"A long time ago, there were spirits. Those spirits were good. The Creator had sent those heavenly beings down to deliver the blessings for the sustenance of life on Earth. But others said that there was one specific spirit that was more likely to be second in power to the Creator. That spirit had knowledge of all things. With an appointed guide, a watcher, the specific spirit lived with the humans, eventually learning some errors and leading a rebellion. It brought rage from the Creator, wiping out almost everyone. The spirit vanished, but some said it was able to save parts of itself for seven chosen beings. Times would pass, but the spirit would live long until the day it was released from its seal.
Going on, folklores said that those spirits were given the capability to disguise themselves as humans for a certain span of time to avoid confusion and fear. When not in disguise, unlike humans, they didn’t have skin. They glowed. Their features were more like wobbly glass, and when you looked closely, it was like a sky filled with stars. Their bodies reflected the light, which explained why they glowed brighter during daylight compared to night time.
Then, as time went by, those spirits got divided into two: the evil and the good.
My grandmother said that, though they looked much alike most of the time, since the evil ones had mastered the art of mimicry and deception, there was one thing that separated the evil from the good ones. The evils could only replicate the glowing effect with fire. Instead of light, the evil ones had fire surround them. The reason their physical features were rough and scarred"
"That’s it?"
"Yes, Princess.  So, I think you are gifted by the good spirits."
"And you say that because you saw me glowing?"
"I perfectly remembered everything before I died."
"Well, maybe that was you hallucinating because you’re dying." You know, there were stories saying that when you die, you suffer some sensations that are beyond the norms."
"Yeah? So, are we dead? How did we end up here?"
Haya froze and turned pale when something hit her.
"Could you two please stop with the ideas? No one is a spirit, and Haya, no, we are not dead. We did not drown. What we are experiencing now is Haya’s gift. A traveler’s gift and based on what I have seen, you also possess the gift of healing. Though the gift of healing is just a perk of the traveler’s gift, healing is mostly obtained during travel, where a part of life is borrowed from the existing body of the traveling time to the deceased of the departing time."
"Gift? Wait! Avin told me about her having a gift and that I would soon have mine. Is this it? How come you know about that?" Haya was astounded.
"I know a lot. But for now, I want you to keep your guard up and be mindful of everything. We must stay alive until we find our way back." Blue reminded them.
"So, someone… I mean, another me exists here." Khira intuitively asked.
"Somewhat like that," Blue responded.
"OK! Enough with the chitchat. Out! Out now!" The human male dressed in funny clothes ushered them out of the vehicle.
They jumped out of the vehicle, and Blue immediately grabbed Khira with his right arm and wrapped Haya closer to him with his left arm.
"Stay close!" Blue whispered.
Women of different ages came to welcome them and accompanied them inside a big and sturdy structure compared to the cottage and tent where they used to live. But Haya was used to this comfort already.
"Finally!" Haya said.
They were handed comfortable clothes after bathing and a hot meal afterwards.
Haya missed all these trips back to her old Vailin place. She missed Avin.
"Come eat."   The oldest-looking woman wearing white, full-length clothes offered them
"Eat! I’ll recover you no matter what." Haya assured Blue and Khira
Blue nodded in agreement as they sat down on the long wooden bench and started munching as much as they could.
"After eating, you will join a short trip downtown to help a charity for sick children." Another younger woman announced herself to them and left immediately after her message.
Blue and Haya just looked at each other.
"We have no choice but to blend in and see. It’s better to have a place to rest and eat than nothing. Rather than getting lost in an unknown place," Blue convinced them.
Haya and Khira both ended up nodding.
They finished eating, and a woman in white clothes guided them to get in line along with others of different ages wearing the same clothes as them.
"I want everyone to be on their most proper behavior when we arrive at the charity." The old woman from a while ago reminded everyone.
It was an hour-long drive to the charity, and the three of them adored the view outside of the vehicle.
"If this is a dream, it is beautiful!" Haya whispered to Blue.
"Yes, it is!" Blue agreed.
One by one, all passengers, including Haya, Blue, and Khira, stepped outside of the vehicle.
"Welcome to Vlian Charity of Children." A woman in a purple coat and above-the-knee skirt greeted them at the gate.
Haya, standing at the third before the last in line, was eager in confusion to know what was happening at the front but was just a little short to have a peek.
In front of her and a long way in front of her, towering males blocked her view.
Then the line started moving, and a few steps ahead, Haya fixed her sight on the woman standing at the door.
She was stunned. She couldn’t believe what she was seeing.
"Avin…"  Haya gasped, stepped out of the line, and started approaching the woman, who looked exactly like Avin.
But someone stopped her and asked her to go back.
Haya stared for a bit as she passed by the door.
And smiled.
They spent all afternoon there, tending to the sick children, feeding them, and telling them stories. Khira and the other children played with the sick children and had a wonderful time.
Haya hoped to see the Avin-looking woman, but until the last minutes, she failed to have at least a glimpse. But then she smiled in awe as the memory of her seeing Avin looking healthy and happy here played in her mind.
"That’s more than enough." Haya mumbled as she stepped into the vehicle after bidding goodbye to the children.
***
"Haya, can I ask you something?" Blue asked Haya to be a little wary.
It was nighttime, and everyone was allowed to stay outside for a bit before bed. They just finished their dinner.
"What is it?"
"I can see that you are quite familiar with some things here, and you don’t seem to be as unfamiliar as I and Khira are."
"Ah, well, I have known them back at my place." Haya answered, confused.
"Really?"
"Yes! What exactly are you referring to?"
"Well, almost everything except the things we used to eat."
"WHAT?!"    Haya almost shouted.
"Have you ever been to that lake where we first met?"
"Actually no!  I never even knew its existence since that day."
"What do you think about our place?"
"Well, it’s a little bit old-fashioned compared to our way of living, but simple is nice." Haya looked earnestly into Blue’s eyes. "Why do you have so many questions anyway?"
But before Blue could answer, they both turned to look at Khira when she called to them.
"Princess!"    Khira called breathlessly.
Haya jolted to catch Khira before she hit the ground.
"KHIRA!"    Haya cried.    "What’s happening?"
"Calm down. You must know something about traveling and borrowing." Blue lifted Khira into his arms and carried her to the bench where they were sitting.
"Haya, we need you to take us back. You see, traveling to a different time imposes a very grave consequence. Both the traveler and the people along the way may suffer complications. It may just be a day, but the time between passes by faster."
"Princess, I saw someone like me back at the hospital." Khira barely said.
"Haya, no two identical beings could exist at a certain time. If two identical beings happened to collide, one should perish. We have no time. I must try this, and I am asking for forgiveness in advance for what I have to do. I have thought of this the entire day. We need to leave!"
"Wha…"    Haya wasn't able to continue when her lips were sealed with Blue’s.
Her eyes widened in surprise, but then they started falling.
In a moment, Blue was pulling her upward, and after a few strokes, three of them were gasping for air out of the water.
"We’re back!"