Across the World

Chapter 5: Unknown Voice

Luna's eyes were quite drowsy as she walked along the road to the university. She felt weak all over her body because she hadn't slept a blink last night due to the events that transpired between her and Lucas. Who was Lucas, really? Luna tried to get him off her mind but she couldn't. She can't think of anything else but Lucas.

She arrived at the university but she decided not to go inside yet, because she wanted to smoke for a while. Luna lit a stick of cigarette and checked her surroundings. She almost choked the smoke from what she saw.

This man, Lucas, was also there outside the university while smoking as well. She didn't know what to do. Should she confront him and slap him for what he did to her last night? But she's scared to come near him. She thought of hiding or just returning home. These simple plans generated in her mind. Anytime now, she had gathered enough courage to do so. But she looked at the painting she was holding. She needed to attend their class because this was the day they would submit their works for the said exhibit and contest.

Luna gave a glance at Lucas when she saw him entering the university and wondered what his business was. She quickly threw the cigarette on the ground and followed Lucas. Lucas stopped in front of a music classroom and so, Luna had to halt a few feet away from him. She was still racking her head for clues if he gave any sign that they attended the same school. Luna was distraught. She decided to turn around to make her way to the auditorium. While she was walking and thinking about Lucas, someone tapped her shoulder. And Lucas appeared before her in a poof.

"Why do you always have to surprise me like that? You're being so mysterious since I've met you and please, just please! Don't ever touch me again. Don't come near me, I don't even know what you are!" Luna snapped with either boldness or foolishness.

"Maybe you're just too slow. I know I've already told you this once, you're the one that is fated for me," Lucas claimed seriously.

"Get outta my way!" Luna shoved him out of the way.

After what she heard from Lucas, she felt all the blood in her body rise up into her head. She totally ignored Lucas and left him standing alone. While she was walking away from him, she felt strange. She felt Lucas' eyes were boring to her even though he didn't follow her. Finally, Luna reached her destination and entered the designated place. A voice erupted over the microphone.

"You can put your paintings in the position where your name has been placed. Please prepare the respective statements of your work. This will serve as the judgment for the declaration of the winners."

All participants placed their paintings in their rightful position. Someone began to call their names for the presentation of their own portraits. Luna quietly listened to other participants until the point when she heard her name. It is her turn to deliver her speech. Luna went up the stage, she raised her right hand and her finger pointed at her painting. She began to narrate her creation.

"We're all lost souls in the world we live in. Sometimes, there are events in our lives when we're confused or we're searching for answers as to what should happen to our lives that we are deemed deserving of our fate. Sometimes, we seek our own identity. But despite all this, all of us here, all our souls are in constant search of a place where we will experience peace to pursue our lives. This is my piece and I call it the lost soul."

All her co-participants were quietly listening to her . Luna's eyes studied the place and saw Lucas standing in the corner while watching her. Luna frowned and peeled her eyes away from him, pretending that she never saw him.

Everyone had completed expressing statements and people had begun to leave the place. Luna stayed seated because she wanted to avoid the flow of the crowd. The place briefly became silent and Luna looked at her watch. It was already in the afternoon. She rose from where she sat and started to walk. As she was leaving the place, she noticed Lucas was still there, standing in the corner like a gloomy shadow.

Luna continued to walk and as she neared Lucas, it seemed her heart would burst in fear. She gained her courage and lowered her head. Luna passed Lucas without giving him attention, but Lucas chased her and restrained Luna in her way.

"Luna, wait, I wanted to explain what happened last night. I didn't know what I had done to you. The only thing I remember was that I saw you crying while you were running away from me," Lucas explained to her. Luna was surprised to hear what Lucas said to her, but she didn't believe him and trusted her own instincts.

"What? After your eyes turned red, you dragged and forced yourself on me. Now you're telling me you don't know what you have done? Oh, c'mon Lucas, you're unbelievable! You're crazy!" Luna screamed.

"Then you came here, telling me that I am the one destined for you. How can you say these things? I don't like you and I don't want to see you again. Stay out of my life!" Luna snapped with her resentful and rampant voice. Lucas seemed shocked.

As she was fleeing, Luna remembered last night- Lucas didn't seem to hear her. Lucas didn't respond, he just stared at Luna. Luna felt puzzled and felt like she was the evil one because of the words she delivered to Lucas. She turned her back and felt something tug at her heart for a reason she couldn't quite catch. She walked away but Lucas pursued her and embraced her tightly from behind.

"Luna, please help me. There are circumstances in my life that I can't explain and sometimes, I don't recognize myself," Lucas admitted to her. A cold wind passed by where they were, but they stood still and Lucas stood embracing her warm body.

"I know you're the one I've waited for, someone who can help me bring back normalcy to my life. Since the day that you saw and felt me, and I felt you," Lucas told her once more.

"I'll go ahead," Luna simply said.

Lucas quietly ripped his arms off her and Luna's feet began to move. While she was leaving, tears fell slowly down her cheeks. She doesn't know why she's so affected by his words and actions. She couldn't understand herself either, but she wanted none of it. She never stopped walking on her way home and as she approached their house, she went straight to her bedroom.

She lay her body on her bed and in the depth of her thoughts, she remembered the words uttered by Lucas. She felt in her heart that all his words were true because, since the day she met Lucas, Luna felt something was strange about his being. They'd just known each other for two days and during those days, bad things happened to them. She couldn't sleep and she didn't know what she should think. She quickly stood up and faced herself in the mirror.

"What is the role of Lucas in my life?" she whispered to herself and took a deep breath. Suddenly, Luna heard a voice from behind her. Luna turned around, searching for the source of the voice, but she found no one.

"Have you forgotten me? You're mine!" She heard the same voice again.

She quickly turned to the mirror and, to her surprise, she saw a shadow behind her but she couldn't see its face clearly. She trembled, unable to move her body. Luna reached for the scissor in front of her and when she got it, Luna stabbed her left hand in order to bring back her senses.

"Whoever you are, leave me alone!" Luna cried out.

"Luna, why are you crying? What's happening? I heard you scream!" Luna didn't notice her guardian entering the room.

"Your hand is bleeding..." she murmured.

"I accidentally overthrew the scissor in my hand. It really hurts though, that's why I had to scream," Luna replied to her guardian in a hushed whisper.

"Next time, be careful. Stay there and I'll get the medkit downstairs."

Luna didn't want her guardian to know what really happened to her. She didn't want her to worry because her guardian had been like a mother to her since her own parents left her alone in their house. Her guardian quickly came back and treated Luna's wounds.

"You can now go to sleep and if you want anything, just knock on my door," she told Luna. How can Luna take a rest when she still has no idea what dreadful situation she's in?