All Over Again

Chapter 2: The Day We Met

Jerwin's POV

Ughhh.. Long day.. long day... -___-

I just finished taping a music video, finally wrapped that one up after weeks of hard labor. And before that, there was that meeting with the sponsors, a guest appearance for a talk show, and lunch with my manager, discussing work again.

Man, it's just work, work, work -- all day, every day..

Even now.. Well.. at least this is the final task for today. Last trip before going home: the music arena, which is to be the venue for my concert next week.

The manager said they're supposed to be doing

all the finishing touches sa set. Pero syempre, dahil late na ko natapos sa lahat, nag-uwian na ung mga crew nung dumating ako---Or so I thought..

Some of the lights are still on and there, at the center of the stage, a girl wearing a school uniform is standing, staring at the ceiling and at the production lights hanging up around the stage..

Ghost? Multo? -___- Should I run away now? I probably should... Ano naman magiging laban ko sa multo!??

-___-

For some reason, I realized kung anong iniisip ko -- at kung gano ka-ridiculous ung iniisip ko. I mean come on, why would a student haunt this music hall? Shouldn't she be haunting school grounds? So, even as my heart pounded twice as hard sa dibdib ko, I still cautiously started to walk towards the stage to see what she is -- I mean, to see what she wants.

Eto na.. Konti na lang... Ilang steps na lang, mahahawakan ko na yung stage--Just then, the girl suddenly let out a huge sigh and then turned around, facing me..

O__O

>____

O__O

"AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!"

"WAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHH!!!!!!"

O.O

O.o

"Hoy! Bakit mas malakas ka pa sa'kin sumigaw?!?!?"

"Are you kidding me!??! You scared the hell out of me!!"

"ANO!??!?! ANONG TINGIN MO SA'KIN!?!? MULTO!??!?"

Oh.. so she's human. O___O

"What are you doing here anyway?? Pano ka nakapasok?"

She jumped off the stage.

"I have my connections." tingin sa'kin "Sino ka ba?"

O.O

"YOU DON'T KNOW WHO I AM?!"

"Tatanungin ko ba naman kung sino ka kung kilala kita?! Gunggong!"

"AISH.. YOU WANNA DIE!??"

"Only if you die first."

What is wrong with this girl!??

I cleared my throat. "Anyway, my name is---"

"Nevermind. I don't really care who you are."

Really.... -__-

I should calm down. Wala akong mapapala kung makikipagtalo ako dito. I don't know her..

And as long as she's not a ghost, then I'm okay. I should just check everything as fast as I can and then leave..

Yea, that's right..

Good plan.

"I used to dream of performing on this very stage..."

The ghost girl turned her gaze back at the stage with a serene look plastered on her face -- a far cry from the pasaway, carefree mask she was wearing just a few moments ago..

O_O

"Eh? So you're a performer?"

A back-up singer?

--or a dancer?

Is she one of my crew? How come I've never seen her before? Is she new??

She let out a soft sigh, then umikot para tumingin ulit sa'kin..

Ah! There's the carefree face again. O_O

Ang galing..

It's like she can switch her idiotic expression on and off in moments.

"A performer, ha..." she smiled "Yea.. I guess you can say that.."

She took a quick glance at the stage again pero this time, it was like she was staring at something more distant..

I wonder kung may nakikita na syang multo..

-___-

"The stage used to be my life--until my life was taken away on stage. From then on, performing just wasn't the same anymore.."

"Life taken away"??

HER life?!?? Could she be a real ghost after all? T-T Bago pa ko makapag-process, she suddenly jumped after checking the time on her watch.

"Whoy! It's late! I gotta go! (biglang tingin sa'kin) Nice meeting you,-- uh.. what's your name again?? er, nevermind! Bye!"

I watched her run out of the hall. Di man lang naghintay na mag-bye din ako, or mag-wave man lang --and she didn't even introduce herself! Psh..

Creepy ghost. Weird.. Rude..

I looked back at the stage, and the girl's contemplative face flashed in my mind again and now that I think about it..

Have we met before?? She looks so familiar...

Venice's POV

"TAXIIIII!!!!"

And of course, dahil malayo pa lang, nakikita na ang beauty ko, tumigil naman yung tinatawag kong taxi..

I gave the driver my destination, and nung nalinaw na kung saan yun, nilabas ko kagad ung cellphone ko -- ang naghihingalo kong cellphone --and tinawagan si Ate Marian..

"Hello?"

"Ate! Haller!"

"Oh, Venice. Napatawag ka."

"Makikipag-chikkahan sana ako kaya lang low batt na ko. So anyway, straight to the point na lang.. Napuntahan ko na yung pinapapuntahan mo. It looks like the crew is pretty much done with everything."

"Ay talaga? Nako, buti naman.. Di kasi ako nakapunta today dahil sa meeting. Pati ba yung mga lights nakasabit na?"

"Yep, yep. At least, I think everything is all set up. Pupunta ka naman bukas di ba?"

"Uhmmm. Late afternoon pa siguro, after nung mga meeting at lunch dates."

Amazing na production assistant 'to eh noh? Inuna pa yung lunch dates kesa dun sa concert project nung company nila..

"Oh well, you can check na lang tomorrow kung may na-miss ako. Alam mo naman ako, malay ko ba kung anong ginagawa nyo dun sa stage na yun. Dami-dami mong alalay dyan, ako pa pinapunta mo para mag-check."

"Ehhhh, pagbigyan mo na ko, Venice.. Baka pag nag-utos ako sa mga minions ko, baka mahuli pa ko ni bossing eh. Lab mo naman ako di baa?"

"Che! Abusado! Anyway, I gotta go."

"Eh? Already? Ah. Nandyan ka nanaman."

"Syempre naman, ate. Ma-mmiss ko ba naman ang pagpunta dito? hahaha And besides, ano ba. Mamamatay na nga cellphone ko.. Kaya sige na.. bye bye, ate!"

She sighed. "Okay.. Ingat ka."

I hang up the phone and looked out of the window. Just one more place to go bago ako umuwi.

It didn't take long bago lumitaw ang white-washed walls nung cemetery.

Binaba ako nung taxi dun mismo sa entrance, and after kong bayaran at mag-thank you kay manong, kinolekta ko na lahat ng gamit ko para makababa na.

The guards waved as I passed their booth dun sa entrance. Suki na ko dito na kahit sinong guard at kahit anong shift pa yan, kilala na ko...

I continued to walk dun sa loob nung cemetery. Even as the sun starts to set, ok lang din. Sa tagal ko na ba namang naglalakad dito, pati yung mga multo at bangkay, kilala na rin ko and just like any other day, I stopped in front of the well-kept grave..

I sat on the grass, and gently touched the grave stone..

"Sorry, I'm late.. Si Ate Mars kasi eh, may pinadaanan pa but I'm here now... G..."