When The Night Sky Becomes Lively

XXI

"Legaspi? Legaspi. Gising ka ba?"

"Steven? Gising na."

I groaned as I heard a girl calling my name. I dunno, but that familiar voice was soothing. Tinutukso pa ako ng antok at parang ayaw pa ako gisingin ng aking katawan. Ngunit hindi na ulit ako makabalik sa kawalan. Unconsciously, I stretched my limbs to wake me up. Maybe it's just me, pero parang medyo masikip ang kinalalagyan ko ngayon.

Just...what the heck are you doin'?

My vision started with a blurry slit of darkness. I blinked a few times and slowly, the colors became clear. I was greeted by the shadow of a tree and a scene of autumn. Its leaves varied between red, yellow and orange. Some of them were dancing at the rhythm of the wind. Kinaskas ko ang aking kamay sa sahig at napagtantong hindi semento ang kinauupuan namin ngayon kundi lupa.

Pakiramdam ko naman ay nakapatong ang aking ulo sa isang bagay na medyo malambot. And then, I realized something. I felt something...off.

A scene of autumn. Wait, don't tell me. "Oh...I see. So it's you."

I felt sorta conflicted. I was laying on someone's lap. And the girl was the same girl I saw back on the mall. The same girl who wears a full white attire.

Pumasok ulit sa utak ko ang mga nangyari. Nagpunta kami nina Jasmine at Alcantara sa mall. Pagkatapos naming bumili ng damit ay papunta na sana kami kung saan ng biglang magkasalubong kami. Kahit madami ang tao, hindi ko makakalimutan ang mukha na 'yun. Her shirt, shorts and shoes were all in white. At nagsa-standout ang isang black na suspender. Then...the rest was history.

Pakiramdam ko ay bumilis bigla ang puso ko. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath. If this is a dream, I can manipulate it. Slowly, I tried to think about something else. Think of something. Think that you have a superpower to nullify other superpowers.

"Hindi ka pa ba nasanay? Dati pa ko nasa imahinasyon mo ah."

Agh, shit! Nandyan ka pa rin?! Hindi pa rin siya umaalis!

"Steven, you of all people must be aware that I know what you're thinking."

Nag-e-English ka? Since when did you—?

"Stop struggling, hindi mo ko basta-basta maalis sa isipan mo. Alam mong nakabakat na sa isip mo ang taong nasa harapan mo, tama?"

She knows! I just faced reality and reopened my eyes. Bumangon na rin ako mula sa pagkakahiga at tiningnang mabuti ang kaniyang mukha. She's pouting, but she didn't seemed mad or something.

I sighed. I dunno why I subconsciously dreamed about this. The autumn thing is a good scene. In fact, autumn was my favorite season for some reason, but having her as my companion made me feel...conflicted. I'm torn whether I should feel happy or uncomfortable.

"Since when did you became an intuitive type of person?"

She ignored my question. "Kumusta na ang buhay? Did you miss me?"

"Sort of. Mas magiging masaya siguro kung magiging tayo 'di ba?" Hindi ko alam, pero biglang nag-iba ang tono ko. Para bang...maipapakita ko sa kaniya kung sino ang totoong ako.

"In your dreams. At least, 'yun ang sasabihin ng totoong ako."

I snickered. Instead of being offended, I giggled. It's just she's being out of character. Sa pagkakaalala ko, she's sorta lively person. But this blunt version of her is sorta interesting.

"Masakit magsalita ha. 'Yan ba talaga ang sasabihin ng totoong ikaw?"

"Malay ko sa'yo. Sa utak mo nanggagaling ang mga pinagsasabi ko. Naka-program lang ako, kung sakaling di mo lang alam."