CHAPTER 7

I was blinking when suddenly a light hit my face. "Ma'am, you're not allowed to go in there," a man said.

"Faye! Come on, you might break something there," I heard Pia's voice. I shielded my hand against the light of the flashlight guard was holding it, which was pointed at me.

Behind him were the three students who were now also looking at me. Pia entered the cell, held my hand and helped me out of there. "Sorry, my friend just really likes to explore. Especially old things" Pia smiled at the guard and turned to the cell where I was earlier.

"It looks like my friend isn't damage anything inside. Check it out," Pia continued. Guard walked closer to the cell and peeked inside.

"This area hasn't been fully reconstructed yet. We'll still lay down steel and add cement," The guard said, then continued walking. The three students immediately followed him, teasing and scaring each other again.

Pia's hand was wrapped around my arm. I didn't know why my head felt heavy and I felt dizzy. "I shouldn't have followed, but then I remembered, it's a waste of coming here if I can't get into this dungeon" Pia said, she took out her phone and started taking pictures inside.

When we got out of the dungeon, I felt even more dizzy. I just held on to Pia to follow where we were going and so that I wouldn't lose my balance. "Thank you for visiting this historic prison. I hope you enjoyed it," The guard said, everyone thanked him, the three students even took pictures with the guard.Pia and I walked back to the parking lot first. We hadn't gotten far from Fort Santiago when I stopped walking. "Faye, are you alright?" Pia asked then grabbed my shoulder. I was already bent over and holding both my knees.

"My head hurts" I held my head, I must be having another migraine attack. "Do you have any medicine with you?" she asked worriedly then bent down to see my face. I nodded slowly, "in the car" Pia immediately helped me back to the car.

When we got inside the car, she immediately found the medicine and handed me some water. "I shouldn't have invited you here, you were still tired from yesterday's booksigning" Pia said, I could feel her guilt. She was now sitting in the driver's seat and I was in the passenger seat. I put the bottled water back in its holder then leaned back and closed my eyes for a moment.

"That's okay, I also want to go for a walk and go to the dungeon" I replied while closing my eyes. She handed me my phone, "When Henry calls, don't answer. I'll block him on all my accounts including my phone. Those guys are annoying, even my female friends make him jealous just because I don't have time for him. He's so immature" Pia complained then started the car.

I opened my eyes and put my phone in my bag, I only notice by now that my shoes is missing. "Pi, my shoes" I said while pointing to my feet. I must have not noticed before because my head felt like it was floating and I couldn't feel my body much as we walked to the parking lot. Besides, there was very little light around so Pia probably didn't notice that I was only wearing one shoe.

"Girl, I think you left it in the dungeon!" she said in surprise, "Come on, let's go back" she was about to turn the car back but I stopped her. "No, we'll bother them. I want to go home too, my head really hurts" Pia looked at me, she just continued driving.

"What happened to you? You seemed okay earlier?" even though I had my eyes closed, I was dazzled by the lights from the oncoming cars. "I don't know why I suddenly got a headache. Usually, I feel like my head is going to hurt slowly but now it's just all of a sudden" I replied, I felt her press the gas pedal causing the car to speed up. We must be on a wide road.

"And what you did earlier was dangerous, thank goodness the guard was kind, he didn't make us pay when you entered the restricted area of ​​the prison" he said, even though I had my eyes closed, I felt like I knew where we were. We were now along Roxas Boulevard. "Why did you enter there even though you knew it was forbidden?"

At that moment, I slowly opened my eyes because of her question. We were on Roxas Boulevard, High buildings and hotels were on the left, while on the right was Manila Bay and the yachts there. There were people strolling along the beach and the entire area was yellow because of the lights from the streetlights.

I couldn't answer Pia's question about why I went into that cell. In fact, I don't remember why. The last thing I remember was the students joking around and asking the guard how many people had died there.

I WAKE UP to the sound of the alarm, I rubbed my eyes and turned it off then slowly got out of bed. When Pia and I got home last night, I found mom and dad still watching a movie in the living room. My sister was studying in her room. I went straight to the room and because of the heaviness of my head, I fell asleep on the bed without even being able to wash myself or change my clothes.

I am now staring at the wall clock and calendar hanging above my study table. 6:07 am, July 10, 2024. 

I got out of bed and immediately got ready to go to work. Compared to last night, my head was lighter especially after I took a shower. I wore black jeans, a light blue hoodie, and white sneakers. I also tied my hair in a bun, put on my silver vintage style eyeglasses, and a small backpack in white.

I was just coming down the stairs but I could already smell the fried rice, eggs, hotdogs and bacon that my mom was cooking. My sister was already at the table, eating while reviewing because they had an exam later. "Good morning" I greeted then sat next to my sister, reading her notes and eating at the same time.

"Are you feeling okay?" Mom asked, I had mentioned last night when I came home that I had a headache when Mom asked me if I had eaten. "Yes, Mom" ​​I made some coffee, I like it very bitter with creamer. I can barely taste the sugar.

"Fate is about to debut, what are your plans?" Mom asked, I don't know if she was asking me who promised to pay for my sister's birthday or my sister who was having the birthday party.

"Mom, I told you, I don't like parties" she said, whining because mom really wanted her to debut and wear a gown. But we all knew that wasn't her thing. She would rather have us eat out and go hiking with her friends.

"Okay. Okay. No parties" mom laughed then placed the toasted bread on the table. I took one, I don't know why I can't seem to be happy right now. After we ate, I dropped Fate off at the University she was attending in Manila.

She was still busy reviewing while sitting in the passenger seat and I was driving now. "Fate, have you ever felt incomplete after a dream?" I asked, trying to turn to her but I was more busy looking in the side mirrors because of the motorcycles that were constantly circling the side in this traffic.

"What do you mean? sis" she answered me with the same question. She didn't even look at me because she was still busy studying. "I dreamed of something that I can't remember, but I have this feeling that it's important that I remember what happened in the dream" I said, Fate frowned and finally looked at me.

"Why do you need to remember something unimportant? Sometimes dreams are the manifestation of the things that we're thinking. Like for example, you watched zombie, horror or dinosaur movies. There's a higher chance that you'll dream about that" Fate explained, I nodded at what she said. Besides being a Psychology student, it often happens to me too, I dream about the things that I always think about.

"And according to Freud, dreams are the result of our unconscious desires and thoughts. Maybe you want something but you can't figure it out," she added, the stop light turning green. "Maybe you're right, I'm just overthinking," I said with a smile. Fate nodded.

"It's also possible that you're anxious over something. Don't be pressured at work, sis," I sighed again at what she said. Fate was right, maybe I was just too stressed out by my deadlines at work and especially by my grumpy boss.

I stared blankly at my reflection in the elevator. From the basement parking to the first floor where the elevator opened and other employees entered. I was near the floor buttons, each one pressing their own.

"Hey, Faye, are you okay?" I came to my senses when I heard Mike's voice. I looked next to me, not realizing it was him.

"Hangover?" he smiled, and I smiled too. "Just a joke," he replied. He was always smiling and joking. Many people liked him too.

I work with Mike, he's in the IT department and he often fixes my desktop when it damages.

The elevator opened, we were on the 6th floor. Some employees got off, leaving the four of us inside. "Can't i just stay up late? You're so judgmental," I replied, which he just answered with a smile. He likes to tease me, especially when I'm serious about work. Sometimes he'll even trick me into saying he can't fix my computer right away, causing me to delay even more the work I need to finish.

"Ah, you had a booksigning last Saturday. Congrats! Give me a book," he said, the elevator opening again. We were on the 10th floor, our office. I went out first, he followed me until we logged in with biometrics.

"You don't read," I said back to him, and like before, he just laughed at me.

"That's why I'm reading, it's my first time reading a story" he smiled, I headed straight to our area. Their area was on the other side, "Just give me my book," he waved and headed to the other end.

"Faye, Mike really has a crush on you." Quin began, putting on make-up and having breakfast at her desk. She's also good at fashion designing, and she often wins the pageants she participates in.

 I put my bag aside and fell back on the chair. I felt heavy but I wasn't in any pain.

I turned to Quin who was still busy putting a make up on his face. Her bright red hair also caught my attention. There were only four of us in the Creative design apartment. Most of what we do is graphic contents related to arts, videos or overall plans for the media company where we work.

"Quinee, do you remember the things you dream about?" I asked her, she seemed to think about it but she was still busy fixing herself.

"Of course!" she grinned, I turned the swivel chair I was sitting in to face her. "Really? You remember everything? Doesn't it seem like we usually only remember parts of our dreams?" I asked one after another. Quin suddenly laughed and rolled her eyes.

"Girl, I was just dreaming of being married, having fun, and being in heaven. Will I ever forget that?" She laughed. Suddenly my smile disappeared, it turned out She was referring to a different dream. I turned to the desktop and opened it. I sighed again at the number of projects piled up on me.

LUNCH time, I don't feel like eating. I went to the clinic to get a checkup with the company nurse but she said I wasn't sick. She said I was just up late or lacking nutrition so she gave me vitamins.

I'm standing in front of the vending machine right now to buy coffee. I'm just staring at the cup as it fills with hot coffee. I don't mind the noise from the other employees' pantry. Those who want to smoke are on the graden.

"Still hangover?" I came to my senses when I heard Mike's voice again. He dropped a coin into the vending machine and waited for his coffee. "I don't drink," I said but he just smiled. He was wearing a black t-shirt and black glasses.

"You didn't come with us on Friday, it was my birthday. We all had drinks. And you didn't even invite me to drink yesterday," he laughed, and I just smiled. As long as he can tease me about something, his whole day is complete. "You keep drinking, I won't be surprised if your belly grows bigger one day," I turned around and pointed at his stomach. He just laughed.

He had already taken his coffee but we just stood there in front of the vending machine. "Uh, Mike. Isn't your grandma a medium?" I've been thinking about that ever since I saw him in the elevator and while I was doing my job. I can't get out of my mind to consult a medium or fortune teller.

"Yeah, why?" he asked, I looked at him. He didn't seem to be judging me or anything. "My friend's friend, he wanted to go to a medium," I smiled. He nodded. "Grandma's place is around Quiapo area, but she and dad are still not on good terms. My parents don't believe in the practice that grandma does."

"Eh, you? Do you believe?" he thought about my question while drinking his coffee but his face wrinkled because it was still hot and it looked like his tongue had been burned.

"Honestly, no. Grandma used to often predict things for me, sometimes it came true, sometimes it didn't. It probably depends, you know, it depends on the person and the situation."

"Can your grandmother interpret dreams too?" he wondered again. He must have been surprised by my many questions. "I guess so, isn't that part of their job description?" I laughed at what he said, causing him to laugh too.

"What dream are you asking to interpret?" he asked, at that moment my smile disappeared and I started worrying about myself again. Why am I feeling this way?

"Ah, just... A long dream" I replied with a smile. The truth is, I don't really remember that long dream but it seems like there's something in my feelings that I really want to remember it. "If you want someone to be with, I'll go with you to grandma's"

"I mean, if your friend's friend wants to go to grandma's, I'll go with you," he replied. Why did I even use the friend of a friend excuse? "As long as you i have free meal," he said, smiling.

A week passed, my damn boss scolded me twice. He had a lot of drafts to revise, so Quin and I were practically crawling to finish them even at midnight. Being busy also helped me not to worry about the dream that I couldn't remember.

One time, I didn't realize I was drawing someone else. "Sis! What's that? Aren't you drawing a chef? Why is he wearing a general outfit?" Quin asked while examining my drawing on the desktop but it wasn't finished yet. I came to my senses and looked closely at my work, what am I drawing?

I was about to delete it but Quin suddenly pressed ctrl + P then enter causing it to print. "Oh, macho papa! What's this Faye? Is this your boyfriend?" Quin laughed when he got the printed copy. I haven't finished the sketch yet but it's clear that I've created a handsome general instead of a chef for the promotion of the company's cooking show.

I don't know why my drawing turned out like that, but I'm so embarrassed because Quin is spreading around the office that I met a foreigner on a dating app who is now my boyfriend.

Faith's birthday is next month. I've already reserved a table at a buffet. I've also asked her for an itinerary for her planned hiking trip with her friends next week. The promotion of my book Salamisim is also continuing and next Thursday we will have a meeting for its movie pitching to a production company.

I wrote all my agenda and schedule on my calendar. It was almost filled with red marks. "Faye, come on, let's go home now. I can't feel my fingers anymore" Quin complained, her voice sounding sleepy and tired. We turned off the desktop, grabbed our bags and walked to the elevator.

"I'm really planning to work abroad, sis. I'll grow old early and get sick here. I can't do my skin routine every night because we're always working overtime here. I really curse our witch boss," Quin couldn't help but complain and curse at our damn boss. I just nodded and laughed at what she said because it seemed like a good idea. Especially when she said she would make our dragon boss swallow a fire extinguisher so it wouldn't be able to breathe fire.

"Alright sis, be careful. Maybe our witch boss will visit us in our dreams" she laughed and kissed me. She got into the jeep while I walked a little further along Sta. Cruz to wait for the bus. I was coding today so I didn't bring the car.

I'm standing in front of the main Post Office building. It's ten o'clock at night but Manila is still very much alive. I'm waiting for the last bus trip that will pass right in front of me, I'm wearing earphones while listening to Tears in Heaven by Eric Clapton.

A moment later, my phone vibrated. I opened my bag to see who was calling. But it stopped and the music came back on. I was about to close my bag when I saw the folded paper, the printed copy of a sketch of a general I couldn't remember who and didn't even know.

I closed the bag, but I stepped on a piece of paper. I slowly picked it up, surprised to see the old paper with no writing on it. My eyes widened as I remembered that I had gotten something like that from the paper bag after the booksigning before. I had also seen something like that paper in the dungeon!

I noticed that there were more papers flying around. I looked around, it was not right to litter here. It seemed that the people around didn't care either. One by one, I picked up the papers that were flying around to throw them in the trash.

When I got some, I immediately went straight to the trash can and threw them away. I stopped when I saw a familiar lamp on the side of the trash can. I slowly picked it up and looked at it for a moment. Why is there a lamp here in the middle of the road?

It felt as if the light from the old lamp was calling to me. The noise around me gradually faded as if its volume was being reduced until it disappeared and even the flame in the lamp suddenly went out.

I tapped the lamp, I didn't know how to use it but it seemed to be effective because the fire inside it lit up again. The song in my earphones also died and when I was about to open my bag to get my phone I was shocked to see that I was standing on the ground.

I looked around, there was no cement, no road, the Post Office was also missing, cars, people waiting for jeepneys and buses. There were also no lampposts and the only thing that prevailed was the silence in the middle of the night.

There are wooden houses in the distance but the road is made of flat soil and there are many trees on the side. It feels like I am in a barrio with a few houses. It is late at night and all I can hear is the sound of crickets.

I couldn't move from where I was standing. I didn't know what was happening either, but the surroundings seemed familiar. A moment later, I heard a loud scream from behind. When I turned around, I saw the wounded guardia civil running while the robbers chased them.

The general was riding a horse, who at that time was also bloody and was being pursued by the rebels. My eyes widened when I recognized that man! He was the one in the picture! A series of gunshots rang out around him.

The general fell off his horse and fell to the ground. "General Guerrero!" a soldier shouted and defended the leader against a bandit holding a spear. At that moment, I gradually remembered and understood everything that was happening. The dream that I thought I couldn't remember was given clarity again.

This is the scene in Salamisim where the rebel group led by Berning attacks without Lorenzo knowing. I can't believe I'm in the story again!

....