"Aerith?" she whispered. "You scared me! Why did you suddenly faint? Are you sick?"
I looked around and noticed that I'm in someone else's room. Not in a hospital. Not in our house. I know I'm in a totally far away place. Perhaps where Manila doesn't exist anymore.
My head still hurts but I forced myself to sit up. I'm looking at everything but not seeing anything at all. I'm still thinking of Blair. What do they want from my sister? And why would Blair not tell me that she made an agreement with them? Why would she hide this from me?
Tears started falling down my cheeks. I feel so helpless. Without Blair, I'm nothing. Why is this happening to me? Why did our parents leave us? Why did our Grandma die? Why did Blair tried to kill herself? What's wrong with me?! WHY ME?
"Why are you crying?" Aria asked. She gave me a glass of water and started wiping my tears. "Don't tell me that you're already regretting your decision."
What she said made me cry more. I don't know what she's talking about. I'm so overwhelmed with everything that is happening.
She looked at me one last time and stood up. "Fine, I'll let you rest. We'll talk tomorrow after you finally calm down. Your things are in the drawer."
As soon as she closed the door, I hurriedly opened the drawer that she was talking about. Inside is a blue wallet and a silver watch. Tucked safely inside the wallet is a photo of a little girl. It was me when I was ten years old. But I can't remember where it was taken. This is really creeping me out. Why does it feel like this world is a different version of my life?
I took the watch and accidently pressed a button. A holographic screen popped out of the watch. I am now looking at a computer screen. How did that come out of the watch?!
Scanning the desktop, it has three folders. Photos, Reapers, and Messages. I first opened the Photos folder. It's full of pictures of me and Aria. It looks like we grew up together. I still can't grasp the idea that I have a different life here. It's weird. Closing the folder, I opened the folder titled 'Reapers'.
It's full of articles about a group called 'Reapers'. Apparently, they are a group rebelling against the royal empire. I just found out that this place is called Oasis and it is governed by a royal family called the Lockharts. It looks like the Reapers have a very bad reputation here in Oasis and that the royal army are looking for them.
I then opened the folder titled 'Messages'. It contains conversations between me and a girl named Yuri. She's expecting to see me today. Which explains where me and Aria are going. Yuri is in Central right now. According to what I researched, Oasis has 3 large regions: Central (the capital of Oasis, where the royal family resides), Valeria (the colorful place I've been to last time), and Orocha (a rural place found on the most southern part of Oasis).
All of a sudden, the door shot open. Aria pulled me up and hurriedly picked up my things. She's trembling as if she saw a ghost.
"We have to go!" she whispered.
"Why? I thought you'll let me rest here?"
"They're here!" By now, she's already panicking. "They found us!"
She opened the window and looked down. This room is on the sixth floor. Wait, don't tell me…
"On the count of three, we jump. Ready?"
I took a step back. Away from her. "Are you crazy? We'll die!"
"What are you talking about? Aerith, we have to go!"
"No! I won't jump!" I heard footsteps running towards this room.
"We don't have time for this!" She shouted. She suddenly pulled me and without even counting to three,
We jumped.
All I can do is close my eyes. I felt my body perfectly landing on the ground. As if it knows how. As if it has done this before.
"RUN!" Aria said. Opening my eyes, we ran towards a busy market. I still can't believe I jumped from a six-story building and landed safely on my feet. I looked at Aria and she keeps pushing a few people away so that I can easily pass through.
"Hurry! Run faster!"
"Why are they chasing us? What did we do?" I frustratingly asked. "And where the hell are we?"
This place is very different from Valeria. There are more establishments. More buildings. More people. The road is uphill. It looks like a mountain turned into a city. A palace-like structure stands on the very top. Every lamp post has a blue flag with a gold flower in the middle.
She looked at me with furrowed eyebrows. "We're in Central. You've been here before. Did you hit your head somewhere? What's wrong with you?" She pulled me aside, hidden from those that are chasing us. I think we already lost them. "Well? What happened? Why does it feel like you're not you?"
Because this is not me.
I want to tell her the truth. I want to tell her that this is not the Aerith that she grew up with. I want to tell her that I don't really know her. But I couldn't. I know I'll just sound crazy. She won't believe me. Heck, I don't even believe myself.
So instead of telling the truth, I lied and told her that I hit my head somewhere and that it hurts so much I can't think straight.
"Is that why you fainted earlier?" she asked.
I nodded. "So, please, remind me why we're here. Are we here because of the girl named Yuri?"
She rolled her eyes and started walking. Obviously, I followed her. "Well, atleast you remember Yuri. Yes, we're here because of her. She told us that she's going to be here and that she'll introduce us to everyone."
"And everyone means…?"
She smirked and shook her head. "You'll see."
We stopped walking when we finally passed through the large market towards a wide road. Come to think of it, ever since I got here, I've never seen any cars yet. I only see chariots and carriages. It looks like those are their mode of transportation.
"They're almost here." Aria said while looking at her watch.
"Who? Yuri?"
She nodded. "The Reapers."