Artificial Horizon - A César Fernando Basa x Reader story

XVII: Occluded Front

A weather front created when air is force upward from the Earth's surface, as when a cold front overtakes and undercuts a warm front.

* * *

I'll be honest to say that it takes me by surprise the moment that I wake up another day in a rather different and strange place. But that curiosity only lasts for a minute when I realize that there are others with me in a rather large dormitory, all of us with our own single beds lined against the walls across another, separated with a cabinet and a bedside table. The lights remain switched off, and the sky outside is slowly brightening when all others with me in the room also wakes up from their slumber to start the day. And finding out the young woman who occupies the next bed from that of mine gives me enough bearing that I am back to this dreamscape.

But it is strange to find myself in the same dormitory as Clara than be on the familiar view of the bedroom back then in the apartment this dream version of me shares with César. In short, it seems like a relief to that the continuation of my dreamscape doesn't involve anything of César; as I've made a sudden decision back then in my reality to be far away from the prospect of Elian and him as much as possible for the sake of my own sanity not to be delusional that one is making a mark on the other unintentionally.

In short, I am starting to doubt my own mind on which plane is to believe to be that of reality and dreams. I guess one will say that it shall be evident, but I still can't help asking myself then.

Paano kung mali pala talaga ako ng akala? Na mali lahat ng nalalaman ko?

I sigh heavily and slowly sit up on the bed. The other ladies are already fixing their beds and preparing for the day as some sort of a known routine. And for some reasons, despite knowing that I must act the same as they do from the back of my mind, I feel a little drained in thinking that in the other plane, I am troubling myself with problems concerning that Elian is influencing my idea of César, and here right now, I am thinking the other way around.

"Good morning, (Y/N)," Clara greets me with a hint of a sleepy smile as she fixes her blanket. Like the rest of things, my eyes adjust to the darkness, causing me to see her then clearly. "Nakatulog ka ba ng maayos?"

I wonder about that when all of this is part of my dream. At that, I shrug my shoulders and feel a little fatigue. "Hindi ko alam. Parang gusto ko pa rin bumalik sa pagkakatulog."

She sighs heavily and sits on her bed after placing the folded blanket atop her pillow. "Ako rin. Simula pa noong isang linggo. Kinakabahan ako."

Noong isang linggo? Anong mayroon?

I look at her intently, and it seems like we're not the only one in the middle of some chatter as the others are also murmuring among themselves about anything under the sun. However, my curiosity to what Clara just said is not very much 'anything under the sun'; it is definitely quite too specific to figure out.

"Alam ko ganoon din ang nararamdaman mo noong nalaman natin 'yong roster ng mga lilipad for the dogfight training," she adds with a slight pout. "Alam ko naman na parte iyon ng training nila, pero kinakabahan talaga ako sa mga mali or aksidenteng pwede mangyari."

"Sabi ng iba, kung kailan mo iniisip na may mangyayaring masama, mas lalong nangyayari," I point out.

"Eh naman kasi... Ang hirap kaya na alam mo na wala kang ibang magagawa kung hindi ang mag-alala. Pagkatapos natin masigurado na fit silang lumipad para sa training, whatever happens after that, especially upon take-off, wala ka na magawa kung hindi paniwalaan sila." She bites her lower lip. "Kung pwede nga lang sabihan si Tonio na 'wag na... pero alam kong ito 'yong gusto niya. Alam kong naiintindihan mo rin ako, (Y/N); dahil, panigurado, ganoon din si César. Minsan mapapaisip ka na lamang kung ano ang mas importante sa kanila."