done so far by putting myself in danger, but I’ll do what I can until the last moment regardless! With my surroundings now clear to me, I could see everyone from a distance. They were all beaten and forcefully dragged. It all happened in an instant; I felt my blood boil with the sudden urge to eliminate everyone who gets in my way. With the moon shining brightly as if it were some large Ice Crystal that night, and the utterly black skies without the stars that I often stare at before I went to sleep, my heart pumped so fast that I felt like I had forgotten to breathe. With a dagger in my left hand and a gun on the right, I jumped forward, landing in front of a man that I didn’t know. My left hand was so swift that the only thing that I heard was the sound of his lifeless body falling to the ground. It was like I was dancing along with the trees of the forest at that moment, and the gun in my right hand was screaming at the top of its lungs as if singing for everybody to hear. *Bang! *Bang! *Bang! “Ack!” “Ughhh!” “Ahhhh!” “KILL HER NO-!” *swoosh* “You guys dare…” I whispered to the wind as I slaughtered everyone who dared to harm my men. “Miss!” “Pinuno!” After some time, I then finished my dance. For a brief moment, I couldn’t hear anything. It was so peaceful that I couldn’t help appreciating the moon above me. I felt the night comforted me with a hug that made me slightly shiver in my place. I only came to my senses when I heard a loud voice calling my name repeatedly. “Miss Rayle! Miss Rayle! Are you okay!?” she said with a worried look on her face, even though it was as if she was the one who received the most blow out of all of them. Inhaling deeply, that’s when I noticed how messy I look right now. I turned to look at the others and saw that they were all alive and well. “Let’s go! “Arthur I thought I was going to lose them. I put my trembling hands on my side and tried to calm myself. I’m not going to let Juliana slide by the time I meet her myself! That old pricky hag! We have been brought to an unfamiliar place. But no matter the case, we still must make a run for it as we’re in short of weapons, and most of them are badly injured. “When something like this happens again, Duncan, leave immediately! We’re putting away our lives for a reason, and without you, it'll all end up being to waste!” James shouted angrily. Stopping in my tracks, I couldn’t help but talk back. It’s not like I didn’t know about that. “I knew that I was risking everything we and the organization had done so far. But if I were to lose you all, how am I supposed to stand on my own?! Why am I called a ‘pinuno’ if I can’t even protect those under me?!” Without my mask and my thoughts, all of them for once to see, it didn’t matter anyhow. “Miss Rayle, you’re our only hope. We understand where you are coming from, but we didn’t want to be the reason for us to lose the only chance we got” Zen Somehow, I felt something prick my heart because of what Zen had said. I knew they were right, but I also knew that Somehow, I wasn’t wrong. I wasn’t the type of person who acts as childish as I am right now. But the moment I realized I was going to lose them when I’m capable of stopping it, I felt threatened. I felt threatened by my own unincapability. I didn’t dare utter any word anymore, but the annoyance on my face was visible enough to convey my feelings. I looked over our surroundings and saw that the path to the mountain would be very hard to climb. But before I could talk to them, I felt uneasy. Something’s wrong. Spending the night inside a forest is incredibly dangerous. Although we can somehow see clearly, who knows what animal lurks in the dark or an attack may come out of nowhere? Right now, we’re not in the right condition, so our strength and abilities are limited. I turned my head and tried to look at everyone’s faces using the light from the moon. There’s James, Freya, Arthur, Zen, Levi, and- Wait. Levi? Where' s Levi? I’m sure he was with us a while ago. Did he get lost? No. He’s been trained, so it is highly impossible for such a thing to happen to him. I immediately picked up my gun and dagger. Everyone became alerted by my sudden action. Walking a few steps back from our current position, I heard a familiar scream behind me. Is that...Freya? I immediately turned my back to look as if sensing immense danger. I was frozen in my place when I saw Freya covered in blood on the floor. Before she fell on to the ground, she mouthed something. ‘Re.ber.von’ Everything happened in an instant. Before I could even act, men covered in a black cape and mask attacked us. “Miss Rayle! Run!” said Zen as he was fighting over one of the men in black with all his might using a dagger. *Bang! * “Ughh!” I blocked all the attacks of the man in front of me. When I heard James’s voice after a gun noise, I immediately docked and jumped back. Shooting the enemy before me countless times before he can even react and watch his body fall lifelessly. I then decided to help James who was finding it hard with his wound from earlier. He was bleeding nonstop, and I couldn’t even talk to him properly as I was busy fighting. “s**t! Hey, James! Hold out for me!” The old man looked at me and smirked while he was coughing out blood. I pushed the man with every bit of my strength, throwing the dagger in his direction, which he couldn’t dodge. I was about to run in James’s direction when more of the enemy reinforcements came. “Rayle! Remember what we said?” Arthur I felt my world turned upside down because of the fate that waits upon us. I felt different kinds of emotions swirling inside me. Undeniable anger. Deep hatred. Sadness. Helplessness. And…Fear. Fear, not because I am afraid of what lies ahead of me. It’s fear of losing everything. Everything that I was hoping to protect. Everything I was determined to achieve. I looked at James, who was now standing up once again. To Zen, who was fighting with all his might and so as Arthur. And lastly, to Freya, who has been dearer to me without even her knowing it. Her bubbly attitude towards me even if my treatment were the opposite. My memories with them all seemed to rewind for a moment when I closed my eyes. We all looked at each other for a split moment as if we were ready to face anything that was destined to happen to us. Was it odd if I were to say that when they all looked at me for a moment and smiled, a tear out of nowhere fell from my left eye? With a nod from them, I closed my eyes. I turned my back and ran as fast as I could. Memories of when we just met came into me and our time together. I was wrong. Because of the pressure that I'd felt for the position that was to be passed down to me, I grew anxious. I should not have closed myself off to everyone just because I was afraid that they'd see me weak and not capable enough. Even just for a little bit, I wish I could’ve been more open to everyone and not treated them coldly. I shouldn’t have been so afraid of what might happen. I froze in my tracks when I heard loud familiar consecutive shouts from afar. My mind went blank in just a second and I couldn’t stop shaking. Not of fear, but of the unfathomable anger that was going on inside me. My hands were shaking but then again, I found myself staring at the moon, but now emotionlessly. I couldn’t help but chuckle as I was now helpless towards the man pointing a gun behind me. The pain of being shot by a gun was nowhere to be found. Yes, I didn’t even feel a thing, even if blood was flowing out my chest. Is this my end? How unfortunate. I feel weaker each passing second. It was as if the moon was watching me intently meeting my end. How strange. Is it possible for the moon to shine that brightly? I then accepted my fate and let my helpless body fall to a never-ending cliff. With my eyes still locked on the icy beautiful moon, I whispered, “If I were to be given a chance to live again, I'd change people’s lives. I want to live my new life and not just survive. If you were to give me a chance once again, I'd be grateful, moon…” (dream ends) “Ms. Rayle! Where are you going to again!? You still have training later!” Alaric shouted while running, trying to catch up with me. With a poker face, I unlocked my car using the key I was holding in my right hand. I walked towards my green jeep wrangler pick-up and opened the door wide enough for me to enter. I looked towards my watch and saw that it was already 12:21 pm. I am so behind already, so I have got to be fast. I can’t be late anymore as I don’t want to wait in a long line and get cut off. Geez...after that one hell of a dream, which is my memory before I died. I woke up showered by my own sweat. It was all just to shake off the fear and anxiety I felt because of that long vivid dream. However, I, unfortunately, forgot that I had somewhere to go today. Heck, I should've checked the date first thing in the morning." Alaric blocked the door with his left hand before I could even shut it. He was panting heavily while I couldn’t help it and eventually let out a smile. “I’m going to a fan sign event by ASTERI. I really can’t be late or else my efforts will go to waste, Alaric. “Me With a scolding-cold gaze, he looked at me right into my eyes, “What about your training?” Combing my hair through my hands, I replied “I already talked to them. And they said I could go in exchange that I would be within their reach for a whole week and a half. Isn’t that great news?” In the end, Alaric sighed in defeat and removed his hand from the door. “Fine, you won. Make sure not to go home late. Be careful on your way.” I am Rayle Alexandra Adhika V. Duncan, and I have lived in this world for over 15 years already. There’s so much about me that I wouldn’t be able to tell you about, as of right now, I’m already running late. With him stepping back, I then closed the door and got ready to leave. But before all that, what Alaric said to me when he stepped back, it lingered in my mind for a while. It was a fact I knew ever since I was born. Something I can’t ever run away from and still haunts me no matter where I go, as my existence is the clear and forever evidence of it. “You are our one and only, pinuno. Never forget that.” _____ “Hey, we thought you weren’t coming. Is something up?” Elli aka. Eliot Vincent K. Ramos. He is part of ASTERI, which is the mixed girl/boy band I admire. Well, I KNOW I AM LUCKY to be friends with them and even within my arms. There are, I don’t know, hundreds and millions who admire an artist or group, and to be able to get close with them is something they couldn’t even possibly dream of. That’s why I, myself, am always thankful and proud of my efforts. It’s a good thing I don’t know the word give up and side to side with consistency always as a die-hard fan, lol. There are 7 group members of the ‘Asteri’, and I love all of them. It’s just that there will always be someone who you will feel more attracted to or feel a deeper connection to in a way. Shaking my head, I sat on the couch in the living room of Delilah’s house and hugged the pillow, “Nah, just late, that’s all.” I pretended that I was looking around to find the others where I was. Did you get what I said? Well, you’ll understand soon enough. “Who are you looking for, huh? “ I screamed in fright when someone suddenly appeared behind me and whispered in my ear. “You scared me you, b*tch.” I threw the pillow over Delilah who was now laughing like a hyena on the floor, and it seemed like she didn’t need any more oxygen to live. Delilah Mysterio D. Cantos, one of the three girls of Asteri. She’s more of the trickster type. Yeah, someone who loves making pranks and the life of the party. There will always be someone like that. I could too, well, somehow. After I mingle with people for some time, I feel like my energy’s consumed at some point. I, then, would go out missing for a while for some alone time. “Geez, aren’t you tired of doing the same things over and over again? “Me I sat once again on the sofa and looked at Delilah with a hawk-like gaze. She only winked at me and blew a flying kiss in return. Which I only gesturally brushed off like I was disgusted. Meanwhile, both Charli and Levi were just having fun seeing us. Whenever something interesting is going on, It’s like they have some sort of telepathic ability. What I mean is, they act and think like one most of the time. I’m not sure if it’s a side-effect of being childhood friends or if they are just twins and it’s up to science to explain that. Charlotte Morales T. Stewart a.k.a Charli is one of the girls members of Asteri. Levi H. Wyatt is one of the boys who is the lead drummer even though he's not silent most of the time. Valentina is the last girl group member of ASTERI and since earlier, I haven’t seen her, which made me curious. “Where’s Valentina?” I asked because I couldn’t see her around I tried to reach out my hands to the table in front of me to get the V-cut, but it was still a little bit far from me. I was about to stand up when I saw Mateo himself give it to me. I couldn’t help but let out a smile and gave my thanks. “She wasn’t feeling well so she was told to rest first. It was a long and hectic day after all. “Matteo Mateo G. Thompson a.k.a Mateo. He is the lead dancer of the group. He was the one who did most of the choreography of their dances. They are a band and, at the same time, a famous group/idols. If you ever had the chance to see them perform, it would be impossible for you not to be hooked on them. I mean it. Like, L-I-T-E-R-A-L-L-Y. “Is-shee…” I replied while crunching on the V-cut like it was the last day of my life. It was my favorite junk food after all. I just couldn’t help it. “Rayle, don’t eat too much of that. Dinner is already prepared. Everyone, go to the dining room and eat lots of vegetables as possible.” I almost swallowed some when Aunt Michel suddenly popped out of nowhere and made my heart thump like crazy. I didn’t miss the laughing gazes of others, while I only rolled my eyes. “What? Do you have anything you want to say?” They only shook their heads and head to the dining room. Levi was the last person to leave but before he did, he told me something. “You were looking for Mikki since earlier, aren’t you? Go on and call him as we’re going to eat dinner now anyway. “ He wasn’t smiling but the mischievousness in his eyes said it all. Before I could even argue, he already silence me up. “He’s on the rooftop AND be fast.” Is this really happening? I was just frozen in my place for a while as my mind went nuts. I exhaled to get rid of the nervousness, but it didn’t help me that much at all. No, I need to call Mikki fast because everyone's waiting for us. I walked fast enough from the first floor to the third floor rooftop of Delilah's mansion. Before I could even realize it, I was now on the stairs that led to the rooftop. I could feel my heart thumping like crazy. Should I just say ‘Mikki, it’s dinner time’ or ‘Mikki, it’s already time for dinner? Geez, does that even make sense? No, do I even make sense right now? I took a deep breath before opening the glass door. “Hey, Mikki. Aunt Mich-! “ Frozen in my place, I saw the most serene sight I have ever seen in my life. On a chilly cold night, the little white twinkling lights hung above the tall trees that surrounded that mansion, was this boy who stands out even against the well-cared garden that is said to be the most beautiful place in the mansion. Just a few steps away from me is the man who has captivated me since the beginning. Mikki Callum Antonio J. Marquez a.k.a Mikki is the name. He is the lead rapper of the group and also plays the guitar. All kinds is what I mean, as it depends on the choice of music. He was wearing a denim trucker jacket on the outside and a black and white stripped sweater on the inside. Partnered with black jeans with a cut on the knee part, and black shoes. This man has been bugging my mind all day long. He is really charismatic and has that overwhelming but mysterious presence around him. I have been hanging out with them for almost 7 months now? And I really still can't get used to that presence of his. Yes, you guessed it. right, I have a crush on this boy. For now, that's all I can say. Love? I'm not really sure about that word right now as I can't describe it. But in the mean time, I'm going to find out about this boy and what I really feel towards him. It may seem difficult of a task for me, especially when I have other personal matters that need most of my attention. But just as I promised to the moon, I'm going to live my life and also fulfill the things that must be done that I couldn't in my previous life. I don't want to worry too much like I did in the past, as life is short. As what people commonly say, ' make the most of it' Mustering up the courage to step forward, I reached out my hand and tried to wake up Mikki. I hope you don't get mad at me for disturbing your precious sleep. Seeing that he still hadn't woken up, I shook his shoulders gently once again, hoping to see his move even just a bit. "Mikki. Mikki, wake up." Instantly, his eyes opened and caught me staring at him. I immediately stood up straight, caught off guard. Shaking his head a little, he then stood up and combed his hair before locking eyes with me. As if giving me a questioning gaze I instantly said, " Aunt Michel says its time to have dinner. I'm sorry for disturbing your sleep." Geez... this uncomfortable stare at him "Ummm, I'm going then." I said and turned my back while making faces when I did. Hah, he wasn't giving me a look that was threatening or any sort, but just his blank, straightforward gaze was enough to make me feel shivers everytime. Unluckily, the long walk from the third floor to the first is really not helping at all. Ugh, kill me now. No, I actually did not mean that. Who wants to die again, right? Out of nowhere, he asked, “Where were you earlier?” Because I couldn't hear him clearly as I'd been preoccupied with my own thoughts, I looked back and asked him again. "What? " Stepping in front of me, he asked, " Where were you?" I felt like I need to answer this one seriously by his tone of voice, even if it was just a simple one. I combed my hair using my fingers and casually replied, “Oh, that?... I just woke up late that’s all. I really tried to catch up, but it was already too late. Bad day I guess.” I looked at him too, but I eventually ended up averting my gaze somewhere else. Just like a flash, I remembered what Alaric's exact words to me earlier. 'You're our one and only, pinuno. Never forget that' How could I even possibly forget, Alaric? “Liar.” Like there was some sort of switch, I didn’t know why, but I just unconsciously and literally snapped at Mikki. “What did you just say?” I asked with a cold sharp tone, and I was just shooting daggers at the man in front of me. It was already too late for me to realize what I had just done and unknowingly took a step backwards. What did I just do? “I-I’m sorry. I didn’t mean to snap back at you. I was just thinking of something else and- ” With a cold, sharp gaze that scares me the most since the beginning. The gaze that was cold enough to make me shiver and somehow frightened. Taking a step closer to me, he whispered, “Honestly, you should lie more for you to get used to it. However, when it comes to me, don’t even think about it.” With my gaze lowered down, I habitually bit my lip. Afraid of what he might say, I unconsciously closed my eyes. “Does falling off your bed the reason you have cuts and wounds on your hands as wells as arms? Is that also the reason why you’re having trouble walking today? No…Did you even really fall off the bed or you’re just simply late? Tell me, Rayle. What other common nonsense excuse can you possibly make?” Walking past me he uttered, “Truthfully, since the beginning, I really don’t know you” That was when I was left alone just staring blankly in front. For the words he had said pierced sharply and thoroughly in my heart. As I know everything, he said was nothing but the truth. We didn’t need words to understand that we were both thinking just the same thing as what we perceive of off one another. We both felt that the first time we met. There was a big giant thing hindering us from meeting one another. And we both knew that, and maybe that’s what kept us from having a connection from the beginning all along. Because we fear one another. We fear because we can’t define what the other person really is. We can't read each other at all. A giant blank wall hindering us from going any further. And we don’t know ourselves what we should do about that. Turning back, I walked towards the dining room because I heard Delilah’s voice calling for me multiple times. With an indifferent gaze from before, bold, confident, and eyes that seemed to calculate everything, I walked to the dining room. In the air I whispered, “Me, too. I don’t know you either. Who you possibly are and what you think of me. You scare me like no other. But what can I, no, possibly us do? For I myself is unsure of who I am too.” _______ CHARACTERS: Rayle- successor, heir, FEMALE LEAD [Rayle Alexandra Adhika V. Duncan] Mikki- group member of Asteri, artist, musician, MALE LEAD [Mikki Callum Antonio J. Marquez] Alaric- Rayle's assistant, right-hand man, butler of the mansion ASTERI MEMBERS (7) [4 boys &3 girls]; BOYS: Elli- Elliot Vincent K. Ramos Levi- Levi H. Wyatt Mateo- Mateo G. Thompson (MIKKI)- guitarist, lead rapper of ASTERI, male lead GIRLS: Delilah- Delilah D. Cantos Charli- Charlotte T. Stewart Valentina- Valentina G. Asteria PREVIOUS LIFE/DREAM of Rayle: -Freya, James, Levi, Arthur, Zen (her men or who follows Rayle)