8 Years Before

Getaway Gone Wrong

    It was Monday and the rest decided to make my apartment the meeting place. I was busy packing breakfast and lunch for dinner and those who came early gave me a helping hand.     Sapphire prepared a premium clubhouse, with a generous amount of dressing and fresh lettuce and oozing cheese. I was busy scooping rice and place it on disposable containers, with beef steaks, sausages, and buttered shrimp for breakfast.    Jade came to make sure all fruits were gathered together on the basket, she also sliced some so we could pick on them while traveling. Topaz was in charge of the beverages. Since no one here was a minor, we decided to buy strong vodkas, beers, and sodas.         Amethyst came second to the last, along with here were pasta and stacks of cooked meals she prepared herself. As all of us were ready, we hopped on the car and our hearts couldn’t contain the excitement.     I was the one who volunteered to drive on the first two hours, then Topaz would take over to drive for another three hours and I’ll go back to take the steering wheel for the remaining one-hour travel.         It was smooth travel, from the landscapes that visually captured through our minds, we know we’ll be having the most memorable getaway that will be worth it. We stopped four times at different gasoline stations to refuel or to take a pee. The sound of laughter echoed all throughout the six hours of our voyage with no visible exhaustion from anyone, not even to me and Jade who was driving.         “Aren’t we lost?” Amethyst asked when we started to get confused as we’re stuck in the middle of the crossroads       “There’s no single bar of signal here, the google map is not working,” I said. “Jade, I bet you had taken the screenshot from that site? Can you read it if there are any instructions regarding the crossroads?" She took out her phone from her pocket.     “The content was kind of puzzling. It’s like a riddle. It says here that you should take the road with a clear mountain waiting at the edge.”         “Does it mean we should turn right?” That’s the only mountain that’s clear to me.” I asked, baffled.         “I think you should.’ And so I continued driving and it’s almost two in the afternoon. As we keep on moving forward, the roads went stiffer, with no cement roads that were meant for cars to travel with. The grasses were tall enough that it narrowed the close to the foot-walk size of the passageway. Then there were rocky parts that made us all dizzy and my hands on the wheel and my feet on the pedal were exerting so much effort to make sure we make it safe.     The long hours of travel and the tough road made everything worth the struggle when the sight of the island greeted us. The waves were so furious that they slapped on the sharp big stones on the shore. There were alternating caves on the right side, with a one-kilometer-wide shore and sugary whiter-than-white sands. All of us were so excited that we jumped immediately out of the car the moment I found a shade to park it, leaving all things behind.         Jade, Sapphire, and Topaz were already at the sea, teasing the waves to chase them. I was busy staring at how magnificent the island was, there were no signs of footsteps that would indicate other people used to be here. There were indeed no cottages here but the trees were too extravagant that they covered so many rays of the said from directly striking the land.         On our first afternoon here, we set up three tents, sought branches we could use to light up the bonfire for our first night here. The Bluetooth speakers were booming with confidence knowing no neighborhood would think we’re distracting their nap times. We started grilling fish, chunks of pork, and hotdogs. We had so much fun to the point that hours here felt like seconds. That’s the thing about happiness I guess, it’s always short-lived.        Our first night was captivating, with millions of stars we ended up glamping until two in the morning. There were several howling that we heard but our heart was overjoyed we feared nothing else anymore. The first day and night were sealed, and memories were too precious knowing best spent with your best friends.          The next day, it was high tide that we woke up almost caught by waves within our tent. We were laughing while panicking, and at the same time, eager to fulfill our agendas. We had full breakfast as we set aside our pretentious loyalty to our diets. The first things that caught all of my attention were the cave located in the south. It was inviting, and it looked like it only takes few minutes to get there         Together we decided to unleash what hidden wonder hides there, walking arm and arm and with ceaseless tales about our childhood, we took our first step within the cave. Suddenly, the feeling of bliss was replaced by discomfort and winds of eeriness. The cave held something so mysterious that it started to bring chills all over my body. It was a heavy feeling and I turned back, something more unusual confirm my disbelief. Every one of us grew younger than we looked.          My six friends were baffled by sudden changes that all of us didn’t understand how and what happened. All of us rushed out of the cave immediately before we got the chance to take our steps further.      “This can’t be realllllll,” Jade screamed. “It felt like a dream. Please wake me up. Please wake me up. Please wake me up.”       “I don’t understand what’s happening. Tell me what happened.”          “We all looked like we’re back to our high school days. I don’t understand. I am starting to turn so afraid.” Amber was terrified her voice was trembling.         “What shall we do. I don’t know all I could ever remember was we step foot on that cave and the moment I turned around, all of us ended up looking way too young than we should,” I responded.      “Jade!! Your tattoos were gone and so as your piercings!” Topaz said. As we stared at jade, she looked like a completely innocent person with clear skin and brown hair. This was how she looked during our senior year.          “Alexandrite, your signature senior-high-school braided long hair is back as well. You even got uneven eyebrows.”          “Can someone please do something and explain what happened here. What’s with that cave. Everything felt heavy right from the entranceway of that cave,” Opal was trying her best to conceal her panics.     “I felt it too,” Jade said.         “All of us seemed like the high-versions of ourselves. Can someone please tell me what year it is right now? Can we all check it all together?” I asked. All of us took out our phones and looked at each other with obvious perplexity.     “It’s the year 2013,” we all said in chorus with echoes of bewilderment and endless wonder we don’t know where to find the answer to our questions.