CHAPTER 19: THE OPENING

We decided to go to Luna and asked for help again from her about the dead man that I thought was under my bed. That is why I message my mom that they don’t need to wait for me for dinner because I will be a little late. I told her that she doesn't need to worry because I will just go to a friend’s house and I will never leave the subdivision. I also told her I am safe because I am with Devon and told her the good news that Devon and I are officially boyfriend and girlfriend now and she replied. “Congratulations”  Because I know how she wants me to move on about Jayvee’s death. That is why she is in favor of me having a boyfriend again.

Ding dong!

Ding dong!

“Yes?” Luna asked and opened the gate. 

“We want your help,” Devon said.

“Who is that, Baby?” The man who is standing behind her asked. It’s her boyfriend.

“My friends,” She answered , facing her boyfriend. “I think we can continue our monopoly game tomorrow,” She said. “Because they need my help,” She whispered. Hoping for her boyfriend to understand her. Her boyfriend looked at us and,

“Okay” He said and he kissed Luna on her lips and left.

“Is she your girlfriend now?” Luna asked Devon while staring at me with a smile.

“Yes,” Devon proudly answered.

“Well congratulations!” She said and she kissed us and hugged us both. Like she is so excited for Devon to have a girlfriend.

“You will never regret having my childhood friend as your boyfriend...He is nice, sweet, handsome and I remember how he peed when we were kids. He…---”

“Let us in first… and don’t tell her… please” Devon interrupted before Luna finished her sentence. Luna laughed on how Devon reacted to what she would tell me, before she let us in. She closed the gate when we were inside the house.

“So how’s the lovebirds?” She asked with a smile while looking at us.

“We are fine, totally fine, but we still need your help” Devon answered and Luna looked at me.

“Hey, what’s up?” 

I smiled at her because I didn’t know what to say or how to start.

“Is there a girl in your past?” She asked me while looking seriously at me. I looked at Devon and I looked at her. She reads me again or she can see the girl that I can see.

“That is the girl that I am telling you, the first time we met” I answered

“I can still feel her… I think she is not following you… but she is inside of you” She said. That makes me think about what she means.

“Well, have a seat first” She offered and we sat down. Devon sat beside me and held my hand.

“Did you do what I wrote in a paper?” She asked me with a doubt that I didn’t do what she wrote in the paper.

“Yes, and I end up sleeping and dreaming” I answered 

“Well, I expect that for first timers” She said

“But when I fell asleep… I had a dream that…--” I paused because I didn't know how to say it to them. I am finding the right word to say it. While recalling my dream.

“I had a dream that looks real, which I think is real… A dream about a man who got murdered and I saw how he got murdered… I saw who killed him…---” I paused again and took a deep breath because I didn’t expect that it would slip from my mouth because I don’t want them to know about the murderer because it is me even if it is not the real “me”. 

“The way he was murdered… I saw it… everything and I was surprised to see it in the news about the man who got murdered… I think he is trying to connect with me too… like the girl that I told you before” I said. Luna scratches her head and flips her hair while looking at me. I don’t know if she is reading me or trying to feel me by looking at me. 

“And we need to know about what happened to the girl because we made her a subject in our school project and we only have one month for that… that is why we are here… asking for your help” Devon said and backed me up because I really don’t know what to say.

“Okay” Luna agreed to help us

“Can you feel the man now or the girl?” She asked while looking at me. I keep silent and try to feel them but I can’t feel them. I guess she is not here with me.

“No,” I answered. I feel nothing

“Because you are in love… you feel love now” She said while still looking at me.

“But a while ago before you got inside… I feel her presence with you” She added that confused me more.

“So can we call her? talk to her?” Devon asked.

“Let’s try” She said and came closer to me.

“I will cast a spell to open something… it might be a portal or a door from the past so that we can connect clearly to her” She informed me.

“Are you ready?” She asked. I looked at Devon and Devon squeezed my hand and looked at me.

“Don’t be scared… I am here” He said. I looked back to Luna and answered “Yes”

“Okay, let’s start.” She stood up and gathered some things from her altar and looked at us while holding the things we needed.

“Let’s begin,” She said with a smile.

She asked me and Devon to sit on the floor while she is preparing her things for her spell. She gathers the things she needs like white candles, incense, crystals and a black book. She sat in front of me and asked me if I'm ready. I answered “Yes.” She explained to me that the spell that she will do is to open a portal or a door to the past. There’s a tendency that I will see and hear things again. That is why she told me to stay calm and don’t be scared. She also told me to tell everything that I will see because she will record it. 

“Let’s start cleansing first to stay away from the negative and unwanted energy” She said and she lit the three incense and chanted some words while waving the incense up and down, left and right. After cleansing she lit the candle and put it beside me and put a mirror in front of me.  A human size mirror. She put crystals around me and let me stare at the mirror for seconds. She told me that the crystals will protect me from the unwanted energy that will pass through the mirror and the candle is for my guide. She told me to close my eyes and that is what I did. She chanted another word. Words that I don’t understand and I think it’s a latin. She chants it repeatedly until it is almost a whisper and it echoes in my head. 

After a moment of silence. I heard a scratching of steel and it started to irritate my eardrum. I don’t know if they can hear it but it is getting louder and louder and then it suddenly stopped. I suddenly felt a strong current that was pulling me to the mirror. I know that Luna and Devon are sitting beside me but I feel alone. I am telling them about what I heard and feel but they are not responding but I know they are there. I trust them, especially Devon, that he will not leave me. I saw trees, plants and tall grass. I feel like I am inside the moving vehicle. I looked around and I was right. I am inside the car. I tried to see who’s driving and it’s Jayvee. He looked at me and smiled at me and then looked at the road again. I’m about to talk to him but when I look at him again, He is no longer Jayvee; He is the man that I saw weeping and going crazy. 

“Did you enjoy it, baby?” He asked and looked at the girl beside me. 

“Yes,” The girl answered with a smile while playing with her baby doll. I can feel the girl is happy and I think they went somewhere else. They didn’t know that I was here watching them. It seems that I am invisible to them. I looked around and saw a grassy place. I don’t know where I am but the place looks like a province. I saw a farm too when the girl suddenly started to feel fear and tremble.

“Why baby?” The dad asked her while driving. 

“I don’t want to go home” The girl answered when she saw the road going home.

“But mom and Kevin are waiting for us” The father told her and she felt more trembling when she heard the name Kevin. 

“But… I don’t want to go home” She said, almost crying and she hugged her baby doll. 

“I know how much you enjoy our playtime in carnival but it’s time to go home now” The father said while glancing at his daughter who is sitting at the back beside me and keeping his eye on the road again. 

“We can go back there some other time” The father said hoping for his daughter to smile again  but she didn’t. 

After an hour of driving we reached home. They got out of the car and I followed them. I was surprised to see the two story house with a big garage and pool in the backyard. I stare at the house for a moment because it looks familiar to me because it looks like the house in one of the stories I’ve read. The description of the house and the structure of it, it looks old , which makes it look antique, big, with big windows too big enough to enter the sunlight and the wind to make the house feel fresh and cold. I saw the girl don’t want to go inside their house when he saw Kevin and her mom standing at the door waiting for them. The father kissed his wife and the wife kissed back with a smile.

“Come here, sweetie” The mother said to her daughter and the girl slowly took her steps while still hugging the baby doll.

“How’s your day?” The mom asked her and she whispered “Good” and the mom smiled at her and kissed her. The girl looked at Kevin and Kevin silently stared at the girl. The girl looks scared to Kevin.

I followed them. I went inside too. The house is big, not too much furniture, but there’s a huge plant in a pot at the corner and picture frames hanging on the wall. I went closer to the picture that caught my attention beside the grandfather clock and stared at it. It’s a family picture and it is them. A typical family picture. That consists of a father, of a mother who were standing behind Kevin and the girl. The son and the daughter were sitting next to each other at the front. They were all smiling except for the girl. I looked at her closely. I know there is something in her that she needs help with. It is a simple family portrait or I’d rather say family stroke.

“Shhh '' I looked behind me and I saw Kevin making the ‘Shhh’ sign to the girl and she pulled her sister inside the storage room. The girl looks like ten years old while Kevin is way too old. He looks like twenty. I followed them inside the storage room but the door was closed. I tried to open it but it is locked. That is why I put my ear near the door to listen to what is going on inside. 

“No” The girl cried 

“This is just quick” Kevin said

“No, please,” The girl begged but Kevin didn’t listen because I heard the girl crying now. I listen carefully and imagine the scenes inside my head. Kevin is covering the girl’s mouth so that she will not make noise. He is scared that his parents will hear her while the girl keeps on crying. I suddenly hear a moan. Kevin moaned. I was surprised and I suddenly knocked on the door to help the girl even though I knew that they were not going to hear me or my knock. I tried to open the door but I couldn't open it. 

“Stop it, Kevin” I said while still knocking and hearing his silent moan

“Stop it!” I shouted but they couldn't really hear me. I am invisible to them. 

My knees were shaking and I felt trembling. I feel weak too because I know there is a sexual abuse that is happening inside the storage room, but I couldn’t do anything to stop it. That is why I sat at the front of the door and I cried. After a few minutes the door opened and Kevin immediately went out sweating. He went out as if nothing’s happened and he just passed right in front of me. I immediately stood up and went inside the storage room. I saw the girl crying while wiping the blood coming from her private part. I slowly shaked my head and tried to give her a hug and comfort her because I know her brother raped her while my tears were still falling from my eyes but I can’t hug her. 

“Hey, sweetie” The mom said when she saw her daughter inside the storage room.

“Why are you there? Are you okay?” She asked when she noticed her daughter crying but the girl didn’t answer because she was scared of Kevin who was standing behind her mother. 

“Are you alright?” Kevin asked her but she didn’t answer.

“She looks sick… I tuck her to sleep” Kevin said and she carried her sister. Their mother smiled.

“You’re such a sweet brother… Thanks for looking over your sister” She said and let Kevin bring her daughter inside her room. 

I shaked my head in dismay because the mother didn't have an idea about what was really going on. Kevin went upstairs carrying her sister. 

“No” I whispered and I immediately followed them but there’s a force who pulled me back and it made me fall into the big black hole.