The Peculiars’ Tale

The last thing I remember, I was being surrounded by people who were not on their right mind and were like living dead. I can still remember how they slowly mobbed me... I awoke from the bed after I realized what happened to me. I feel like it only occurred a while ago. Where am I? Don"t tell me... Am I kidnapped again by the Memoire?

It"s already dark outside and only the moon light lit up the surroundings. My eyes scan the place... All the fears and anxiousness which are felt by me vanished when I realized this is my room... in my Dad"s house.

How did I get here?

I went down the bed and walk towards the door. When I open it, My stepmom, Elinor"s face greeted me. She was surprised when she saw me. "Jill, hija. So you"re awake now."

"Where"s Dad?" I asked her. Her face remains the same and it was as if she did not age. However, it only stresses her resemblance to Lily.

"Richard went out earlier. He entrusted me to inform him when you wake up."

"What happened? Why am I here? How did I get here in my room? I was in school before but---" I paused when I saw myself in my sleep wear. "Did Manang Fe change my clothes? Aunt Elinor?"

She breathe deep and grab me by the arm. "Jillianne, I have to follow you dad"s instructions. We have to go somewhere." She calmly stated, as if afraid that I won"t be able to understand her. "I hope you understand..." I told so.

"I understand you, Aunt Elinor. I"m not deaf to not hear and comprehend your words. But I don"t get it. Where are we going and why should I go with you?"

"Jill, please." She begged. Maybe she"s afraid to not do as my father commanded that"s why she acts like this. I can"t do anything but say yes and then follow her. I was thankful that at least, Lily"s not around.

"Where"s Lily?" I inquired hesitatingly after I remember she was with the zombie-like people controlled by Perez.

"She"s asleep." I nodded to her reply. Does it mean they are back to normal now?

We"re already outside, entering the car when I notice my bag is not with me.

"Aunt, I forgot my things, I"ll just get my bag in my room so please wait." I said which she nodded off. I return inside and went upstairs before fetching the bad I left on the couch. I can"t help but remember the days when I was still living here, when my mom Julia was still with us. The three of us were together and happily living in this mansion. However, in just a blink, all of those happy days disappeared, replaced by big changes which are mostly complex, bitter and heart-rending.

I"m almost out of my room, which looks like it"s always been cleaned by them, when I took a glimpse on a picture frame on the side table. I hold it with my hand and examine it closely. This is our only family picture. It was taken when I was still a toddler. Gosh, my mom didn"t even see me become a teenager huh. I put it on my bag before leaving.

I didn"t immediately go downstairs and instead, I search for Lily. When I peeked in her room, she"s really asleep.

Lily, I know you have something to do with all of these events, about the camera, the blog, everything. Sooner or later, I will learn the truth. I know I will also learn why you have been chosen by him, by Morris.

"Let"s go." I said when I get in the car. "Where"s Albert?" I inquired because I notice that our driver for this day is different.

"He"s with your dad." Aunt Elinor replied. I grimaced because for me, it"s better if he"s the one driving for us. It"s been long since the last time I saw him.

A great unease a.s.saulted me when we exited the car. We"re currently in front of a tall building. Suddenly, some memories resurfaced on my mind, the accident, the little girl, myself.

Sentral Hospital

Dr. C. Hideo

"Miss Morie?" I"m only staring at him, to this doctor who is in front of me right now. He"s got long and curly hair which runs down past his shoulder. He"s wearing a blue rimmed eyegla.s.ses, with lush beards. He only lacks a hat and then he will truly look like Simoun of El Filibusterismo.

"What does C stands for?" I blurted out out of the sudden when I remember how Caleb Perez" name also started with C. Dr. Hideo smiled at me because for the first time after we"ve been here for hours, I finally started talking. "What"s your name?"

"Crisostomo. My name is Crisostomo." I automatically grinned at his answer. Crisostomo Ibarra? Who looks like Simoun? "My mother was a huge fan of Rizal. She named me after the name of the main character of her favourite novel." I see.

"Then, where"s Maria Clara?" I asked in curiosity. "Don"t tell me she"s in the convent?"

He returned a smile. "Somewhere I can"t reach her. But I"ll do something in order to get her." Is this like Rizal"s story, is Dr. Hideo like Ibarra? A lad with a great cause and open heart but experienced great sufferings which later on fueled his rage and revenge?

"But she"ll die anyway." His smile vanished due to what I said. It sounded like I"m predicting his Maria Clara"s fate. According to the book, Simoun failed in saving his Maria Clara because she died in the convent.

Dr. Hideo cleared his throat which signaled that we should already go down to business. "Miss Morie. I am here, to help you. I"m a sleep specialist."

"You"re a psychiatrist. I"m being crazy, am I right?" I twirled on the gaps of my finger the ballpoint pen which was placed on the small table.

"Yes, I"m a psychiatrist but no, you"re not. Not being you"re brought here, it already meant you"re being nuts. Just relax. There"s only a little bit of abnormalities on your sleeping behaviour so I"m here to talk to you, to know about what"s happening to you."

"A little abnormalities?" I want to laugh because this person doesn"t have a clue on the true abnormalities which are happening with my life. I am a Peculiar for heaven"s sake! "You don"t know what I"ve been through, Doctor. I know. Sleeping disorder is not my only case here, right? I"m a freaking psychopath." How to describe a situation where I don"t know I"m actually the blog creator who was badmouthing myself?

"I know, Miss Morie. That"s exactly why I"m here." Ah, the cliche Psychiatrist"s line.

"Wait, how did my dad know about this? About my sleep walking? How?!"

"Calm down, Miss Morie." Dr. Hideo tried to calm me down but how to do so in this kind of complicated situation? From the beginning, no one helped me and no one can, even now. I"m really getting tired of these s.h.i.ts in my life. "Can you tell me what you remember before you woke up?"

"You would not believe."

"I believe you, Miss Morie. I need you to tell me so that I could help you." Help? Is it not to cure?

I believe he wouldn"t be able to help. But nonetheless, I still started telling him all the bizarre things I experienced – including how hypnotized people had mobbed me and almost jumped at me, and on how I suddenly woke up in my room. After that, he quietly stared at me. He didn"t even comment something about those crazy tales. I told him the truth, but how he could help me if he"s like this? He only asked me more questions about myself. It"s just like an oral interview or personality a.s.sessment. He made me reveal everything about my life... well, except from the Peculiar thingy.

"Those things which you thought had happened to you, Miss Morie... were only dreams."

"Dreams?" What? No! That"s impossible. I won"t ever believe that those things are only in my dream. "What I all experienced is real. I am alive and awake during that so how could you say it"s only my freaking dreams?"

"It was just another of your sleepwalk episodes, Miss Morie."

"Is that why I suddenly came to the mansion without me knowing?"

"Yes."

"H-how? How did that happen, doc? How did also happen that I was the one behind that blog without me knowing?"

"There are different types of sleep walking and yours is a rare case, Miss Morie. During your sleep walking episode, you can do something which you will not remember when you regain consciousness. You just need some proper medications to avoid those. You should rejoice that you have yet to do things worse than making that kind of blog site. Anyway, is that blog still being updated?"

"No, not anymore, since I learned about it."

"Then, you said you experienced another kind of dreams, right? Your mind manifests different perceptions which result to you seeing many other mental pictures and sounds. Dreams are close to reality. There are instances when you thought some things happened but are actually not true and only a part of your dreams. You don"t have to worry, Miss Morie. You"ll be alright."

How I wish.

But I really couldn"t accept that everything is just a dream.

"Good morning, Jill." Aya cheerfully greeted me when tomorrow came. "Oh? Why is it as if you saw a ghost? You"re looking pale." I couldn"t speak, afraid of confirming that things are really only existed in dreams.

"Yoh, men! Morning!" Tadeo and Baldo approached us. "You! Jill!"

"Yue is still absent?" I got nervous after I observed how they act as if nothing occurred. Am I the only one who really knew since it"s just really my dream?

"Guys, I want to ask something."

"Go ahead and ask, Jill." – Aya.

"What happened to Caleb Perez?"

"Huh?" I didn"t let them see how shock I am when they reacted like that. "Caleb Perez?" I felt like my heart tightened. Does it mean Dr. Hideo is correct?

"Jill, is he your new suitor?"

"Seems like I only heard that name now."

"Hey, Jill. You became statue?"

My hands are trembling. No. This is impossible... I know what I saw and heard are real. Those events that transpired yesterday, I can still remember them clearly. Those arms which grabbed me, I couldn"t forget the scent which came from that person, their eyes, the words uttered by Miss Karen. I remember them all.

"Dreams are close to reality. There are instances when you thought some things happened but are actually not true and only a part of your dreams."

"Hey, Miss Karen is here. We"ll go back to our place now, okay?"

Cla.s.s started and everyone acted normally, as if yesterday is never real. I stared at Miss Karen, hoping she reads what"s on my mind and a.s.sure me with her glance. But it didn"t happen. Cla.s.s ended and then she went out of the homeroom.

Where are you now, Morris? It seems only you can comfort me. I really need you now.

No one can recall what took place yesterday. No one knew who Caleb Perez was. Is this the proof of Dr. Hideo"s claim? Or is this a terrible nightmare again?

Manang Fe appeared before me. It seems she only finished cleaning my room. I only saw her again now and like before, I only ignored her. When I got to the kitchen, I poured water on a gla.s.s and started drinking.

"Jillianne," Manang Fe is actually right behind me, "Your father reminded me your medicines." Reminded. He only reminded and asked others to look after me. Does he always really have no time for me? Why can"t he just bluntly tell me that he doesn"t care? "Jillianne."

"I"ll take my meds later, before I sleep." I coldly replied. After a while I heard the sounds her slowly fading footsteps. I know she finally left. She left after preparing the table with the dishes she cooked for me, together with the medicines which I have to take later. I first took out my vitamins from the cabinet since it became my routine to always have it.

Nostaxil Purpprhopen

Plastnox Spaxxaxilth

Neurophilloxhen

What kind of prescription is this, Dr. Hideo?

I almost simultaneously took it all in my mouth when I noticed that ever tablets given by Dr. Hideo has an "A" inscribed on it. If I"m not mistaken even my vitamins have those inscriptions. They differ in appearance but it"s obvious that they came from the same source.

I observed closely those tablets. That"s when a realization dawned on me. "These are not my vitamins."

I know it"s already dark, but so what? I went to the Sentral Hospital even though I knew no one there who can help me. While loitering around the lobby, I suddenly saw her. Left with no choice, I called out to her even though I really couldn"t say if we"re acquaintance.

"Nurse Carol." She turned her head to me.

"Oh, Miss Morie." I breathed a sigh of relief when she remembered who I am. I was once confined here and she was the nurse who took care of me.

"I wish to ask you a favour, actually. I just found that something complicated is happening around me."

"Ah... So how may I help you?"

"Here." I handed her the fake vitamins which I put inside a small plastic bag. "I want to know what kind of drugs are those. If possible, pleases tell no one about this, even to head nurse Rosalia."

She nodded. "I understand, Miss Morie."

"Thank you. I owe you."

"Your welcome. I want to help since I felt like this matter is very important for you."

I gave her my contact number in case she found out something. I thanked her once again before I left in hurry. If possible I don"t want to meet Dr. Hideo that"s why I stealthily left.

We are trying to contact Stephen but all of us ended up frustrated since he"s really not picking up our calls. This day is one of the typical days. Baldo, Aya, Tadeo, Penelope and I are hanging out here at the rooftop. It"s just that Tamaki is coincidentally around when he came here.

The fact that Memorie is blackmailing Yue"s family crossed my mind. Unfortunately, I couldn"t disclose this information to my friends. I don"t want them to be involved.

I didn"t mention Caleb Perez" name to them anymore.

"During your sleep walking episode, you can do something which you will not remember when you regain consciousness." Because of what Dr. Hideo said, I received a clue about this train of events. That day when people got hypnotized, I was the only who didn"t inhale the drug so I can still vividly recall everything. However, they"ve been put under Caleb Perez" manipulation. It resembled how I was the blogger but I didn"t remember what I"ve done as that person. I believe this was influenced by drugs that"s why I sought Nurse Carol"s help to find out what has been exchanged with my real vitamins.

"Jill!" All our eyes shifted to the person who arrived while panting and catching his breath.

This person... He"s the person I"ve been waiting for since yesterday... I stood up to welcome him.

"Morris men!" Tadeo exclaimed.

Morris ran towards me before embracing me tight. "Jill." If there"s an individual who can remember and see the past, he"s already here. "Are you okay? Did Caleb Perez hurt you?"

I nodded. "I"m fine." I"m now fine after I got myself in your embrace.

"Sorry."

I escape from his hug.

"Tell me, Morris... That"s not a dream, right?"

"No, Jill. That"s not a dream."

*** 

TL note: Dr. Jose Rizal is a Filipino writer, also a national hero who wrote two novels, Noli me Tangere (Touch me Not) and El Filibusterismo. Crisostomo Ibarra is the MC of Noli me Tangere. The book ended with his supposed death but later  on, he returned alive, as Simoun - a wealthy merchant, MC of El Filibusterismo, who planned to take revenge against the Friars and Spanish officers.