Love, Carmen

Chapter 1: The Diary

"Love, Carmen..." She read it, her breath almost taken away by the circumstances.

As a response, she threw the book at the corner of the room. "Why is my name written there?" horrified, she asked as if someone might answer her.

She ran outside the room, thinking she might have gone insane. Whoever thinks the situation is nothing to freak out about also probably is. Slowing down, she steadied herself in the kitchen, got herself a glass of water and drank it at once. After that was the sound of glass hitting the kitchen island. "What is happening?" Frustration was visible in her face and tone. She couldn't make sense of what was happening.

"I didn't possibly write that, did I?" She asked the void, her hold on the glass, tightening. 

Gasping, she repeated, "Did I?" Her doubt now evident. 

She ran again back to the room and found her eyes fixated on the corner where the book was. Slowly, she took steps near the book and took it. She first saw the familiar first page and proceeded to the newly written one. Examining the writing, she shrieked and threw the book again. "This isn't even my handwriting, what was I thinking!"

Funny how she ran back again to the kitchen to get another glass of water. That's just how freaked out she was. "Okay, Carmen. Calm down, you're probably dreaming." She attempted to calm herself down but as much as she tried to compose herself, she couldn't help it. How is something written there when it was clearly blank yesterday? Thinking of the possibilities behind the strange passage written, she thought that maybe her mind was playing games with her, or maybe someone came inside her house to write it while she was asleep but she could've woken up if someone really did. Maybe it's a ghost? She doesn't know. 

"Let's get things straight, the book didn't have that passage yesterday and it says there that I wrote it. The ink was real so I'm not possibly hallucinating," she said, brows furrowed. "It looked like an entry? A diary entry?" Now that is established, maybe the book wasn't just a book, it's a diary. "But the passage was odd," she trailed off because she couldn't quite remember the exact things that were written due to panic. Realizing that she had to come back to her room to check the diary entry made her heave a sigh. She's been running back and forth for half an hour. Regardless, she still came back to her room.

Entering the room, she checked where she threw the diary. Finding it beside the drawer, she took it again and read the passage, more calmly than she did minutes ago. "I did just as you told me. I wandered beyond the trees when darkness came, dearest," somehow, the term dearest seemed strange, "to find your sanctuary. It took a while, especially when I don't know what I'm looking for. It took me hours, even the lamp I brought had already given up on me." She was confused. "Who even uses lamps in these times?"

She continued, "You said you shall be there by the time I found it, feeding my eagerness. I wish I could look more into the woods but the night has gotten late and I had to come back home. My heart sank at the thought that I couldn't find you but it is too early to give up, isn't it, dearest? It has only been the first day and I promise, I will find you."

There were so many things running in her mind. One thing she knew was that she didn't write any of it. She couldn't remember going into the woods to find a stupid sanctuary that she thinks is probably haunted, judging from the sounds of it. She couldn't remember finding a specific dearest but why was her name there? She somehow believed that she didn't write it but the name really bothered her. Well, there are many Carmens in the world, she thought. That still didn't make sense, she was the only Carmen in that cottage house, near a forest area. The woods were literally behind the cottage house and that fits the passage's description. The location was a bit remote so she was glad Jac brought her here but she didn't think it could also mean that she's prone to the dangers of being alone.

She hid the book in the drawer again and left the room, still in her train of thoughts. She thought of calling Jac to ask him about this house and the oddities she experienced this morning. After a minute of rethinking, she decided to call him. 

After three rings, Jac immediately came to the other line. "Is it my lucky day?" He sounded so happy just because of a call.

"I, uh, I wanted to ask something." She hesitantly said. She's partly scared of him thinking that she had gone nuts over a diary or him getting worried sick over her sudden concern. 

"You're asking me for money, aren't you?" The tone of his voice was accusing but he still managed to chuckle after, "Don't worry-"

"No, I wasn't about to ask for money, it's about this house." She cut him off, as usual.

"Oh, what about it?" He replied curiously. 

She immediately asked, "What do you know about this house?" 

"That's a weird question, is something wrong? If you don't like it there, you can stay with me." As she fears, he was already worried. One thing about Jac is that he can't get this trait off of him, it naturally comes out. She appreciates it but she didn't want to worry him all the time, she knew that she can be a pain in the ass, herself.

"Just answer the question." sighing, she leaned on the wall in the hallway.

"Okay, all I know is that mom bought it two years ago. She figured that it would be nice for vacations. We've been there once during winter and it was actually fun, there are lots that you can-"

"Is that it?" She rushed.

"Carmen, you love cutting me off, don't you? Anyway, that's that. We rarely use it and it's far from the city that's why I brought you there, I know how much you hate people." He said as a matter of fact. Silence came after his statement. Carmen, once again, was stuck in her thoughts. Thinking that there wasn't much she can get from Jac.

"Is something wrong?" He said but he was still met with silence.

"Carmen? Are you there?" He added, clearly getting more worried with the absence of Carmen's response.

She then got back to her senses and rushed a reply, "Oh I uh, I saw a beautiful bird outside, I got distracted. Nothing's wrong, I was just asking." Her statement was evidently a lie, Jac knew. He knows her too much.

"Are you sure? You can stay with me-"

"I'm fine, Jac. Don't worry, you should worry more about your fiancee." She teased him, turning the conversation to a whole new topic. There was nothing more annoying for him other than the mention of his unwanted partner.

"Ugh, don't remind me that again. Bye." True to what she thought, Jac was annoyed. And by that, Jac ended the call.

The rest of the day went with Carmen thinking about the morning incident and getting more curious about the Diary as time passes by.