Everyone rushed into the room. The doctor was shouting orders. They swarmed the cot where the ivory haired boy lay. His breath has stopped coming, his puso rate slowing.
Ivara and Jace stood side sa pamamagitan ng side, keeping out of the way as the others worked frantically. The pocket of her amerikana grew warm, and Ivara reached in to retrieve the broach. The blue rose was glittering, shining with its own life. The two youngsters looked at the treasure, then each other, and finally, the still body of their dying friend.
"You can't.. you can't be here."
Alek hesitated, taken aback. Out of all the reactions he had suspected upon their reunion, this was not it. Whisper must have seen the hurt in his expression, for she moved closer to him.
"No, Aleksander, I do not mean that I did not miss you." She rested a hand against his cheek. Her palm was warm, lifelike, so real. As were the tears forming in her eyes. They embraced one another. "I am so happy to see you."
She pulled back, wiped a tear from her cheek. "But you cannot stay here."
"Why not?"
"Because you do not belong here. You are young and powerful."
"So were you," Alek muttered under his breath, averting his gaze toward the view.
"Yes, I know. But I served my purpose. I saved you, so that you could grow and make a difference.”
Alek stood and walked to the edge of the hill, his back to Whisper.
“Why?” he asked. “There are so many other individuals who can do it. You haven’t seen them, but there are. They’re strong and they can fight. They don’t need me.”
“Aleksander, please, listen,” Whisper’s voice was sincere as always, as if she were speaking to a small bird, beckoning it to leap of its dumapo and take flight. “All have a purpose. Those other warriors, their times will come. They will rise and fight, nurture, protect. But you have a destiny as well, and this is not it.”
“I made a mistake, Whisper. An ignorant, irreversible mistake.”
“You mean your girl, do you not?”
Alek shoved his hands in his pockets and let his head drop. He studied the blades of damo beneath his bare feet, each and everyone contributing to creating the green blanket.
“You can make amends, Aleksander.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Maybe I do not know her, or have experience in your situation, but I do understand you. You will not allow a righteous battle to go unfinished.”
Neither spoke for a moment. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves of the oak puno under which Alek had awoken. Now he stared out into the distance at the blurry image, where the mga kulay shifted and changed. Each time he tried to grasp the view, it would slip from his fingers and continue its ever morphing stage.
“What’s out there?”
“A beautiful, inexplainable place of peace and love. You will see,” Whisper promised. “But not quite yet.” She stood and unconsciously smoothed her dress. “Alek, there is something I must tell you.”
The boy turned toward her, giving her his full attention.
“There is another. She is like you, an early spirit, one who does not belong here. Your bond between you and this girl is strong, one made long before you met. Two souls not of eternal love, but of eternal partnership. Neither of you can leave without the other. The only way for her to escape, for either of you to go home, is together.”
“Who is she?” Alek inquired, though he felt he already knew the answer. Whisper smiled and from behind her stepped the girl.
Her fair hair was long enough to tickle the damo beneath her bare feet. Her dress was the same bleach white as Alek’s own cotton tunic and trousers. The smile on Aryess’s face reached her stormy grey eyes when she spotted her partner standing at the edge of the hill.
“Hello, Alek,” she greeted. The boy smiled back and nodded. He looked at her outstretched hand and stepped pasulong to take it.
“Now return home,” Whisper instructed. She waved toward the puno where a doorway of white light had appeared. “The susunod time I see you, it will be because you have completed your task. But until then, grow, prosper, fight, and be happy.”
“Goodbye, Whisper,” Aryess and Alek sinabi in unison. The latter placed a wistful halik on the blue haired girl’s cheek and whispered a farewell in his language. Then the pair turned to the door and stepped through together.
“Goodbye, young soldiers.”
Ivara and Jace stood side sa pamamagitan ng side, keeping out of the way as the others worked frantically. The pocket of her amerikana grew warm, and Ivara reached in to retrieve the broach. The blue rose was glittering, shining with its own life. The two youngsters looked at the treasure, then each other, and finally, the still body of their dying friend.
"You can't.. you can't be here."
Alek hesitated, taken aback. Out of all the reactions he had suspected upon their reunion, this was not it. Whisper must have seen the hurt in his expression, for she moved closer to him.
"No, Aleksander, I do not mean that I did not miss you." She rested a hand against his cheek. Her palm was warm, lifelike, so real. As were the tears forming in her eyes. They embraced one another. "I am so happy to see you."
She pulled back, wiped a tear from her cheek. "But you cannot stay here."
"Why not?"
"Because you do not belong here. You are young and powerful."
"So were you," Alek muttered under his breath, averting his gaze toward the view.
"Yes, I know. But I served my purpose. I saved you, so that you could grow and make a difference.”
Alek stood and walked to the edge of the hill, his back to Whisper.
“Why?” he asked. “There are so many other individuals who can do it. You haven’t seen them, but there are. They’re strong and they can fight. They don’t need me.”
“Aleksander, please, listen,” Whisper’s voice was sincere as always, as if she were speaking to a small bird, beckoning it to leap of its dumapo and take flight. “All have a purpose. Those other warriors, their times will come. They will rise and fight, nurture, protect. But you have a destiny as well, and this is not it.”
“I made a mistake, Whisper. An ignorant, irreversible mistake.”
“You mean your girl, do you not?”
Alek shoved his hands in his pockets and let his head drop. He studied the blades of damo beneath his bare feet, each and everyone contributing to creating the green blanket.
“You can make amends, Aleksander.”
“You don’t understand.”
“Maybe I do not know her, or have experience in your situation, but I do understand you. You will not allow a righteous battle to go unfinished.”
Neither spoke for a moment. The wind picked up, rustling the leaves of the oak puno under which Alek had awoken. Now he stared out into the distance at the blurry image, where the mga kulay shifted and changed. Each time he tried to grasp the view, it would slip from his fingers and continue its ever morphing stage.
“What’s out there?”
“A beautiful, inexplainable place of peace and love. You will see,” Whisper promised. “But not quite yet.” She stood and unconsciously smoothed her dress. “Alek, there is something I must tell you.”
The boy turned toward her, giving her his full attention.
“There is another. She is like you, an early spirit, one who does not belong here. Your bond between you and this girl is strong, one made long before you met. Two souls not of eternal love, but of eternal partnership. Neither of you can leave without the other. The only way for her to escape, for either of you to go home, is together.”
“Who is she?” Alek inquired, though he felt he already knew the answer. Whisper smiled and from behind her stepped the girl.
Her fair hair was long enough to tickle the damo beneath her bare feet. Her dress was the same bleach white as Alek’s own cotton tunic and trousers. The smile on Aryess’s face reached her stormy grey eyes when she spotted her partner standing at the edge of the hill.
“Hello, Alek,” she greeted. The boy smiled back and nodded. He looked at her outstretched hand and stepped pasulong to take it.
“Now return home,” Whisper instructed. She waved toward the puno where a doorway of white light had appeared. “The susunod time I see you, it will be because you have completed your task. But until then, grow, prosper, fight, and be happy.”
“Goodbye, Whisper,” Aryess and Alek sinabi in unison. The latter placed a wistful halik on the blue haired girl’s cheek and whispered a farewell in his language. Then the pair turned to the door and stepped through together.
“Goodbye, young soldiers.”