Traces of Midnight Fallacies

CHAPTER THREE

I felt my head ache the moment I lifted it from the table where I was sitting. I don’t know how I got back to our room again. All I remember is Kevin and I walking in the middle of the pathway earlier in front of busy students. I don't have an idea how I got here. I feel like I'm in a story of flashbacks where everything I see is just a piece of the memory of the person inside my body.

The sun is finally setting. The breeze was gently blowing on my cheek as I watched the orange sky outside. Our room was on the third floor of the building, so from the window, I could see the students walking in the middle of the field.

"Why don't you allow yourself to rest, Charmaine?"

I heard someone enter the room where I was. I saw Celeste go inside. I could almost jump from where I was to greet her and ask her some questions. I immediately stopped walking towards her when a woman followed her inside. My eyes almost widened when I saw myself smiling widely at her while carrying a small box. I feel shocked, especially when I hear it speak, which is very similar to my voice.

"This is the thing that makes me happy, Celeste. Please be happy for me."

Celeste glared at her before folding her arms. "I will never side with you when you do something wrong to him."

"I won't allow myself to hurt him, so don't worry," the girl smiled before heading to the table where Lawrence's chair was.

She laid the box on its table before she pulled Celeste and together they ran out of the room.

Did they notice me or did they not see my presence even though it was obvious and they could see me on the side even though they went through the first door?

I decided to walk towards the chair where they had laid the small box. From the top of the box, I can already conclude that it is a cupcake because of the logo design on top of it. On top of the box, I saw notes handwritten by the girl holding it earlier. I immediately blushed internally when I read what was written there.

"She has feelings for him?" I asked myself.

I could feel the presence of a man approaching in my direction. When I looked up at him, I almost lost my sanity when I saw Lawrence's serious face. He ignored me and instead of looking at me, he just frowned and looked at the box in front of me.

"I didn't touch that. Trust me on this—"

"She's still not giving up," he whispered to himself before laughing and shaking his head.

My eyes almost widened when he didn't even look at me. I saw a gleam in his eyes before he picked up that box and looked at it with a smile plastered on his lips. I could do nothing but nod and watch him smile for the first time since I went into this world. I witnessed his smile for the first time since I met him, and instead of cutting it off, I decided to keep my mouth shut.

I feel like I am in a dream and almost everything I see here in this world seems real and strange for my vision. It also seems that even Lawrence has no idea that I am here in front of him now. He can't even see my presence, just like Charmaine and Celeste did before.

Are all these flashbacks shows for me to have an idea of ​​the persona of the woman here in my body?

"Charmaine?" Celeste called before she repeatedly shook my shoulder.

I could do nothing but shake my head repeatedly and subconsciously rub my eyes when I saw that it was blurred. I can see Celeste now and she can see me too, unlike before. Kevin was on her side, looking curious as he stared at my heated face.

"What happened?" I asked as they both puckered their lips.

"You've passed out again, for the nth time," Celeste said before tapping me on my shoulder. "Admit it to us, Charmaine," she said before staring at me. "Are you using illegal drugs?"

"Let her be, Celeste," Kevin interrupted before he pulled me upright on the grass and we started to run away from Celeste.

The sun is setting down. The whole field was orange and almost all of the students on the field were already busy walking out of campus. I just don’t know why the three of us are going the other way instead of proceeding at the entrance of the campus. I didn't allow myself to talk, especially when I saw where we were heading back.

"Where will we go?" I asked the reason why they turned to look at me at the same time. "Are we going anywhere else?"

"You're going to put something on Lawrence's desk. Have you forgotten?" Celeste's mocking stare met my eyes. I did nothing but pucker my lips.

Kevin laughed slightly before I felt his arm across my shoulder with his blanket. "Didn't she fall down the stairs this morning?" Kevin laughed at me before we both continued walking. "I'm not in favor of the trivial things you're focusing on right now, Charmaine, Celeste. When you are doomed with your…"

"Don't worry because we won't be affected by Charmaine's foolishness," Celeste laughed before she pulled me by my arm to speed up our walk.

There are no more people on the pathway and almost all the students we saw here every afternoon are already gone. We could see the conquest of darkness in the orange sky. One by one, the faculty turned on the lights in that way, so when we met one of them, they warned us. Fortunately, Kevin was there because if only Celeste and I were here, we might not be able to carry out our plan.

Do I have a plan? Eh, I have no idea what Celeste was referring to earlier.

"I'll just wait for you here on the stairs," Kevin said as Celeste nodded before taking me by my arm and pulling me towards our room.

The room was quiet when we entered it. The windows are closed and the floor is pretty clean. The front light was slightly on, so the two of us could see Lawrence's bag fluttering in his chair.

What I had seen in the dream before seemed to come back to my mind.

I can barely think of the memories that are now in front of me. I could not help but compare the dreams I had earlier and the scenario that now lies in front of me. I even pinch myself so that I can also prove to myself if I am in the real dimension now or maybe I am in a dream once again.

"Where is it?" Celeste asked. I looked at her confused.

She held out her hand to me, so I couldn't help but ask myself what she was asking of me now.

"The cupcake?" she asked as if her question was already inferred from my reaction. "Don't tell me…"

"I don’t know what cupcake you’re talking about," I confess to her, causing her to cover her mouth with her hand. "I'm sorry, Celeste."

"Every afternoon, you want me to accompany you to deliver cupcakes for Lawrence," she said before puckering her lips. "It is part of your courtship like what you told me last week, don't you remember?"

I pouted my lips. "Maybe I just forgot to buy his cupcakes at the cafe."

Her eyes darted at me when she turned to me. "You're baking your cupcakes for him!"

I shook my head quickly, which made her sigh. She was about to speak, but we were immediately shocked when someone suddenly entered the room where Celeste and I were. Behind Lawrence, Kevin smiled at us before he decided to avoid the sharp stare of the girl standing beside me.

"What are you two doing here?" Lawrence asked, serious and as if he was not in the mood to fool around right now. "Are you doing anything—"

"Oh god, Lawrence! We did not," Celeste laughed before holding my hand. "Charmaine left something here, so we came back. Don't worry, we didn't plant a bomb in your bag," she added before pulling me out.

I was quietly walking in the middle of the field while Celeste and Kevin kept on arguing about what happened earlier when Lawrence saw us. They just kept on arguing while I remained quiet and did not answer their questions until we reached the entrance of the campus.

"I won't be with you tomorrow," Kevin said before hugging me with his blanket to bid him goodbye.

"You're definitely not coming because you can't even watch us!" Celeste replied.

We watched Kevin walk away with his blanket while Celeste and I stayed at the bus stop. Now that the sun was setting and the night was coming, I did not know where I was going. I’m not familiar with this place, so I expected that I would have nothing to go home to today. It probably wouldn't be bad if I asked Celeste, would it?

"Let yourself compensate for him tomorrow if you feel like your world is going to be ruined now," she joked that I didn't answer because my mind was already busy with another question.

"You know that I fell and lost my memory this morning, don't you?" I asked her as she nodded. "Can I ask you a question, Cel?"

"You're asking now, Mrs. Andrameda."

What is Andrameda? Is that my surname in this world? Is it Charmaine Andrameda?

I sniffed for a while before daring to ask her again. I will admit, I would not be able to live in this world without Celeste by my side. She is my only hope now that I am still groping in the new world I am treading right now.

"Do you know where I live?"

Her eyebrows rose a bit because of her confusion at what I asked her. "Seriously? You don't know where you live, Charmaine?"

I shrugged. "I lost my memory, Celeste. Expect that some of my memories will be lost."

"And those lost memories include the place where you live?" she asked as I shyly nodded. "You probably don't use drugs, do you?"

"What do you mean drugs?" I asked, irritated, which made her laugh a bit.

Just like what I wanted her to do, she accompanied me to where I live in this world. I wanted to be ashamed of her because it was late at night when we got home to our house. I wonder if it's okay with her if darkness overtakes her when she gets home tonight.

"This is my first time going home late at night," she said, chuckling. I looked at her apologetically, which made her laugh even harder. "That was a joke, Charm. I won't be scolded at home, especially when I say to parents that I am with you the whole time."

"But you'll go home without me."

She laughed because of what I said before she raised an eyebrow at me. "Why did you change your attitude now? The trial in hell is still a long way off, Charmaine. Enjoy your dark side because it looks like your Uncle will take you for a long time."

"My uncle?"

"Satan is your uncle," she said, causing me to slap her on her head, which she laughed at.

We stopped walking opposite a black gate. Luckily, Celeste pulled me back when I almost overtook my walk.

The house in front of us was big, so I couldn't help but feel some joy in my chest. I also felt excitement, especially because inside this big house, a family was waiting for my return.

"Let's just meet tomorrow, Charm! I love you!" she said goodbye before she kissed my cheek and decided to walk away.

I let myself watch her take a taxi before I decided to enter the gate and head to the veranda of that house. From a distance, I saw a housemate hurrying in my direction to assist me in lifting the books I was holding.

"My, it's good that you're home now, Maine," the old maid said. "Your parents have been waiting for you for a while," she added, which I lost my smile.

She accompanied me into the hall, and as soon as step inside, I saw a woman standing on the edge of the sofa. I was stunned when our eyes met.

"Mom?" I asked, which caused her to widen her smile and hurried over to me to give me a tight and warm hug.

This is not how my mother behaves in the real world. This is very different from the behavior she shows and makes me feel in the real world.

Is it all an illusion or is it the real world and my world in reality, is the nightmare in my life?