Chapter 5

THE news that her father came for her made Luna ecstatic. But then, as she walked through the hallway going to Mother Superior’s office, a lot of questions started to pop up inside her head.

Why did he only come for me now?

Did he ever look for me before?

Was he the one who left me here?

Why is it just him?

Where is my mother?

He halted and called Sister Sola.

“Sister…”

The nun stopped and turned in her direction.

“What is it, dear?”

“What does he look like?” she asked as her fingers kept fidgeting on the hem of her dress. “Does he look like me? Does he have a gentle voice?”

Sister Sola strode toward her and cupped her cheeks.

“Luna… I know you’re curious about your father, but you’re about to see him now, and you’ll have the answer to all your questions.”

She took a deep breath and nodded her head. Sister Sola was right. The only way to answer those questions was to see her father now and ask them herself.

“Right.”

The nun smiled at her and gestured to the door at the end of the long hallway.

“He’s waiting for you inside that office, Luna. Come.”

Their walk continued.

Luna’s heart was hammering hard against her chest when Sister Sola’s hand touched the knob. It felt like tens of horses were racing inside her chest at that moment. Suddenly, she didn’t know how to breathe properly. And then… she heard voices inside her head. They were loud and screaming…

She closed her eyes and shook her head so hard. But no matter how much she tried, the voices wouldn’t disappear.

“Aaahhh!” Luna groaned when she felt her head throbbing.

She had no idea what was happening.

“Luna, what’s the matter?” asked Sister Sola, her voice laced with worry.

She barely heard Sister Sola’s voice.

“It hurts…” she said, cupping her head. Luna’s knees fell to the ground.

“Luna!” Sister Sola rushed to her.

She started to feel cold all over; it made her shiver. But despite that coldness, beads of sweat managed to form on her forehead.

Luna felt the nun’s palm land on her forehead and then on her neck.

“You’re burning….” Sister Sola helped her get up. She barely dragged her to the infirmary.

“What happened to her, Sister Sola?” asked Sister Beth, the nursing aide in charge of the infirmary. “Luna?”

Luna closed her eyes. Then she felt a light tap on her cheek. She moaned in response. Her head was throbbing, and she was now feeling dizzy. She tried to open her eyes and look at them, but their blurry faces were all she could see.

“I’m…” Her words trailed off.

“What is wrong with her?”

“I don’t know. It happened so suddenly.”

“Where’s the doctor?”

Amidst the chaos inside the infirmary, Luna fell asleep.

Luna…

You must save yourself…

Run, child! Run!

He shouldn’t get you! You must run and hide!

We will see each other again, my child…

Take care of yourself until we meet again…

LUNA gasped for air when she woke up. She immediately sprung up from the bed and found herself inside a familiar room, the orphanage’s infirmary. She cupped her head and tried to remember what had happened.

She was celebrating her birthday with her friends when Sister Sola appeared on the scene and told her that her father had come for her. Then… she suddenly felt a terrible throbbing in her head.

She eased herself from the bed and went out of the room. Luna found Sister Beth talking to Sister Sola and Mother Superior. They all turned in her direction afterward.

“Luna,” said Mother Superior. She beckoned her to come.

She heaved a sigh and sauntered towards them.

“How are you feeling now, child?” asked Sister Beth as she checked her body temperature. “Look at you… You had this very high fever just a couple of hours ago, and now it’s gone.”

“Maybe she was just excited when she heard the news about her father,” Mother Superior said calmly.

“M-my father came… Where is he?” Luna suddenly felt scared that her father had decided to leave and abandon her once again.

“He was just here a while ago, but he had to leave to attend to something important. But don’t worry, Luna. Your father said he would be back this evening to get you,” Sister Sola assured her and smiled. “Why don’t you go back to your room and pack your things as you wait, hmm?” She patted her cheek.

Her shoulders dropped. She didn’t even get to see a glimpse of her father. Damn her excitement. Perhaps she should train herself not to feel overjoyed over something. It wouldn’t be nice if it would ruin another moment in the future.

“D-did he see me?”

“Yes. He came here and saw you before leaving. But you were asleep and couldn’t see him.” Sister Sola gestured to the door. “Go on.”

Luna nodded her head and walked out of the infirmary. She was already a couple of steps away from the door when she heard the nuns speaking. They were talking about her father, who turned out to be a wealthy man. He also pledged donations to the orphanage and promised to bring more sponsors in the future. A smile curved on her lips. If her father had done those things, then he must be a good man. Somehow, she felt relieved. It seemed that her life wouldn’t be hard once she started living with him. And she was hoping that they would get along sooner.

“Luna!” her friends said in chorus the moment she entered the room.

They all rushed to her and hugged her tightly.

“I thought we wouldn’t see each other again,” said Kira. Her friend was about to cry.

Dita nudged her to the side. “What happened to you? Sister Sola said you passed out.”

“If brides have cold feet, our dearest Luna here is running a fever when she’s excited,” Kira jested.

“Yeah, it seems like that….” She heaved a sigh.