Y-FIE (Your Flame Is Emanating)

The rattling sound of the keyboard can be heard across the room, so dark that only a silhouette of a glowing skin can be seen from afar. I used to be terrified of darkness, but because of the unfazed picture of this woman, so calm that even the most ferocious dog in our neighborhood dared not to bark. Light sheds in that darkness. Her existence alone brings calmness. I walked up to that room but left the lights out. " I could stare at you all day, and I wouldn't ever be bored." I whispered. Just a split second, I imagined the times we laughed while stuffing our mouths with snacks she keeps in every cabinet of this table. Every joke that's as boring as my sister's parlor games cracks me up. Though she finds it interesting to play it the whole day. Maybe we're somehow the same. I found joy in staring at you all day. I can only imagine how much more of a boring routine I have, perhaps even my life in itself. "You bid goodbye when we were all drunk at a party you arranged for us. How could we even comprehend what you were trying to do at that time?" I whispered. You said never to look for you and that you would be back safe and sound. But when is that day? You left us all without a clue. I have been going back through all the times we were together but I can't find a hint of what went wrong. "I just hope you could have trusted us more and gave us proper notice that you'd be gone this long." I sat on the chair she holds so dear. She doesn't really want anyone sitting beside her when she's working, not to mention playing. "I miss the days when you would just get mad when I leaned on the chair." I said while giggling. "This seemed to be an untouchable throne before." My mind was going blank and it almost felt like she was sitting with me. Then a spark of light flashed in the corner of my eye. For a moment there, I felt like you were back! I traced back the light. Staring at the living room, hoping that you'd just appear in front of me. I don't care how. I wouldn't ask where you've been, or even what you have been into. I'm spitting prayer after prayer, desperately hoping that you'll appear in my life again. I can care less why I feel this bad. All I know is I'm not OK without you around. This has been the longest moment of my life. Struggling to open my eyes. "Please let it be you, please let it be you", murmuring a prayer. BAM!!! A loud bang sounded from the kitchen. I ran towards the kitchen and exclaimed, "Luna!?" But there was silence. A deafening silence. "Why can't you be back?" All the tears I'd been holding back for a year started to build up and flood my eyes. It's warm. My eyes are burning. My heart's extremely pounding. Later, I noticed I was wailing. I wanna scream so loud that it can reach you from the deepest ends of this world and just meet me one last time. "If you really can't stay, at least have the guts to say goodbye!" Screaming my heart out. It's a haunting feeling and I can't shake it off. "One last time. Just one more time." weeping helplessly. "I just need you one more time." There's a voice calling me. It echoes distantly. But where? "Luna, please one more time. Just one last time. Talk to me. I'm begging you to please come back." Someone, someone's calling me. Where are you? I stumbled to get back on my feet. I'm muddy all over. My feet feel heavy. Every step feels like I'm dragging my body. Too much weight. " I need to find her. Her voice, it's familiar. "Where are you?" Just where am I? This darkness is swallowing me. It's creeping on me. "Luna, please. Don't leave me like that. What's wrong with you? Just talk to me." weeping voice. Is she crying? Why? What's going on? It's creeping me out. I haven't felt this scared in a lifetime. "Where are you?" That voice. Yours is my only answer. "Luna... I beg you" I need to get to that voice. I need to reach her. Whatever I'm doing, I know she can help me. And, "please stop crying, it hurts." Running swiftly to search for her voice. I feel blind. It's pitch black. No wind in my hair. No noise but her voice. The only thing I feel is my heavy feet and this unwanted feeling that's creeping up to me. I want that voice. Just take me out of here. I put more effort on my feet. Trying to reach her rapidly. I feel almost weightless. Like I'm riding the wind, but the difference is I don't feel anything around. Not sure if I'm even moving one place. It starts to scare me. "Am I stuck? Am I even getting anywhere?" I ran anxiously. "No, that voice is calling me. I need to assure her I'm here. And that I need her help." Where are you? Where to go? What to do? "Luna!" "No, don't cry." This feels endless. "One last push, I'm giving my all!" Before I knew it, I caught up to the end of this madness that keeps fleeting away from me. But I'm stuck in this sphere. I saw a familiar back. "Was that you?" I called. "Luna?!" she turned. "Me? Yeah! It's you!" "Why? Why leave?" "Wait, me?" "Yes, why?! Why did you do it?" "I got no answers for you." I said I wouldn't ask, I wouldn't ask what she was doing or where she was. So why? "I won't anymore." I said. "You wouldn't what?" "Just one thing..." "What thing?" "Stay." "I don't even know where I'm supposed to go." She started weeping again. Then one more baffling question. "Then why? What is this?" "What is what?" I want to hold her and dry her tears, tell her it's gonna be fine. I started walking up to her. "I don't know myself, whatever's going on. I just know that...you are my only help." Bend on my knees and try to reach her. "BOOM!" A light flashed in front of me. All my memories up til now quickly passed my eyes. And I was crippled on the ground. "Alba." I stared at her. "Yes, it's you." "I need your help." " Find me." "What's going on?" "You have to be there." "I need you." I slowly vanished from my feet up to my face. I remember now. There was a missing piece. There is another side. I... need... her. "Whatever happens, please believe me, I need you." "Ipomoea alba, blooms in the moonlight." A blinding light appears before us and she completely disappears from my sight. Next thing I know, a sharpened blade pins me down. It's excruciatingly painful. Like, my whole body is being drained. "Alba, you have always been my peace." "Bring me home." my sight completely fades away. ========== "Alba! Alba! Alba!" people kept calling out my name. Too loud. "Alba!" my eyes started to clear and my friends were anxiously calling out to me. I got up and wiped my eyes. "What are you guys doing here?" "We came to visit you. Apparently, you got everyone worried." "Last thing we know, you were locking yourself up in your room. You're always listless and staring at the farthest corners of the Earth, whenever at work. We can't even talk to you." "Now we have decided to cheer you up and what are we witnessing? You sleeping on the kitchen floor?" "Seriously, girl. What have you been thinking?" "I know, you feel mutually that we don't want another friend disappearing from us, no?" I started tracing back the moment before I fainted. There was a blinding light. She was there. She was! "Luna's been missing for a year now. We don't want you to go missing on us too." "She was here!" I exclaimed. "Who?" "Luna was here!" "Alba..." discerning look. "No, she really was. And she said she needed me!" "Alba, please..." "She was here..." "Haaaahhh..." he said exhaustively. "We'll be pretty sure it's just you lying on that cold floor." "But she was..." "Do us a favor. Take a break. And please be careful, especially when your sister's not around." "Can you do that for us?" "Believe me, she really was---" "Luna, no!" Travi exclaimed. "I get it." I said in resignation. Suddenly, the room echoes silence. A hallowing tension that's piercing in everyone's thoughts from that day. "I promise you, you're the only one we saw in the house when we got here." Zoe's reassuring voice. "By the way, Unis has been calling you. Check it out." I nodded. "We'll check you out tomorrow, Alba. Please watch your health." Travi, as they bid goodbye. I'm again left in my thoughts. I'm almost sure I talked to her. And in just a few minutes... "I'm home!" Actias arrived. "Sis, what happened?" she asked. "Travi told me you were cold on the floor, they almost thought you were done." I looked up at her, thinking she wouldn't understand. "Too much thinking I guess," I replied. She stared at me, searchingly. As if trying to figure out when I will stop acting foolishly. I looked down, thinking, sometimes I feel like all eyes are scrutinizing me for being this way. I wish I could act differently, but I don't feel that way. I haven't been, since she was gone. "Wanna binge watch tonight?" she asked. 'That's a good suggestion.' I thought to myself. "Of course!" "I'll make us popcorn!" "Sure." She's not the kind that glooms the room. Somehow, I feel the same calmness in her. Ain't I lucky? What have I been doing this past year? Was it real? Did you happen, Luna Aelius? ========== I'm slowly regaining consciousness. 'Why do I feel like someone's carrying me?' I slowly opened my eyes. My eyelids feel like they are being pushed by fingers and it's burning just trying to open them. I started feeling pain all over my body. I feel a thousand blades piercing me. My head feels heavy. Paid all over my body. "Just what is going on?" I murmur. "Are you awake, miss?" "Can you hear me?" "Arghh...yes, I can" I said in agony. "Could you please tell me what's going on?" "It's too loud in here." "We found you unconscious, and you're severely wounded!" "Ughhh...that explains why I feel so much pain." "Arghhh!!" My head feels like being torn open. "Arghhhh!!!!" It has just occurred to me. This is how bad I've been feeling since sleeping. My head's about to explode. I felt something spurting out of my chest. It's warm and painful at the same time. 'What is this?' I tried helplessly to reach it out and feel something slippery and a bit warm. "Dang, that hurts!" "Miss, please refrain from moving!" she said franticly. "Arghhh...it's too much pain!" "Please press this wound harder!" She screamed out. 'I feel weightless. My consciousness is slipping away again. Why can't I stay awake? What is going on?' The voices slowly fade and I feel like falling again. "She fell unconscious again, madam!" "Bring her inside! We have to fix her up faster!" "Yes, madam!" ========== "Is it dark again?" My voice just echoed. "Anyone here?!" I shouted desperately. It's pitch black and I can't see anything. "Please! Anyone! Anybody?" my voice just keeps echoing. It's pitch black and I have no idea whatever's going on. "Please! Anyone!!!" A strike of light passed my eyes quickly. 'Am I awake? What was that?' I started to lift my body and followed the path where the light had faded away. "Why do I feel like deja vu?" My feet were heavy. It's getting painful to take a step. I feel mud all over me and it's dragging me. "Please, I need help" I murmured. "What is going on? I feel like I've been here before." It's starting to scare me. "Please, anyone! I need your help!" Another light struck across my sight. "Where is that?" "Where is that?" I heard an echo. "Luna?" "Anyoneee!!!" 'Again, that voice! Was it you, Luna?' I keep hearing voices. Am I getting insane? "Luna? Was that supposed to be me?" Memories started to flood my head. My once again feels heavy. It's painful. First, I saw blood coming out of my chest. I tried to feel my body, but there were no wounds. "Hold it, I feel like I'm forgetting something." "AAAARRRGHH" My head hurts like someone's trying to tear it open! "You, who are you?" I tried to remember harder what I'd been missing. It gets more painful each time. Like someone trying to stop me from remembering. I saw a light in the distance. I walked hurriedly towards it. "Is that a flower?" I slumped beside it and reached it out. This is "Ipomea Alba", a moonlight flower. "Alba?" It's starting to feel like a memory's trying to flash back on me. "Alba Alba, what is Alba?" "Arrghhhh!!" My head's hurting again! "Am I just really hearing things?" "Alba!!!" "Luna?! Is that you?" I tried desperately to follow that voice and ended up in her room. "Luna..." "Alba.." The moonlight flower glowed brighter. A path cracks the darkness open. "That's..." I walked towards it. I recall it now. We've been here before. I need Alba. Only she can save me. I tried to reach her out. She needs to know what's going on. "Luna, are you here?" another light flashed before my eyes, then... "There you are, Alba. Finally, I caught up with you!" The mud is creeping up on me, it's pulling me back in that darkness. "Are you real?" "Alba, I wish I had more time. Listen to me well. I can't spare you all the details, but try to search over my files. It's a big mess, and I'm afraid if I lose here, I might never be back again. We are all connected, but you're the main piece. Show me some light, my moonlight flower." I smiled longingly at her face. "I would never have guessed that you're the missing piece. We can cross through realities." Tears starting to fall down my cheeks. "And I'm really sorry for disappearing on you, guys. Believe me, this is true. Search through my files. It's the only file I left behind." I'm being sucked back into the darkness and struggling is getting futile. "Luna...please come back!" I started tearing up. "As you can see, no matter how I try I'm being sucked back. I'm in circles. Please help me, Alba." "I don't understand a thing you said. What does it have to do with the files?!" I tried to grab her but she was like a reflection in the mirror. Untouchable. "No more time, believe me! Just believe me! Search my files, try to piece them together, it will then make sense!" The light started to blind me. I hardly opened my eyes and a sharp noise ran through my ear. "Aaargggh!" My consciousness started to fade away, and I felt my body fall on the floor. "Sis! Sis! Why are you sleeping on the floor? Get up!" "Unis..." she started fading out of my sight. With my last ounce of strength, I told her. "Please, bring me to my room." Last thing I wanted her to feel was to be worried. "I got you!" Unis said.