"Where am I?" he asked as he wiped his wet forehead with his palm. He stopped for a moment to catch his breath. He looked around and realized that nothing seemed familiar. It wasn’t in his memory. He felt like giving up and going back, but he was determined to find Matteo. Maybe he was right that the path he took wasn’t the right one or was an old road.
He pressed on. He tried not to look back because he felt like someone was following him. He sped up on his bike. Luckily, it was a mountain bike. He had traveled far, but he felt like he had no chance of finding Matteo’s house. He wondered if he was lost or if he had taken a wrong turn. But he knew this path, or at least he thought he did. Doubts began to creep in, making him question every decision he had made.
The oppressive silence weighed heavily on him, and he strained to hear any sound that might guide him. His mind raced with thoughts of the strange man in the forest, the eerie feelings he couldn’t shake, and the sense that he was being watched. He was on high alert. Although he was a bit afraid of ghosts, he was more scared of living people. He knew that a person could grab him and potentially kill him. And he knew that Ethan Rodriguez had been killed in the forest.
He stopped. He had reached Matteo's house. Thank goodness, he finally made it. But everything was strange and disappointing. "What the hell?" he whispered. Instead of the house he expected, he saw ruins that seemed abandoned for a long time. Vines covered what was left of the house. Gael was sure it was Matteo’s house.
What was wrong? Had Matteo’s family moved to a new house? But Matteo never mentioned it. Was this why Matteo had refused to let him visit? Because he didn’t want him to see the new house? He felt disappointed. He looked around. The place and the ruins were a little creepy. As he stood there, he wanted answers. Why was Matteo’s house in ruins? He needed to find out what happened.
His thoughts were interrupted by a sudden movement in the vines on the ruins. His heart skipped a beat. Fear surged through him. He quickly grabbed his bike and pedaled as fast as he could down the same overgrown road. The path seemed even more sinister on his way back, with every rustle and snap of a twig sending a jolt of adrenaline through him.
When he reached his house, he jumped off his bike and ran inside, frantically searching for Meissy. He was desperate for an explanation, something to ground him in reality. Luckily, he found her in the garden, tending to the flowers.
"You’re sweating a lot, Gael. Where have you been?" she asked immediately.
He covered his face with his palm and let out a long, deep sigh. "Be honest with me. Matteo... their house was in ruins. Has it been like that for a long time? Have they moved to a new house?"
Meissy froze for a moment when she heard that. After a moment of thinking, she stared at Gael. "Ruins? You didn’t know that? It’s been a long time, Gael. It’s been six years."
His eyes widened in shock. "You’re kidding, Meissy. If you’re telling the truth, why did Matteo take that road to his house when we left the cemetery?"
Meissy took a deep breath, clearly struggling with what she was about to say. "Gael, you need to understand something," she began slowly. "Matteo is gone. He died a long time ago. Gael, you’re imagining things. You’re hallucinating. Matteo has been dead for years."
Gael’s face twisted with disbelief and anger. "You’re telling me fairy tales. I was with Matteo when we visited Mom and Dad’s graves. I was with Matteo when we ate in town. I was with him when we drank together and danced together two nights ago. What are you trying to mess up, Meissy?"
Meissy stood firm, her eyes filled with a mix of pity and concern. "Gael, you’ve been through a lot. Sometimes our minds play tricks on us to cope with the pain. Matteo has been gone for years. You need to accept that."
Gael shook his head violently, refusing to believe what he was hearing. His mind raced back to all the moments he had shared with Matteo recently—the laughter, the conversations, the sense of normalcy. "No, no, no! I know what I saw. I know what I felt. Matteo was real; he is real!"
Meissy reached out and placed a gentle hand on his shoulder. "Gael, listen to me. When was the last time you saw Matteo before he... before he died?"
Gael’s breath hitched as he tried to remember. It was hazy, like a distant memory shrouded in fog. "It was... it was at a party, years ago. We had a fight. I... I can’t remember clearly."
"That’s because your mind is blocking out the trauma," Meissy explained in a gentle tone. "You’ve been seeing Matteo because your mind can’t let go of him. It’s creating these illusions to protect you from the truth."
He shook his head stubbornly. What Meissy said wasn’t true. He had felt Matteo’s hand—cold and lifeless.
"But it felt so real," he whispered, his voice breaking. "He was there with me, Meissy. I swear he was."
Meissy knelt beside him, wrapping her arms around his trembling form. "I know, Gael. I know it felt real. But you have to let go. Matteo wouldn’t want you to be trapped in this illusion. He’d want you to move on and heal."
No! His mind screamed as he ran away from Meissy.