Guest UnfortuNATE

Chapter 13: The Beginning

"Spade?"
Ace walked over to her friend who was holding Club's picture frame.
"I thought you were asleep."
"Just as I thought you were. What are you doing here?"
"I saw her again, clearer this time but she still had her back on me," Spade stared at the picture of their friend. "She led me here."
Ace looked around at the spare room and noticed a painting hidden in one of the tall cabinets just beside her. She reached out and took it off the wall. She coughed a little when she blew off the dust in it.
It was her painting of Clubs that she was supposed to give to her as a gift. It's a pity she never saw how Clubs could've reacted to it. She can imagine her exclaiming how beautiful it is and then running to her for a hug. She smiled bitterly at the thought.
"Why do you think I wasn't able to recognize her before?" Spade approached her and looked at the painting as well, grazing her fingers upon the faded colors.
"Because you can't understand anything at those moments, she was blurry in your memory," Ace explained making Spade gasp.
"That doesn't mean I am starting to forget about her, right? Cause she had always been in my heart," Spade was trying to hold back tears.
"No, but I might be blamed for that though. In order to protect you back then, I have to ask Ms. Windu to ease the hurt and the pain you've been feeling because it is what the enemy is feeding into. She might have had to do something about making your memory of that night and of Clubs a bit blurry. It needed to be done, I'm so sorry," Ace admitted in a small voice.
"It's okay. I now understand what you've been telling us before that even when the mind couldn't remember, the heart won't ever ever forget. But," Spade stopped for a moment to think. "Does that also explains why there's almost nothing that reminds us of Clubs in full display here?"
"Yeah," Ace nodded slowly. "I was planning on putting them in the attic or my room."
"Well, everything became clear to me only when I saw the dress and the red ribbon in the box but I just can't understand why she'd be haunting us."
"I don't understand as well why would she be back only after seven years."
"Why do you think?" Spade inquired, tilting her head at her friend.
"It might be because something triggered her return. It could've been Nate. Or she was with us all along and only managed to make herself appear now."
"What's the plan, then? What are we going to do now?"
"We have to wait for Nate's sister first. I need to gather all the information I could use before I could deduce my next move. And I have to confirm if this is really Rosa's doing and that all of these are connected to her. Club's death and Nate's disappearance."
"It's cold. Shall we go to bed already?" Spade asked after a moment of silence.
Ace smiled as she nodded in agreement before escorting her friend upstairs to their bedroom.

"Ace?"
She was about to leave the room after making sure that Spade is already asleep when Diamond stirred awake.
"Yes, Dia? What is it?"
"Where are you going?"
"I'll just go get some water."
"I'll come with you."
"Nightmare?"
Dia shaked her head as she climb out of their bed and walked towards her. She reached out a hand which Ace took as they walk downstairs.
"Something seems to be troubling you," Ace noted as she watched her friend took big gulps of water like she had been so thirsty.
"Ace, what's gonna happen now?"
Ace sighed.
"Our lives will never be the same again. That I know is inevitable but one thing I can promise you, we'll get through this together, stronger than ever. I'll make sure of that."
"Ace, stop doing this on your own now, okay? We're here so let us protect you too. You had been sacrificing and doing a lot for this friendship more than we could ever know."
Ace was silent.
"Stop making this about you having to save us from everything. If we must get hurt, then so be it. That's part of life. Just don't take it all on you. You don't need to be protecting us all the time, you can stop pretending to be strong all the time."
"Dia..."
"How many times do we need to tell you this? I know you mean well but you have to understand that what is to come, let it come. Let's face it all together, side by side, not you some steps ahead, serving as our shield. Let us now stand beside you in this fight. Or you think we're not worthy enough?"
"No!" Ace was quick to object. "You know I never thought of you in any of that way. I just wanted to protect you, I don't want to lose any of you ever again. You know how much it will break me."
"You know that the tighter you hold on to something, the more likely it will be taken away from you. I promise you, you won't lose any of us. Not in that way, at least."
Ace took a seat in their dining table and poured herself a glass of milk.
"You're right. But to be honest, it's hard because it had since became my obsession, my sole purpose in life, the thing that had me going ever since that night Heart found me," Ace finally admitted.
"You know, Heart is the one hurting the most by you being like this. She's angry even, and you can't blame her. If you wanted the best for us, she's also looking out for you. She just wanted the best for you."
"I know, I know." Ace drew a sharp breath. "I just don't know how to make this all better for her, for all of you. I don't know where to start, if I'm being honest. This is all I've ever known."
"Find it in you, Ace." Diamond scooted near her best friend and held her hands in hers. "I believe you will find a way to make it all better for Heart and Spade. I trust in you, just like I've always done."
"And for you, Diamond. Thank you for everything."
Diamond threw herself at her friend who hugged her tightly.

"Good night, Ace."
"Good night, Dia. Sweet dreams, I rebuke nightmares from ruining your beauty sleep," Ace smiled at her as she strokes her hair.
"Just be there and hold my hand if ever I'll be having those dreams again and I won't be afraid. Even though I hated those nightmares, I believe they could be of help to us," Diamond returned the smile before she closes her eyes and finally doze off.
Ace let out a sigh she realized she had been holding and turned to go to sleep when she was met with Heart's fluttering eyes.
"Heart?"
"Ace..."
"Did I wake you?"
"No." She whispered as she tries to sit up.
"What is it? Another nightmare?" Ace asked.
"Will you come with me outside? I think I need some air," Heart whispered instead.
"Of course," Ace stood up and followed her friend to their balcony.
They just sat in silence, holding each other close.
"It wasn't a dream. I wasn't asleep, Ace. I think I just had a vision."
Ace's brows furrowed but said nothing, so Heart continued.
"I woke up when you and Dia went downstairs. I was about to follow you when I saw this big cloud just outside our window. Then Clubs appeared, her figure a faint one just like what Dia and I saw then. She was reaching out to me but no matter how hard I try, I can't get to her. I can feel her desperation. It's clawing in my heart, her eyes are hollow and she is shouting but I can't hear a sound. She then pointed something behind me, I turned around and saw Nate, he was just looking at me with that sad smile. I asked him what happened that night but Nate only tried to scream before he faded as so did Clubs. I blinked and the cloud disappeared."
She spoke in a hushed voice as if she was afraid somebody else would hear her.
"I'm scared, Ace." She scooted closer to her best friend who wrapped her arms around her.
"I understand this might be scary especially when we don't know what's really going on. Who would ever thought we'd get into a mess like this where dark magics and sorceries were involved. I am scared, too, Heart. I hated how helpless this makes me feel, not being able to know what's ahead of us that we could atleast be prepared for what's coming."
"Just like you've always said before, it's okay to be afraid. That's what makes us human but we must not let it consume us."
"Ironic, eh? How the words I used to comfort you before was now being said to me," Ace gave out a little laugh.
"That means you are finally coming to terms that you also need help, that you are only human after all," Heart smiled at her.
"Thank you for not giving up on me," Ace hugged her closer.