Englot (From a Distance!)

Function Hall

Engfa's POV:
I am heading to the village's function hall with Snack. The Chief invited me to become the festival queen for this year, and I gladly accept the invitation.

"Khun Engfa, I'm glad you accepted our invitation." The chief greeted me.

"Thank you for inviting me as well!" I replied to him.

"Mmm, by the way! These are my assistants. This is Chumpo, Nudee, and Tina. They will help you with the preparation." The chief introduced me to the girls beside her. They look nice. Especially Chumpo, who looks so attractive.

"Let's go, khun Engfa. The meeting will start shortly." Chumpo told me, and we walked together towards the function hall.
We sat together on the first row in the center. From Tina, Snack, me, Chumpo, and Nudee.
After almost two minutes, the hall was almost filled with people, so the chief started talking about the plans for the upcoming fiesta.

"And this year's festival queen is Khun Engfa Waraha from the Philippines!" The chief introduced me.

"Sawadii kha, everyone!" I get up and face the people behind me to wave to them and greet them. But my attention was fixt to the girl at the corner of the big room. She is sitting with her friends who are trying to talk to her, but she is intently looking at me. With her eyes almost crying. For a second, I suddenly feel emptiness within me.
I went back to my seat, but the face that I saw just now kept on flashing in my memory.

"Khun Engfa, are you alright?" Chumpo beside me noticed it, and she asked me, and that made me come back to my reality.

"Yes, everything is fine. Thanks for the concern, anyway." And I smiled widely at her, that she smiled the same way to.
After the meeting, we stayed a little bit longer to discuss the things that we needed for the festival queen. As we are talking, I realize that Snack is no longer at my side. So I roamed my eyes around to look for her, and I found her at the side of the hall with some girls around her. But my attention was catched by the girl sitting across her that seemed like not interested in her. I can see that she is trying to get her attention, but the girl doesn't care at all. That's what attracts Snack the most. A girl that is heard to get. She likes being challenged.
I look around a little bit more to see the girl that I saw a while ago, but I think she is not in that place anymore.

"So that's it, I think we have a plan." Tina speaks that brought me back to reality.

"Okay! Finally we can go home!" Nudee added. I just smiled at them as a response.
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Charlotte's POV:
We are here at the village's function hall now, listening to the chief talking about the plans for the upcoming fiesta. We are sitting at the corner of the hall.

"And our festival queen for this year is khun Engfa Waraha!" The chief announced. I felt my heart beat faster when I heard her name. Someone suddenly stood up to greet and wave at us. I can still recognize that pair of dimples right just below her eyes when she smiles. It feels like the whole world stops, and I'm just seeing only her.

"P'Fa, I miss you so much!" I say just in my thoughts because I'm too stunned to talk.
She takes her seat again, and I can see that she is with Chumpo and her friends. It looks like she is enjoying their company. It broke me a little, but maybe she doesn't remember me anymore.
After the meeting, we came to greet the chief.

"Cha! Thank you for coming this afternoon." The chief greeted us back.

"I hope you can help us with the decorations and everything?" He asked.

"Of course, chief. I and my friends are very excited to help." Marima answered him. I took a glance at p'Fas direction, and they looked busy at what they were talking about.
Nudee is so funny. She is cracking silly jokes at p'Fa, and she is also enjoying it and doing the same. I can't help but smile looking at them. I wish I'm also with her.

After talking to the chief, we leave the place and head back to each of our houses. When I entered my room, I took the box from the bottomest part of my drawer and sat on my bed. I remembered that day when mom Mai gave this headband to us.

FLASHBACK:
"P'Fa, can we exchange it? I really love that purple one!" The purple bunny ears headband is just so cute, and I like it so much.

"Nuu, mom Mai, know what she gave us. The yellow one is for you, and the purple one is for me." She explains. She is trying to be gentle at me as always.

"But! Please?" I beg with my cute voice and my cute face. I saw her face turning red, trying to avoid my eyes. She took a deep breath before she talked again.

"Okay! Here you go!" I know this will work. You are really so adorable, p'Fa. I hugged her and thanked her for agreeing.

Flashback ends:
I took the headband from the box and caressed it as if it were the actual person that I'm hugging. I know I was just eleven years old when we last saw each other, but I know that she is more than a friend or a sister for me. She has a special place in my heart that no one will replace here there.