CHAPTER 2 --- confrontation (1st part)

George didn't stop blabbing about Rico's great love for Anabelle and how nobody could break them apart throughout the whole journey. Daniel seriously considered putting coins in both ears. The last thing he'd like to hear was adults behaving so strangely after watching the stupid drama. I wonder when George will stop. It seemed that he didn't notice that Daniel wasn't really listening to him. Just a few really, I see and that's great was enough for George to fire the next scenes straight to his ears. It was already 6:20pm when Daniel checked his watch. I wonder if time had stopped during that moment. He immediately dispelled the thought and looked outside the car. He didn't see anything unusual except the very familiar streets and green trees and some people still at the park walking around and free of worries. He looked at the sky and became irritated as he sensed the fair weather again. It still seemed like a joke to him. Having a fair weather plus two lightnings all in one afternoon. He kicked the unwanted thoughts out of his brain and just closed his eyes. The memories kept coming back by themselves. They turned a corner and at last entered the gate of the small subdivision. After a few minutes, Daniel saw his bedroom window and had a sudden vision of him being superman and effortlessly flying through his window and lying on the bed. I can't just sleep tonight. I still have to endure some hours at Aunt Susan's.


The instant that the car stopped in the garage, Daniel opened the door and got out without giving George an opportunity to complete the unfinished narration. He opened the door and found Mary, George's wife and their one and only maid in the kitchen. She was five years younger than George and they had been married for 15 years now. Sadly, they weren't able to have a child. Seeing how Mary and George wanted a kid too badly that they didn't leave the Taylor's family for 15 years --- all because of Daniel --- his every ounce of courage was drained. There was a time when he was young that he initiated a conversation but wasn't able to ask directly because of the sad look in the woman's face. Mary's eyes were round that people wouldn't doubt her words. She didn't really look like a maid because of her flawless and white skin. She was not as tall as George and just some inches taller than Daniel. She looked too young for George but Daniel knew that they were right and perfect for each other. ''I'm back, Mary,'' he said. ''Hi, Daniel. Did you see today's episode? Rico's mom was too much!'' Daniel rolled his eyes and climbed the stairs. He turned right and opened the door at the farthest end.


Daniel slammed his bag onto the couch in his bedroom. The wall was painted in light blue which was his favorite color. One door led to his own bathroom. He had his own little couch and a table placed in a corner. A space near the little living room was devoted to his collection of Cd's and a player. A big shelf of books stood near his study table which was full of different kinds of papers --- starting from his school books, notebooks and even scratch papers. All sorts of written materials were in the book shelf. Not that he was a wide reader. When you had many books, it didn't mean that you were a reader. Take Daniel for example. He just bought them but never really touched them after a day. A bad habit. The size of his bedroom was not really that big. The interior designer just really had some gifted talent. And she designed the whole house for free. She was an old acquaintance of his mother. Connections.


For him, his bedroom was a whole new house, a whole new world wherein anybody who went inside aside from him was an alien. He put his hands on his face as he slowly let the gravity pull him down the bed --- his favorite part of the room. The softness of the mattress caught his back and gave him a promise of a night's peaceful rest --- after coming back from the party, that is. He sighed and then got up again. He turned toward the bathroom and immersed himself in the... cold water. This surprised him. Argh! Why did you not think first before opening the shower? He answered himself. Not in the mood to think. And the other Daniel spoke again. Silly.


At least the cold water woke him up completely. Just like what it did this morning which seemed like a century ago. He got dressed after showering and the cellphone rang at exactly the same moment when his shirt was in place already. He picked it up and did not even show a sign of surprise when he saw Sam's name on the screen.


''Hello. I am already dressed. Are you on your way?'' he said.


''I am outside the subdivision. Hurry up, man. The mosquitoes are eating me.''


''Outside?'' Yeah. Why did I think that Sam would suddenly turn up right outside our gate when Old George was still in the garage? ''Okay. Good luck with the mosquitoes.'' He let out a laugh and then hung up.


He locked the door of his room, went down the stairs and straight into the kitchen where he found Mary sweeping the floor.


''Mary, I'm going out with Sam. I'll be back before... umm..,'' he paused for a while. ''Morning of course,'' he said then ran toward the front door. He can still hear Mary screaming after him. ''What do you mean before morning? Come back early! I'll tell your parents if you don't go home, Daniel! Happy birthday.''


He smiled at Mary as thanks.


He opened the door and went to the garage to see his driver. ''Bye, George.''


''Wait.''


Daniel turned around immediately because he heard an urgency in his voice. ''Why, George?''


''Just want to greet you a happy birthday. It's sad that you won't be spending the night with Mary and me and your parents. You know that they are coming back tonight. You sure you don't want to meet them?''


''I am not even sure they're aware of my presence every time we are under the same roof.''


There was an awkward silence for some seconds because George didn't know how to answer.


''I thought Sam's picking you up?'' he said while washing the car just to break the ice.


''Erm... Change of plans.'' He opened the gate and found the maid of their neighbor outside. She was a small woman at her 30's still wearing a the white uniform and smiling at him as usual. The dimples were so evident he couldn't help but smile back. ''Hi, Sheila!'' he greeted. ''Hi! Happy birthday!'' she replied.


''Thanks.'' He continued to walk. The lights of the lamp posts were already open. He turned a corner only to be sentimental. He saw a big tree and a bench where he and his parents spent time together when he was young. He shook his head, not to chase away the thought, but because of dismay. They were a perfect family some years ago. I don't really know what happened to us.


He can finally see the gate and smiled to himself when he saw that the security guard's eyes were already closed and heard him snoring. He couldn't decide if it was right to wake him up for the safety of the subdivision. But because he knew what the guard felt being so sleep-deprived but couldn't sleep, he was having second thoughts. What if those people come here to look for me? Before he could make up his mind, he heard the beeping of a car not too far away from where he stood feeling so ashamed of himself that he was afraid of a strange dream that he had a while ago. Because of Sam, the guard woke up. He felt relieved.


He got inside the car with Sam behind the steering wheel.


''2006 Toyota MR2,'' Sam said exaggerating every syllable.


''You are alive!'' Daniel replied with the same extent of exaggeration. He knew that Sam was the driver type of guy. He learned everything from James.


''Don't you have confidence in me?''


''Just kidding,'' Daniel said. ''What are we waiting for? Let's risk our lives now and our future.''


''No worries. Being chased by policemen is exciting. Car chase!''


Sam stepped on the gas pedal and they both screamed like drug addicts. ''Woooooooooooooo!!!'' Daniel forgot every ounce of hesitation. Off to Aunt Susan's.

CHAPTER 1 (5th part)

''It's me, George. May I come in?'' the hoarse voice of his 45-year old driver now sounded strangely angelic in Daniel's ears. It had released him from a knot of worries. His breathing became even at once and his stomach stopped churning.


''Yes, George.''


This man was too tall he had to bend his head for an inch or so when he went inside through the white door. He had eyes which were color gray and narrow. And his hair was... still so black and so long which George was so smug about. He started speaking as soon as his right foot touched the floor of the room. ''You look so pale. I'm so sorry I didn't know what happened. I just waited inside the car thinking so stupidly that you just had some business to deal with. When you still didn't show up after an hour, I got worried and got out of the car and that's when the school nurse spotted me and told me what happened. It's really a good thing that the two of us know each other. I am really sorry, Daniel. It's all my fault. I mean, I am your guardian whenever you are inside the car and whenever I am at the school parking lot. I am a failure.'' George's face was now contorted due to worry and fear that he was not doing a good job. He had a tendency of being too sorry.


Daniel sighed.


''No. I am fine. Really. There's no need to get all anxious and everything. I just skipped lunch and Nurse Jane went to the canteen to buy me something.''


''Are you sure? I mean, no broken bone or something?'' Daniel smiled. He appreciated his driver's attitude. He was always closer to other adults than his parents. A sad truth. He answered while repressing chuckles, ''I did not fall from a tree of something and the one at fault was clearly me. Who skipped lunch?''


''Y - You.''


''See?''


Daniel managed to convince George somehow that he was not the one to blame. So he just satisfied himself for the next few minutes by asking the questions like ''Are you hurting somewhere?'' or ''Do you need to go to the hospital?'' again and again.


He was able to forget what happened to him a while ago through his driver's presence. And the distraction became more successful when Sam called him on his phone.


''Hey, Sam.''


''Just want to remind you about the celebration at Aunt Susan's. Surely you did not forget, right? I'll pick you up at 7.''


Daniel meant to say that he was at the infirmary and was unsure whether he could go but one thing had him curious. Since when did Sam pick him up or even consider the idea of picking him up? Did the sun rise in the west? ''What do you mean picking me up? I know the way and I thought you do you not let adults drive you.'' he said putting an emphasis to the word adult. Sam was very careful not to leave an impression to people that he was being babysat.


''Ha! As if I would let Old James drive me,'' he said referring to his father's all around assistant. ''What I am saying is... umm...,'' then he chuckled.


''Hey! Hey! Hey! You mean... No. No way!'' He knew what Sam had wanted ever since they were ten. He put the puzzle pieces together and realization hit him straight in the face. Last week Sam was blabbing nonstop about how to...


''Yes! I got the car keys from Dad.''


''He let you? Or did you you really do what you were telling me you would last week?''


''Yup! I stole the car keys. And Dad's away tonight. Only me and James and some maids, who are so busy in a soap opera, are home. James is also watching the stupid TV! Could you believe that?''


Daniel was easily distracted through this news.


''James? Watching soap opera? That's the most ridiculous thing I've ever heard. With him putting that strict mask every time he sees the two of us.''


''Yup! So weird. But let's just thank Anabelle and Rico's stupid and plotless drama. The precious car was in the garage waiting for my hand to put the keys in the ignition.'' Sam's laughter now sounded so evil to Daniel's ears. ''I'm sorry I won't let you disagree with my plan. I'm hanging up. Seven!''


And before Daniel could speak another word, he heard the busy line. He felt George staring at him.


''You would go? In your condition? Can you?'' George asked.


''My attention was completely diverted with the unimportant details and forgot to tell him about passing out. Well, I guess I have no choice. Can't disappoint Sam especially when he's acting so excited like that.''


''And I really hope that the two of you aren't doing something reckless tonight. I know the word privacy so well so I won't ask what the two of you are planning. Just warning you,'' George said in a fatherly way.


He did not know how to respond to this. Three knocks saved him from lying. It was Nurse Jane carrying a tray of heavy and balanced food that was obviously to make up for his missed lunch.


''You have to eat these all, Daniel. Hi, George,'' she said.


He did not have the appetite but he still forced himself to chew and to swallow without throwing up. While he was facing a challenge, Nurse Jane and George were talking animatedly about... Anabelle and Rico. Ugh! Even these two are so into that drama. The TV was on and they were too absorbed in the show and in exchanging comments. After a solid hour and a half, Daniel had finished the food --- through great effort and will --- and the drama was nearing its end.


After another five minutes, Daniel heard Rico's mother pulling Anabelle's hair down the stairs. And the theme song was aired. Daniel used this chance talk to Nurse Jane.


''Who brought me here?''


''A girl from the tenth grade asked help from some really brawny guys, I think your classmates, to bring you here.'' He could see that Nurse Jane was fond of the girl through the look in her eyes as she talked about her. It was like bragging about how your daughter won the international quiz bee.


''What's her name?''


''The new student.She's in the same grade as you are. She's very kind to help you. She said she was just passing by when she saw you collapsed. There weren't many people around. Fortunately, she saw some guys and asked them to carry you all the way here from the parking lot. Her name is Themis... Themis Montgomery.''


''I am not familiar with that name. What does she look like?''


The nurse pursed her lips as if choosing the right words. ''The girl with long black hair and glasses.'' Although that was a lame description, Daniel knew who the girl was but afraid to believe his intuition.

CHAPTER 1 (4th part)

He heard frantic voices.


Somebody suggested to splash him with cold water.


A girl even dared of suggesting of giving him a CPR. Just to be safe, he forced his both eyes open only to face the fluorescent lamps on the ceiling. His focus was not yet that good and wherever he looked at was blurred.


He saw the mob surrounding him with childlike wonder. As his eyes roamed the place, his disoriented focus was coming back to normal and he realized that some of these people (he knew that some were just there for gossips) brought him to the infirmary.


Nurse Jane came and immediately asked the students to disperse so that oxygen could reach his nose. He had always been close to Nurse Jane, the 30-year old school nurse who was ever so gentle and treated him like her own son. She leaned over him and touched his forehead lightly.


''How are you feeling, honey? And what happened to you?'' Nurse Jane asked in a tone that you could say belonged to a mother who was singing a lullaby so that her baby could have sweet dreams. Daniel could trace a hint of the combined forces of loneliness and stress and worry in her face. Well, maybe this is just normal. She is having some problems with her teenage sons. Her questions brought back the memories of some minutes or hours ago that were temporarily hidden at the back of his mind.


Daniel thought for a moment before answering. ''I am okay. I just skipped lunch. Not a big deal.'' He decided not to trouble her more by giving few clues of insanity.


''I'll go get food for you whether you like it or not.''


He did not argue anymore. He had no energy left to do so. When Nurse Jane left the room, he regretted that he did not stop her from leaving. Because the instant that the infirmary's door was shut closed, he couldn't stop the memories from invading his brain cells. It was kind of automatic since he tried his best not to and just stared at the ceiling reciting the alphabet from A-Z and from Z-A so that he could escape from those invaders... but still, with no fruit.


I was walking. Then I saw this weird-looking girl being bullied. I decided not to mind them and just continued walking. Then... then... there was lightning. No. That couldn't possibly be right. It was so hot outside and still hot until now. The sun was still up so a lightning wasn't possible. Am I just editing my memories? Wait. Were those memories? Or hallucinations? I'll settle with the hallucination assumption. Then... umm... there were videos... of my past. And two people. Were they people? Yes. Possible. What else could they possibly be? Anyway... umm. yes. Another thing, the bullies and the girl were frozen. God! Daniel. What's gotten into you? You have great imagination.


One thing I am sure of, I wasn't hungry and my physical and mental state before those things happened were normal. So why did I pass out? What really happened... to me?


Someone knocked on the door twice interrupting his mind racking and nerve breaking memory visits. His emotions got mixed up and were changing too much in a flash. Happy that somebody was there to interrupt his brain. Confused because it was after school hours and not many people were still on school to knock casually at his door. And then fear and shock overcame the first two emotions. What if those two people were the ones knocking? He stopped himself from thinking that way. Don't be silly, Daniel. You were just hallucinating.


He said nothing and held his breath. He felt as though he was already deprived of oxygen after stopping himself from breathing many times today. First, before he passed out... whatever happened to him before that, he was sure that it was really something to be afraid of, whether it was just hallucination or concrete reality. Second, when he was racking his brain... nope, that wasn't right. When his brain was racking itself and thinking about what happened to him, he forgot how to inhale and exhale. Then now. It was just like in the movies when the criminal was crossing the few inch distance between the two of you brandishing his knife. His lips sealed themselves and became impenetrable. Cannot be opened. Closed. Glued together. Or he just didn't want to open them in fear of screaming. He chose to do nothing. He decided to just wait for the door to be opened by whoever was on the other side or for that somebody outside to ask him if it was okay to enter... only then will he be able to move.

CHAPTER 1 (3rd part)

On the right was a beautiful lady wearing a white and sparkling dress which was until her knees. She was tall with her hair a little darker than gold and skin so white you would think she was glowing. She was staring at him with her eyes of majestic shade of blue and her beautiful face was expressionless. Her gaze --- cold though it may seem --- gave him a little peace and his heart almost stopped moving wildly inside his ribs.


On the left stood a man in a black tailcoat and pants. His skin was white and noticeable because of the way he dressed. He was a head taller than the girl standing like a model with his hands inside his pockets. From that distance, Daniel saw him looked at him through his dark green eyes and smiled which sent a high voltage of energy which went down from his spine until every fiber of his being. And the sight of him drained out every little ounce of peace which was given by the lady in an instant.


Daniel stood up slowly, his eyes fixed on the beautiful maiden and then shifted to the man. He couldn't even make a guess who they were and where they came from and he thought that he didn't want to know.


''Daniel, what would you do?'' he heard a faint whisper from the wind. Daniel looked at the lady and something in him knew that the faint voice belonged to her. ''Help her, Daniel. I know that in your heart, you really like to help her.'' The lady sighed. For a moment, Daniel thought that he had already heard this voice from before but he just couldn't tell where. Her blue eyes was still on his and he couldn't look away, then she slowly lifted a hand as if urging him to go on.


Daniel was about to move but another lightning struck which made him jump in shock again. His eyes saw the man standing in front of the lady as if to block her from view and talked to him.


''Stop butting into other people's business. It's so uncool.'' He was shocked because the lips of the man were barely moving as he spoke. It was as if the cold but calm voice was not spoken but thought.


Again, even though he wanted to speak, scream and run, he just couldn't move his lips and his body. His body wouldn't follow what his brain and his heart were ordering it to do. He just wished more than anything to be woken up from this... this nightmare (as he still refused to believe everything was happening) which seemed so real he felt crazy about being so afraid of it.


In a flash, the lady was behind him. Closer to him with her hands, surprisingly soft, wrapped around his shoulders as if encouraging him to go on. Gradually, her pinkish lips journeyed the few inch distance toward his ears.


''Think about it this way Daniel. You are not only saving her but also yourself. You know what I mean. Good always triumphs over evil. I know you know what is right---''


The man interrupted her speech. ''Sweet words won't cover the fact that you want Daniel to help her because you want to go back to where you came from. Admit it and stop playing all good and mighty and saintly.'' The green eyes turned to red as they met the blue ones.


''I don't want to argue with you. The most important thing is that Daniel might not survive the consequence.''


''He'd love to be with me... not with you.''


Daniel felt the intensity of the conversation despite their calm voices.


''I don't care about myself or the battle. All I care about is his future. He's not just our subject.'' The lady replied putting an emphasis to the word just. Daniel didn't know what to think. His brain could barely interpret their words. His body was too busy trying to calm itself without much success.


He found his voice at last.


''I - I'm dreaming.... R - Right?'' Then everything went black again. It was like somebody pitied him too much that that somebody covered his eyes with blindfold and his ears with plugs. He wished to thank whoever was responsible of sending him to darkness which was... always waiting for him. He heard a thump as his body touched the ground.

CHAPTER 1 (2nd part)

The hair on his body stood on end as cold breeze blew and the ruffled strands of his hair obediently followed the path that the wind was urging them to go to. His heart started beating unusually fast and his breathing was getting deeper and deeper as each second passed by.


The moment he took a step he knew at once that something was wrong but didn't know what it was.


Second step... he felt numb.


Third step... his stomach churned and he thought that his heart missed a beat.


Fourth... weird atmosphere. Weird feeling.


Fifth... lightning. It was so unexpected that Daniel jumped in shock. Lightning? Are you kidding me? How could there be lightning at a day this hot?


He turned his head toward the girl and the bullies only for his shock to be intensified. It was as if the three people were turned to stone. Not gray in color. The correct term would be frozen. He stared at them hoping that his eyes were just playing tricks on him and waited for their shoulders to move up and down as an indication that they were breathing. He did not blink nor did he move for like forever. Should I slap myself? Am I dreaming? Yes, probably! He closed his eyes and forced himself to breathe. But the situation was worsening. In his point of view, there was no air. Just cold sweat from his body and his pounding heart. He gathered all strength left and slapped his face... and the result of the experiment: he was not dreaming.


He blinked.


In that less than a second that his eyes were closed, many things had changed.


He saw different images moving on the very same spot that he was standing on. It was as if somebody played video clips right on the ground. He saw a boy about five years of age staring at his classmate in school who was obviously cheating. The screen went black. Another one was played and he knew that the boy from before was again the main star in this video. This time that boy just ignored a man secretly getting the purse of a lady. Many other videos were shown and he was starting to think that he knew who the main character was and the scenes that were shown seemed familiar. After a few moments, the main character was shown running along a dark corridor together with another boy who seemed to be very close to him. He couldn't make out the characters' faces because they were blurred. Then the video which was mute from the very start suddenly was gaining volume and a lady screaming was heard. Daniel's feet automatically took a step back. The boy from the videos looked straight at his eyes, his face getting clearer every second and his stare piercing through his being, and he noticed... the boy was him. And the things that he saw were included in his past. After knowing those things, he knew what was coming in the dark corridor where the two boys were running... and Daniel found his voice and shouted as loud as he can. That seemed to have an effect... the videos stopped and disappeared.


He felt nauseous and dizzy as if he had ridden in a carousel turning with the velocity of a cyclone. Daniel fell on the ground to his knees. He shook his head and his eyesight was still spinning.


Again, he stared at the frozen figures of his schoolmates. He saw the girl's tears about to roll down her cheeks and the bullies' ear to ear grins. Daniel turned his gaze away and shook his head hoping that in that way, his dizziness would be gone. When he looked back at the petrified people, he saw two new unusual figures standing at their flanks.

CHAPTER 1 --- the apparition (1st part)

Three. Two. One. 12 midnight.

The second hand of the clock just kept on moving. No matter how much he stared at it and wished for it to change its direction and go back to an hour before or nine years ago, it’d just stubbornly continue. And just like any other August 15^th, as he watched the second hand make its journey, he subconsciously submerged deep in his own thoughts and was again lost in the labyrinth of mysteries that life had offered him from the moment he was six years old until now that Mr. Clock had announced to the whole world that he just turned 15.

He might have stared at the clock until God knows how long if his cell phone did not ring. ‘’Happy birthday!’’ was the message written on screen. It was from his best friend, Sam. That was their nine-year unbroken tradition --- to be the first to greet the other on his ‘’supposed to be’’ special day, his birthday.

And upon reading the message and finally giving up on solving puzzles from nine years ago, Daniel Taylor closed his eyes and his best half, darkness, was waiting for him.

* * *

The alarm clock was shrilling again...

Getting up, with eyes still half-closed, he looked at his reflection on the mirror at the foot of his bed. His hair was brownish and messed up which was natural. People often teased him of having the 'bedhead' hair style but he didn't mind. He liked his hair that way. His feet moved by themselves going to the direction of the bathroom. The water from the shower woke him up completely and he sighed. There was no way of going back to sleep. He needed to go to school and be the responsible student once more.

After dressing up, he stared at the mirror again. Daniel's eyes were so black but just like glass, they were too clear you would think you were looking at a lake during nighttime. He was tall and not the skinny type. His body was athletic and a little tan which was due to the sport he enjoyed the most --- basketball.

He went down the stairs and went straight to the kitchen. It's a good thing my parents aren't here for breakfast, he thought.

* * *

''HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!'' It was Sam ambushing him at the school gate. He pushed the door of his car closed and told his driver to wait at the parking lot at five.

''Thanks,'' he replied.

''Where do you wanna hang out tonight?''

''Not really in the mood to go out.''

''Oh come on! It's been nine years. Just be normal like most of the people our age who get really excited about birthdays. We promised that the incident from way back when won't affect the 'us' in the future.''

''You jump to conclusions, Sam. It's not about that. I'm just not feeling well.''

''Who are you kidding? I know that---''

''But in order to prove my innocence, let's hang out tonight! Invite some friends. My treat! Same restaurant.''

''You're the man!''

Sam was a blondie with his hair hanging until his neck, the kind of girl magnet who always got into trouble whenever trying to date five girls at a time. He was from a rich family. The only son of a famous architect who was abandoned by his wife when he was five. Daniel thought that this was the reason why he liked to play around girls a lot and he cannot blame him for that. He knew more than anyone else how sensitive Sam became whenever his being motherless was talked about by some bullies in kindergarten.


The day went on normally... until ten minutes past five in the afternoon. Sam and Daniel bid their goodbyes. While walking to the parking lot where his driver waited, Daniel saw a very weird-looking girl --- the kind who always got bullied in some movies that he saw. Thick-rimmed glasses, very thick clothing (take note: the sun was angry at the world at that time and decided to raise the temperature a bit) and strangled, long, black hair. He noticed that she was being teased by some arrogant boys, two years older than him. It was Daniel's nature to avoid troubles and lead a peaceful life. Well, not peaceful. That's a lie. His life isn't peaceful at all. Just quiet. A deafening silence and nobody, except Sam, ever dared to accompany him in his own world which was created to protect himself from despair and disappointment... Daniel was a sheep in a wolf's skin.


His eyes and the girl's met... but he still continued to walk.