The Conspiration of the Universe

Chapter 7

7

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When I was a kid (if 13 was still a kid), I used to personify some of the traits the characters of the book I just recently read. Some of my classmates found this weird and/or entertaining like I was some freak on a circus but mostly found it annoying. One day I was this “cool” kid the other was this shy self-pitying character. I thought maybe it was part of growing up, building my own personality as I struggle to try each. Yup that is me being really weird. Four years had passed and here I thought I outgrew that insane part of me but today... today I knew that somehow a screw in my head went missing.

“Hey don’t leave me here hanging.” Eureka insisted while still holding out her hand. Apparently she introduced herself as Eureka- Eureka Cortez, the name of the character from the book I came to admire. There are only four possibilities that I could think of.

She is just plainly an imagination of my brain. A hallucination maybe. I might be deprived of oxygen or something that my brain makes up this girl. There is only one way to test this.

I held out my hand as well and slowly reached for her hand. To my surprise, I felt warmth from her soft hands. She shook our hands a little bit awkwardly. Okay, I’m starting to freak out again. Relax, Luke. There are three other possibilities. But those three are rather much unlikely.

She is really a hobo or some crazy chick and she have also read ‘A Starless Night’ and thought that she was Eureka because she has a personality disorder, or

She is just coincidentally named Eureka Cortez. Who knows, maybe Andrew Bautista named it after her and that’s crazy talk, Luke!

Now withstanding, two possibilities- but I need to gather more information about her. She’s looking at me, confused. She doesn’t seem to be bothered that she is in another person’s house but rather confused with... me. Well, certainly I am also discombobulated by this event.

“Why are you here? Where do you live?”

“I don’t know how I ended up here. I live in Cavite. Tell me, where am I?”

Cavite? That’s a place not very far from here. But still it is quite a distance.

“You seriously don’t know where you are?”

She shook her head no. Something really felt wrong. My heart started to pound faster and sweat trickled from my temple.

“You’re in Los Baños, Laguna. And you’re in my apartment.”

She smiled. Yup, I knew it. She is just a cuckoo teenager using her dear face to find a host to pester. Why does she even use that name?

“How did I get here in Laguna?” she asked with obviously some tone of excitement on her voice.

“Well I don’t know! I should be the one asking you that. Why are you here at my house?”

“I ran away from home.”

“Okay, you ran away from home, which is somewhere in Cavite and ended up here in Los Baños, at my house, at my bed?”

“Yeah, that pretty much summarizes our whole conversation.” she said flatly. I can’t believe what she had said. I can’t believe her at all.

“Do you know how crazy that sounds?”

“No. I think it is just logical. I ran away from home and here I am, away from home. I don’t care where I am right now. That’s the point of running away. And besides, it feels like, here...I am supposed to be here.”

Ding! Ding! Ding! Okay I got it. She is this rebellious teenager who went crazy hell. As it turns out, the third possibility is the most likely to be the explanation to the mystery of this girl.

“I think you should leave now. It’s been nice knowing you.” I asked her with all courtesy I could muster.

“You’re making me leave? Huh, here I thought you are such a kind good-looking guy but...” her eyes are sparkling like she was delivering a tragic speech.

“Miss, flattery wouldn’t get you anywhere.”

“I thought so. Judging by your looks, you look smart.”

“Again, Miss Eureka, flattery wouldn’t get you anywhere.”

She pouted her pink lips. I shouldn’t be swayed by someone who I just recently met. She’s still a stranger.

“Would you stop calling me miss? It makes me feel like I’m already 45. Anyway, if you have made up your mind, then I’ll leave.”

“Thank you for understanding. I would rather call the authority if you don’t.”

She curled her lips. “That would not be necessary. I would just get Iris then I’ll leave.”

Iris. The name made my heart skip a beat.

“You have a friend who slept here as well?” I said exasperatedly.

“No, Iris is a camera.”

I felt my eyes widen as the thought crossed over to my mind. I went to my bed in a hurry and started to search.

“Wow you really want me to leave, don’t you?” she commented.

I checked under my fluffy pillow and felt a hard object tucked underneath. It was a small camcorder; seems brand new. It’s the one that she’s talking about but not the one I’m searching so I continued to unravel my bed. I flipped one corner of it and saw the book. My hands are shaking as I flipped through the pages. Iris. The name is imprinted on one of its pages. Then I flipped more pages. Page 49, Iris...page 54 Iris...even at the ad blurb, Iris.

To think that I have ruled out the fourth possibility so easily before I ever consider it makes me shudder. How could I consider it? It is way out of league.

She, for God knows the reason, is the real Eureka Cortez. She came out of the book!