*Season's P.O.V.*
I came here, partially to live a peaceful life. A life more tranquil than my life there in Tennessee of course. I mean, don't get me wrong, I kind of lived a normal life there, I studied and worked, but I also had to deal with my alcoholic father who doesn't really care about me but wants my money, and my sisters who may be wanted by the police at the moment. That's just a pain in the head right? So, technically my life there is not that peaceful. I have no one to confide to whenever I feel vulnerable and although I am in my hometown, I don't feel at home. So I came here, in the Philippines where the only person who actually cares for me is currently residing. And I guess, I partially did the right thing. Partially because, I am experiencing a different kind of chaos. One that involves beings that are not like us, or this paranormal/mythical creatures. They won't be that much of a bother if they look less beastly and act less traumatizing.
Yet again, I just have to sigh. Because they are the opposite of what I wish them to be. "And I wish I just have a normal life." I mumbled as I strolled towards the window and just stared at my brother's backyard. The natural beauty of this country is truly captivating, however, what lurks behind the shadows of nature is truly scary. I mean most are scary, physically scary, but not all are.
"Penny for your thoughts?" Speaking of the not so scary mythical creatures, I turned as I heard his voice and there he is, Kaloy, sitting at the edge of my bed. I had to blink a few times and pinch the bridge of my nose to make sure that I'm not dreaming. Cause the last time he's here, he came through a dream. Apparently, he can do that.
"You trespassed again?" I gave him a pointed look as I cross my arms infront of my chest. Seriously though? He can't just go in and out of my room as he pleases!
The handsome engkanto just shrugged. "Would you rather let me knock on the front door and spook your entire family?" He countered. Here we go again.
"Would they really be spooked?" I retorted as I made my way to my bed. I mean, I wasn't really spooked by him the first time I saw him, in fact I was, mesmerized. To say the least. I mean, he's got the looks!
He chuckled. "Your mama would be and all." He pointed out as a matter of fact. I remembered Mama's alarmed reaction when I told her about my encounter with Kaloy, so I didn't tell her or anyone for that matter, that I am still communicating with him.
"I believe so. Why are you here?" I asked, finally sitting on the bed, a good distance away from him.
He faced me. "I'm always here." He said with a boyish smile. Why does his charms still irritates me again? Oh, he's messing with my privacy.
"Always here?" I asked with a raised eyebrow. I think it's kind of alarming how someone of the opposite sex is always in your room without you even noticing them or letting them in. In that cas though, it's a good thing that I always change in the bathroom.
"I mean, not every second. But every other minute, I'd come down from the manggo tree and get in through your window if it's open." He openly admitted.
"Man, that's creepy." I muttered, remembering how I was spooked out a few weeks ago when I suddenly saw him sitting on one of the branches of the manggo tree alongside the birds. I then heard him laugh as he took something from behind him.
"Here. For you." He said with yet another charming smile as he offered a single rose. Its dark red petals contrasting well with his fair complexions.
I smiled at the sweet act but I didn't reach out to take the flower immediately, I paused. "I thought you said, if I was a normal girl you'd consider giving me flowers, am I pretty ordinary now?" I challenged and that question made him smirk. He carefully withdrrew his extended hand and tuck the flower behind him once again.
"Of course you're not at all ordinary." He started off but I quickly countered.
"But maybe, I'd still want the rose." I smirked as his smile just broadened.
"Really?" He stood up. "Then, come and get it." This time, he's the one who challenged me as he ran to my window and leaped out of it.
I don't know, but I suddenly felt a rush of excitement within me, making me follow him out. Of course, jumping from the second floor isn't much of a problem for someone like me, so I landed with a thud on the ground, perfectly fine. But I'm not sure what my brother and everyone else in the house would say about that, so let's just hope that they didn't notice. And without looking back, I ran after Kaloy who entered a very familiar drapery of vines, you know the deal with this one. A bright light met me and I'm once again in the wonder that is Lumayan. I saw Kaloy just up ahead, holding out the rose. I was about to stride forward and get it from him by whatever means he desires but I hesitated. I looked back at the drapery of vines that is fading away and I felt conflicted. What if I'd be gone for three days again?
"Are you coming?" Kaloy asked, and from my perepherals, I saw him step towards me.
"If I do proceed, would I be gone for three days again, like the last time?" I inquired. I just have to make sure that I don't cause Sean anymore problems.
Kaloy was confused at first but he must've realized what I'm talking about and when he did, he smiled. "No, if you don't sleep, time would run the same way as it did in your world." He explained, still waiting for me.
I nodded and using the fastest reflexes I could muster up, I lounge his way with a sharp turn and swiftly grabbed the rose from his hold. However he was quick too as he pushed me aside, making me let go of the rose. It flew in the air and it's like everything happened in slow motion, I made a jump for it and he leaped too, but he wasn't after the rose, no. I had the rose just at the tip of my fingers, barely holding it when I realized that I'm also about to fall to a cliff! What the-! Cliffs exist here too? I just closed my eyes, hoping this is one of Kaloy's way of waking me up from a dream he started once again cause I sure am going to die at this rate. Then, I felt arms wrap around me and a force knocking me to a different direction. I heard a loud thud and I felt my body rolling. But I wasn't a little bit hurt, so I opened my eyes, a part of me hoping I'd be on my bed but, everything was blurry green at first, then it cleared. Grass, I'm in a grassy piece of land and in Kaloy's arms as he cushioned me from the impact of the fall. He groaned as he slowly loosened his hold on me.
"Oh god! Oh god! Are you okay?" I asked as I got off of him just to cradle his head on my lap.
He tightly shut his eyes maybe because of the pain then let go of a sigh before he opened them. Gosh, he's so handsome from this angle. "Did you get the rose?" What? Is he serious? We, I mean I, almost died there, and that's what he's gonna ask? But I nodded, lifting up my other hand, to show him the beauty that I'm holding. He smiled. "You scared me." He said.
I admit, that was reckless of me, but I just wanted to have fun and I didn't really noticed the cliff and the rough terrain here, I thought we'd enter at the same place as we did before but I was a bit wrong. "You too." I said. I mean shit! He took all the impact of that fall.
For a minute we just stared at each other until I felt him tuck a stray strand of my hair behind my ear. That act made me blush and I cleared my throat, realizing how compromising this position is. It's like a scene from a romantic movie though. Lovers in the meadow by the cliff and all. Plus the way that he looked at me, gosh! I just looked away as he sat up too.
Wow! The view from our position here is so wonderful! The cliffside showcases other parts of the land as well as the raging water that's been hitting the rocks, creating a foamy white effect and a calming rhythm, both a wonder to see and hear. "You like it?" Kaloy asked as he properly sat beside me.
"Yes, it's beautiful." I said, still in awe.
"This is the Cliff of the Moving Portal. This is the place where some lost people would reach once they accidentally get inside the moving portal." He explained.
"I see. So, you mean to say, your world and ours is divided by something like a barrier?" I asked, now interested in getting to know more about him and his place.
"Yes. Lumayan is not the only city in my world, there are a few. Actually, a lot to enumerate. Just like the countries all around the world." He said, gazing at the infrastructures over to the other cliffs that are visible to us.
"So, they're other cities?" I asked as I pointed at the magnificent infrastructures. Although we're how many miles away, its glimmer is still very evident. Kaloy smiled with a nod.
"Yes. Or well, other kingdoms in our way of rulings." He said.
"Really? You have kings and queens here?" I asked in wonder. I mean I know some countries in Europe are run by Monarchs like Wales, but it's still a wonder for me.
"Yes. If you want, you can be my queen someday." He answered with a faraway gaze, as if he's saying that to himself. Whoa...
"How about, I'd be a general? I'd really be interested in kicking butts, wearing shiny armors, and holding deadly weapons yeah." I joked and he laughed.
"Suits you." He complimented. Then his face turned semi-serious. "Why are you interested in kicking butts anyways?" He asked.
"I'm a martial arts student since I'm 10. I still have a lot to learn if I didn't leave Master Cheng back at Tennessee though." I fondly answered. I like talking about my martial arts life.
"Really? Why did you leave Tennessee then?" He asked. I smiled.
"I came to see my brother's son and have a little vacation." I said. I can only tell him half the truth because I'm not yet very comfortable in sharing my life story with him.
"I see. How's your vacation so far?"
I chuckled at that question. "Pretty different from what I perceived it to be. Full of..." I trailed off, debating on the right words to say about my experience here which he partially knows anyways. "Different things." I decided to say. He just looked at me cause I know that he knows what I meant with that.
"So, which one is your favorite?" His question made me stop fiddling with the rose that I'm holding. What does he mean by that though?
"Pardon me?"
He gave me a wide smile. "Which among the different things, is your favorite?" He rephrased his question, emphasizing the 'different things' part that made me nod a couple times, understanding exactly what he's trying to say, or maybe not. I mean, is he seriously asking me which among those monsters is my favorite? I sure as hell don't have one. I mean, they look really terrifying and what they did to me were traumatizing, so how could one pick a favorite from the array of choices the she doesn't even like at all? Or the least bit interested in? He could ask which is the scariest, and maybe I'd have an answer.
"Uhh... I-I, " I struggled with my words, "I don't know! I mean they all look horrible, they smell vile, and they-" I stopped for a moment. Just a moment cause I realized something. My handsome companion here, is actually one of those 'different things' but he's very different from the different - gosh! This is confusing. I just looked at him who looks quite amused. "You had wanted me to say that it's you, right?" I asked, giving him a pointed look.
"Did I say that? Hah, no. I just asked you." He answered, suppressing a laugh, but the glint in his eyes said otherwise. "So, was it really me?" He continued when I didn't let go of the pointed look that I am giving him.
"No, it wasn't you." I countered.
"Really? But I don't look horrible, do I? I mean I know I don't, you even called me hot." He said and I smacked his arm.
"I did not!" I mean I didn't say it out loud but of course you're hot, WTF!? I can't seriously be thinking like that! Cause what if he can read my mind? Uh-oh.
He just laughed. "I don't smell vile either, at least you'll agree with that." He added. To hell with this person! I mean, engkanto, of course he doesn't. Ugh! He's annoying me and making me blush at the same time.
"Oh my gosh! You're not okay? I mean you're a little bit different from them but-" but what? There's nothing bad about Kaloy actually, except that he's not like me, that he's not human. I'm sure there's nothing bad about that but, what's the catch? Maybe I still had to figure out.
"But what?" He challenged.
"You still give me the creeps!" I said. I mean, the fact that he's an engkanto did bug me out for how many days, his apparations and all did give me a fright. Or his trespassing my room is very much creepy, for his information. Other than that, he's okay. I mean he even helped me remember?
"Did I?" He asked a bit seriously.
"Yes. And I know what my favorite is now." I answered with a smirk. He just raised an eyebrow, motioning for me to continue. "That mighty looking merman." I said dreamily, thinking about the time when that ugly siyokoy was trying to drown me and the merman came to my rescue, like a knight in shining armor. It's just that, he's half naked and doesn't have much of an armor. I mean, of course he's also handsome and kind-hearted, but he won't be as hot as Kaloy, but I won't admit that.
I noticed how Kaloy frowned, looking away from me. Awww! Here goes my game! My smirk broadened. "How nice would it be to swim the oceans with him you know? And he's so, built! And sexy..." I exaggerated, just to make him jealous. If engkantos knows a thing or two about jealousy, which, from the hard look on his face now, I can tell that they actually do. So I stopped talking because I had seen a grim looking Kaloy before and although he looks hotter when he's mad, I don't want to test out the waters, yet.
I just stared and stared at him, waiting for his response to that. "And then?" He suddenly asked when he noticed my silence. The way he said it was hard, as if he doesn't really want me to utter a single word about that merman again. And I didn't, instead I smiled, I lifted my hand to touch his cheek and I didn't even mind the tingles that I felt where our skins are connected. He eyed me carefully.
"And then, I made you jealous." I spoke out, making him look away from me, detaching our skins too.
"I'm not." He said. I just laughed at that.
"You're a bad liar."
"You don't know me."
"How about we change that?" I smiled. I mean, I really am interested in him. That made him smile too.