sucked in

Chapter 02

I'm now in my room--- I mean, Mira's room. Katatapos ko lang kumain, at hindi ako mapakali. I'm walking back and forth, thinking.

No matter how hard I try to deny it, the truth's already in front of me. I indeed got sucked into a fictional book at nasa katauhan ako ni Mira. I tried convincing myself that this is all just a dream, but heck, this all feels real!

Mira... Miranda Estrella. I remember, she's an extra character in Serendipity. All I know about her is that she's rich, and that she's sick. She has asthma, so I need to be extra careful. Wala namang masyadong nabanggit tungkol sa kaniya sa story dahil isa lamang siyang extra.

For now, I need to keep a low profile. Kailangan kong umiwas sa atensiyon. I need to avoid getting close to the main characters of the story. I need to stay in the shadows while I try to figure out how I can go back to the real world. I can't stay here forever.

Napahinto ako sa paglalakad nang may nag-ring na cellphone mula sa hindi kalayuan. It's coming from inside my bag. Nilapitan ko kaagad iyon at kinuha. I received a text message from an unknown number. I opened the message and read it.

---

From: 0936******0
 
Come out. I'm in front of your house.

---

Napakunot ang noo ko. Who could it be? Lumapit ako sa may bintana at hinawi ang kurtina para tignan kung sino 'yong tao na naghihintay sa akin sa tapat ng bahay. Unfortunately, I can't see his face dahil nakatalikod siya.

Kahit medyo nag-aalangan ay lumabas ako ng bahay para puntahan 'yong lalaki. I wonder kung kaano-ano siya ni Mira. Maybe he's a friend? A cousin? Classmate? I don't know, and I'm about to figure it out.

Napalingon siya kaagad sa direksiyon ko nang marinig niya ang pagbukas ng gate.

Uh-oh. He looks like a bad boy. He's wearing all black, chains, and he even has piercings. Wait, is that a tattoo I'm seeing? I admit, he's handsome, tall, has a good physique, and all, but he screams trouble. Medyo napaurong ako. He's intimidating me.

"Yo, babe, what's wrong? Are you alright?" he asked when he saw my reaction.

Ano raw? Babe?

"A-Ah, yeah." Napakamot ako ng batok. "Why are you here?" tanong ko, trying to act like everything's cool.

"Well, I... just missed you," nakangiting aniya. He sounds so sincere. I don't know how to react.

"I see. Uhm, uh, who... who are you again?" I asked, forcing a smile.

He laughed because of what I said. "Babe, isa na naman ba ito sa mga biro mo? Okay, dahil mahal kita, sasakay ako," natatawa paring wika niya. "It's me, Aaron. Your boyfriend."