JULY
"RON, WHERE ARE YOU GOING?" Hermione's crying while catching up with Ron. Harry's standing still while looking at the entrance of the tent where Ron left. "Ron, please come back!" Hermione was devastated while watching the love of her life leave them without listening to their explanation when he saw Harry and her walking in the woods together last night. "Ron!" But Ron was gone.
Suddenly, the screen went blank. What the hell?
"Jacq---"
"Daughter," my mother called out to me. I saw in her hand the remote control of the TV. So, she was the reason why I was forced to stop watching Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows. Such bad timing. "You've been locked up here for a week. Don't you have any plans to go out? Go back to the office? Or even just eat with us?"
I sighed deeply.
It's been a week since the not-so-good experiences that took place at Faerie Landia happened. Since that incident, I have done nothing but lock myself in the four corners of my very chaotic room.
No phone. No internet. No bath... what? That's wrong. I'm taking a bath, but I don't have an update on the outside world. I don't know what happened to me, but when I got back from Faerie Landia, I was like this. Some kind of lost sheep.
I've also been binge-watching Harry Potter and Game of Thrones for a week. Many thoughts have entered my mind, and I have almost memorized the lines in each scene.
"Ma, please..."
"No, Julieta. You're not going to stay in this room and be a mess like this any longer." Mom is angry. Because she called me by the name she should have named me then if only my Aunt Amber hadn't objected. And I'm thankful to my Aunt Amber because she didn't let my mom name me that name. But yeah, she will call me that name every time she's angry at me.
"Mama—"
"Daughter, please. It's not you. You're not going to miss this beautiful life because of the mistakes we can't avoid sometimes. July, this is life. As you get older, you'll learn more about the world you live in. There are unpredictable things that will surprise you. There are things that will come unexpectedly, but those things will not happen if they don't have a purpose." Mama sat next to me, and I just bent down to listen to her.
At that moment, I felt like I went back to being a child. The time when I was not thinking about what was happening around me. Those were the times when I didn't know what was going on and I needed my mother's guidance in everything. I was feeling so helpless at the moment.
But my mom was right. Where is my brave side? With all the hardships I have gone through in life, then, because of a mistake that in fact was not my fault, I became like this.
My mother gently stroked my hair and leaned my head on her inviting shoulder. It feels so great when your mom does such things for you. It really comforts me.
"Daughter," she breathed. "You know that all creatures make mistakes. We all experience that. Whether you're human or supernatural, you still make mistakes. There's no one perfect in the world. But the best thing to get through with those mistakes is to conquer them." Every word of my mother was like a gentle breeze that caressed my being, causing me to wake up from the long addiction of delusion I had squeezed into my mind.
"The July that I know never gives up. Especially since she knows she's right and especially if her loved ones are already hurt by the torture she's doing to himself." That's when I looked at Mama.
The sadness was obvious, but she was full of love and understanding, as shown on her face. It was as if a knife had pierced my heart at my Mother's reaction. And I realized how selfish I have been for the last couple of days.
'Of course, Juls. Why are we confined here? I miss traveling in the outside world.'
'Why, it's good that you're talking to me, wolf. When you abandon me for a week.'
'What? Why me? You're the one who shut me down. Because I'm not leaving, dude. I am so attached to you. As if I have a choice.'
Yeah, my wolf is correct. I totally shut myself down from everyone, including her. I mentally mocked myself while thinking about what I had done for the last week to myself. I was really stupid. I secretly laughed to myself, sarcastically.
"I'm sorry, Mama," I replied, at the same time as I hugged her.
I also felt that she hugged me tightly, which is really comforting. I can feel the love of a mother.
"Alright! Thank you, tita. I'll take it from here." Someone snatched me from Mom and suddenly made me stand up. It was Jacqui, by the way. She's smiling ear to ear now. I was surprised to see my mother smiling as well. Huh, they really planned this. I just smiled too instead of being angry with them.
"What are you doing---"
"Oh girl, you're not allowed to refuse here. By hook or by crook, I will take you out of this room, by all means, even if I have to drag you out. Let's smell the fresh air because, hmm… it stinks here," she cut me off. Jacqui's face says that she won't really stop until she can do what she wants. I looked at Mama to ask for help, but she just smiled and said goodbye. "Bye, aunt," said the wicked Jacqui. "Let's go." She dragged me to the bathroom again. "You're taking a bath because, eww, you stink." The witch's nose was still wrinkled. As if I actually smelled.
"Exaggerated! I took a bath!" I defended myself, but she just laughed at me and pushed me to the bathroom.
"Hurry up! Because if you don't, I'll bathe you," she threatened as I closed the bathroom door. Oops, I forgot to lock it. Sometimes Jacqui takes things seriously.
With that in mind, I locked the door, and the wicked woman seemed to hear me lock the door, so she suddenly turned the doorknob.
"Hey! Don't come in! I'm going to take a bath now!" I shouted.
The woman just laughed and knocked a few more times on the door. Damn this woman. But I just smiled. I'm happy that she's still there even though I've hurt her a few times with what I'm doing to myself. She really is my best friend who sticks with me through thick and thin.
~*~
WE WENT TO THE CHINESE restaurant, where Jacqui and I's favorite restaurant and hangout place. This is also the same restaurant where I first saw the first woman who made my heart beat faster than usual.
This restaurant brought a lot of memories from the past that I will never exchange for anything ever. I felt sad because I miss that woman so much. I haven't seen her for a week because of my incarceration.
How is she? Has she already forgiven me? Did she already know the truth? Is she looking for me too? Does she miss me too?
Those are some questions that have entered my mind since I never saw her. I tried to contact her for the last couple of days, but I could not reach her. I was also embarrassed to ask the president because he begged me not to disturb his unica hija and let her rest first. I also can't ask Sofia and Haruka because they might interrogate me because they don't know what really happened. I am sure they are eager to know too. Then the identity we are hiding will be revealed.
Yes, I can ask Jacqui to stalk my girlfriend, but I was still not ready to tell Jacqui what happened. So I didn't bother her anymore because I knew she would force me to tell her the whole story. Jacqui still dislikes my spoiled brat girlfriend. Besides, she also didn't know that Natalia and I were official.
'Hey, Natalia. Where are you? I miss you. Don't worry, I'll just fix everything first and then I'll deal with you. I will hold the culprit accountable for all of this first.'
Yup, I'm talking to myself. And yeah, I'll hold the culprit accountable for why my quiet life is so chaotic. Though I promised the good queen of Serenity, I really can't afford to let the person who made me and Natalia suffer and oppress me.
When I thought of Natalia again, I did not realize I gasped and suddenly looked at the door. My heart aches that Natalia suddenly enters that room. And just like the first time I saw her enter, my chest suddenly throbbed and I would salivate looking at her beauty. Hayyy...
"Woohoo! Fresh air!" Jacqui suddenly shouted. I was surprised at what she did.
"Jac! Don't shout. It's embarrassing," I said to her. Everyone looked at us.
"Why? I'm just happy because you finally left the house. I missed my best friend so much. You disappeared for a month, but I haven't seen you for like ten years." She hugged me. She is really clingy.
"Hey, it's okay. Sit down properly because people are already looking at us." I patted her head and gently pushed her to her seat, but the witch clung to me like a koala. Jacqui is really a bully. The more there are spectators, the more she will tease. It's not that she lacks attention, but she's really just a bully.
"Kiss me first." There she is again. Such a prankster.
"Stop it," I said.
Jac and I are really like that. We are so comfortable with each other that sometimes people think there is something between us. But honestly, even though I'm a lesbian, I never thought more of Jacqui as a friend. Besides, we both know that our relationship is really just like siblings and best friends. Maybe other people don't understand that, but Jacqui and I know we're just like that.
"Gosh, you're still choosy. You've already kissed me before. I'm so sexy and nice now, but you'll still reject me?" Jacqui was pretending to be reprehensible. Yeah, we did kiss, but that was when we were young. We were playing house then. So much for that. It was a stupid, childish kiss.
"Hoist! Lower your voice," I whispered to her. It's embarrassing because the elderly couple at the other table are judgingly looking at us. I guess there are still homophobic people these days. Tsk, tsk, tsk. "Homophobic alert. Three o'clock," I whispered to Jac.
Jac suddenly looked in the direction I told her to, and the witch looked at the old men badly and said, "What? Have you just seen beautiful ladies kissing each other?" She still hugs me. I slapped my forehead lightly with my hand. And the bully, Jacqui, even made a scene. "These old people, you know, who think they are saints. Here you go, then." Jac kissed me on the cheek and even smacked me on the lips. "Enjoy the show." The bully even teased the poor old people who still looked bad at us, who did the sign of the cross and quickly billed out. "Judgmental. They smell earthy already, but they are still judgmental," Jacqui murmured.
Oh my gosh, Jacqui.
Jacqui laughed as she faced me again and was super clingy, then hugged me again. I just sighed at what my friend did, but I was also happy that she became my friend. Even though she was straight and she knew my sexual orientation, she was one of my supporters and never judged me.
I kissed Jacqui on the head in return for my hug. I'm so thankful I have her. I missed something like this, but I still missed a particular creature. I was happy with Jacqui, but I knew I would be happier if my partner was the spoiled brat that I loved the most.
Oh, Natalia...
"Ouch!" I sighed with one hand on my head. The bully hit me. It's so painful! "Damn it, Jac! Why are you hitting me on the head?" I sat straight and let go of her embrace.
"What the— I'm not the—" Jacqui defended herself, and I could see that she was also confused by what I said.
"That's for your infidelity, you unfaithful, flirty woman!" I could feel the anger in that very familiar voice. Jacqui and I looked behind us at the same time. My eyes widened as I stared at the woman who hit me on the head, but at the same time, my heart was pounding so fast while looking at her. Only one creature can do this to my heart.
"Natalia..."