Guontiveros: Vivid

Chapter 4

A/N: There will be changes to the dates and some information for the sake of the plot.

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Alice and Theresia continued their walk to find the road that could lead them home but it remained elusive.

"It feels like we're in a loop," Alice remarked, feeling an eerie sense of déjà vu.

"Yeah, it does. My feet are starting to hurt. Let's take a break," Theresia suggested.

Alice nodded, and they both sat down side by side. Silence enveloped them, broken only by the rustling of the wind through the trees. Looking up, Theresia admired the star-studded sky. "It's beautiful, isn't it, Alice?"

Alice turned to her friend and replied softly, "Yeah, beautiful..."

Sensing Alice's gaze, Theresia looked back at her, and they both smiled shyly before breaking eye contact.

"Anyway, I want to know more about you, Theresia," Alice said, her curiosity piqued.

Theresia leaned back, supporting herself with her hands on the grass, her eyes still fixed on the sky. "Hmm... Well, I do musical theatre. I'm a member of the Glee Club at school. I can dance a bit, I'm pretty good at acting, and I love to sing. When I was thirteen, I joined as one of the Von Trapp children in a musical production of The Sound of Music," she recounted, beaming at the memories.

"You have such an interesting and beautiful story, Theresia. It makes me happy to know you're living your life doing what you love," Alice said, smiling warmly.

Theresia returned the smile. "How about you, Alice?"

Alice hesitated, contemplating whether to share her own story. She didn't want to seem pitiable or make Theresia uncomfortable with the painful details of her childhood.

"It's okay if you don't want to tell me," Theresia reassured her, gently patting her head. "But if you're comfortable, I'm here to listen."

Alice chuckled at the gesture, feeling a surprising comfort. "Uhmm... Honestly, I didn't have much of a childhood. My Yaya used to cook me spaghetti and bake brownies on my birthdays. My Uncle William would give me gifts; one of my favourites was a pink bicycle, but I don't know where it is now. My father doesn't like me much, and I don't even have a single picture of my mother. I don't know what she looks like. That's all I can share for now," Alice finished, her voice tinged with emotion. She didn't want to cry in front of Theresia and spoil their time together.

Theresia moved closer and wrapped an arm around Alice's shoulder. They sat in silence, understanding that, despite the world's cruelty, they would be each other's refuge.

"Can you braid my hair?" Alice suddenly asked.

Theresia didn't hesitate, positioning herself behind Alice. "You have such shiny long hair, Alice. It's so pretty," she complimented as she started braiding.

"Thank you. My Uncle William told me that my mother had pretty, shiny long hair. So, I grew mine and always took care of it to feel a connection to her."

"That's so sweet, Alice. I hope you can meet her someday."

"Yeah, I hope so too," Alice murmured, feeling the soothing motions in her hair, which made her sleepy. She closed her eyes.

"And... done," Theresia said as she finished the braid.

Alice opened her eyes to find herself back in her bed, sunlight peeking through the curtains. She sighed, touching her hair, which wasn't braided like in her dream. She grabbed her journal from the bedside table and wrote down every detail of the dream, not wanting to forget a single thing.

After finishing her entry, she took a shower, dressed in fresh clothes, and braided her hair into a low ponytail. Downstairs, she greeted her Uncle William and Auntie, who were enjoying their morning coffee.

"Wow, Alice! Your hair looks great!" her Auntie exclaimed.

"Thank you, Auntie!" Alice beamed.

Uncle William looked at her with surprise. "You remind me of the Von Trapp children. Theresia braided her hair like that," he recalled.

Alice's excitement grew. "Oh! You know about them, Uncle?!"

William raised an eyebrow, puzzled. Alice hadn't been born when the musical formed in the Philippines in 1990.

"I have a picture of them if you want to see," her Auntie offered.

Alice jumped up with excitement as her Auntie fetched the photo. Moments later, she returned, and Alice gently took the picture, studying it closely. She smiled when she recognized Theresia. "That's Theresia. She has braided hair like you. But no one knows where she is now," her Auntie explained, pointing to the girl in the picture.

Alice was confused and curious. "What do you mean, Auntie?"

Her Auntie sat down and shared the story. "In 1991, Theresia was fourteen and performing as one of the Von Trapp children. Then, in 1992, her entire family went missing."

Alice's confusion deepened. Theresia would have been fifteen in 1992, the year Alice was born. How could Theresia in her dream be the same age as Alice?

"Is this really Theresia?" Alice wondered to herself.