CHAPTER 12: THE AWAKENING

We went to his friend's house, which is only four streets away from the playground. He doorbells and the woman who I think is about our age opens the door. Her short hair makes her look stunning with her dark violet lipstick that is almost black. No other make-up, only the lipstick that makes her more beautiful. Her black t-shirt and crystal necklace and bracelet make her look powerful like there’s something in her that can raise energy. 

“Luna,” Devon said, makes him excited to see his old friend again.

“Oh bro, it’s been a long time,” Luna said and they hugged each other as their greeting and Luna looked at me.

“Girlfriend?” She asked Devon, which makes Devon smile and blush.

“Soon,” He answered with a smile and still blushing.

“Why soon?” She asked Devon.

“Just kidding,” She said

“Well anyway… How can I help you?” She asked and let us in. 

We went inside the house and we sat on the couch. while Luna went to the kitchen. I roam my eyes around because her house is full of stuff that amazes my eyes. It has a big picture of a moon and a pentacle that is hanging on the wall. There’s a figurine of a naked woman with long hair that is surrounded by plants and animals and beside it, she has an unlit black and white candle, and her house smell like incense too. 

After a moment of waiting, she returned with juice on a pitcher and cookies on a plate and put it on the center table, and offered it to us. Devon drinks a little and takes a bite of the cookie.

“So how can I help you?” She asked again.

“I have a friend here whose name is Irish, Irish it’s Luna and Luna she is Irish” Devon introduced us to each other and we greeted each other and shook hands. 

“She had an accident last year that killed her friends, colleagues, and her boyfriend… The bus that they are riding going to Baguio fell on the cliff and everybody died including her but there’s an unexplainable thing that happened… which is…---” Then he looked at me because he didn’t know how he was going to say it. He is worried that he might offend me.

“I came from the dead” I continued while facing Luna and Devon took a deep breath as a relief that I am not offended. 

“Oh,” Luna said with her eyes widened and her mouth shaped like a big O.

“I heard about it from the news and you are the girl that they are calling as...Lazarus”

I smiled and nodded.

“We are here to ask your help because she starts seeing things, hearing things and there’s a girl that she always saw which she can’t explain and she doesn’t know why but she thinks that the girl needs her help and it is connected to the crime that happened which is ten years ago” He explained and looked at me again and looked back to Luna.

“I already saw the girl before the accident but not like this… I always see her everywhere” I said with my eyes rolling.

“Like… she will appear whenever they want even in my dreams and she will disappear whenever they want too” I continued

“And the most recent is a while ago before we came here… I saw her putting something under my cabinet and when I checked what it was… I found this” I added and picked the photo in my pocket and gave it to her. For her to check.

“Aside from the girl I saw a woman too, a man, a boy but I only saw the boy once. I heard voices too that made me weirder” After looking at the picture. She stares at me while still holding the picture.

“I understand… I was like you before I concentrated on the path that I chose” She said while looking at me. She looked at the photo again and she looked back at me. 

“I don’t feel any negativity in this photo but to the one who made this… yes” She said while looking at the photo. She flipped it back to check what was at the back but when she found nothing she flipped it again and looked at it again.

“Yeah, I don’t feel anything”

“What do you mean that… to the one who took the photo… you mean the cutting of the photo?? the cutting of the heads?” I asked while staring at her.

“Yes, I feel hatred towards the one who owns this photo… not just hatred but death” She added which makes my skin cold and my body hair stand. I looked at Devon and Devon is looking at Luna waiting for more information.

“Because I saw a girl who put that under my cabinet and that girl is a rape victim… I saw her killed in my dreams… she was raped and killed and I guess she is asking for help to solve her case” I told her. So that she can gather more information.

“I can sense a girl too and yes she’s a rape victim but I don’t think if she was killed” 

“I also read about that case in a newspaper… ten years ago and I think that is the girl that she is talking about '' Devon interrupts but Luna just takes a deep breath and looks at the picture again.

“So you think the girl is still alive?” I asked her while looking at her.

She takes a deep breath again and “I cannot say… but I cannot sense her energy in this photo… only her hatred but… but these two guys in the photo… I assure you that they are already dead” She said and looked me in the eye and stared at the photo.

“The one in the right was stabbed to death and the one on the left was shot in the head,” She said. That makes me amazed because we never told her about that. She can sense energy and finally there is someone who can help me more about my situation. 

“They are killed because of hatred and the one who made it… is someone who relates to the guy who has a headshot… and that is the girl,” She added. That makes me take a deep breath and look at Devon and I look at Luna again. While Devon is seriously listening to her.

“So what can I do to connect more to the girl? and how can I help her?” I asked because I want to find a solution to my situation as soon as possible before I go completely crazy.

“Well… you are already connected to her that is why you can see her, sense her… but if you are brave enough you can talk to her” She answered that makes me think about it. I think I will think twice about her suggestion because I am not sure that I am brave enough to talk to the dead girl. To the soul. Especially to the soul that is full of hatred.

“If you are thinking twice I know that you are and I understand because it is not a joke to talk to the spirit that is full of hatred” She started.

“I will help you condition yourself… your mind, your emotion and even your spiritual connection to the divine… because all of them are connected to each other… if your mind is weak because your spiritual relationship to the divine is weak… your heart will be weak too” She continued while staring at me and I was silently listening to her.

“I just want to know” And she went closer to me.

“Do you have hatred in your heart?” She asked. I didn’t answer because I don't know if I hate the world now or even God because of what happened to my dad, to me and to the man that I loved.

“Because I can feel hatred flowing from you since then… before the accident… and that hatred manifests… maybe that is the reason why you have the girl or why you see the girl” She added. Devon looked at me and held my hand because he felt I became uneasy. 

“But you will know all about it soon… It will take time and clarification… clarity” 

“If you want… ---” And she picked up a piece of paper, black pen and wrote something on a piece of paper and gave the piece of paper to me. I read what she wrote and fold the paper and put it inside my pocket

“You can do that… simple instructions to have a piece of mind and clarity… It will help you clear your mind, think about what is the right thing to do, and recall what is forgotten. Once you’re done with that… you will proceed to the next step to courage or bravery and that is transition… you need to divert your fear into bravery so that you will have the courage to face what is bothering you… especially the past” She said.

“And what about the girl?” I asked

“The girl is already part of you and all you need is to face her but you are not brave enough to do that so… do what I wrote in a piece of paper that I gave you” She answered and gave me back the photo that I showed to her. She stood up and got something on her drawer table and went back to us and sat again in front of me.

“You can have this” She gave me the black glittery pouch. I took it and checked what was inside. 

A white candle, a box of incense, and a small bottle of purification oil with another piece of white paper inside, and when I check what is written there. It is another instruction about what to do with the candle, oil, and incense. 

“I hope it will help you… I hope I can help you” She said with a smile after I checked what was inside the pouch. I smile back at her and said, “Thanks”

“Thank you for your time,” Devon said to Luna

“No problem,” She said with a smile but before we left the house she reminded me that the girl is with me. I nodded and Devon and I left.

“I like her,” I told Devon while we are both walking back to the playground

“She already knew about what happened to the guys in the picture without me telling her”

“Because she is practicing that… she is enhancing her ability… her gift and that is the reason why she stays away from people… she wants to have a peace of mind,” Devon said.

I remember what Luna said about the hatred that she can sense in me before the accident happened. It is because my dad died in a hard way. His cancer killed him. I can’t accept that he will die just like that. There’s a lot of war that he has been through. He went to Afghanistan and he survived. And because of cancer, he died. He lost the battle. I know my dad is a good person and he doesn't deserve to have cancer. I never talked to God after my dad died. I questioned him but I didn't see any answer. That is why I stopped talking to God and that is the hatred that Luna can sense from me.

I decided to go home instead of staying at the playground. Anyway, it is already 6:00 p.m. and I want to do what Luna told me to do. I am excited. That is why Devon dropped me home.

“See you tomorrow,” He said. I smile at him and thank him for helping me with my situation and for introducing me to Luna because I think Luna will be a big help for me. While carrying the pouch that Luna gave me. I went inside the house and Devon waved me goodbye.

“I will try to call you,” He said

“I will do what Luna told me,” I said

“I will call you instead once I am done” I added

“Okay, good luck” And then I closed the gate and he left.