The city I live in is like any city. There are people, buildings, workers and students. I am one of the elementary school students. I study in a very well respected private school and my parents work very hard so I can be there. Many important people also keep their kids there... or at least they try. The level of demand is great and not everyone can keep up. We also have traffic, beaches and many malls... the meeting point for fun of my generation. In fact, it is an inheritance of the previous generation, because mine "meets" itself through the digital world. The famous Internet Cloud, which connects servers around the world and connects people, information and everything else that gives life meaning to our 21st century world. That's why they call us Clouders, an English expression that derives from the cloud (Cloud) in use now on every other language there is.
Note: Like many others English words, everyone takes it from the way it came, like the word Internet itself.
That summer brought new things to the school life and mine too. Cool and smart girls like me should not think about it, but I could not help noticing his perfect skin face coming through the door of our classroom. A sad and penetrating look that captivated me in its entirety... The new boy who arrived in the city and our school coming from not far away, wrapped in mystery and unexpectedly exchanging glances with me. Who could have imagined that... I, who barely appeared on the center of conversations, who would sit in a corner with some friends and concentrate on my studies... catching the attention of that handsome boy.
Meire is my name and being a blogger was my bid. I hope it does not disappoint you dear readers, but this introduction is just my way of speaking about a special moment for me, but under the effect of the first Twilight saga movie. I was 14 years old and had watched the movie about five times. I posted my review of it on my blog and I was with Edward Cullen in my head as a male beauty model.
Note: This was before the second movie, New Moon, debuting and showing that Jacob was much cuter.
Then, returning to the entrance of Marcos Freitas in the classroom that day, he walked slowly with a mixture of shyness and indifference to everything. His piercing gaze met mine from time to time and I felt like Bella, as if crossed over by fate to keep that figure out of the sweetest romances. But the reality of school life came back to remind me that movies are movies.
- Meire, did you do the work I asked for? - Asked the literature teacher.
- Yes, I did. - And the days passed by.
Our school was considered one of the top ten schools in the state. The standard tests scores were always good. I guess that's why we always had new students trying to get into it. Marcos Freitas was the new student of that season, but it would not be like all the others that had already appeared in our previous classes.
One of the trends that guarantee the quality of our school is the demand from our teachers that charge us the fulfillment of many tasks. It may seem contradictory, but the more flexible is the school with the rules with students the more it tends to have young people without self-control. Our families are keen to put us in a school where the rules are met. This forces us to study and much, otherwise we are invited to change schools.
After two weeks since Marcos Freitas joined the class, an incident eventually caught his attention for everyone in the class, far beyond his appearance to the girls. Being a little older he also got attention from the boys in the class, who wanted him in their various groups. He had been late for the science teacher's class. Upon entering the room without asking permission and sitting in the back, the teacher came to have it out with him.
- Aren't you going to ask permission to enter the room, Mr. Marcos?
- Sorry, teacher, I didn't want to interrupt your explanation on evolution theory.
- Oh, so you know what I was talking about?
- Yes, I know ... natural selection and mutation.
- That's right ... I hope this doesn't happen again. No delays for my class. - She turns to continue the lesson and he glances around with some satisfaction. I felt him stop and looking a few more seconds at me.
In the break time there was no mention of anything else. The novice student had been able to face the great doctor of science. Always so strict with everyone about deadlines, punctuality and discipline, she ended up having to bend over to Marcos' argument when he was asked about the delay and discreet entry into the room. He seemed unshakable in the face of the situation. It did not seem normal for a young man of that age to be so sure of himself. This only added to the mystery surrounding him, which declined further in the following days as he began to walk with the other boys of the class and seemed to be just another one... However those apparent aspects of his personality would be essential for the understanding of what was to come in our lives.
Note: More days passed by and the girls started talking about Marcos more and more often. It seemed like soon enough some of them would "hook" the new guy. Who would it be?
Teenage blogs was not yet a fever at that time. Today you just need to access any large media portal online and they have a lot of youth blogs talking to young people on the most diverse subjects: dating, work, school, drugs, movies, books, sex, politics, travel, advice and even bullying. Curiously the interest of people of my age at that time for reading blogs has changed a lot because today everyone already has access to high speed mobile internet. Today is the era of smartphones and teen stars are the youtubers. But at that time it was still an alternative novelty, something rebellious for free expression of young opinions.
My blog was not revolutionary at all. It was just to share things of common interest to us all. In the case of films and reviews, it was very timely. I was lucky and I think I'm a bit talented to write so attractively to guys in my age at the time ... I would never have imagined the effects it would have in my future... And much less for all the people in the world too.
Note: It may seem pretentious to say this now, but it will soon become clearer.
Returning to my blog ... Strange comments began to appear about a kind of a ghost that appeared and appeared in several schools and in various classrooms in the city. All because of my review of the Twilight movie. I did not really care about that at the moment because I was more interested in getting to know Marcos a little better.
We formed some study groups in Geography class. The teacher's objective was for each team to present some physical, economic and social data from different regions of the country. My group stayed with the South region and we met over the course of a week to get the job done. It was a very nice socialization opportunity, because the teacher made a mixture in the teams to avoid that vicious cliques were formed. All teachers always say that it's important to vary who you work with, because in the professional life there is not much choice about who we will work with. At first some people were surprised to be in the company of little-known colleagues, but we ended up getting to know each other. In particular, of course, I had the luck and opportunity to be on the same team with Marcos.
He knew the geographic and socioeconomic information about the South region very well. I even asked if he was from there, since there was no identifiable accent from any part of the country on him. I still didn't know why that happened to him... Now I know. So during that week we were able to get to know each other a bit better (both of us and the rest of the team too), but very focused on the content of the work. Our school was very demanding about the students' performance, so we always dedicated ourselves a lot. Anyway we had already created a small loop, beyond the exchanges of looks, that was about to become stronger... Everything because of my blog.
Fridays are the best days of the week during school time, because they are always the prelude to the weekend with lots of mall, movies, games, parties... and for me a lot of reading and also a lot to add to my blog. Besides, on that particular Friday there was something more fascinating still going on in the class. Marcos had already gotten in with some of the boys in the room, so he was more at ease and the air of mystery had faded a little. The group work during the week before had helped and the exchanges of looks with me became more familiar.
A curiosity on that day was that a news story about electrical disturbances appeared throughout the city in the previous weeks. I personally had not realized, after all the blackouts of energy always happened at dawn and I was already asleep. However, I had heard my parents say something about it, and on this last night there had been very intense events in some parts of the city. Even the colleagues were commenting on: from light bulbs exploding out of nowhere to sudden blackouts and overloads in some houses. They had not discovered the possible cause of the disturbances, but it seems to have generated a kind of general concern in part of the town's population.
Note: It's not usual for me to care about such news, but it was very strange ... moreover the event will prove important to our story later.
The day before, at break time I was at the cafeteria with some colleagues talking about what we could do for the weekend. It was still early in the school year so there was not so much to study, so there was still room for some fun.
Note: From the seventh grade onwards everything is getting worse and worse, with more and more subjects and more and more tasks... So advice: study! so you can at least have some free time at the end of the year.
Marcos came to us still with that mysterious air, but having already gotten in a little bit with other boys he could look more closely at the girls and show more confidence as well. Of course, part of that confidence must come from the fact that he knew how handsome he was... after all, he should have some mirror in the house, and we'd done that Geography work together during the week before.
Despite the exchanges of glances with me during all those weeks, I never imagined that he would come and talk to me among the other girls. I thought he was coming to talk to Patricia or Deborah, after all, they fit the beauty model of the moment: straight blondes with well-developed bodies, although they were barely 14 years old. But no, he came directly to speak to me among them. He passed them both as if they did not even exist (which made them half jealous) and addressed me. The brunet, still a bit shallow, but always standing out with the grades and the blog, of course.
- Hi, Meire.
- Hi, Marcos... any problem?
- Are you the Meire Pop from the blog?
- Yeah, it's me. You know?
- Yes. I follow your blog. It's really cool.
- Thanks.
The girls began to distance themselves from our conversation. They started talking about other things and we stayed in ours. He said he was a movie fan and that he was very fond of my critics, who were very different from professional critics who always said standard things and did not know how to speak to younger audiences who like to identify with movies, sagas and characters in a more personal way.
I was also suspicious that he could have changed schools because he was interested in my posts about our events. But it was too much pretense ... I thought so. My intention was to involve my classmates with things I considered interesting: study groups, leisure tips, reviews of movies and books, class summaries, and photos galleries.
It started to expand when I noticed that it had about 1,000 views a day. From diverse origins and locations, I noticed that subjects were of much greater interest than to my classmates, especially the reviews of fashion films. I remember that the movie review I had most "views" and exploded from comments was Harry Porter and the Goblet of Fire. I think the atmosphere of adolescent dating in the midst of the tri-wizard tournament captivated hearts and it was in this aspect that I concentrated: the courtship.
Note: Robert Pattison, the actor who played the role of Edward the vampire in Twilight, is also in this Harry Potter episode. He is the wizard who dies at the end of the movie.
We talked for all the time of the break and there was an immediate connection between us. The conversation flowed easy, as if we had known each other long ago. All because of our common interest in films and fantasy. At one point I found it strange that he seemed to know so much about me, but I remembered that in my blog there was a lot of expression of myself, I always ended up making connections between the commented movies and my life or colleagues'. This was the basic tenet of his popularity among the young.
He started hinting if we could not see some movie together, that he would even help in the reviewing. I was finding it all very nice, since he was a handsome boy after all and it was rare for them to be so interested in me. This strangeness was starting to bother me.
The break was over and we still talked a little more going towards the classroom. We stopped talking about each other and see if we could go to the movies together. He did not insist, but he wanted to make it clear that he insisted on going with me. Still felling on the top of myself, I sat down under the curious glances of my closest classmates.
Leaving school later I could see Marcos helping a lady carry shopping bags around. It was a simple act, but it showed how much he seemed to be someone with attention and care for others. Much of my suspicions have lost strength, because among my current classmates I had never seen anyone help strangers in the street ... especially the elderly. It was as if Marcos had come out from a different age or a different country. My cell phone started buzzing.
Until the beginning of the night my cell phone was always accusing new text messages or missed calls. Most of them girls wondering what went on and what was still going to go with Marcos. In most of the answers I gave only evasive, for he did not even know what he could really ask. To my closest friends, I showed that I really liked the attention he gave me, but that I was afraid of that whole interest having some obscure motive.
When the night was set and I had my duties to fulfill, to study a little and to write on the blog, I noticed a certain confusion in my mind about what I should write that day. I usually talk about day-to-day school amenities when there was no movie or book or new song to comment and review, but that day I just wanted to talk about Marcos.
Right in that moment I was with him in my mind, in front of the computer to start writing, the cell vibrates and informs a new message: it was him. His words were, "Okay? What are you doing?" I hesitated a lot about what and how to answer that question. Finally I replied: "Updating my blog."
- Oh, cool, let me turn on my computer and accompany you.
- It's all right. (We hang up)
And now? What would I do? So I started reading the comments from my previous post. I noticed the constant mention of a strange apparition in various places of the city of a figure very similar to the vampire Edward. And at the same time I had lots of praise for the Twilight movie and my review of it. Then came the idea!
Meire Pop blog post on February 12, 2009:
"Well, my friends, I have a news bomb for you. The strange appearance of the vampire Edward that you reported is not really an apparition, he came to my school this week and is attending classes every day. Nobody knows yet, but he came in secret from a land far away, with a mysterious and shadowy air, to find out what normal teenagers are like. He's a prince coming from the Nordic regions (that's why he's so white and pale, not a vampire) and told me in secret that he loves my blog. That is why he decided to migrate to our country and our city, in order to get to know us (to know me too!). Nothing is going on yet, my people, but soon I will have more news to tell. Kisses for everyone. Meire Pop."
A few minutes passed and the phone rang again. It was Marcos again.
- Hi, Meire. Interesting post.
- You think so?
- Do I know this guy?
- Who?
- That prince of Nordic regions!?
- Ah (laughs), I just invented it to keep the mood of mystery as so many people decided to comment on the Twilight review by saying they saw a ghost like Edward.
- Oh, I know... I have not seen this movie yet, but I found your review very well written. Would you like to go with me and watch it again?
- (Laughs) Of course, it would be my fourth time. I would also love your company.
- It's all right. We can meet at the mall on Sunday afternoon.
- Okay, it's marked for me.
After we hung up I could finally breathe in relief that he did not realize that the post was about himself and that I was also feeling the excitement of our meeting for the next day. It would not be my first date with a boy, but it would be the first with a really interesting one.
After a few hours - I was studying biology at that time - I realized that something else had happened in that phone call and in my blog post. Marcos did not even bother to invite me out. His tone of admiration for me seemed to become an easy breach. I think I underestimated his ability to read between the lines of my post. Was he getting cocky? For a moment I wondered if he would not be able to read thoughts as well as the vampire Edward. I was afraid to look so transparent to a boy I hardly knew.
Also, I was reflecting on people's comments on the blog. Although I took advantage of the messages to speak indirectly of Marcos's arrival at my school, I remembered that the comments were quite tense, as if a little panic was taking over the blog readers' on the possibility of having a beautiful and pale vampire running around the city's schools in search of a "victim" to fall into his arms. It had been exactly my description of the situation in the film.
I dropped the book and opened the blog again. I counted the amount of hits and comments about the movie Twilight. There were 2,300 hits and 67 comments, excluding indirect comments, that comment comments. Then I saw that the new post had also been accessed 200 times and that in the comments there was the following:
# I also saw him, Meire, is no ghost, but seems to be floating around you.
# You are very lucky!
# So you brought him there ... smartass!
# Meire, beware that he will bite your neck ... Oh that envy !!!
# Are you going to have a vampire romance in the tropics?
And that was where the comments went. I was red with shame even though I was alone in my room. Unintentionally I ended up handing the game to everyone. It was obvious that Marcos understood too. He would be a great kid in school. The circuit of the city's schools would know. What could be worse?
At this moment a new comment appears on the blog. It said:
# Meire, I'm not the vampire Edward and I'm not your new colleague Marcos, but someday you'll know who I am.
My legs trembled and I swallowed hard. What did that mean? My mother knocked on the door, and I jumped in alarm.
Meire... Are you still up and on this computer?
She came into the room and did not see me completely amazed at the situation, but noticed something was different.
- What is it, Meire?
- Mother... (I hesitated a little)... I think my blog is attracting very strange people.
- What do you mean kiddo?
- Come see...
She approached and saw the comment featured on the screen. She thought for a while and said:
- Meire, you are responsible and intelligent. You know that this world has people of all kinds. So if you think you're putting yourself in danger with this blog, just deactivate it.
- But Mom, I took too long to build my reputation as a blogger...
- And is that worth your safety and peace of mind? Think about it...
- Okay!
- Turn that thing off and go to sleep.
She gave the order as she left the room. She would surely tell my father about the situation, but I did not care. I had an honest relationship with my parents and I knew I could count on them, as a tale to this day.
I obeyed and hung up. My dreams that night were a great mixture of images between the fear for that strange comment on the blog and the whole situation with Marcos.
I was walking through a temperate forest with Marcos at my side. He spoke soft and tender things, as if he had come from a distant and romantic past. I wanted him to hold my hand, but he was shy. Suddenly an icy breath came from behind us and I felt my hair flutter. For a brief moment I touched his arm and when we turned to see what the wind had produced, he (Marcos) had disappeared. I was alone in the middle of that forest, and the breath began to look like heavy breathing around me. Then, behind one of the tall trees, a silhouette of a man appeared. He was beginning to walk toward me, and his features were becoming clearer. He was a young man, older than me and Marcos, but still in his teens. He was handsome, but serious and a little scary. I started walking toward him when I felt my arm being held. I turned and it was Marcos again... finally holding my hand.
I woke up with some anxiety to see him again, but I still had the shadow of the other watching me from my back, like a bad memory that is not easily forgotten.
At school I met him and our eyes were looking for each other. Marcos evidently had understood my message on the blog (which should have been indecipherable). From that moment on, there was no reason to hide the interest between us. It was Friday... and on Sunday we went to the movies. On Monday we were officially a couple, at least for the school staff. For us... we were something still unnamed... but very cool.
The following Saturday, when we went out again came two questions:
- Meire...?
- Yes, Marcos?
- Are we hooking up?
I wanted to laugh the way he asked, but I was also a bit flushed by his direct question. I hesitated to respond, but I took courage:
- I don't know. I think so! (Nervous smiles).
- So... - He came over and we had our first kiss. There, right in the middle of the mall, under the testimony of hundreds of strangers. As we drew away and opened our eyes, the smiles flowed naturally. The feeling was new and good. We held hands and walked again.
After a few steps in silence and still smiling a chill turned over me and like a voice coming from beyond, the memory brought me back that phrase in my blog:
# Meire, I'm not the vampire Edward and I'm not your new classmate Marcos, but someday you'll know who I am.
And if he was showing up everywhere in the city... Was he at the mall there watching us? Marcos questioned me with his gaze at my sudden seriousness, but I disguised myself and smiled again. At least for now I would have to deal with this mystery alone. Who knows what might happen next?