Prologue

"Lei! Lei, please . . . please naman, o . . ."
 
Iyon ang mga huling salitang narinig ko bago ako mawalan ng malay.
 
My eyes fluttered as I tried to get back my bearings. The last thing that I could remember was getting hit by a car. Tiningnan ko agad ang mga braso at binti ko. There were no injuries and I wasn't hurt. Panaginip lang ba ang lahat ng 'yon?
 
I just stared vacantly at my hands, trying to figure out what had happened. Pakiramdam ko, galing ako sa isang napakahabang panaginip at ngayon lang ako nagising.
 
"You're finally awake."
 
Napalingon ako sa pinanggalingan ng boses at umasang si Andrew iyon kahit na alam kong iba ang boses niya.
 
And I was right. It wasn't him.
 
An unfamiliar guy greeted me. Mukha namang magkasing-edad lang kami pero may kakaiba sa mga mata niya. His eyes looked sad.
 
"Sino ka?" tanong ko.
 
Doon ko lang din na-realize na hindi ko alam kung nasaan ako. We were standing on a green field, the wind blowing lightly, but I couldn't feel it brushing on my skin.
 
"Kyle," maikli niyang pakilala at napatigil ako nang marinig ko 'yon.
 
Kapangalan niya ang kapatid ko.
 
Nang banggitin niya iyon ay para bang namulat ang aking diwa. I suddenly remembered that day and memories flooded my mind.
 
Kung papaanong nabulag ang kapatid ko.

Ang surgery ni Andrew.

Ang pagkabangga sa akin ng isang sasakyan.

Ang pagdaloy ng dugo sa aking katawan.
 
Muli akong napatingin sa mga kamay ko at pabalik sa lalaking nakatayo sa harapan ko.
 
"Anong . . ."

"Mukhang alam mo na ang nangyari," sagot naman niya.

"P-paano . . ."

​"You were with me for quite some time," pagpapatuloy niya. "Hindi mo man ramdam dahil sa naging estado mo, ilang taon na rin ang nakalipas."
 
He slowly sidestepped and something came into my view. After what he said a while ago, I already had an idea of what had happened but seeing it with my own eyes made me stagger. It felt surreal. Hindi ko alam kung nananaginip pa ba ako o katotohanan na ang nakikita ko.

R.I.P.
Kris Leila Asuncion
July 10, 1994 - December 3, 2011
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"Hindi na tayo nabibilang sa mundong ito," sabi ng lalaki habang nakatingin sa katabing puntod.
​

R.I.P.
Kyle Espinosa
May 7, 1993 - November 12, 2011
​

I felt a series of emotions after realizing everything. I was in disbelief. And then I was scared. And then sad.
 
It was hard to accept, but the truth was already right in front of me.
I was already dead.

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Chapter 1 >>

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