I looked into his eyes and knew he meant every word. It warmed my heart knowing he really cared about my secret issues, even if I could never tell him about it. I smiled and put my hand over his. “Thanks.”
I changed the subject before things got too intense.
“So, tell me about your family, your parents. What are they like?”
He shifted in his seat and rubbed his hands on his pants, hesitating.
“I didn’t mean to pry, we don’t have to talk about your family if you don’t want to,” I said quickly.
“No, that’s fine, I’m just not used to talking about my family, that’s all. Mother is an extremely private person,” he paused a bit, unsure what to say next. “She makes most of the decisions in the house. My stepdad loves that about her because he’s the ‘going with the flow’ type of person, you know, a bit of a hippie. She can be a little demanding at times but I know her intentions are good.”
“Why did you guys move to California?”
“My stepdad’s work. He travels a lot though so we don’t see him much.”
“Wouldn’t she be mad that you’re out so late tonight?”
“No. She was the one who encouraged me to go out, you know, be a normal teenager. Make friends.”
I wanted to ask him another question when he started again. “What about your family? What are they like?”
“Well,” I hesitated, not really wanting to lie to him. “We’re pretty tight, very close. Mama was a hairdresser and Dad’s in IT. I don’t really know what he does but his job took him to the Philippines where he met my mom. We moved here when I was thirteen after he got a better deal. There’s nothing much to say really, we’re pretty normal.” As normal as a supernatural family could get.
He didn’t say anything and for a moment, I almost thought he didn’t hear me.
“I don’t believe any of it, you know. The things they say about her, about your family, about you.” He took my hand in both of his.
“Why don’t you believe them?”
“I’m more clever than you think,” he winked then turned serious. “Sometimes, people are just like that and there’s nothing you can do about it except ignore them. Their simple life revolves around local gossip. It says more about them than about you.”
I couldn’t help but smile, knowing he saw past the rumors circulating around school. I realized I had subconsciously written off dating after my family’s life became a source of constant gossip. I welcomed the little good surprises in my life no matter how brief.
The bus was almost at my stop and I pressed the button to get off. I stood up to move to the exit but stumbled back as the bus abruptly stopped. Jason wrapped his arm around my waist to catch my fall. My heart stopped.
He led me out of the bus, his hand still around my waist. I never wanted the moment to end. I felt my body’s disappointment when he finally let go. My house was two blocks from the bus stop and we walked in silence, trying to slow our steps to stretch time.
I could see the sun’s last rays in the horizon as the stars took over the skies. I felt his hand brush mine and when I looked down, he was already holding my hand. I squeezed his hand back and smiled. My heart was pounding in my chest and I felt a bit faint being so close to him. His grip was warm and strong. I never wanted to let go.
We walked in silence, not knowing exactly what to say but also enjoying the comfortable quiet between us. I used to complain that our house was too far from the bus stop, but tonight I silently regretted it wasn’t two blocks further. We stopped near my front door and he took my other hand. I looked at him and felt my senses heightened. I noticed the specks of gold in his eyes, the musk of his body, the smoothness of his face. I wanted to run my fingers through his hair, feel his skin close to mine.
“I had a great time tonight. Really great. I’m hoping we can do this again sometime,” he said, moving closer.
“I had a great time too, and yes, I’d like to do this again.”
“What about this week?”
“I can’t go out during school nights, but maybe Friday or Saturday?” I said, very much aware that his hand was stroking my hair.
“That would be great, I’ll give you a call. I know you usually hang out with your friends at school, but can I hang out with you at lunch? I promise not to cramp your style.”
“I’m sure that can be arranged. I’d like that. Wouldn’t Melissa get mad at you though?”
“Yes, oh the tragedy of that. How will I ever survive?” he said.
I wanted to tease him some more but he lowered his head and kissed me. My heart jumped to my throat. I closed my eyes and felt his soft warm lips on mine. I didn’t know how but I suddenly just knew how to kiss him, tenderly then with more urgency. His arms wrapped around me tightly. Time stopped. We were in a bubble under a starry sky. I wanted it to never end. I opened my eyes to watch him kissing me. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the flowers in our front yard blooming, sprouting seeds and coming alive. My emotions had caused our plants to bloom everywhere. The gardenias we left unattended, dying in the front yard, were sprouting flowers. I pulled back fast, stopping the plants mid-bloom. Jason’s brows furrowed, confused at my sudden reaction.
“Sorry, I thought I heard my dad.”
He brushed my lips with his hand and leaned to kiss me again. The porch light suddenly turned on. I pulled away and smiled at him, disappointed that we had to end the kiss but also glad I had an excuse to go inside.
“I guess I should go,” he said, squeezing my hand. “I’ll see you at school.”
He walked away, looking back to wave. I waved back before moving to the door, glancing at the wonderful work the kiss had done to our front garden. I had to be very careful about my emotions. I needed to keep myself constantly in check in case I created something similar somewhere public.
Dad was sitting in the living room, pretending to watch TV when I got in the house.
“Hi Dad, I didn’t know you were into Girls.”
“I wasn’t watching it. I was just channel surfing,” he said, changing the channel quickly. “How was your night?”
“Good. We skipped the movie and got matching tattoos instead. Night, Dad.”
I ran to the bedroom smiling to myself. Apart from the garden show, my day was as normal as normal could be. I felt elated being just another teenager on a date. I still couldn’t believe I just got back from my first date. My first kiss. It was everything I imagined it would be and more. Lolo was right about my powers. It was closely knitted with how I was feeling, so much so that when Jason’s lips were touching mine I felt the warmth of my surroundings. I felt my own emotions were amplified. It was like I was singing and the flowers were my backup singers.
I touched my lips and smelled my hand, inhaling his scent. Nothing could ruin this moment. Nothing. I was glad to have this night because no matter what happened after, I would always have this one perfect night to look back to.
Chapter Eleven
The Filipino American Gazette, March 2013
Migrant Still Missing
The Filipino-American community is calling for police support on the continued search for Marie Harris, the Filipino migrant who went missing in San Jose May of last year.
Members of the community are disgruntled from the lack of interest from authorities after months without lead. There has been no new information from the public despite the sizable $100,000 prize money offered by the family.
The community continues to offer their support to the Harris family.
June 2015
I t had been two weeks since my first date with Jason. We had gone out on a second date and that went just as splendidly. I was grateful for the training with Lolo because the kiss on the second date didn’t result into a flora carnival in my front yard. I was able to focus on one particular plant that was dying near our home. By the end of the kiss, it had started to sprout lemons. I hoped it was a lemon plant.
It was official now, we were going out. We g
ot together during our breaks at school, or sat somewhere for a while to chat before heading home. It felt so natural to be with him, like I had always known him all my life. It was getting more difficult to not talk about what I was going through, but I had to protect him from it all. I tried not to think about what would happen in a month when I had to decide to leave the human world or not. If I left, at least I had made memories I could bring with me.
Melissa didn’t stop trying to get Jason back until after the second date. I commended her efforts, really. But she didn’t bow out gracefully. There was a bit of a scene at the cafeteria one lunch period, where Jason heroically intervened by addressing Melissa loudly so everyone could hear it.
“Is there anything my girlfriend can do for you, Melissa?” he said, addressing the hushed cafeteria audience more than Melissa.
“Nothing, I was just admiring her necklace,” Melissa said coldly before stomping out of the room.
I felt embarrassed but also special at being confirmed as his girlfriend so publicly. After that, Melissa kept giving me her coldest and sharpest stares. I just smiled back. For once, something in my life was going right.
As for the training, well, things had become even more interesting. Controlling and manipulating plants, animals, and the elements had been fun. But our sessions required more advanced skill. I was a bit nervous as I didn’t know what was expected of me, but it was made even worse by the presence of Mark and Alyssa. We managed to convince Lolo to let them see what I could do if they promised to stay out of the way.
“You want me to what?!” I asked, surprised at the task.
Lolo was standing in the middle of the room, ready for our multitasking session. Mark and Alyssa were sitting quietly in the corner, staring at the menagerie in the room.
“You’ve mastered your abilities one skill at a time. Now I want you to apply all of it at the same time.”
Our garage had been turned into a mini zoo, with lines of seeds and plants on one side and various animals in cages and nets. There were ten mice in a cage, a hamster running in his roller in another, a goldfish in a bowl, and our neighbors’s cat, Tricky, hanging from a net on the roof. Lolo walked toward me, slowly listing the things I was expected to do simultaneously.
“I need you to grow these seeds from the ground, make the vines cross the room and open the cages, while making sure the cat doesn’t eat the fish. When the mice and the hamster are out of their cages, I want you to line them up and make them wait patiently for your instructions.”
I stared at Lolo, dumbfounded at what he just said. I could see the confusion on Mark’s and Alyssa’s faces. They had never seen me in action before except for the thing with the flower and the bird. I felt a bit of performance anxiety coming on.
“How can I do all that at the same time? I’m not ready, Lolo. It’s too much. What if the cat eats the mice? Have you seen how quick Tricky is in action? That cat’s feral.”
“Then you have to make sure the cat doesn’t kill any of the other animals,” he says. “Start communicating with the animals. In the count of five, you will begin.”
“One.”
I sensed the confusion in the room. The mice panicking, the hamster oblivious in its endless marathon, the goldfish calmly swimming around, and Tricky, hungry for the feast in the garage.
“Two.”
I held the smooth rock around my neck and told the animals to calm down, to relax, to listen to me and only me.
“Three.”
I saw Tricky licking her lips and I gave her a look that briefly made her pause, but I guess primal hunger took over more because she still kept eyeing the mice.
“Four.”
“Hold on, Lolo, I’m not ready yet.”
“Five.”
I sent the seeds flying to the ground, burying themselves through the concrete, while the vines climbed around the walls, reaching the cages on the other side of the room. Lolo let Tricky out of the net and she landed on her feet, immediately going after the mice. I heard a loud crash as the goldfish bowl shattered on the floor, tipped by one of the vines. My head was fighting to focus on all of the tasks at the same time. My heart was racing and I feared I wouldn’t be able to save any of them from Tricky’s hunger. The vines opened the mice and hamster cages, and they all panicked, scrambling around the room, trying to get away from Tricky who was now in full hunting mode. I felt the gasp of the goldfish, drowning on the floor, and I quickly lifted it in the air just as Tricky had reached the spot. My focus started to waver and my confusion kicked in. I looked around the utter chaos and felt the helplessness of the situation. I was not ready. I was not from their world. It all felt impossible.
The plants on the ground were starting to wilt and I felt the immense fear of the mice and hamster as they raced for cover from Tricky. Before I could say anything, I heard Alyssa’s voice echo in the room.
“You can do this, Karina! Keep going!” Mark was cheering, too, whistling and clapping. My personal cheer team.
Their energy gave me a boost and I closed my eyes to focus. I could see in my head what I wanted everyone and everything to do. I saw how I wanted them to act and what I needed them to show me when I opened my eyes. The image in my head was so clear. I was calm, confident of what I would find when I opened my eyes. I saw that everything I pictured in my head had been copied in real life. From the cat sitting quietly away from the mice and hamster, who were staring at me, standing on hind legs, to the vines on the wall, the plants flowering on the floor, the gold fish swimming in a filthy plastic cup, and Lolo smiling in the corner.
“Well done, Karina. Very well done.”
I gave Lolo a look, unsure about what I did exactly. I knew I made everything happen, but did I just move him from his spot, too? Or did he move all by himself? Seeing my confusion, Lolo offered an explanation.
“Your mind is stronger than you think, mija. When you saw me in your head, I presumed you wanted me out of the way so you can arrange everything else. Although I could have moved, your abilities placed me in the spot you wanted to put me.”
“He literally floated to that spot, it was awesome,” Mark said, jumping out of his chair.
“Can I really do that? Move people?”
“Yes, you can. It would have been harder for you to do it had I resisted your abilities. You will know this when you face your enemies. But the stronger your powers become, the easier it will be for you to fight them.”
Tricky was still looking hungry so I led the mice and hamster back in their cages and opened the back door to let the cat out. I pulled the plants out of the concrete and off the walls, and added them to the increasing number of flowers in our backyard.
“Okay, show’s over. Back to normal life,” I nudged Mark and Alyssa to follow me in the house. Lolo stopped me near the doorway.
“Tomorrow, we need to do more, Karina. There are still a lot of things you need to learn.”
I nodded and walked away. I understood why he was doing what he was doing. Still, I couldn’t help but question whether it was to help me with my enemies or if it was to help him and his kingdom. I was still unsure whether I cared about Engkantasia or not.
I found Mark and Alyssa in my room, playing with Wilbur. I sat on my bed and realized how hungry I was. We all walked to the kitchen to fix ourselves something to eat. We had been doing this on our own for a while now.
When Mama disappeared shortly before my fourteenth birthday, I had no choice but to learn how to take care of myself and Dad. Mama used to do everything for us. She once told me she found peace in the day-to-day chores. When she disappeared, I had to learn quickly how to cook, do the groceries, do the laundry and ironing, manage my own life, and more. I couldn’t rely on Dad. He was unreachable for some time, locked in his own head, obsessed with various ways to find Mama. I didn’t hold that against him. We were a team. So while he looked for Mama, I took over doing the things she used to do.
Mark was making a huge batch of two-minute noodles while A
lyssa and I made the sandwiches. I couldn’t count the number of times when we had done this in my kitchen, working like a well-oiled machine, handing condiments to each other without a word. We carried the food to the dining table and sat down in silence. Finally, I couldn’t stand it anymore.
“I know you are bursting to say something, so spill.”
Mark and Alyssa looked at each other, hesitating for a bit. Alyssa gingerly started, unusual since she had never been afraid to tell me anything.
“Watching you do all those things, well …” She looked at Mark for confirmation. He nodded.
“What?”
“It just made things more real, you know? More final. Our lives are never going to be the same again.”
I looked at their sullen faces and knew they were right. The changes in my life would not only affect me, or endanger me, but them as well.
“What do you want to do?” I asked quietly, not wanting to know the answer. What if they wanted to sever ties, stay away from me because of my new life? I didn’t think I could do everything I needed to without them.
“If you want to stay away, not be friends anymore, I will understand.”
“What are you talking about?” Mark said, surprised. “Is that what you want?”
“Of course not, but I won’t be surprised if you guys want to stay out of my chaotic life. I’m putting you guys in danger just by being near you.”
They looked at each other again, a little coded message streaming between them.
“What?” I asked.
“That’s not what we want at all,” Alyssa started. “We feel a bit useless around you, like there is nothing we can do to help. So, while you’ve been training, Mark and I have been talking.”
“We know you’ve been distressed after finding out about the manananggal so Alyssa’s been helping me with a little project … to help you out.”
“What project?” I asked, now really confused.
“We’re a team, that’s never going to change. So we wanted to be useful to you, so you don’t worry about us too much. Mark and I came up with some gadgets.” Alyssa’s excitement was showing in her face.
The Girl Between Two Worlds Page 9
