Heaven Academy

15 - Anxious Night

15 - Anxious Night

"Dry them quick."

"So, you dried them."

"I told you to stay out of it! I told you to leave, Erisk! Leave Heaven Academy!"

I woke up gasping for air. No matter how many times I've slept on Aster's bed, no matter how many times I've dreamt about him, I still wake up in the middle of the dark night—horrified and confused of what it is he's trying to tell me.

I closed my eyes shut. It's not like he's really communicating with me through my sleep. "It's just a dream. It's just a dream," I kept on whispering to myself.

"No." Mabilis akong napalingon sa couch dahil sa nagsalita. Natigilan ako nang makitang may nakaupong lalaki ro'n, nakatalikod sa akin. Madilim man sa loob ng kwarto, kitang-kita ko ang pulang mantsa sa damit niya na unti-unting lumalaki.

"L-Luther?" I called.

He slowly turned to look at me and with blood dripping from the corner of his lips he smiled. "It was a nightmare."

"Luther, why are you—"

I don't know how it happened. I just blinked and Luther's face was suddenly in front of me. His eyes were raging as he screamed "I TOLD YOU TO LEAVE!"

I woke up. I was clutching my chest, taking quick heavy breaths. Hindi ko alam kung bakit, malamig naman ang kwarto, pero pawis na pawis ako. Sigurado akong gising na ako pero hindi pa rin nawawala ang pangingilabot na nararamdaman ko.

With my mind and breathing in chaos, I got out of bed. Muntik pa akong madapa sa pagmamadaling lumabas ng kwarto. Para bang may humahabol sa akin na kung ano. Pagewang-gewang akong tumakbo sa hallway hanggang sa marating ko ang hagdan papunta sa rooftop. Dire-diretso akong lumabas doon.

The moment I felt the cold air on my skin, my knees felt week. I didn't even mind that it hurt, I'm actually thankful to feel another thing aside from fear. Itinukod ko ang magkabilang kamay sa sahig habang nakaluhod pa rin. Nakayuko lang din ako habang patuloy na humihinga nang malalim.

"Erisk?" Napalingon ako kaagad nang marinig ko ang boses ni Dominic. Nakaupo lang siya sa isang tabi. What the hell is he doing there in the middle of the night? Akmang tatayo siya nang patakbo akong lumapit sa kanya.

Dominic just got on his feet when I reached him. He was obviously shocked when I hugged him tight. It took him seconds before wrapping his arms around me. "Are you alright?"

Umiling ako. "I..." I took another deep breath—the deepest I could. "I can't sleep."

I felt him sighing before looking at me. "It's cold out here. You should go back to your room."

Nabanggit niya pa lang ang kwartong 'yon, bumalik nanaman ang kaba sa sistema ko. Mabilis akong umiling. "Ayoko."

He looked confused for a while, until he sighed again. Umupo ulit siya sa sahig at sumandal sa pader. Also confused, I copied him. Hindi ako nagsalita at tumingin lang sa kanya nang makaupo ako.

He must've noticed my stare, so he also looked at me. He sighed, again. Bakit ba parang isang malaking kunsumisyon sa kanya ang presensya ko?

Sumulyap siya saglit sa wristwatch niya bago ibinalik ang tingin sa akin. "Dad's chopper will pick me up in less than an hour. You can still take a nap."

Napakunot ang noo ko. "What are you sayin—" I froze. It took me seconds to process what just happened and why am I suddenly leaning my head on Dominic's shoulder.