The Woman, The Dreams and The Moon

Chapter 20, Part 3: The Dreams

"Nasaan tayo? Ms. Vera? Kuya? Sir John?" matinis at puno ng takot na sigaw ni Lucy. "I can't see anything!" she added and cried. Napatigil at napalayo ako kay John after hearing Lucy's voice. I wiped out every tears in my eyes and tried to calm my emotions. "Lucy, we are here. Calm down." I assured the girl. Maya't maya pa, nagising na rin si Angelo. They are both curious and confused. Hindi nila alam kung bakit sila nakablindfold. I looked at John na sa ngayon sumadal sa pader. He is beside me. To be honest, I feel secured as of the moment, knowing that John is beside me. I tried to crawl towards Lucy and Angelo. I managed to not scream even the pain in my body strikes like a burning charcoal due to the effect of silver. When I reached them, I removed their blindfolds.

I was caught by Lucy's eyes. Normal na ulit ang mata niya and it pains me to see her eyes filled with tears. I smiled to comfort her. Then, I removed Angelo's blindfolds and I can see genuine concern in his eyes as he saw silver all over my body. "Ms. Vera, are you okay?" tanong ng lalaki. I nodded as a reply. Lucy and Angelo tried to remove the silver chains but they just can't. I smiled. "Don't worry, I can endure." I assured them. Hinanap ng mga mata nila si John. They both saw him na nakasandal sa pader at nagpapahinga. Bakas sa mukha ng lalaki ang matinding sakit. Namumutla ang mukha niya. "Nasaan tayo, Ms. Vera? Where is Ms. Jane?" tanong muli ni Angelo.

When I heard Jane's name, hindi ko mapigilang hindi malungkot but I managed not to cry. "She is the new moon, she is the one who abducted us. Now, we are here in Benguet probably. The place of my tribe." finally I had courage to admit that Jane and Nueva are one being. Ngayon, tanggap ko na, na ang bestfriend ko ay hindi na babalik. "What are we going to do?" Lucy asked. I shook my head. Hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin namin. I can't think of a plan. Ano bang magagawa ng isang lobo na nakatali sa pilak? We tried to think of a plan but we just can't. Then, I fell asleep due to the huge amount of strength that I lose.

After some time, I was called by a voice. "Ms. Vera, if the moment comes wherein you have to choose between us and your inheritance, choose your inheritance." I heard Angelo's voice in my head then, I dream played like a movie in my mind. I saw the moon became red. I saw Luna and her sisters, standing with us. I witness how Nueva killed them. I saw blood spilled in all corners of the place. What is this? A vision? No, this is not happening. This is not real. It is just a dream.

Isang malakas na sigaw ang gumising sa akin mula sa aking bangungot. I opened my eyes. Now, we are being taken by the men whom abducted us. I tried to fight. Ramdam ko ang mahigpit na hawak ng lalaki sa aking mga braso but I can't even strike a force due to this silver chains. I heard Lucy's pleading screams. John was also being held on his arms. Walang emosyon ang lalaki. Hindi ko mabasa kung anong laman ng isip niya. Malapit ng lumubog ang araw. In no time, nakarating kami sa tuktok ng isnag hundok, na binabalot ng nagtataasang damo. Definitely, this the place of my dreams.

Puno ng tao ang buong lugar. Their foreheads were marked by a black ink with the sign of the moon katulad ng symbol na nakita ko from Luna's boxes. All of their eyes are on us. It feels like I am in a movie. The men travelled us towards the center of the gathering. Napapalibutan kami ng lahat ng taong nandito. Lucy looked at me with concern and farewell. I smiled. "Lucy, we are not going to die." I uttered. Lucy smiled back. "It is an honor to know you, Ms. Vera. You are in my heart, forever." she said. Hindi ko alam kung anong iisipin ko sa sinabi niya. It felt like a farewell speech. Tears started to fall on my eyes. "Be strong, Ms. Vera. We can win this war. We can escape here." Angelo assured me. Hinanap ng mga mata ko si John. When our eyes met, I saw his beautiful eyes again. Hindi ko mapigilang hindi humiling na sana our lives are as normal as before. "Vera, kung sakaling wala na akong oras mamaya, I just want you to know, that you are in my heart." saad ng lalaki. "John don't say that. We will have more time. We will make time" giit ko pabalik.