Love in Darkness

Chapter 5: Embrace

Strong and cold winds greeted Selena's afternoon. She is outside their house and just looking at the sky. She feels comfortable just by witnessing the sunset and feeling the twilight ambiance. Selena's mind seemed to be tired from thinking. She spent the entire day yesterday processing what she saw.

Eon. Flowers coming back to life. Eon's glowing hands. Forbidden forest. This was what kept her mind occupied. It was hard for her to handle - everything was surreal. Selena even pinched herself many times but it was not a dream. What she saw really happened. And now, she likes the serenity she is feeling. Her mind finally calms down. Selena sighs.

"I wish this very moment would not last, even if I have to stand here forever." Selena thought. She continues to stand outside while wrapping herself with a scarf. The sun is finally setting and the stars are appearing in the sky.

"It is time to eat dinner!" Her mother calls out from their house. Selena looks at the sky where the stars are twinkling. She smiles, "How wonderful.". Then she enters the house.

While having dinner, her father starts to open a conversation that made Selena lose her peace of mind. "Tomorrow, you will learn to sew, put on make-up, wash clothes, how to take care of a child, and everything you need to know about being a wife. You are not to work on our farm anymore. It will damage your skin and face."

Selena is disgusted hearing this. She stops eating and tightens her hold on her spoon. Her body is boiling with anger and her mind is clouded with words to say to express her displeasure. With her teeth gritted, Selena responses to her father while looking at her plate. "I do not want to be married. I want to go to college and be a doctor."

Tony slams his hands on the table because of annoyance. Ria flinches when her husband starts to yell. "You really won't listen?! I told you we do not have any money for your college! It is time for you to be practical and let that dream of yours go! It is not going to happen!"

Selena looks at her father with resentment in her eyes. "Who said I would ask you for money? I will work and save! There are many ways, Pa! If you really do not want to let me, I will run away!" This enrages her father and the next thing Selena knows is that her face is facing to the right side. Her father had slapped her.

Ria gets up and smacks Tony in his chest. "How could you do that to your daughter?! How could you?!" Selena's mother is already crying. "Just hurt me, do not hurt my daughter! How dare you hurt your daughter!" She slaps her husband on his chest nonstop. But Tony ignores Ria and points his finger at Selena.

"You are not going anywhere! You will do as I say, whether you like it or not!" Ria stops and holds her chest while crying. Selena slowly looks again at her father. Her lower lip has blood on it. When Ria saw this, she screams out of pain. She then slaps her husband once more. Tony tries to catch Ria's hands. "Stop it! You stop it or I will hit you!" Ria did not stop slapping her husband.

The scene in front of her is unbearable so Selena runs to the door, and left the house crying. Her father holds her mother's hand to make her stop slapping, yells to call out. "Selena! Come back here!"

Selena runs and runs until she reaches the forbidden forest. Her vision is clouded with tears so she cannot clearly see her way. She stumbles a big root that caused her to fall into the ground. Her knees are scratched on the ground which makes an open wound. A small amount of blood is flowing in Selena's knees but she does not feel any pain. The pain in her heart is overpowering her whole body. With tears keep falling down from her eyes, Selena walks towards the place she knows where her worries can be temporarily forgotten.

Selena arrives where the big oak tree lies but unlike the last time, the place is dark and sad - no beautiful flowers and no creatures, even the tree is lifeless. She limps towards the big roots and slowly sits down. She straightens her scratched knees to examine it. Selena is still crying as she tries to touch her wound. "Aw! It stings!"