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Epilogue
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด:
2020-06-06 12:06:44
บทที่เกี่ยวข้อง
Stranded in Thoughts Prologue
He was coming. Fast.The pain in my left shoulder throbbed relentlessly as I struggled to catch my breath. I fled the chaos erupting in the hotel where we had been staying. The smell of blood and flesh clung to me like a curse, one I feared might haunt me until my final breath.I stubbed my toe on a rock and tumbled face-first into the muddy ground, swearing under my breath. My right elbow braced against the earth as I pushed myself up, barely registering my quivering fingers. I staggered to my knees, only to collapse onto my side again. Groggy and disoriented, I forced myself to crawl forward. The wind howled like an omen, promising that I would be next.Then, the scene replayed in my mind, vivid and unrelenting.Everything unfolded in reverse, and I found myself stuck on my knees, unable to rise. I pounded the ground, sending mud splattering onto my face, and screamed, no longer caring if he heard. I couldn’t believe I had left her—left her with him.God, please, not her.I swallowed
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-25Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 1 - The Secret
I hated schools the most.I’d been having the most splendid dream about my crush—hands down the most beautiful girl in that boring school—when an earthquake jolted me awake. It wasn’t a destructive one, but it was enough to spring me out of bed and make my knees wobble.Earthquakes had been happening a lot recently here in Cebu.They made me anxious, which wasn’t surprising since I had always had a knack for overthinking. A paranoid part of me had always feared the world might end at any moment. Combined with being overly sentimental and sensitive, it painted a pretty accurate picture of who I was. People could have judged me, but really, they couldn’t. They hadn’t lived my life, so how could they?If you did know me, though, there was one thing you’d always remember: I was lazy. Proudly, undeniably lazy. Procrastination was practically my trademark, a title I had begrudgingly earned and somewhat embraced. My friends, of course, capitalized on it by calling me Josh the Lazy Bum. I didn
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-25Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 2 - The Hopeless Romantic Girl
“Hand me some buwad, Olly.”“Why are you always the one giving orders around here? Can’t you just get it yourself?”“Come again? Remember the Penshoppe bag I bought you?”“Okay, okay. I know what’s coming. You’re always playing that trump card. It’s not even special anymore.”“Still flapping those lips?”“Nope. Here’s your buwad, ate.”It was a sunny afternoon, flabbergastingly serene for the two of us. Christmas had just passed. Firecracker debris and party poppers littered the streets and canals—remnants of Piccolo, Sinturon ni Hudas, and other trash scattered across the whole sitio. The extended season of family love and merrymaking lingered, yet for me, it was just another season of looking after my silly sister. I didn’t want to be a babysitter.My name was Jelly. I was a twenty-two-year-old science teacher at Arullina National High School, advising tenth graders. Molly, my sister, was a twenty-year-old call center agent, and she was the complete opposite of me. She loved shopping
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-25Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 3 - The Back-to-School Hassle
Mondays. Freaking Mondays. Why were Mondays even created?The sizzling of onions sautéing and the birds chirping outside our apartment brought a calming effect as I cooked breakfast in our makeshift kitchen. Yet the fact that it was a Monday drowned all of it.I hated Mondays most.Some might say that being a teacher was an easy job. According to certain self-important people, we were just teaching students. One of my students even said we were lucky since we only needed to sit to get paid. The audacity of that child made me mad, but I kept my cool and let it slide. After all, I was a licensed professional.They were wrong.I might be too lazy to explain it all, but I knew how it worked. They didn't see a teacher's schedule. Imagine bringing home piles of paperwork just to finish them—work supposedly done during an eight-hour shift that was never feasible.And Monday was the worst of all.I was about to pour last night’s rice when a rustle behind startled me.“Oh, you’re already cookin
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-25Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 4 - The Troublemaker
“Okay, class, you’re dismissed.”I headed straight to the faculty room to drop off my instructional materials before joining my friends at the cafeteria. Around the table sat Ritchelle, Vhina, and Alyssa. Ritchelle always handled getting our reserved food early since her classes ended by lunchtime. She only taught in the mornings.A month had already passed since my fight with Molly.“Hey, why is the you so late to sits here by the us?” Ritchelle teased just as I settled into my seat.“Me is the stressed by the students, but I scolded them, which make me the stresser,” I replied, playing along with the joke.Alyssa, delicately slicing the egg white from her sunny-side-up to give to Veruca later, rolled her eyes. As an English teacher, our exaggerated broken grammar visibly annoyed her. “Wow. I’m amazed you two can even understand each other,” she muttered.“Join we. We is the teaches you how to says we is the language,” Ritchelle offered with a grin.“Also, you is the one who tolds us
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-25Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 5 - The Short Meeting
Fridays. Blessed Fridays.Why couldn’t all days in a week feel like Fridays?The day of the retreat finally came. I’d been waiting for this, longing for a break, a chance to return to Bantayan and finally explore the beaches I’d dreamed of visiting for so long. Plans had fallen through before, thanks to tight schedules and unreliable friends. I loved traveling, but the thought of going alone felt… hollow. I needed company, someone to share the experience with, someone to make the moments feel alive.The audio-visual room buzzed quietly as teachers gathered for our final pre-departure briefing. The school bus was scheduled to pick us up at five, taking us on a four to five-hour journey to Hagnaya Port, where we’d board the barge to Bantayan. Student council officers were already set—bags packed and consent forms signed.Yet the weight of responsibility pressed on my shoulders. Monitoring the students’ safety wasn’t something I could take lightly.Including Finlay. Especially Finlay.The
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-26Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 6 - The Incident
The dawn was majestic when I arrived at Hagnaya Port. The sky was painted in shades of orange and red, like a furious artist had flung his palette in a burst of creative anger, leaving behind a mess of colors—raw yet stunning. Waves crashed against the shore, their deafening retreat mingling with the soggy groan of truck tires on damp soil. Though the area had been swept, bits of trash still lingered in forgotten corners, a testament to either the cleaners' low pay or the never-ending tide of litter.A mossy, nostalgic scent mixed with the sharp tang of salt filled the air, triggering a rush of memories.Ah, those were the days.Hagnaya Port was the only gateway to Bantayan Island. The retreat house we were visiting was near Kota Beach. Though the earliest trip was at four-thirty, we had agreed on the nine-thirty trip with a call time at five-thirty. Yet I arrived an hour earlier. Too early, in fact.It nagged me—I couldn’t understand why we hadn’t just taken the six-thirty trip since
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-26Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 7 - The Island
My head throbbed with pain.The world around me was a blur, and standing felt nearly impossible. A relentless ringing filled my ears as if sound itself had torn through me. I had the sickening sense that blood might be flowing from them. Leaning sideways on my right arm, I reached up with my left to check my head for injuries.It hurt.As I shifted, discomfort flared in my lower body. Something heavy pinned me down. No—someone.And it hurt.I blinked hard, shaking my head to clear the haze. Gradually, my vision sharpened, and the first thing I noticed was the overwhelming blueness of everything around me.The figure sprawled limply across my legs was Finlay. His disheveled black bangs clung to his pale forehead, framing a face too striking for its own good—wide eyelids, a broad nose, well-shaped lips, and a firm jaw. I never felt so annoyed at a handsome face before.Then, everything came rushing back.The pieces of memory slammed together—sharp, painful, undeniable. Concern twisted in
ปรับปรุงล่าสุด : 2020-05-26
บทล่าสุด
Stranded in Thoughts Epilogue
Sunlight filtered through the holes in the window blinds, casting pale golden streaks across the room. The translucent curtains fluttered in the artificial breeze from the air conditioning, diffusing the light into a muted glow. Even that gentle illumination felt overwhelming.I couldn't lift my head to see beyond the glass; I could only imagine how picturesque it might be—the garden outside with its roses, the trees beginning swaying, and the world moving on without me while I remained frozen in this sterile cocoon.I couldn't move, not even twitch my fingers. My body felt like it belonged to someone else; it was a distant vessel that refused to respond to my desperate commands.The steady hum of the air conditioner created a monotonous backdrop, punctuated by the faint rhythmic beeping of the heart monitor. The scent of sterile hospital sheets mingled with the mustiness of stale air, creating that uniquely medical atmosphere.Footsteps echoed outside the room, their rhythm familiar a
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 21 - The Beasts of the Realm
I opened my eyes to the view I had once seen. Every detail of the island had never been clearer than before, and I could make out the beach where we had gotten stranded and also the far end of the island we hadn’t yet explored.I frantically searched our surroundings and saw Rico by my side. The pistol was in his hand, and he was more alert than anyone could be. I couldn’t help but smile.Priscilla was shackled beside him, and Dr. Shawn lay next to her; his shoulder was bleeding rather seriously.What should I do?From what I understood, I could create anything in this realm, so that might mean I could also create a doctor to help him or something. I imagined the image of one appearing beside Dr. Shawn, but nothing happened.How the heck was I supposed to create, anyhow?At the far north of the island, I noticed Josh and Rex on the ground. They were both wincing and crying in pain.How could I help Josh? Please, someone or anything on this island, help Josh!Understood.I opened my eye
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 20 - The Battle at the Silent Falls
My head throbbed.Everything around me blurred. There was a ringing in my ears so loud it drowned out the world. My body felt heavy, the ground unsteady. A warm trickle ran down my face. Blood?I shifted, trying to prop myself up on my right arm, but the surface beneath me wasn’t solid.Water.Panicked, I touched my head, wincing as pain flared. I twisted at the waist and noticed something—or someone—floating beside me.Jelly.She looked so still—too still.Blinking hard, I forced my head to clear. The darkness around me was thick, tinted murky blue. And it hit me.I couldn't breathe.My lungs burned, panic seizing me as I flung my hands wildly through the water. My body twisted in a frantic surge, my arms reaching for Jelly. Her limp form drifted beside me. Her hair swirled in slow currents.No—she wasn’t moving.I grabbed her waist, heart pounding as I kicked upward, pushing through drifting debris. The ache in my chest deepened, but I forced my legs to keep kicking.Break the surfac
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 19 - The Young Bloods
My mother was teacher Mary.That was why I often dreamed about someone I couldn’t quite remember but still felt close to my heart.It had been her all along.Fuzzy memories surged back: the faint “I love you” whispered by someone whose face was blurred; the tender, long arms holding me close; the curly hair swaying gently in the wind; and the sweet, encouraging “I love you” that soothed me just before sleep. The images remained blurry, but now I understood why those fragments had haunted me for so long.Mom143. That was why.Rico’s voice pulled me back to the present. “Hey, your friend’s about to say something important.”“Everyone, I need you to listen carefully,” Chevonne said, her voice steady but intense. “I managed to speak with my father—through thought. He told me everything about what’s happening here. Yes, it’s shocking, but I had to keep my composure because there was a member of the Young Bloods in our group.”She glanced at Josh.“I didn’t want him to know I’d figured it ou
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 18 - The Artifact
"Chevonne! Look at this!"How could I not?The landscape glowed beneath the moonlight. It was so breathtaking it seemed to drain every worry and fear the island had planted in me. I’d never seen a night so bright. Lavender light bathed everything, revealing the landscape in full detail as if darkness held no power here.I squinted, realizing the soft glow came from the cocohair trees. They shimmered like the candescent Christmas trees I used to see in P-Mall during those early September displays.The silent waterfalls didn’t unsettle me anymore—not after everything Chevonne had told me about strange powers and whatnot. The abnormal was starting to feel normal. I refused to keep acting surprised every time reality broke its own rules.Because I wasn’t normal either. I had a power. I was a thinker. And honestly? I was proud of it.If I could, I’d show off my ability—flaunt it in front of my friends, brag as much as I wanted. I wasn’t some superhero hiding their gift from the world. If th
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 17 - The Burster and Them
We returned to the meeting place where Sir had once commanded his conjurer friend to construct a building long ago. It was supposed to be our fallback point where we would lure everyone after the beach incident. But with how things unfolded, we hadn’t been able to execute the plan perfectly. Still, we managed to draw a few people inland.What greeted us was nothing but ruins.The entire building had been reduced to dust and rubble.“Hey, what happened here?” the weak-ass slasher asked, hands resting behind his head as if he didn’t have a care in the world.Our controller turned, her smile tight, masked menace behind it. “A lot of things, I’d imagine. Right, Momo? Mimi?”The twins exchanged glances, unreadable.They were nearly identical—squinting eyes, small noses, and pale, thin lips. Even their height and build were the same. They were barely the size of elementary students yet far more dangerous than they looked. If you didn’t know what they could do, you’d never suspect how lethal
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 16 - The Strange Old Man
It was our second day stranded on this island, yet no rescue had arrived. We hadn’t found any locals either. The sun blazed overhead, likely marking noon. Rico walked ahead, leading us deeper into unfamiliar territory where the foliage thickened and the coconut-like trees towered even higher than those near the beach.Now that I paid closer attention, the trees were oddly familiar. It was not just the shape but also the texture. The way their leaves curled at the edges tugged at something buried deep in my memory.“Jelly, check this out!”Rico’s voice snapped me from my thoughts. He stood at the edge of a clearing just past the foliage. I hurried to his side and froze.We were standing on a vast cliff—far broader than the one Alyssa had fallen from. The painful memory hit me hard. For a moment, the grief swelled, but I swallowed it back. Not now. I had to stay strong. For myself. For Rico. Survival wouldn’t allow me the luxury of collapsing into sorrow.Before us stretched a breathtaki
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 15 - The Thinkers
“Lucky Kid, do it now!”The experience was like a wild rodeo.I clung to the horn of a massive, rhino-like beast while it thrashed beneath me. Its powerful body twisted and bucked, jerking side to side, then rearing and slamming down so violently I nearly lost my grip more than once.For five chaotic minutes, it felt like a blur of motion—jumping, twisting, stomping.But I held on.My fingers stayed locked around the beast’s pinkish-red horn; it had strange carvings that felt suspiciously like handholds.It charged forward, exactly as planned, barreling straight toward Chevonne. She had lured it there deliberately, standing her ground as the creature thundered closer, drawn into Lucky Kid’s thought.Then—bang!*****Right after the giant incident, we had moved to a safer spot and camped for the night. We were exhausted, but the unease hadn’t left us.The next morning, we woke early. Chevonne kept close watch on Lucky Kid, acting like he might bolt at any second.I had only half grasped
Stranded in Thoughts Chapter 14 - The Familiar Ruins
While the men buried Alyssa's body beneath a tree that looked like a coconut palm, the three of us bawled like children near the cliffside. Wind whipped our faces, but we hardly felt it. The waves roared far below, yet all I could hear was our sobbing.We still hadn’t processed what had happened with the captain—and now this.What else could possibly happen?Vhina and Ritchelle sat on the damp grass, both staring blankly into the distance, their mouths slightly open. They had cried themselves dry, their swollen eyes bloodshot and empty. Out of the three of us, they were the most broken. Maybe this was the first time they had ever seen a body like that—so ruined.Vhina was the first to move. She pushed herself unsteadily to her feet, wiping at her cheeks with trembling hands.“This is stupid. So stupid!” Her voice cracked as she shouted into the void. “How could something like that even happen? It—it doesn’t make sense!”Ritchelle stood next, fists clenched so tight her knuckles turned
