Chapter 4: Two types of Youth

Chapter 4: Two Types of Youth

THE NEXT DAY, I accompanied Freiya to school. We decided that after her classes, we would start looking for answers. As she walked in, she was almost confronted by the girl she had argued with the day before, but it didn’t happen because their teacher arrived just in time. Freiya immediately sat at her desk while I took an empty seat in the back. From where I was sitting, I could see everything.

Some were laughing, some were whispering, some were quietly teasing each other, and there were also those lost in their own world, sitting quietly at their desks. Typical high school students. I probably was just like them before all of this happened. I probably was happy, just like them. But happiness… why does it feel like it's one of the things I’m missing?

The teacher cleared her throat to get the attention of the class. "Good day, section Daffodil," she began.

"Good day, Ma’am," the whole class responded in unison.

"At this point, I want each of you to explain why you chose the symbols on your paper to represent what you’re willing to sacrifice or give for your parents," the teacher explained.

"I’ll call you one by one, and I’d like you to come up to the front to explain," she added, and everyone agreed.

"Sandro, explain why you wrote 'EVERYTHING' on your paper."

A tall guy stood up, took the paper from the teacher’s hands, and walked to the front.

"If you’re asking me why I wrote 'everything,' it’s because my parents are the reason I’m alive. They gave me strength and resilience to keep going. I owe them my life. And in the end, everything I do is for them," Sandro said, his eyes glowing with inspiration and motivation. It was clear that he was truly grateful, and everyone could see it. The teacher nodded and signaled for him to sit.

The teacher continued calling on the students. Most of the ones who went up to the front had written 'EVERYTHING' on their papers.

"Jackson, out of everyone, you’re the only one who wrote 'NOTHING.' Could you explain why?" the teacher asked, shifting her attention to another part of the room. Even I looked in that direction. A guy, also quite tall, stood up and scratched his head.

"Nothing, Ma’am," he said with a grin. From what I could tell, he seemed playful and had an engaging personality. But there was something in his eyes that suggested otherwise.

"That won’t do. We want to hear your explanation, young man," the teacher replied. The grin on the guy’s face faded, replaced by a bitter smile.

"Why should I sacrifice anything for them if they’re not even worth sacrificing for?" he said. There was bitterness and anger in his words.

"But Jackson, they are still your parents," the teacher said gently. Jackson smiled bitterly.

"Ma’am, no parent would leave their children with others just to build a family with someone else," he said, his voice filled with sorrow, and a few tears slowly rolled down his cheeks. The room fell silent, and even the teacher was unable to respond. A girl stood up and gently patted Jackson’s back.

"I apologize for my cousin’s behavior, Ma’am," the girl said. The teacher nodded.

"Why, Georgina? Is there a problem with Jackson’s relationship with his parents?" the teacher asked. Georgina looked at Jackson before speaking.

"Jackson and his little brother have been living with us ever since their parents broke up and left them behind," she explained.

"Where are their parents now?" the teacher asked again.

Georgina sighed. "They’ve built families with other people."

The teacher nodded sadly, clearly sympathizing with the students' plight. I, too, felt sorrow for Jackson. It must be so hard for him, and for his little brother.

Suddenly, the bell rang, signaling the end of class. The teacher stood up and bid the students goodbye. I glanced at Freiya and saw that she was looking at me. She smiled at me sadly. I realized that not everything people show is the truth. They might be pretending to hide the pain they’re feeling. I looked over at Jackson. Just like him, he appeared funny and carefree, but behind that smiling face was a broken heart. Never underestimate someone’s ability to hide their pain, sometimes they’re so good at it that we don’t even notice they’re suffering. And I also realized there are two types of youth:, the one who lives with their parents’ guidance, and the one who has no one at all.

In the afternoon, Freiya and I walked home together.

"Jackson is pitiful, right?" I started the conversation.

"Not really. We know he can handle it. He’s really strong. Do you know that he would do anything, just so no one can take his little brother away from him? He would never allow that. If he has to sacrifice everything, he will, just to keep his brother by his side," Freiya said. I nodded in agreement.

"By the way, where do we start gathering information about me?" I shifted the conversation to another topic.

"Before we start, let’s figure out why you became like this, so we’ll have an idea of what to do."

I agreed with her suggestion, and we continued walking toward their house.

"Hi, Mom! You’re home early today?" Freiya asked when she saw her mother in the living room.

She kissed Freiya on the cheek before replying, "I took an under-time today, dear!"

"Oh, I see. Well, I’ll go upstairs first. Call me when it’s time to eat," Freiya said quickly as she ran upstairs to her room. I was left alone with her mother, who was shaking her head but smiling a little while looking in the direction of Freiya. From the looks of it, her mother loves Freiya very much. I wonder why Freiya acted so distant when I first met her.

As I stared at her mom, I could sense how much she loves Freiya. That girl must be very lucky to have a mom like hers.

I shook my head and followed Freiya upstairs. I found her sitting on her bed, facing her laptop. She glanced at me and signaled for me to come over. I walked toward her and watched as she searched for the situation I was in right now.

"Now I understand why you’re like this. It’s called Astral Projection. It’s a phenomenon where your soul, or your 'Astral body,' leaves your physical body and gains the ability to travel outside it," Freiya explained.

"How do I get back, though?" I asked.

Freiya sighed. "I’m not sure how yet, but we’ll find a way. First, we need to figure out who you are and where your body is. After that, we can search for a way to bring you back."

I nodded and laid down on her bed.

"By the way, Freiya, can I ask you something? Why did you act the way you did when I first met you? I don’t think there’s anything wrong with your family, but why did you seem so lost and lonely that time?" I looked at her and saw a deep sigh escape her lips. A shadow of sadness passed over her face. She lowered her gaze and shook her head.

"My dad left us that day to be with his real family," she said in a quiet voice.

"I’m sorry for that," I replied softly. She gave me a sad smile and nodded.

"No worries, I know he’ll return to his true family sooner or later. I just didn’t expect it to happen so soon," she said.

I nodded in understanding and looked up at the ceiling.

Now, I’m left wondering. What happened to me? When will I get the answers to my questions? In an instant, I forgot who I was. Why am I here, in this place with Freiya? Why is it that only Freiya can see me? Why can’t I remember what happened before I ended up like this? Will my questions ever be answered? If so, when?