“What are you doing here?” I asked as he walked into my living room and stood beside Sophie. “Sophie wanted to visit, so here we are.” He replied. He put his arm around Sophie's waist which annoyed me. Sophie was my best friend and he was just someone who likes stalking girls. Remembering my mom's rule about being a good host, I closed the door and asked them if they wanted anything to drink. “Ya, I'll have a double mocha cappuccino.” Sophie said. I knew she was joking because she was having a hard time keeping a straight face. We looked at each other, then burst out laughing. “I don't see what's so funny.” Brett said. Looking at the two of us.
“Nothing...it's nothing!” Sophie tried to say. I went into the kusina and got three glasses of iced tea. In the living room I found both Sophie and Brett had made themselves comfortable on the couch. I set the glasses down on the coffee mesa and took a upuan on the armchair. “So, what's up?” I asked, breaking the silence that had formed between us.
“Not much, just that Brett and I were like made for each other. Like come on, how many people do you know that like cinnamon buns with loads of icing?”
“Um, like everyone.” I said.
“Whatever, we're soul mates!” She sinabi and sank deeper into the couch.
“If you'll excuse me, I need to get something from my room.” I got up and quickly walked up the stairs and to my room.
All this lovey dovey stuff was making me sick. I put both hands on my vanity and looked at my reflection in the mirror. “Calm down Jules, it's just some guy that you barely know in your house with your best friend. Nothing to worry about. Right?” I sinabi to myself. I noticed something moving outside my door. I turned around and came face to face with Brett. “What are you doing in my room!?” I backed away and grabbed the first thing I touched. It was a hairbrush.
“Julie, we need to talk. About, well it's not easy to explain.” I looked at him and got ready to throw the brush. He closed the door and walked across the room, taking a upuan on my bed. He patted the spot beside him, but I sat on my mesa chair instead. “Where to start? Lets see. Have you ever felt like you're being watched? Especially at night and around forests?” I wanted to blurt out “All the time!” but instead I sinabi “Sometimes. Why?” He sighed.
“It's not really something you can just blurt out.” He ran his hand through his hair and stared at a spot on the pader beside me. “Have you ever felt like, I don't know, like you don't belong here?” This guy was seriously weird.
“Not really.” I told him. “Why are you asking all these strange questions? Why can't you just tell me?” He looked around the room before answering.
“I can't tell you because, well, they would find out and get angry. You don't want to have to face them when their angry.”
“Again with the they! Who are they?!” I was getting frustrated now. Just then Sophie opened the door. “Hey Jules, you coming back soon? It's getting kinda lonely down there.” She opened the door further and looked around. “I though I heard Brett in here?” I was about to say “He's right there.”, when I saw that he wasn't there. I felt a breeze and looked at the window. It was wide open. “I guess you were just hearing things.” I sinabi and slowly got up. “Well, I can't find him. He sinabi he was going to the bathroom, but he's not there. Where could he have gone? His car's still in the driveway.” Sophie was getting a pout on her face. “Soph, I'm sure he just went for a walk. You know guys, always having to be on the move.” I moved towards her and gave her a hug. “Come on, let's go downstairs.”
I drove Sophie tahanan a few hours later. It was only two in the afternoon, so I went to the coffee tindahan between the aklatan and the post office. It was almost empty, but that was fine. I wasn't in the mood for playing 'act like everything is cool when it's really not'. I ordered a french vanilla and sat at the corner table. I sat there drinking my coffee and thinking about what had happened this morning. How had Brett just disappeared? And who were the they he seemed so scared of? I was Nawawala in my train of thought when I over heard the couple sitting susunod to me. “Did you here? Those darn mga lobo were spotted around here. Some of the guys around town are thinking about going after them.” I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The news had sinabi these mga lobo would attack and yet these people thought they could take them down? I got up and ran to my Jeep. I drove to my house and walked to the kitchen. Of course my mom had left another note.
“Julie, spending the night with Dylan. pag-ibig mom” Just me in the house tonight with those mga lobo around? Great. It was going to be a sleep-less night.
Before it got too dark, I decided to check out the area outside my window. I grabbed my dyaket and headed out. The wind was picking up, so I pulled sa pamamagitan ng dyaket closer to myself. From here, you could see inside my bedroom and to the door. Creepy. There were paw prints on the ground and a set of human shoe prints. This must be how Brett disappeared. I scanned the woods closest to my house. Everything looked normal, except for one thing. I walked closer to a small tree, there was something caught on one of the branches. I untangled it and held it up so I could see what it was. When I saw what it was, I immediately wished I hadn't. It was a piece of red material, it was a piece of Brett's shirt.
“Nothing...it's nothing!” Sophie tried to say. I went into the kusina and got three glasses of iced tea. In the living room I found both Sophie and Brett had made themselves comfortable on the couch. I set the glasses down on the coffee mesa and took a upuan on the armchair. “So, what's up?” I asked, breaking the silence that had formed between us.
“Not much, just that Brett and I were like made for each other. Like come on, how many people do you know that like cinnamon buns with loads of icing?”
“Um, like everyone.” I said.
“Whatever, we're soul mates!” She sinabi and sank deeper into the couch.
“If you'll excuse me, I need to get something from my room.” I got up and quickly walked up the stairs and to my room.
All this lovey dovey stuff was making me sick. I put both hands on my vanity and looked at my reflection in the mirror. “Calm down Jules, it's just some guy that you barely know in your house with your best friend. Nothing to worry about. Right?” I sinabi to myself. I noticed something moving outside my door. I turned around and came face to face with Brett. “What are you doing in my room!?” I backed away and grabbed the first thing I touched. It was a hairbrush.
“Julie, we need to talk. About, well it's not easy to explain.” I looked at him and got ready to throw the brush. He closed the door and walked across the room, taking a upuan on my bed. He patted the spot beside him, but I sat on my mesa chair instead. “Where to start? Lets see. Have you ever felt like you're being watched? Especially at night and around forests?” I wanted to blurt out “All the time!” but instead I sinabi “Sometimes. Why?” He sighed.
“It's not really something you can just blurt out.” He ran his hand through his hair and stared at a spot on the pader beside me. “Have you ever felt like, I don't know, like you don't belong here?” This guy was seriously weird.
“Not really.” I told him. “Why are you asking all these strange questions? Why can't you just tell me?” He looked around the room before answering.
“I can't tell you because, well, they would find out and get angry. You don't want to have to face them when their angry.”
“Again with the they! Who are they?!” I was getting frustrated now. Just then Sophie opened the door. “Hey Jules, you coming back soon? It's getting kinda lonely down there.” She opened the door further and looked around. “I though I heard Brett in here?” I was about to say “He's right there.”, when I saw that he wasn't there. I felt a breeze and looked at the window. It was wide open. “I guess you were just hearing things.” I sinabi and slowly got up. “Well, I can't find him. He sinabi he was going to the bathroom, but he's not there. Where could he have gone? His car's still in the driveway.” Sophie was getting a pout on her face. “Soph, I'm sure he just went for a walk. You know guys, always having to be on the move.” I moved towards her and gave her a hug. “Come on, let's go downstairs.”
I drove Sophie tahanan a few hours later. It was only two in the afternoon, so I went to the coffee tindahan between the aklatan and the post office. It was almost empty, but that was fine. I wasn't in the mood for playing 'act like everything is cool when it's really not'. I ordered a french vanilla and sat at the corner table. I sat there drinking my coffee and thinking about what had happened this morning. How had Brett just disappeared? And who were the they he seemed so scared of? I was Nawawala in my train of thought when I over heard the couple sitting susunod to me. “Did you here? Those darn mga lobo were spotted around here. Some of the guys around town are thinking about going after them.” I couldn't believe what I was hearing. The news had sinabi these mga lobo would attack and yet these people thought they could take them down? I got up and ran to my Jeep. I drove to my house and walked to the kitchen. Of course my mom had left another note.
“Julie, spending the night with Dylan. pag-ibig mom” Just me in the house tonight with those mga lobo around? Great. It was going to be a sleep-less night.
Before it got too dark, I decided to check out the area outside my window. I grabbed my dyaket and headed out. The wind was picking up, so I pulled sa pamamagitan ng dyaket closer to myself. From here, you could see inside my bedroom and to the door. Creepy. There were paw prints on the ground and a set of human shoe prints. This must be how Brett disappeared. I scanned the woods closest to my house. Everything looked normal, except for one thing. I walked closer to a small tree, there was something caught on one of the branches. I untangled it and held it up so I could see what it was. When I saw what it was, I immediately wished I hadn't. It was a piece of red material, it was a piece of Brett's shirt.
This is what you call the Earth
This is what people call the world
This is what we call life
We can't go on pretending araw sa pamamagitan ng day
That good things will always happen
Stormy days will come, it's not a miracle
But the storm will end soon, and all will be clear again
Heavy rain's crashing against my windowsill
I think, when will this ever stop?
The thunder's crashing against the trees outside
Today's not going to be a fine day, but it will end
I woke up this morning and guess what I saw
Bright sunny mornings with a clear future
No one's gonna stop me from believin
The rain stopped and the future's bright again
Good and bad create our lives
We can't pretend that everything's gonna always be alright
It's hard to think that something's gonna be wrong
But it's the truth, the whole truth.
We can't go on araw sa pamamagitan ng araw pretending
Everything's gonna be alright
But we know that sunny days will come out
Soon or later.