Guontiveros: Vivid

Chapter 6

Alice didn't think much of the nightmare. She refused to believe it had any connection to reality, even though Theresia and her entire family had mysteriously disappeared fifteen years ago. However, it was also possible that they were already dead, even though their bodies had never been found to confirm their deaths.

Her obsession with finding the truth about Theresia grew stronger. She often found herself awake at midnight, sneaking into her uncle's office to use his computer. She scoured the internet for articles about the Hontiveros family, but the content was always the same: a lot of questions and no answers—the case had gone cold.

There were no traces of them, except their car in the middle of the road with all their belongings inside, but no sign of the family. It was as if they had vanished into thin air. The police had found no evidence that could lead them to the perpetrator, and the motive remained unclear. It might have been political, as the head of the family was a well-known lawyer who had likely made enemies in his line of work—an influential party.

By 2 a.m., Alice could feel herself drifting off to sleep. When she opened her eyes, she felt a soft caress on her cheek. She was lying down with her head resting on Theresia's lap. Theresia looked down at her with a warm smile, the sunlight giving her an angelic glow. Alice realized it was no longer night and looked around to find they were still on the farm, but the sky was now bright and clear.

"It's morning?" Alice wondered aloud.

"Yes, this is the first time," Theresia replied, gently combing Alice's hair with her fingers.

"Did you get home?" Alice asked, looking up at Theresia.

"No, I'm still stuck here, waiting for you," Theresia answered.

Alice sat up slowly, facing Theresia— looking serenely, far from her nightmare. It gave Alice hope that Theresia was still alive.

Theresia chuckled softly, "Why are you staring at me like that? Did you miss me?"

Alice smiled, "I guess I did."

They sat in silence for a moment before Alice spoke up, "Can I ask you a question?"

Theresia nodded.

"You told me you were in the car with your parents before you woke up here. Was there anything unusual that day?"

Theresia thought deeply, trying to recall the events. "Well, I was in school when my parents picked me up, and they seemed to be in a rush. They told my teachers there was an emergency and that I needed to go home early. When we got in the car, I asked them what was happening, but they said we were flying out of the country. They were smiling and seemed excited, telling me we were going on a vacation. However, I knew something was off because they had mentioned an emergency to my teachers. Then, I fell asleep and woke up here."

Alice was still confused. "You fell asleep and woke up here. Don’t you think you might have had an accident? Maybe that's why you can't find your way home."

Theresia looked taken aback. "So, you think I'm dead? Like I died in an accident?"

"I think you might be in a coma. Remember the first time we saw each other? I was in a coma too."

"But you're awake now, Alice. How can you still be in this dream?"

"I don’t know yet. Maybe I'm here to help you find your answer."

"Why do you need to help me? Do you think I'm part of some case that needs solving?" Theresia's anxiety was growing.

"Theresia, I was born in 1992. In my time, it's already 2007. And you, you're supposed to be 30 years old. But in this dream, we're the same age. Isn’t that strange?" Alice said, trying to make sense of the bizarre event.

Theresia was dumbfounded. "What? How is that even possible?"

"You and your parents went missing in 1992 when you were 15. I've read all the articles about your family. It's been 15 years and you're all still missing," Alice explained.

"But if I'm still missing and in this dream, does that mean I'm still in a coma?" Theresia asked, bewildered.

"It could be, Theresia. You might still be in a coma, even after all these years."

Theresia fell silent, struggling to process the information. It was possible Alice was right. If she was still in a coma, why was she dreaming of herself at 15, not as a 30-year-old? The mystery deepened, leaving both girls with more questions than answers.