Strings of Memory

Extra 1

It was a dream come true for Luna and Elliot. Seeing their happy faces made my heart feel warm.

"W-wynther."

Sabay nilang tawag kay Wynther.

Kumunot ang noo ko at napatingin kay Wynther. He knew them? And he never told us? I mean, he didn't have to—it wasn't an obligation. Pero hindi ko maiwasang isipin na baka may mas malalim pang dahilan kung bakit hindi niya ito nabanggit.

Pinapasok nila kami sa loob ng bahay, pero naiwan si Wynther sa labas. By the looks on their faces, mukhang mahaba-habang usapan ang mangyayari.

"Paano nakilala nila Youssef si Wynther?" tanong ni Elliot kay Zeira.

Umiling siya. "Hindi ko rin alam."

After that, no one said another word. Si Wynther lang ang makakasagot sa tanong namin, pero sigurado akong hindi 'yon magsasabi. So it was better to just wait for him to open up.

Zeira led us to our rooms. I was bunking with Elliot and Wynther, habang sina Luna at Zeira naman ang magkasama.

Once we settled in, bumaba agad kami. Youssef explained what we needed to do, and we followed his orders.

We helped out at the restaurant, and when night came, we had a barbecue. That's when Luna started asking questions. I can't blame her—this was a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and she was definitely grabbing it.

That's when we found out na si Ma'am Esquivel ay naging bahagi rin ng banda nila. But more than that, napansin kong dalawang beses nasamid si Wynther sa iniinom niya nang mabanggit ang tungkol sa vocalist at bassist ng The Reverie.

Now that was interesting.

Kinabukasan, nag-perform kami sa harapan nila Youssef at Harrison. Honestly, it was nerve-wracking—mas nakakakaba pa ito kaysa noong nag-perform kami malapit sa school.

They gave us advice. Real advice. Hindi lang basta generic na papuri, but actual feedback na sobrang nakatulong. They also gave us words of encouragement, and that really helped. Lalo na kay Elliot—he got a one-on-one mentoring session with Youssef. Kung nandito lang si Ma'am Esquivel, sigurado akong magpapamentor rin ako sa kanya. Sayang at hindi siya nakapunta.

Pagkatapos ng Christmas vacation, balik agad kami sa planning. As always, Luna gathered us, and this time, sinabi niya na kailangan na naming pumili ng kantang ipi-perform namin.

Nang marinig kong may CDs sila Wynther, hindi ko napigilan ang mapangiti ng malaki.

"Luna will be coming with you," sabi ko.

Nagsimulang mag-panic si Luna, habang si Elliot naman ay kaagad na naging seryoso ang mukha.

"Sasama ako," sabi niya.

Umiling ako.

I'm sorry for doing this, Elliot. Alam kong gusto mo si Luna, pero may iba siyang gusto.

Nagbigay ako ng reason, and thankfully, Zeira backed me up. Kaya ayun, si Luna at Wynther ang pumunta sa bahay nila para kumuha ng CDs habang pinanood lang namin silang lumakad palayo.

Napatingin ako kay Elliot, at kahit saglit lang, nakita ko ang sakit sa mata niya. Pero nang magtama ang tingin namin, mabilis iyong nawala.

"What?" tanong niya, pero umiling lang ako.

I'm so sorry, Elliot.

"Let's perform Ain't it Fun by Paramore!" Luna announced the next day, excitement in her voice.

And with the song finally decided, isang bagong problema naman ang sumulpot—kung paano kami magpa-practice. Buti na lang, Ma'am Esquivel found a solution for us. Of course, hindi iyon dumaan nang walang sagabal.