Chapter 3

"IBRAHIL!!" 

Andrea was sweating when she woke. She was panting and fear engulfed her face.

"Such a bad dream!" She held her chest as it was aching from that nightmare. It seems real. She looked around and noticed it wasn't her room. This place is all white, huge, and bright! She looked at the high arch-shaped ceiling. "This isn't my room," she tried getting up but the bed seems not to let her go. She lied down again and started massaging her head. Something flashes in her memory. She gasps with eyes wide open.

"It wasn't a dream?" She gets off the bed and runs to the door. 

"Ibrahil!!" She screams.

"That man saved my life!" She continued screaming in her head.

"Where are you, Ibrahil!" 

She stopped when realizes she was already outside the house. She was shocked to see the surroundings. Tall trees with glistening leaves, and birds flying with different colors. The surroundings glowed as if there were hundreds of fireflies all around. It was as if different flowers were attached to every branch and tree. The lawn is full of beautiful plants with blooming tiny flowers. She looks at the sky. She couldn't believe her eyes that she's seeing seven moons. 

"This can't be," tears started flowing down her cheeks. "Am I in heaven now, am I dead? This can't be! Mom! Mom!"  She fell on the grass while crying. 

"I should've listened to Ibrahil not to enter that fucking forest," she said in her head while sobbing.

She gasp in surprise when someone hugged her from beyond. She stood up and quickly turned around.

"Ibrahil?" She hugged him tight while still sobbing!

"I'm sorry..." 

He just hugged her tightly while stroking the back of her head and caressing her back. 

"You died because of me," she pushed him a little to see his face.

He was smiling. He wiped her tears that keeps on falling.

"Andy, we are not yet dead," he chuckled.

"We are at my villa! You passed out in the forest so I brought you here. Are you feeling better now?" He caressed her hair again. 

Her jaw dropped after hearing it. If only she can bring back her tears she could've done it.

"What?" She asks confused. She took a step back from him and turned around slowly while thinking.

"Wait, if we're not yet dead, what is this place then? Can you please just enlighten me! Why is this place looks extraordinary and magical? Isn't this heaven?

He laughed out loud now. 

"You really think you will go to heaven when you die, yeah?" He grabbed her hand and pulled her inside the villa. 

"Let me tell you everything inside, my neck is still numb," he said in a serious tone.

                                   *****

"How can I tell her the truth? I'm afraid she might faint again." Ibrahil wanted to spill it out only that he doesn't know how she will react. The truth will turn her world upside down, but then again she deserves to know.

She brought Andrea into his world, the world of Encantados. They are different from humans because they possess magical powers. They live in a realm invisible to them. They can pretend as humans to find a mate and lure them or enchant them so they can live with them. They can only love once. Whoever owns their heart will own them forever.

They have different races as humans. The Dalaketnon's, Tamawo's, Fairies or Diwata, Agta, and a lot more. Ibrahil is a Dalaketnon. They reside in the forest but the Dalakit tree or humans called it as Balete tree is their passage to the human world.

"You might be hungry, maybe it will be better if we eat first," he told Andrea as he grasp her hand. 

She just nod for assurance.

She still looks confused.

He pulled out a chair for her when they reach the table. It looks like a feast as Ibrahil prepared a lot for her. There are three kinds of rice. The golden one, white and black. Different kinds of fruits and meat. 

He offered the golden rice to her but she preferred the black rice.

"Let me see how this one tastes like," she said with a serious face.

White rice means you can get out from this realm freely, the golden rice you can go back and forth as you wish, the black rice means you can never go back to your world again. 

"It has a bitter taste," he told her quickly preventing her to eat it. He personally asked the servant not to prepare a black one. Though it's their main dish but he doesn't want to enchant Andrea forever.

"Nah, that's alright, it will help me calm my nerves." She put some into her plate and started eating.

"Liar, this tastes good actually," she again took some more. 

He can't move his trembling hands while looking at her worriedly.

"Why you're not eating!?" She tapped his hands. 

"C'mon, here eat this..." she put some food into his plate.

"Thank you! Make sure you'll eat a lot Andy so that you have some strength for later. I will tour you around so you can take good shots," he said with enthusiasm. Fake enthusiasm. 

He decided not to tell her anything, instead, he wants her to find it out herself.

                                        *****

Mesmerized by the surroundings, Andrea feels like she is in dreamland. She never thought that something like this ever existed in this world. Her mom was definitely right. This place is way better than the A****n forest tenfold.

"Is it really possible to have seven moons in one sky?"  She wasn't a third-grader not to know about only one moon exist on this planet. "Where the hell am I, in fucking Jupiter?"

"A penny for your thoughts," she saw Ibrahil approaching with a bouquet in his hands.

"Flowers for the beautiful Princess!" He said while smiling affectionately. 

Her heart is melting by just looking at him. This is a perfect scene that everyone can dream of. A gorgeous person beside you in this magical place. She just hopes she wasn't dreaming.

"Thank you, but I'm not a Princess Ibrahil, this ain't a fairytale.." she said sarcastically.

"What if I tell you this is a fairytale?" He looked at her closely...

"Andrea... I'm a prince!" he said in a low tone of voice.

Andrea laughed out loud.

"Seriously? Are we in England now? I was actually thinking we are on another planet as I can see too much moons here even at mid-day!" She scoffed.

"What I mean is, if you're gonna be a Princess I'll be more than happy to be your prince.." he teased her. "And, about those moons you are lucky you have seen them here because that is one in a million years phenomenon, you can only get to see them once in your life," he explained.

"Yeah, yeah whatever," she rolled her eyes on him.

"Let's see, I know there's something wrong with this place." She said at the back of her mind.

To lighten up the mood she grabbed her camera and took a picture of Ibrahim. He covered his face his shoulders. 

"No Andy, you can't do that," he keeps hiding his face.

"Ibrahil, c'mon let's not spoil the mood!" She presses the shutter in his every move. "Let's take a picture together," she grabbed his hands and pulled him closer. "Smile!" 

Andrea woke up early the next morning. She packed her stuff and will try to sneak out today.

It's not that she doesn't want to stay in this beautiful place but her instinct tells her different thing. She wants no regret. She plans to go back to the camp. She has something to ask from Wahid. After all, he is Ibrahil's friend.

She walks from her room tiptoed until she reaches the back door. Finally, she was out from the villa. She walked from the garden familiarizing every path she's taking. She was thinking maybe this place is located at the heart of the Island and not quite far from the camp.

She has been walking for like an hour now but she can't feel any tiredness because of how astonishing the place was. She looks at the tree with orange leaves. She was sure she walks past by that tree already, why is it that she's seeing it again like three times all ready now?"Something's odd," she tilt her head while thinking. "There is no way out from her, I keep on walking on the same path all over again goodness!" She stops when she saw a man standing from a shining balete tree not too far from her. He looks familiar. He has almost the same features as her. Golden hair, not too light skin, and electric blue eyes. Her eyes widened when she noticed those leaf-shaped pointy ears. He suddenly looked at her.  She covered her mouth with her palm trying not to scream. "Oh my goodness! What is this creature?"  She turned around and tried to run.

"Andrea!" He called her with an enchanting voice.

She was stunned! "How did he get to know me?"  She tried to look at him with her body trembling when someone pulled her hand from behind resulting in her falling into his arms. "Ibrahil!?