Echoes of Love, since 1898: A Love Transcending Time and Reality

Chapter 36

Zendaya

Rewrite the stars.

A month has passed since we returned to our time. After the tragic events that happened in our lives, we have been slowly helping each other to rise again. I can say that many things have happened or unfolded in the past month that have changed our lives. When we returned, my mother decided to formally adopt Vannie and her sibling. My mother also considers Vivienne as her true daughter. I am happy because my family is expanding, and I never experienced having a family like theirs when I was adopted.

Upon our arrival in our time, we immediately saw Dra. Hailey waiting for us—the caregiver and the doctor they hired for Professor Chantler. She confessed that if she revealed Professor Chantler's whereabouts to us, her older brother, who is seeking to harm Professor Chantler, might involve us out of anger. According to Dra. Hailey, Professor Chantler is being hunted by her older brother, who wants her dead. She blames Professor Chantler for the death of their parents, stating that if she had just married Rashida back then, their lives wouldn't have reached this point. What's even more heartbreaking is that when we visited her, she didn't recognize us at all. She suffers from post-traumatic amnesia due to the events in her life. Vannie, on the other hand, constantly visits Professor Chantler, and I can feel her concern for her. However, Professor Chantler always rejects or distances Vannie, but she hasn't given up on her until now.

On the other hand, Vivienne thought of establishing businesses, such as a restaurant where she even included me as her business partner. She wanted to stay busy and find other ventures to invest the money left to her. When her dad passed away, he bequeathed everything to her. Not only that, even Manang Roberta's wealth was officially named after Vivienne. Professor Ansaldo also left all her hard-earned assets to Vivienne. Vivienne often says she doesn't need wealth; what she needs is her family. I can't help but see her lost in thought sometimes, likely because of what happened to her—losing everything, especially her family. But even so, she considers me her as her sister, and my mom as her real mother. I'm happy because she shares similarities with my own mother in terms of being resilient. Sometimes, I catch them in the kitchen seemingly having a debate, both of them strong-willed. And you know what they argue about? Why mechado, menudo, afritada, and kaldereta all look alike. Mga baliw na mag ina talaga.

While my talented and favorite cousin Cleo became popular on TikTok because of her videos, did you know that? Honestly, a lot of people admire her. Well, I can't deny that Cleo's beauty is truly unique—she's like a whole Miss Universe package, even though she often acts mischievous and seems a bit crazy. Cleo is overjoyed because many are now approaching her for endorsements, modeling gigs, and even to represent in the upcoming Miss Philippines pageant. She even told me that she finally discovered the career path she wants to pursue. In reality, she didn't like the course we took. She was the one who decided, and I got dragged into it, right? But I'm still happy because I got to be with her and Vivienne in school. Cleo is now quite busy, and we rarely see each other, but she still comes home to the palace. Probably, we'll be together again to finish the Bachelor of Arts in Political Science that we chose. Her face often appears on my TikTok account. But I'm happy for her because she finally knows her dream. Sana nga.

I have something to tell you in secret because I caught her three times seemingly having a bad dream. I don't know about it; I even suggested she see someone about it, maybe her third eye is open. But she said it might just be fatigue. I let it go because she argues with me when I insist. But I caught her one time in her room with the TV on, watching horror while asleep. I don't know about that; it caught my attention because sometimes she leaves the TV on in her room playing horror movies while she sleeps.