Chapter 3 - Fairytale is Fiction

Her hands began to shiver at the sight of blood. It was barely visible from the small scratch, but it was enough to make Clementine lose herself in panic.

“I’m sorry. You’re bleeding. Oh gosh, you’re bleeding.”

She wanted to take a closer look but she was so scared to touch the kid.

“It’s alright, Princess. It’s just a scratch. I think we’ve got some bandaids in the car.”

“No. I think we should clean it first.”

“Okay. I know where the bathroom is.”

The kid was even smiling at her. Clementine was scared to stare at the kid longer than she should. They were starting to see the resemblance. If she would take a closer look, she might just confirm what she has been fearing all this time.

“Why do you look so scared?”

“I’m not scared.” The dirt on her wound was not cleaned. Luckily, Clementine brought a small first-aid kit where she stored some band-aids.

“Why do you have band-aids in your bag?”

“Because I might need it.”

“Why do you have a camera?” The kid took a closer look at the camera she brought. Clementine has her hands full trying to put the band-aid perfectly while also formalizing an escape plan in the amusement park. It was bad enough that Sancho and his wife saw her and now, she’s here with their kid.

“To take pictures. Uhm… hey.” She called but the little girl wasn’t paying attention and continued to check the details of her vintage camera.

“Cool.” Her voice was so cute and little. She was so mesmerized by the camera that she couldn’t hear a word from Clementine.

“Kid.” Clementine lightly tapped her shoulders. “Does it hurt?”

“Carina,” she said. “My name’s Carina.”

“Carina.” She repeated.

In her head, it was easier to let her go because, except for the few days she was able to hold her nameless child, they never shared a bond together. That baby was like a part of a dream that she’d sometimes wish she had forgotten. On other days, she’d force herself to remember. Not knowing her name was a blessing, but now she knows to whom she owes all her apologies and prayers.

It was a name that suited her well.

“Does it still hurt?”

“It didn’t hurt.”

“Are you sure?” Clementine’s voice was gentle. She removed the dirt on her dress and made sure that her little pink dress was presentable too. That was when she realized that it looked like the one she wore in the movie when she played the princess. This kid could effortlessly play her younger version in any film. “Your parents should be looking for you. You should go now.”

“Do you want to go too? To my birthday party?”

“No. I should go somewhere else.”

“But you’re already here.”

“I’m not supposed to be here.” Clementine touched Carina’s messy braid. “Your hair’s messy.”

“Can you fix it?”

“What?” 

It wouldn’t be long before they found out that the kid was missing. If Carina doesn’t return to the party, she might end up seeing Sancho again. What she did earlier was already suspicious enough, and she barely escaped it. This time, she doesn’t have the energy to run or hide from anyone.

“Can you tie my hair like how you did it in the movie? Like the princess?”

“Carina, you should really go back to your parents. Your friends will be looking for you and your mother and father. I’m sure they are worried.”

“It’s okay. Mommy wouldn’t notice, and Daddy’s already angry with me.”

Clementine sighed and decided to fix the kid’s hair quickly. Thankfully, the hairstyle she wanted to do was a messy bun that would only take a minute to style. Her hand started to move expertly. To save time and energy, she’d do this too while they were doing the movie, so it was nothing complicated.

“Your Daddy’s angry with you?”

“I think. He screamed at me last time because I stayed too late watching a movie. He never screamed at me before.”

“He shouldn’t have done that.”

“I know. I told him I’m sorry. I wanted to watch you sing and dance and talk.”

“You mean the princess.” Clementine corrected. This isn’t the first time she heard the compliment. After the release of her movie, several kids had already declared their love for her. It was confusing at first. In her life, she hadn’t done anything worthy of admiration from a child. If anything, it was the opposite. 

However, she realized that it wasn’t her they loved. The kids loved the character that she played. They admire the carefree princess who loves to help everyone, who hums when she’s in trouble, and who sparkles even when her life’s a mess. She can’t do any of those and she’s definitely not the princess. 

She let the kids believe in fantasy. If Carina knew more about her, she wouldn't believe in princesses and fairy tales anymore—as if she hadn’t ruined enough for the kid.

“How’s this?”

They looked at their reflections in the mirror. They have the same hair, the same eyes, the same cheeks. Carina beamed as she smiled. “I look like a princess now.”

“Carina!” They started to hear some screams outside. All are screaming Carina’s name.

Clementine started to lose her breath after recognizing one of the voices.

“Carina Luna!”

“Daddy! I’m here.” Carina screamed.

Clementine lost her wits and tried to cover the kid’s lips, but it was too late. Sancho was already inside the bathroom.

“I’ve been looking for you everywhere!”

“I’m sorry, Daddy. I got lost trying to find the bathroom. But it’s okay. Someone helped me.”

Clementine stayed in a corner, trying not to make a sound. She even tried not to breathe because there was no escaping. She was trapped inside the restroom. Her wig was gone, and so were the glasses she was wearing.

“What do you mean someone helped you?”

“The princess. The one who looks like me. She’s here, Daddy. She came to my birthday party.”

It was too late. Clementine was stuck in the corner, and in the mirror, she caught Sancho staring at her. They were looking at each other, both surprised at each other’s presence. She gathered whatever courage she had left to walk outside like nothing had happened. “I’m sorry… for this.” She apologized, not sure how she would explain any of what happened.

Sancho grabbed her arms, and they looked each other in the eyes. She shouldn’t have been surprised to see so much hatred and pain there.

“Princess, you’re bleeding!” Carina screamed, and that was the last thing she heard before everything turned black.