August 20, 2021
“Why did you do that?!" The first words he fired when he entered my room. There's a disgusting expression of annoyance plastered on his face.
He's dressed in a formal attire that makes him professional, polished, and refined, but his atrocious manner failed to amuse me.
"Really, Archer?! You created a podcast about a dead girl and asked people to find her for you?! Are you out of your mind?!" Bryon continued while his blazing eyes were still looking into mine.
I was so full of him that my anger collapsed and made me throw away the joystick controller in my hands and balled my fists when I looked up at him in infuriating anger.
"What do you want, Bryon? Will a podcast ruin your name?" I scoffed in disgust, still trying to contain myself from bursting even more.
"Is this all your plan, huh? Bring back the old news that shocked and traumatized many people of Camden? For god's sake, Archer, it's been years! You need to move on! You goddamn know that I'm running for election as a mayor of Camden, then you have the guts to bring that case back to tell that it involved our name in that case?! For what Archer, to ruin me?!"
My lips snickered. I stood up on my bed and gave him my sharpest glare. "Shut up, Bryon. It's not about you. Stop pretending that everything I do revolves around you! And besides, you were all the reason I said nothing back then. I kept my mouth shut because you manipulated me!" His eyebrows knitted even more. "If people love you as their mayor, they'll vote for you even with or without issues tangled in your back. You're not getting younger. Maybe this is the time for you to take responsibility for what you did."
I gasped in furious, "So if you're done with your stupid remarks, leave and get out of my sight!"
I shoved him in the chest. And that's when he blew up. Out of his spur, he furiously grabbed my collar's shirt that forced me to raise my chin at him. He gritted his teeth as his dark eyes looked straight into mine. His anger makes him extremely wicked, as if the nerve in his forehead will pop out at any moment.
"You'll gonna regret this, and don't forget that I have warned you!" And just like that, he loosened his grip on me.
I can't help but clench my jaw as I nodded in mockery while fixing my shirt. He made his way on the door.
I laughed hysterically to annoy him more. After hearing me laugh, he paused and glared back at me again. His face is now serious as he stepped one foot inside my room.
"Your girl is dead. We both know that's the truth."
Those are the last words he said before completely disappearing from my view.
His last words left me on the track of madness. I don't know how his words can hit me like this.
I yelled in anger and pushed all the things on top of my accent table. Creating noises when it shattered on the ground.
I gasped in rage as I sat back on my bed and clasped my fists. I breathed heavily in a pattern to prevent myself from becoming angrier.
I don't know what he meant by that. Does he honestly believe that Sierra is really dead, or he just wants me to believe that? We both know that something wasn't right the moment that the news broke about Sierra's death.
It's freaking fishy how a garbage man saw Sierra's body inside a garbage bag floating on the lake. But after he reported that, he never came out publicly for interviews, he was just gone. I mean, it's reasonable if he wanted to keep himself out of the public eye. But disappearing completely in Camden Town after that incident is a freaking joke!
For all I know, he may also be an accomplice of the culprit. Or maybe my father paid him money for his silence. So the people of Camden will stop talking about the dead girl, so our town won't be the talk of the media anymore. He doesn’t want the Leviticus to be ruined or even get involved in any single havoc.
At that time, Camden Town's mayor was my father. I also explained to him everything about what happened to us that night, but instead of believing me, he dismissed my reasons and faked pity for me. He sent me to a psychologist to examine me with the reason that I was just traumatized and in a state of denial and grief. I spent three years of my life being forced to forget my memories of Sierra, in exchange for being freed from drugs and therapies. But what they did not know was I never stopped believing that Sierra was still alive.
I shook my head and heaved a sigh. My breathing is slowly going back to normal pace again. I turned on my side and there I saw the photograph of us in a frame that has been sitting on the top of my bedside table ever since the day we took it. It has always been there. Even when I heard the news about her death, I refused to put it away.
She was wearing a light pink dress with feather ruffles on the hem that goes down her knee. She was so beautiful in what seemed to be a cottage-core dress. In the photo, she's standing behind my back while holding a melting strawberry ice cream with a sweet smile on her face. I remembered being awkward and shy towards her.
That was also the day that I first met her.
MAY 08, 2016"Keep yourself up, young man." I heard my dad whisper to me in such authority.I sighed in annoyance as I came back in my soberness. I glanced at the priest on the altar. He's still preaching nonsense that I'm pretty sure he just memorized while glancing back and forth at the bible.I can't wait to get out of this hell. I mean this awful chapel that my dad funded and built on the wooden part of Camden Town. It is the first catholic chapel in Camden. Religious people were so elated by this chapel when they heard the news about this being built. Because they don't have to go to other places anymore and pay for a transportation fare just to visit a chapel every Sunday.Well, me and my older brother Bryon were the opposite. We always hated our father's idea of building a church. And the funny thing i
May 08, 2016"Love at first sight, huh?"I came back to my senses as the noises in my surroundings came back as well, when I heard Everson's voice behind me. I turned to him in annoyance. He's wearing an all-black attire as if he'd attended a funeral instead of a church mass. There's a soccer ball in his hand that he swiftly kicked back to the younger boys who were playing a mess-up soccer game.There are a handful of teenagers here outside the chapel. From what I've heard, the Camden Public School is holding a recollection and retreat for all of their students. They're also going to split the middle and high schoolers. We're not allowed to join since we don't go to that public school.When I turned back to the girl's direction who caught my attention, I couldn't find her anymore. She's already gone. I sighed in disappointment. It's all Ever's fault."I never thought you'd attend the mass," I said, changing the topic. I don't want him to m
August 21, 2021When Sierra vanished from my life, I lost everything. My friends, my interests, my studies, and even myself. My will to live simply disappeared into thin air. It wasn't until then that I came to know that without her; I was nothing but an empty soul. She was my motivator, encouraging me to start and finish each day and the one who inspired me to do everything I want without fear of my parents' thoughts. Ever since my father dictated my future, I lost my will to dream for myself. I imagined that my life would revolve around politics as well, that I would be like them—a boring person who makes empty promises.But then Sierra entered my life. She resurrected my old little self, who used to fantasize about impossible things, and she taught me how to dream and believe in myself agai
"And so we meet again."Sierra surprised me by appearing and slamming a book on the desk before me, which brought me back to reality. She's dressed formally in a light blue dress with a black ribbon in the middle of her collar, and her long ginger hair is braided into three strands. She looks great today without even trying; in fact, I believe she always looks great.Blinking often, I double-checked that I was the one she spoke to by peering around the corner. Everything in Camden town's most central public library is brown from the walls and down to the things around inside here, and every corner of the room exudes the intoxicating aroma of books."Hey, I'm talking to you." She whispered and smiled sheepishly at me.Withou
August 21, 2021When I followed Sierra into the mall parking lot, she walked inside and drove a black car by herself. I suddenly remembered how difficult it was for her to practice driving when she was trying to earn her driver's license. She had no prior driving experience. She didn't even know how to pedal a bicycle. Sierra told me about how her mother used to chastise her as a child for how dangerous it is for a young lady like her to ride a bike. As a result, she never learned to ride one.But now I've learned that Sierra has grown brave and can now drive a car without my help. Because I've always been the one to drive her wherever she wanted to go.I sighed. I'm sitting inside my car, watching Sierra enter her apartment on the second level of a building meters away from me. She removed her cap before going insi
October 19, 2016It took me several days to regain my sense of sanity. And the moment I opened my eyes and had the strength and courage to speak once more, I had no idea that Sierra was already gone once I saw the four corners of the room."I know it will be difficult for you to accept what I'm about to tell you, son." The older man in the policeuniform began, his eyes sympathetically looking at me as if I were a stray pet.He's seated in front of my hospital bed in a white plastic chair. And I spotted another cop standing behind him with his hand on his chin, looking at me with the same sympathetic expression.And here I am, helpless on my bed, perplexed and worried. But I've never given them the impression that I'm about to burst out in tears because of wha
May 22, 2016Today is Sunday. The sun is shining brightly, and the temperature is higher than last week. We're back in Camden's chapel for another mass. I keep telling myself that I need to concentrate on the priest's sermon when he begins, since I don't want my father to reprimand me again. But I can't seem to stop myself from wandering around the chapel, hoping to see Sierra.I was very excited about going to mass last Sunday. I even told my family to hurry up, and they were all taken aback by my unusual actions because it was just not me. They looked at me in disbelief, as if they couldn't believe what they had just seen in me. But, in the end, Mom praised me for beginning to be diligent, and Dad even smiled at me, which is rare to see inhim. Bryon, on the other hand, simply sneered at me. Maybe he believed I was merely putting on a show to receive pra
May 22, 2016"Archer, let's talk." Ever popped out of nowhere at such an inconvenient time? And he's not asking me; he’s commanding me.I gazed at Ever, a frown on my face. Sierra and I were both caught off guard by his unexpected appearance. While he continuedto stand there with no evident expression on his face,I noticed Sierra moving in her seat from my peripheral vision; I didn’t want our conversation to stop abruptly, especially since I waited a week to see her. However, Ever is still standing in front of us, waiting for my response. Even though I'm irritated by his lousy timing, I know I need to talk to him about our misunderstanding. But does he really need to confront me in front of Sierra and interrupt our talk? Can’t he wait until we come home?