I was woken up by a voice calling my name and telling me that I was crazy. I opened my eyes and there it was, no one in front of me. I thought it was real. I believe it was. I slowly put my arms down and looked at the person beside me. It’s my first time seeing him. He showed his smile while shaking his head in disbelief. I’m certain that he thinks I’m mentally ill. Well, I don’t care. It’s not something that’s believable. I finished my bathroom routine and looked at the guy first before going out of the shared bathroom. I could feel his glances behind my back. I continued walking as if I hadn’t done any embarrassing acts in front of a stranger. It was my first time seeing him, and I think we’re about the same age, judging by his physique. My head’s twitching when a thought crosses my mind. It was about the guy who I met in the bathroom. He seems familiar, and I’ve seen him before. I’m not sure where, but I know that I saw those eyes before. I shrugged off the thought and immediately
I saw Jacques leaving the coffee shop. He looks like he’s scared and someone is threatening him. I need to find out about it. I didn’t finish my coffee and left it hanging on the table. I rushed down the alley to see where Jacques went, and thankfully, I still have a visual of him. Relax, Merchaiass. You are now one step ahead of your plan. I have followed him quietly for some time now, and he has a lot of destinations to stop at. We’ve arrived at a place where the squatters are currently residing. He stopped again, for the ninth time, in a house painted green and entered. He lasted for a few minutes before he went out of the house with different clothing and a sling bag on his shoulder. Where is he going? I can tell that he took a bath too, as his hair is damp. I don’t know if I should continue following him as the other side of my brain says to stop and go back, but the other says different. I watched him take a big step, and it seemed like he was in a hurry. I decided to trust my g
My whole body froze when I heard Jacques’ voice. Oh no! I was caught. I can see his eyes getting busy. His glances came back and forth, from me and to the place where we were both earlier. I know that he has a lot of questions, and I do, too. What was he doing there? And how did he know John? How come he’s in a gang again? Doesn’t he have any care for himself? He was in trouble before because of gangs. And he’s doing it for the second time. I wanted to smack his head right there and then, but he dragged me in out of the garage. I don’t know where we are as I just let him guide us on our way. I knew that he was doing this to save me, and I thanked him for it. His grip tightened when I tried to loosen it a bit. Does he think that I’ll run away? Maybe. That is my last resort. If things don’t go according to my plan, I will leave right away, even though I’m not familiar with this place. We stopped in front of the acacia tree, and at last! He finally let go of my wrist. I was in the middle
“What have you done, Jacques? When I read my diary, I thought that you were different. But, it looks like you’re much worse than those people I know.”I regretted what I had said when I saw the flashes of pain in his eyes. But I can’t take it back. What is to be done has already been done. I didn’t say much after that. I’m still preoccupied by my triggered memory from when I saw that bloody incident. It was part of the reason why I stayed still when he was dragging me out of the garage. I couldn’t believe that he did that. Yet I’m not sure if he killed his uncle with his own hands or not because my memory is cut and limited. I saw how the argument heated up, and it was cut into the scene of the lifeless body of his uncle above the ground. The scared faces of Jacques’ parents and the trembling of Jacques’ hands. I don’t know if I was there, but it felt like I witnessed everything. I remember how Jacques went to me and told me everything about what happened that night. I can’t remember
The day is unbelievably extra beautiful today. The sky is clear and there’s no chance of rain, unlike from last night, when it was gloomy. I was currently in the middle of the alley, appreciating the beauty of the sunlight and playing with its rays using my fingers. What a nice day, indeed! Aside from having a nightmare last night, I didn’t have any significant events that could contribute to my getting back my memories. I know it’s kind of subtle, and I don’t have any idea of how long this can be. Surprisingly, I don't hold any grudges towards Jacques and Taddeio because I tried to put myself in their shoes and I understand why they were acting that way. I can't blame them. After all, I was just a man whose memories are incomplete. I have reached the conclusion that I should finish the semester here before going back to my previous town to dig into what really happened to me. With my hands in my pocket, I started ambling slowly in the middle of the alley. It's safe because there are
I was surrounded by some unknown people in my life, but because they told me about the dean, I have a vague idea of who they are. I had somewhat heard about them because of my blockmates who are always talking about the issue here at the university. In other words, they are the source of the issues circulating here. My head throbbed when some girl used a stick to smack my head off. Wow. What a nice hit. I can feel the blood rushing in my face, but my sight is still clear. I didn’t see any remorse on their faces, but instead they looked joyous when they saw that I was hurt by their doings. A random guy spit on my face, and it made me laugh. I played with my tongue inside of my mouth while looking at that guy. I slowly smiled and teased him more. I want to know how far their anger can go so that I will know when it is the right time to escape. I don’t know, but I feel like I’m starting to change. I was not like the “afraid Merchaiass” when I was in grade school up until my first days in
“I was forced, too.”My eyes went up to her, displaying a confused look on my face. She was one of my abductors, and here she said that she was forced by that group, too. I mean, how? She doesn’t look like it. And why is she telling me about this? Do I look like someone who can help her escape this hell? I don’t think so. Even for myself, I don’t know if I can come up with this“What do you mean?” I asked.“They have my mom. They’re threatening me to work for them. I was not a student here before, but I’ve transferred because of it. I-I don’t know why I am telling you this, but you give off some vibe where I can be comfortable sharing my problems. I don’t even know you that much.” She couldn’t understand what was happening to her. How much am I right? I saw her shaking her head and inhaling the smoke from her cigarette. Or was she? I don’t know how smoking works, but it seemed like they were inhaling it.“What happened?”“What do you mean?” She answered.“I mean, how did it happen? Wh
I’m torn between thinking that Lethius was saying the truth or that it was all lies. I can’t read him because he’s good at hiding his true emotions. This was the first time I felt that his feelings were valid and pure when he said that he was doing this for his friend. Maybe he liked the girl and wanted to play the superhero role in her life. I never had the slightest idea that this guy would be serious when talking about someone’s life. I suppose the girl is important in his life.“Okay.” I mumbled and stood up from where I was sitting. I picked up my notebook and pen to use for jotting down the plan.“Don’t you have any questions left?” He looked confused when he saw me sat in front of him. I shook my head and told him that we should start planning.“Merch, I know that you have too much on your plate, but I need you for this to work.”I raised my left eyebrow because he seemed to know more. I waited for him to talk again, but after a minute he did not.We started talking about the p
Knowing all of this was holding my consciousness from waking up. Even though I already knew the issue about my father's buying Mama from the group, I still wasn't expecting that Papa would say that. He's not the type that will admit everything that he's done in the past. He's more than that.Right now, we're here sitting around the table while Mama is preparing everything. She hasn't changed that much; she's still the woman that I left months ago. I smiled at the thought that Papa wouldn't hurt Mama again because he promised me earlier."Is there something wrong, baby?" A hand was placed above mine when my gaze focused on my mother, who was taking care of Papa's food."Nothing... I'm happy, Tads. That everything is in its proper place. I know that... Nevermind, my heart is full of joy now, and I don't want that to change." I smiled after saying it. I don't want to start a conversation about what happened before we went here. My conscience won't be happy if I ruin the mood right now.
After a lot of debating between me and Taddeio, we came to the decision to go to my hometown and talk to my parents. I need to do it for me to live without doubt, fear, and misery."Are you okay?" I looked at the man in front of the steering wheel. He's one of those who stayed in my darkest times. I held his hand above mine and smiled before answering, "I'm okay because you're here with me. Thank you.""What's with you today? Where's my baby? Is this really you, Cai?" I rolled my eyes at him and threw his hand back to him. I know I'm starting to become softer, but I don't think it's a bad idea, right? I mean, we're boyfriends now, and we should do what boyfriends do."Forget about it. Jerk," I said, lowering my voice when saying he's a jerk. There's something in me that doesn't want to call him like that. I mean, I'm quite shy by just thinking that he's my boyfriend and I'm new to this thing."I'm also happy, baby," was blurted out by Taddeio.I didn't mind him and watched the trees
"I clothed you when your father threw you out! You can't do this to me!" I was still in my seat, tied. While Taddeio was threatening Mr. Manore, he's not holding anything now. Maybe he threw it somewhere. "You didn't. I worked hard, Pops. You only helped, and you're not an exemption to the rule. You made it with me, and yet you, yourself, did it. Now, deal with the consequences." The old man was shocked to death when Taddeio aimed to hit him with a hammer. I didn't know where he'd got that, but it stopped in mid air as if Taddeio was controlling his hand not to hit Mr. Manore."I know that you couldn't do it, young man. Our lives have been interconnected ever since you got close to me. I tried to stop them, but they wouldn't listen to me. Believe me, Taddeio, it wasn't my intention to go against your back," Mr. Manore pleaded, his hands clasped and attempting to kneel on one leg. I saw how Taddeio started to bring down the hammer while the landlord was assisting him. "Right, you d
"Are you okay?" I asked Polius when he hadn't moved from his place for quite some time now. Maybe what Celine had said had made a big impact on him. I thought they were okay and saw happiness in his eyes when my half-sister, Celine, confirmed their relationship. "I don't know," he answered and shook his head. "Are you okay with this? All of what's happening now. Are you really a part of the group? Or are you just doing this because of her?" My hand formed a fist and tried to have the rope loosen."Don't ask me like that, Merchaiass. I am doing this because I want to." He's swayed. I'm certain that he is. He doesn't want to do this and was forced to due to my sister's request."Okay, if you say so. But remember this, Polius, regrets come after what you thought would be the best. If your mind tells you that it's wrong, then it is. Our mind serves as the protector and the doer, while the heart is only for pumping, producing, and delivering blood. Nothing more." I remained silent after
My shoulders, which had been deprived by force, went numb when I took all the words that came from my sister's mouth right through my soul. I didn't even realize that I was already tearing up when Celine hadn't wiped my tears. I looked at her and she was doing it too. It's hurting me... It's like a spear that went straight to my heart. The sensation wasn't new, but it was heightened and I couldn't contain it. I need to let it out, scream, and divert my attention for me to be okay. Right now, I am not thinking straight and I could hurt someone that'll block my way. My momma was my life. I remembered everything about my accident, and she's the one I contacted and told everything about it. We were talking like prisoners, as my father wouldn't stay put if he discovered that mom and I still had communication. When I called him that night to ask about my accident, I assumed we were already fine, but we weren't.never be. My mother told me that she was physically abused by my father every ti
The wind is hustling, yet the sun can burn your skin. The mild sound of the waves hitting each other relaxes my brain. The ocean is clear, as is the sky. The clouds were smiling and making sure that the weather would be fine. The sand touching my legs gives me comfort that I never knew would be there. It's been what? Six years? Yes, it's been six years since what happened to me, to Dos, and Taddeio. He helped to move on from things that happened in the past. It's not easy, but Taddeio didn't give up. He made sure that I was alright all the time. He put me first before himself. When we first came here, I was distant—to everyone. I don't know, maybe I needed to take a break from them. Or from myself. Celine and Polius were here for the first two months, and they went back when Polius had to report to his station. And to answer the question, yes, Polius came back as a police officer after taking a year's break because of my sister. For the past years, I hadn't had a normal conversation w
"Stop what you are doing now, Triplets." The coldness in the voice of Taddeio can make a person gasp for air. "And why would we, Taddeio? Please give us a reason." Josef said, while his hands that were keeping my fingers up seemed to be restless. He was afraid and tried to cover it up with his normal voice. He's not stuttering, but his body reacted otherwise. He's afraid of Taddeio."Because I said so." Taddeio answered shortly. He looked at me with his sympathetic eyes and asked if I was okay. I gently nodded and smiled at him. He averted his gaze and stopped at Josef. The whole room was silent and no one dared to speak. It was broken when Hector stepped in and said something to Taddeio."You're afraid... that we'll do something to your lover.""I wasn't, Hector. Because I know he's not a softy just like you've known him. My baby has been a fighter since he was born." I don't know why my eyes are starting to be teary, but I stopped them from falling."Oh, is he? Are you?" Hector sa
We were here for how much longer we'd known. There's no sort of time indicator located in this room, and we don't have any phones to check, nor can we check it. We were tied and we looked like sinners that were awaiting their punishments. We spent minutes, maybe hours, trying to get the rope out of our bodies, but it was tied impermeable. We lose hope after doing our all just to break free. My eyes had incidentally gone to Dos, the real Dos or Paula, who was sitting next to me. She seemed to be having deep thoughts. Our eyes met when she turned to me. The difference was that her face had lit up. "Dos..." I called her. "Hmm?" She hummed and smiled at me. How can she smile at a time like this?"Is... is Violet your real mother? And Sarah is your real grandmother?" I don't know if I asked something right, but I want a clarification even though I've already heard it when they had their confrontation."Sadly, yes, Merch. I thought she was a hostage of Raphael, and I confirmed it to him.
I thought everything would be fine when Dos and I successfully went out of the room, but what was awaiting us was worse than I expected. Life is truly a series of unexpected events; everything has a reason, and you can't stop it from happening. What is meant to happen will happen, and everything that you'll do to not let it occur will be merely a tiny waste when destiny is involved. Playing our lives is what makes her happy. Seeing our pain intrigues her desire to continue doing what she's currently doing. She loves to torture us with her different schemes. She lets us be happy for a moment, then it will all vanish and be replaced by sadness. I don't want it to happen anymore. I am tired and wrongly used by destiny's power to overrule our lives. We are the creators of our destiny and are not controlled by it. Unless you change and nurture your beliefs, change won't come and your life will forever be ruined. We are stuck on the first floor, and even though we are on our fifth attempt