Who Am I

Chapter One

*The Past*

"Happy 5th birthday!" My mother smiled, holding a chocolate cake with five lit candles. She then placed the cake in front of me before giving me a warm hug.

"Happy birthday!" My dad exclaimed, joining the embrace.

They both pulled away after a few moments.

I sniffed the air, warm scents of chocolate and caramel filled the air. I then looked at the cake and started to drool.

I grinned before blowing out the candles. Mom and dad clapped their hands.

Mom then took out a small, wrapped present and handed it to me. I grabbed the gift from her hands.

I slowly unwrapped it. My hands were too tiny, but I managed. After I unwrapped it, it turned out to be a small box that looked like there’s gonna be jewelry.

I slowly opened the lid and my eyes widened. I was right! There was jewelry inside! It was a silver chain bracelet with a shiny cross.

“Thank you, mom!” I looked up at her with a wide, happy grin.

Mom gave me a kiss on the forehead. “You’re welcome, sweetheart. Here, let me help you put it on.”

Mom grabbed the bracelet from my hand and put it on around my wrist. She adjusted the size so that it won’t be loose.

I looked at the bracelet that is now around my wrist, and it looked amazing. “Okay,” Mom said. “Let me slice a piece of cake for you so you can eat.”

I gave a small nod and said, “Okay.”

Mom grabbed the cake and brought it to the kitchen. As mom cut some slices of cake, dad walked towards me.

He slightly kneeled down to eye level with me. He looked deeply at my eyes, but had a soft expression on his face.

“Damian,” dad said in a low, but soft tone. “I want you to take care of that bracelet from your mother, okay son? Promise me, okay? This bracelet is very special.” When he said that last sentence, he sounded like he knew that there’s something bad that’s gonna happen.

But as a kid, I didn't understand anything about ‘danger’.

I nodded in response. “Okay,” I spoke. “I promise.” Even if I was confused, I still promised him that I would take good care of the bracelet.

It was raining outside, the raindrops can be heard from inside the house.

I was eating the cake mom had sliced for me while she was washing dishes, dad was sitting on the couch in the living room, watching tv.

I was enjoying every single bite of the cake, craving more and more of the taste of chocolate and caramel combined. Thankfully, I didn’t get any crumbs on my face and on my shirt.

Suddenly, the lights started flickering, and the TV flickered in sync. I stopped eating, and I was starting to get scared. I dropped the fork on the plate.

“Mom…” I quivered. “Dad?” I looked at my dad whose eyes were widened.

Mom turned off the sink, and dad got up the couch and ran towards me at the dining table.

“It’s okay, Damian,” Dad said, trying to get me to calm down. “It’s probably the power getting weak because of the rain.”

Dad wrapped his arms around me. He pulled away after a few seconds.

Then, I saw a person standing at the end of the hallway. It looked like he was wearing all black, and there was something on his back that looked like a big… sword?

I couldn’t see clearly because there wasn't much light in the hallway. But, I can see his eyes all the way from where I am.

His red sharp eyes looked deeply at mine, then looked down at my bracelet around my wrist. I began to start getting scared again.

I was about to tell dad about it until the power had completely turned off, and it became pitch black.

I grabbed onto dad’s arm tightly.

“It’s okay, son,” dad said. “It’s okay.” I kept my gripped onto dad’s arm as I started to get even more scared.

Suddenly, I heard a loud scream that sounded like it came out from mom.

Then, the lights went back on. I looked at the hallway to see if the weird, scary guy was still there, but he was gone.

I let go of dad’s arm and looked at the kitchen, but I didn’t see mom standing there.

Dad quickly ran to the kitchen to check on mom. When he got to the kitchen, he fell onto his knees and tears started forming in his eyes. He crawled further into the kitchen.

I quickly got off the chair and quickly stumbled there. When I got to the kitchen, my eyes widened.

I saw mom covered in… blood… a lot of blood. Dad was holding tightly onto mom as he sobbed quietly.

“No…” dad stuttered. “Please… what happened?... Wake up, honey… please.”

I stood there quietly, my eyes wide open in fear. All of this; the blood… and mom… it traumatized me… it scares me.

Cops were looking around the house, and they were bringing mom to the ambulance.

We were standing outside of the house and it wasn’t raining anymore. Dad was still crying, one of the cops asking him some questions, and I was still… I don’t know… beyond terrified… beyond frightened.

I didn’t know how that happened. Who did that to mom? How? I remembered that terrifying man at the end of the hallway. What if it was him?

Dad suddenly came up to me and kneel down, looking at my eyes. I looked at his green eyes, there were still tears running down his cheeks.

“Damian,” dad spoke up, his voice sounded like he’s about to cry again. “I know that you’re scared, I am too. But it’s going to be okay. You have nothing to worry about. About mom… she’s gonna be gone for a while. But I promise you, she’s gonna be okay.”

Dad then pulled me into a hug. I couldn’t tell if dad was lying about mom, but I still believed him.

What he said made me think that mom is gonna be gone for a few days, and that she’ll be… alive?

I was still confused and terrified at what I witnessed.

Dad is driving to our so-called “new house” to start a new life, as dad told me.

I was relieved that we were moving away, but I still remembered what happened that day. It scares me. I wished I just didn’t witness that… or that it even happened.

I looked down at my wrist and the bracelet mom gave me. I already missed mom.

But I still believed dad’s words. I know that mom is still out there, at the hospital, getting better.

We had finally arrived at our new house. The moving trucks were already here.

Dad parked in front of the house and opened the door. He unbuckled his seatbelt and got off.

I also took off my seatbelt, and dad opened the passenger door for me and picked me up. He closed the door and placed me down.

I looked at the house. It's a little bigger than our last house, and a little modern. I don’t know if I can adjust to this new house, it’s too… different. I felt nervous about moving to this new place.

Dad looked down at me, he seemed to notice my nervousness.

“Hey, son,” dad spoke and I looked up at him. “It’s gonna be alright. Nothing to be scared about, alright, Damian?”

Dad held my hand as we both walked into the house. They were putting all the boxes that’s filled with our stuff inside the house, and placing them on the ground.