Connectors of the Two Worlds

Chapter 7

Friday is the most tiring day for me. Even if everyone tells me that it's the day of nightouts and parties, where you can finally spend the allowances you have saved since day one. But still, I was raised to spend my whole entire day inside the house and empty my laundry basket.

But today I'm saving all my time. It was too early than expected, I helped other in preparing for this very special day.

It's Uncle Gio's 45th birthday today. It had been a tradition to celebrate birthdays of our circle of families inside Paul & Gio's. The whole place was occupied privately for this purpose. There were our friends, the relatives of the Cervanteses, and the employees happily chattering at the dining area. The whole place was arranged into a formal party venue like the usual Filipino style but a bit decent with all the caterings and stuff around us.

Uncle blew the 45th candle that stood on the icing around his big round vanilla cake. He heard the loud clappings across the room. I saw the old guy smiled showing the fine lines under his eyes. He still looks younger because of this happiness embracing his whole personality. He's radiant looking and lively. Very passionate about work and enthusiastic.

When they began to surround the big table, I slowly walked off from the happy crowd and sneaked out of the back door. There, I decided to sit on the staircase outside.

I saw the unsounded peaceful lake just beside the building. It was shallow enough for me to see through a bunch of fish swimming under, playing with their fins. But the peaceful sight was having this noisy background where the party is at. The clouds are scattered in the sky like they were about to disappear, became thinner and thinner. The sun is setting, hurts my eyes looking at it to its last gaze upon the world this time in the Philippines.

I breathed deeply and closed my eyes, felt the wind brushed to my skin. I smiled a bit with the contentment I felt.

"Clarrianne..."

I opened my eyes and caught myself staring at the boy same age as mine. He's unfamiliar to me, forcing me to think that his memories are hidden somewhere in my mind. But I couldn't tell. There's just about him that made me think deeply.

He stared blankly into my eyes and read all of my emotions. For a moment, we stayed like that. No one was talking. His radiant blue eyes kept on beaming at me innocently. No. He is emotionless. He just stared at me for a little long while. That was what we do at that moment, when suddenly someone spoke behind me.

I abruptly turned around. My heart started to jump in nervousness. I even gasped when I saw who it was.

"You still don't love parties, do you?" asked Rex, so effortlessly cool as he leaned against the wall beside the screen door. His arms across his chest.

I sighed in relief, smiled a bit to him. Afterwards, I returned my gaze back to where I last looked and realized that the boy just disappeared.

That was weird? How come he just disappeared like that? I asked myself.

It somehow made me ingested a lump in my throat. My eyes widened. I tried closing my eyes and opening again. But nothing happened. The man's face didn't appear again. I just shrugged and managed to answer back to Rex. "And you never fail to ruin my solitude time," I sighed. "Why are you here?"

"I should be the one asking you that." He moved and sat on the vacant staircase beside me.

I looked away and felt him threw a rock across the lake. It bounced twice before it could technically sunk under the clear water. "I'm just tired..." I said as I smiled at him, so as he.

He held my hand that made my heart pound eractically again. "Thanks for coming, Clan."

I sheepishly smiled. "Well, you're welcome if it's for the preparation part," I laughed. I don't know what to say either. I must be so foolish for doing to. I laughed hard.

"Screw you!" he commented, then pulled my head and tickled me as I totally leaned at his shoulder. I was about to pull back but he stopped me, still holding my face and my waist. "No, just stay..." he whispered, almost tickling my ear.

I stopped for a while and let my ear hear his heartbeats. They came so fast, very anxious but in a positive way. His heart must be so happy right now.

I couldn't help but to ponder. I know it's a brotherly way but, I wanted to believe somehow he will treat me as a lady and not as a sister or even a best friend.

"Please don't run away from me again, okay?" he whispered. Wished he was to tell how to save me right now.

I did not answer but just a smile wouldn't hurt. Afterall, I couldn't afford to lose him again. I can't lose myself again. I'll be accepting the fact that he's just my best friend, and that's just how it ends.

The party just continued until the night waved at us. We went on cleaning the house afterwards. I do the dishes and the sweeping on the floor while Rex was the one who rearranged the furnitures, putting the machines back to their places. After that, we talked a little while about school, count the stars in the sky while he walks me home.

I turned to him and smiled. "Thanks, Rex. You shouldn't have walked me home," I said to him.

"It's okay. Besides, it's already late. Well... I gotta get going now. You cool?" he asked.

I nodded and bid him goodbye. After that, the smile on my face stayed. I even hummed a lullaby when I entered our house. I almost jumped in glee as I reached my bed. I sighed there and stared at the ceiling.

"I hope it's just like this..." that's my wish before the clouds invaded my eyes. It went on until I came to sleep...

It was beginning again. Those voices, they began to disturb me and kept on whispering things I don't want to do. I can't believe they were here to destroy my system and make me kill everyone they say a threat to their race.

I need to tell him about this, before I completely forget about my real purpose in Dio. I need to warn him.

But how?

~~~

Dear Diary,

I think I'm gonna lose my mind.

I lost Eddie.

-Clan

Just this morning, after I've woken up from a bad dream, I began to realize that my cat was missing. I don't know where to find it. As to my surprise, I suddenly broke down and cried. My knees jerked and cried there at the door where everyone I loved usually goes out and technically left me without even saying they'll be back.

Dad was bothered as early as 6am, brought me back to my room and tried to explain to a 16-year-old girl whose whimper was at a 5-year-old's that her cat will eventually come back. But I couldn't believe him. It was hurting me. Eddie is the only thing thay understood me.

I was like this for about three years and still I haven't recovered yet. It was a trauma I had developed when my parents were still holding up the case against each other. It came to a point where Marrianne started to walk out through this door. I tried pulling her back but she brushed me off and painfully walked out of our lives. It was the most painful thing that had happened to me. That was the day I said to myself that I would no longer tolerate someone to walk out that easily.

My parents were so pre-occupied they couldn't imagine how fatal it was for me to witness that scene, and it was repeated over again. All of our guests, including Dad and the Cervanteses, they knew about my trauma and witnessed me so many times when I've been triggered.

I call it the "loss phobia". It is my Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. The fear of losing someone as they walk out a door. The fear of being left alone as I witness them walking out of my door. It causes me to feel this great anxiety and emptiness. I started to feel numb.

They tried to cure me but they failed to dispatch the ailment. Until I realized I've shut my world out from the Earth. After getting sober with it, I'll just show up again and talk normally to everyone like nothing happened. But in truth, it never leaves. It was always here.

Few hours had passed and still my world is detached to the real one. No eating, talking, and whinning at my bedroom. I had never heard of my cat up until now. Everybody is worried and I know they're still searching for Eddie.

I couldn't move, u responsive to their questions. Suddenly the clouds had touched my eyes pulling me back to the nightmares I want to escape...

I kept on walking, finding Eddie everywhere. I frequently shouted his name and wandered around. Everywhere I go is a dark road. Fogs were preventing me to see ahead, and frankly speaking, I don't know where I am right now. I started to feel nervous. My chest is a bit tighter as my heartbeats raised tremendously.

"Eddie!" I shouted again, hoping for the cat to hear me.

Maybe I'm hopeless. How could a cat like Eddie answer me in this dark miserable place?

As I kept on wandering, I suddenly heard a shrill cry. It doesn't sound like a wheel forced to break but rather from a girl or a child in pain or in horror. I wasn't so sure.

I hurriedly ran around hoping to find it. It's worthless but I kept on running, until I came to see a horrible scene.

The girl I knew who shouted just earlier is now lying down horribly feasted her body by this... huge furry beast in front of me. I almost vomitted to the horrid sight of it. My pulse raising and I couldn't move from where I stood. It's like something's under me, pulling me to watch this gruesome scene as the beast finishes up its meal.

I hardly breathed and felt I'm about to collapse, when suddenly someone caught and dragged me away. The beast seemingly was interrupted and angrily growled and jumped to us.

I screamed hard and found myself catching for my breath, realizing that I'm sitting on this comfy bed and wondered why I ended up in here. I slowly scanned the whole place and found it indistinctively familiar. But I couldn't comprehend. There was this little memories of someone creeping me every time I sleep. In this very room.

Maybe that's the reason why it looks familiar.

"Don't worry, Missy Clardie! I will be returned in a few. I was just visiting my mentors to tell them that you're in good shape. Don't worry! They're harmless. They're the ones protecting you from the nightmare magician making fun of you," a man cheerfully said to me. He's unlikely Filipino but his skin is a bit reddish and brilliant. He's not probably American because he never sounded like one. Well, maybe British in accent? And maybe Latino or Asian in appearance? But maybe a Latino speaking British? Weird looking, but my heart goes with his familiarity in his face that I didn't know when and where I saw and heard of him before.

He was half naked and his broad chest didn't quite look well-built but I know he's stronger than a regular man doing gyms and stuff.

"W-who are you?" I asked and found myself touching his face. I was surprised that he smiled and liked what I was doing to him.

He slowly touched my hand. "Missy... please don't cry no more. I'll protect you no matter what happens."

It made me smile and came pulling and hugging him tightly. At last I have found him. I know that he is the one that I am looking for. I am certain of it.

"I've found you, Eddie..."