Chapter 3: Dusk
The following morning, I went to meet up with Zander and his family. I knocked on their front door while scrutinizing the blue painted walls and green coated roof of their house. The last time I visited them, the walls were still captured in dark reddish brown paint. The wooden porch where I step on was masked by light green shades. Flowers and shrubs protruded against the plain wooden fence with a picturesque architecture and scheme.
My conjecture is that while I've been busy in school, dealing with tension in a few semesters and I couldn't find time to visit them, they totally changed their home lifestyle while I was unwarily gone. What more could I expect when I step in?
Zander's mom opened the door with a blissful smile. "Nice to see you Xeleria. It's good you came to visit us after a long time." She gave me a nice warm hug along with a motherly aura.
After all the greetings, I perambulated through the wooden stairs up to Zander's room. I'm glad that nothing changed inside for I might've stumbled or broken vases and such. I opened his door without knocking and saw him on his laptop. He heard the creaking of the door and turned around flabbergasted, as if he's seen a ghost.
"Hey. You seem surprised. Remember inviting me in yesterday?" I asked in a flippant manner.
"Oh, of course I do. You should have knocked first you know. I'm a still a guy and you're still a girl and we're a-"
"Fine fine. But you should lock your room, you know; and I know that guys will always be guys." I teasingly grinned as I pointed at his abruptly closed laptop.
"Ehem." He regained his composure and tried to change the topic. "Wanna go down and eat snacks?"
"Yeah, sure." I know he's embarrassed but he doesn't need to be; if what I think he was doing before I barged in was correct... If you know what I mean.
I grabbed his arm and pulled him all the way downstairs into the dining room to have a fun chitchat with his family all day long. After having our bellies turn into balls, Zander and I separated with them to have ourselves watch a movie together in his bedroom.
After a few minutes of watching, the part where the main character held the girl when she was about to faint made me nauseous. The scene completely reminds me of the dream I had last night.
I stayed silent and still without minding the next events. Zander though, starts to notice me not laughing or even if the movie's a romantic comedy. He paused the screen and began to stare.
"What's the problem? You're acting like this is a horror movie with the look on your face." I knew he's teasing to make me laugh but I just can't.
"Umm.. Nothing." I lied.
"I know you when you're lying. Come on. Tell me." Of course, he knew. I'm a see-through human being when it's with him.
Droplets of tears suddenly ran down my cheeks even if I didn't anticipate it. He places his hands over my shoulders to give out a hug. It's the first time I've ever let him see me cry in all these years ever since we've turned into young adults. I expected him to comfort me awkwardly but I saw the calm enduring warmth in his eyes as if he knew what I've been going through all along.
"I always had this nightmare." I started to open up as he tucks me in the warm velvety blanket.
I gathered up the strength to tell my nightmares as he looked at me, weary. "I was running, frightened and hiding from an unknown identity without knowing the reason why. The feeling of terror fills me and it always ends up on the part where a tall guy walks closer and my visions stars to get dim. I never saw his face. It's always the same dream ever since."
I told him every detail, the figure, the darkness, the weird pattern and dates and how it goes into a frequent daily routine the longer it lasts. He gasped for air like it took a lot of energy from him to hear that.
This was what I feared that might happen. "I'm sane okay? And I don't wanna go to a doctor or something. It's not like it has caused me problems." I rolled my eyes in disbelief that he thinks of me that way.
"Wait, I didn't even speak yet! I'm just... worried." He protested with an innocent look.
Oh yeah. I blabbered again with this defensive mouth of mine.
My mood remained serious just like what it should be taken. Now here I am, telling the next part of the story.
"Until yesterday, I found an object from my dream under my pillow when I woke up."
"What is it?" He stunningly replied, in an awestruck expression.
"That's not what scares me but the guy who had it slung on his neck. I never told this to anyone except you. Besides you're my best friend."
"When this happens again, just call me immediately and I'll go to you even if it's in the middle of the night." He's definitely the only person I can rely and trust on.
"I will." I smiled as a sign that I'm okay. "I wanna walk home earlier to catch a breath of fresh air."
"Maybe I can give you a ride home." He offered politely.
"No thanks, I want to be alone for now." I don't want him to keep worrying.
"But—"
"I'm a strong girl you know, I can kick balls if there's danger!" I cheered up to reassure him.
"Okay fine. Call me when you're home." There he goes again, acting like he's my boyfriend.
It's not that I hate it.
I went down, saying a nice farewell before I step out of their house. Feeling the cold breeze touching my skin, I walked further the road where I saw the eccentric note yesterday. I wonder if it was just a prank made by some kids. But after having that strange dream last night, everything seemed to just slowly turn into reality. Even the ones I think doesn't exist appears to be genuine.
As I took time to conform my thoughts, someone familiar strolled past me. I turned around and saw the same new guy crap who humiliated me yesterday. He's actually tall, maybe about six feet high and his body is kind of athletic yet slim. His chestnut hair and chocolate brown eyes suits his bright yet serious face. He's just really ironically intimidating yet attractive.
He held his pace and glared right through my very soul. I froze at the very moment, my heart throbbing faster. The deafening silence surmounted our eye contact. My heart skipped faster and I started to feel mortified by his stare.
"Why were you like that yesterday?" Instead of a greeting, it turned out that I can't hide my nervousness anymore.
"That?" He grinned as if it was a question a kid would ask.
"Umm...You were staring then vanished afterwards!" I blurted out, trying to deny my nervousness.
"Don't you want to know my name first before you ask anything? And first of all, I didn't stare at you at all, I observed you Xeleria." His mouth twitched, making a half sinister smile with the mention of my name.
"How did you know my name? Just who are you?"
"From class yesterday. From the professor calling you when you were crawling on the floor to you seat. You'll know me soon." He turned around to leave.
I just dug my own grave when I asked that question.
"Hey, wait!" I stretched my hand and pulled his arm before he vanishes again.
"Sorry but I don't have any interest in talking with an annoying stranger. Especially to you." He pulled his hand away and headed to his initial direction.
I started to get inflamed with his dim witted character. No, he's actually witty but I don't want to admit that. Exasperated with his manners, I followed his steps knowing how aware of he was of me. It's getting darker now but who the hell cares? I'm mad! And maybe, still furiously embarrassed.
After covering a long distance, he still pretended to be unaware of me. We reached an unknown place that looks like a park , it's just that I've never gone here before and it perturbed me.
"Where are we?"
He turned back at me. "Go home and stop following. It's dangerous for you to be here."
"What do you mean dangerous? Then if it is, why would you go here?"
"Go now." His expression was filled with solemn seriousness. His eyes seemed darker that it almost scares me.
"But I don't know the way back. I just followed you remember? I don't even know this place."
"Your phone?" he replied back.
"I left it this morning at home."
Now, there's really no chance for me to know the right way even if I've been living here for the past 18 years of my life, I have never encountered this road. His expression turned to disappointment and annoyance.
"Follow me. Do as I tell you. Don't ask any more questions if you don't want me to leave you here." I felt the intensity of his voice that made me not joke about it.
"How can I trust you?" I stammered.
"Well, you've got no any other choice. It's not my fault that you followed."
I knew he's right. He's my only choice. I needed to trust him for me to get home safely.
"Okay." But I still don't understand why. Are there some tigers and lions ready to devour us here? No, but does he mean robbers or serial killers? No. Or cannibals? All kinds of thoughts bombarded my head, the disadvantage of watching too much horror and thriller movies.
He squeezed my hand and guided me further into a well-covered covered place with no light. Only the stars in the night sky beams shone out their beauty.
He let go of my hand and faced with me with worry, it was the first time his eyes had the look of thoughtfulness. The wind got colder and colder with every second that passed. He took off his gray jacket, scented with pristine fragrance and he shouldered me with it.
"Trust me. Don't go anywhere and wait for me here."
I nodded in consent with his words.
He turned around started to run further into the nocturnal path. I watched him until he once again, vanished into the gloomy dusk.
~
dedicated to Yoyhen for adding it in her RL a long time ago. lol. :)
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