CHAPTER 4

“Sir, I’ve sent the employee file of Ms. Aya Reyes to your email.” Ms. Cruz uttered during a call the moment I got home. 

I had just stepped inside my room when the call ended. Without wasting time, I went straight to my desk and opened my laptop.

The soft glow of the screen illuminated the dark room. 

A few moments later, her name appeared on the screen.

Employee Name: Aya Reyes 

Department: Marketing 

Position: Junior Marketing Associate 

Date of Hire: 8 months ago

I scrolled through her file slowly. Her resume. Her education and the last company she worked for. It was far from here, located in another city. She graduated from a respectable university. Her performance evaluations were good. Hardworking and efficient. All positive. Nothing that should make her stand out among hundreds of employees working in the company. And nothing in the file explained why my chest tightened every time I looked at her. 

One thing made me stop scrolling. Her ID photo. The way she stared back. I looked closer as if there was something I could not describe but felt strangely familiar.

“Strange.” I decided to close my laptop and rest from my own thoughts.

I was about to get up when a sudden sharp, high-pitched sound echoed. I immediately pressed my hand against my ears, an attempt to prevent the noise from coming in but it did not help. 

“Damn–” The sound grew louder, piercing through my head like a knife. I clenched my teeth and shut my eyes tightly. My breathing becomes uneven. The room spun slightly around me as I struggled to stay balanced.

Then suddenly, a surge of memories came over me. 

Another flash.

Rain pouring heavily from the dark sky. A young woman crying. Her clothes soaked. Her voice trembled.

“I don’t have anyone.” Her voice cracked as she spoke those words.

The image vanished again. I gasped for air, trying to recover from what happened. Ramdam ko ang panghihina at ang init ng aking katawan. Until someone knocked on the door.  Ayoko man na may magkita sa akin sa ganitong lagay pero I can’t even stand up.

“Son?” The door opened before I could respond. It’s my mom, shocked when she saw me sitting uncomfortably on the floor.

She hurried toward me. “Adrian, are you okay?” Her voice carried a mixture of concern and urgency. Before I could answer, she turned toward the hallway. “Please call the family doctor.”

“Yes, ma’am.” Dali-daling sagot ng maid at tumakbo palabas ng kwarto.

My mom immediately knelt in front of me, placing one hand on my shoulder. 

“Adrian, look at me,” she said firmly. 

But my vision was still blurry. The headache was unbearable, like something inside my head was trying to break free.

“I’m…fine.” I forced myself to say, even though I clearly wasn’t.

“You don’t look fine,” she worriedly claimed.

She helped me sit up against the side of the bed. My breathing slowly steadied, but sweating all over and a strange warmth spreading through my body remained. 

“What happened?” she asked.

I hesitated. Should I tell her? Something felt off.

“It was just a headache,” I replied shortly.

“Just a headache?” Her eyes narrowed, clearly not believing what I just said. 

My chest tightened as the memory replayed in my mind. That woman, who could it be? 

“Did you remember something?” Agad akong napatingin sa kanya na may halong pagtataka.

“What do you mean?” She straightened slowly, trying to appear calm.

“You know what I mean,” she said, careful with her choice of words. “Ever since the accident, the doctor said your memories might come back.” 

“It’s nothing.” The conversation was cut off when a middle-aged man stepped inside the room carrying his medical bag. 

“He suddenly collapsed,” my mother explained. “He said it was just a headache.”

The doctor crouched in front of me and checked my pulse. “Do you feel dizzy?”

“A little.” I answered.

“Any blurred vision?”

“Earlier.”

He nodded slightly and began checking my blood pressure. “Have you experienced anything unusual before the headache started?” he asked. 

For a moment, I hesitated again. Then I answered, “I saw something.” 

The doctor looked up. “What kind of something?”

“Images,” I admitted. “Like memories.”

My mother stiffened beside us. The doctor noticed it too. Her expression was not of worry, it was entirely different. I just failed to pinpoint what it is.

“What did you see?” he continued. 

Rain. A crying woman. Her trembling voice. 

But for some reason, saying it out loud felt strange. Dangerous, at the moment. 

“I’m not sure,” I said instead. “It was too quick.”

The doctor finished his examination and stood up. 

“Your vitals are stable but you should rest tonight.” He glanced briefly at my mother before continuing. “Memory flashes can happen after severe head trauma. Sometimes the brain tries to reconnect lost information.” 

“So it’s normal?” my mother asked quickly. 

“Yes,” the doctor replied. “But stress can trigger it.” He turned to me. 

“You should avoid overworking yourself. And if the flashes become more frequent, contact me immediately.” 

“I will.”

The doctor left the room after leaving me with a few more instructions. My mom was standing beside the bed, her expression was unreadable. 

“Mom,” I suddenly asked.

“Yes?” 

I looked up at her.

“By chance, have you ever heard the name Aya Reyes?”

For a brief second—

She froze. The reaction was so quick most people wouldn’t notice it. But I did. I know her. Then she smiled faintly.

“No,” she answered calmly. “I’ve never heard that name before.”

I watched her carefully. Something about her response felt…rehearsed. 

“Get some rest, Adrian.” She came close and kissed me on the forehead–the same thing she always do. 

Before I could ask her further, she had already left. I leaned back against the bed, staring at the ceiling. 

Aya Reyes.

“Why did your name suddenly appear in my mind? Why did my heart react the moment I saw you? And why did the memory I saw earlier feel so real?” I spoke inside my head.