The Lost Soul

TRUTH 1

"Happy 18th of existence in this world, Cali" sabi ko sa sarili ko as I look up at the sky with my hands open, feeling the cool breeze of air in front of a cliff from which I can see the whole town of Mariveles, my so-called home.

This is what I do when I celebrate my existence. I just stayed here, reminiscing and thinking about what will happen to me after this day. If I am given a chance to have a body or to permanently disappear in this world, I wish! Either way, there is no way to escape. It's day 1 of August, so long a year, yet no changes; I am still hopeless. I wanted to have something new, but years by years, I felt tired, tired of being a lost soul."Can you please keep quite? Andito na tayo yet you are still this loud? Oh gosh" I was about to jump from the cliff when I heard a yell from a far, may tao?

"Shhhh, someone is here," I heard again. I looked around, but there was no one but me, or matatawag bang someone ang isang tulad ko.

I was about to look at them when I felt someone looking at me from behind. Was this just my imagination? I shrugged the thought off and turned around, but to my surprise, I met a cold eye directly looking at me. I was shocked and couldn't get my eyes off of him. This is my first time, and the feeling is totally new, and at that moment, my heart skipped a bit for the first time.

"There's no one here aside from us, but I felt someone's presence."

"Maybe your senses are just adjusting to this new environment; that's why you are sensing someone."

"He's right, so let's go; we have a mission to do."

He's still looking at me with his forehead crest; do you see me? For real? I want to open my mouth to speak, but I stop myself when he starts to walk away as if he didn't see me. Is it just me? But they felt my presence, and he looked at me; is that a sign? Or am I just believing something that is not true? Holy trap.

After a second, nakikita ko na lang ang sarili kong sumusunod sa kanila. They are heading down to my home town, but I am curious: kung anong ginagawa nila dito in the middle of the night? Hindi na nakakapagtaka sa akin why I am here, but the thought of them getting here is impossible; no human dared to step up here; the government won't allow them; this forest is the most dangerous place here in Mariveles; they prohibited people from coming here dahil sa paniniwalang may kakaibang nangyayari sa gubat na ito, pangyayaring hindi maipaliwanag ng siyensiya.

"Hey, you look pale. anong bang nangyayari sayo?" tanong nung babae sa kasama nitong isa pang babae na blonde ang buhok. Mukha silang rarampa sa isang fashion show dahil sa kakaibang kasuotan ng mga ito.

"I don't know, I just felt someone's presence following us, eto rin yung presensiyang naramdaman ko kanina pa, and as if I am out of breath, parang tinatangay ang kaluluwa ko dahil sa presensiya niya, this is ba...d" At bigla na lang nahimatay yung babae, buti na lang nasalo ito ng kasama pa nilang isang lalaki.

"What does she mean? Hey Gena!... Gena!...wake up!"

"Let's get out of here, Zach, carry her," sabi nung lalaking parang nakatingin sakin kanina. Ano bang nangyayari sa kasama nila? Ito ba ang epekto ng gubat sa tao? It's just like this forest has a life force; though I felt no difference now until then, it's the same eerie feeling, maybe because I'm not normal.

Patuloy lang ako sa pagsunod sa kanila hanggang sa abot tanaw na lang namin ang gubat. Hindi ko alam sa sarili ko kong bakit ako sumusunod sa kanila. A part of me yells in rejoice, at last, I think I know now who can help me, or at least possibilities will.

"We only have 24 hours to finish this mission, but damn! We don't have a lead. What the headmaster said doesn't help us at all."

"We can't blame the headmaster; the vision he sees wasn't clear. I only understand that the 'thing, or whatever it is, doesn't exist."

"Absurd! Then why are we here if nothing is to be found at all?"

"I think we already encountered that 'thing. After he said that, his friends looked at him. I'm just standing near the door of a hotel suite where they decided to stay for a while before they proceed with their mission, as I hear them talking.

"What do you mean, Grey?" asks the other girl with curly black hair. They consist of two girls and three boys; they all look like gods and goddesses sent from heaven.

"Ask Gena when she wakes up."

"Grey and his laziness, tsk!" I look at the guy they called Grey;  he is the one who looked at me earlier, or did I just think? He has the looks that will make you bow down at him; he got all mighty from his physical appearance, the way he talked, sat, and walked—everything he has and will do speaks power. I am waiting for a chance that he will look at me again, but that chance, I think, will never happen.

"Hey, are you okay? I'm glad you're awake now." I diverted my gaze to the girl they called Gena; she is the one who lost her consciousness in the forest. I took a step closer to her just to testify to my hunch.

"You! Whoever you are, stop right there." In an instant, I smiled. I'm right.

"Who are you? What do you want?" I'm Cali. I have the words I want to say, but I'm too overwhelmed to say my name.

"Who are you talking with? Are you sure you're okay?" the girl with curly black hair asked again.

"I'm okay, Norrie, don't worry." malumanay na sinagot niya ang nag-ngangalang Norrie (the one who has curly black hair) bago nilinga-linga niya ang paningin sa kung saan-saan.

"That 'thing' is just in front of you," gulat akong tumingin sa nagsalita, and it's Grey.

"You can see it?" nagtatakang tanong ni Gena sa kanya.

"Sandali nga! What are you two talking about? Can you please explain? Mukha kaming tanga dito for your information, tss."

"The presence I felt earlier in the forest is the same presence I felt inside this room after I woke up; the eerie feeling never left me. I think sinundan niya tayo."

"What? I'm not sensing anything." Nagtatakang tanong ni Norrie

"I don't know; Grey said it's just in front of me. Now, Grey, what is it?"

"Like you, I just sense it; I don't know what exactly it is," nagtatakang tugon ni Grey.

"Then how did you know where exactly it is?"

"I just know," pabalik-balik lang ang tingin ko sa kanilang tatlo, habang ang dalawang lalaki naman ay halatang nagtataka rin sila sa nangyayari. Hindi parin ako gumagalaw sa kinatatayuan ko, this is a revelation to me; hindi ako makapaniwala na for a long time someone already noticed my existence, a dream I always longed for.

"Hey, stop that. I think that 'thing' is harmless, so set aside it first, and we have a mission to do." sabi nung kasama nilang lalaki na nagbuhat kay gena kanina, which is Zach.

"I think it's not necessary anymore."

"What do you mean?"

"Headmaster said our mission has something to do with air, non-existing, and a life force."

"Non-existing means there is no life in it; I'm confused." tanong din nung isang lalaki sa sinabi ni Gena.

"Non-existing doesn't mean there is no life force; there is a different story in it. Humans believe that non-existing is an absence of something or something they didn't see, or in other terms, extinct or dead. But sensing something is considerably having a life force. I think our mission is to find a soul wondering in this town," explained sa kanila ni Gena. Is that their mission? Grim reaper ba sila? Are they going to take me?