#es mc

...

The same woman wakes up in an unfamiliar room, alone. The place had a bed, a window, a door, and medical supplies. Looking around, brows furrowed, it was clear she doesn’t know the place, or how she got there. Muffled voices can be heard on the other side. Standing up, she leans toward the door, trying to eavesdrop on someone’s conversation.

“And this gal here… precious one... You said... then you deal... wait, sir, don’t go in there yet-- sir!”

The door swings open, causing the woman to stumble backwards a bit. A boy in his fifteens stands in front of her, with white long hair, wearing a black sweater with colorful swirls, jogging pants and snickers. He looks up at the woman, raising his hand to fix his glasses.

“Octavia? You’re up?” He closes the door behind him. It looks like he hasn’t slept all night.

“Zen, what were you doing out there?”

“What were you doing out in the woods?!”

“The woods?” She questioned herself.

“What happened?”

“I-I... I... don’t remember!”

“Then what do you remember?” She pauses, trying to recall.

“...Watching ‘Lord of The Rings’ with you.”

“ ‘Lord of The Rings’... I don’t remember any of that. You don’t remember anything else? Like, what happened to you before those months?”

“Months?!”

“You were in a coma, but now you’re awake!”

“But this doesn’t look anything like a hospital room! And why was I in a coma?”

“How should I know? Only you should!”

“Look, can you just--” She sighs. “Can you stop yelling at me?” He runs a hand through his hair, trying to calm down.

“I’m sorry, sis.” Sensing the trouble in him, she pulls him in for a hug.

“It’s okay, Zen. I’m okay now.” After a while, she pulls back.

“Don’t you have it? The one I gave to you?” He pulls something out of his pocket.

“Yeah, here it is. The doubloon.”

“ ‘I’m in your heart forever.’ Keep this with you, and I’ll never go away, no matter how far you think we both are.” She ruffles her brother’s hair, making him chuckle, like he always does.

...

A knock on the door echoes through the room, interrupting her train of thought.

“Coming!”

She grabs her bag and rushes to open the door. Another woman stands in front of her.

“Octavia! Good to see you!” She throws her arms around the blonde woman and gives her a bear hug.

“Oomph! It’s… good to see you, Shaila!” She lets go of her.

“Seems like someone’s excited.” Said Octavia.

“I wouldn’t miss it for the world.” Octavia ushers her into the couch.

“Coffee?”

“No thanks, I’m good.” She shrugs and pours herself some coffee instead. Silence hangs in the room, no one knowing what to say next.

“You really do like the outdoors, don’t you, Shaila?”

“Don’t you? It’s got fresh air, hot springs, beautiful scenery...” She sits up straight. “Did you bring your camera with you?”

“Never leave home without it.”

“I’m pretty sure you do.” They laugh.

“Okay, maybe I don’t when I go to work, but you know what I mean.”

As she takes a sip from her coffee, her phone vibrates.

“That’s probably them.”

“Then let’s get going.”

The two walked out of Octavia’s apartment and into the bustling streets of New York.

Airport, Four Forty-One a.m.

Walking the floor tiles of the airport, the two search for their other friends. Suddenly, a flashback hits her.

...

“Yeah, here it is. The doubloon.”

“ ‘I'm in your heart forever.’ Keep this with you, and I’ll never go away, no matter how far you think we both are.” She ruffles her brother’s hair, making him chuckle. The door opens, a man entering the room.

“All right, kiddo. Time for you to get out.”

“But Octavia--”

“Only you are coming with us.” He takes a step towards Zen, but he stops him.

“Octavia...” He clasps both of her hands in his.

“Zen?”

But he doesn’t listen, nor respond. After he gets escorted out of the room, she realizes there's something in her palms: a doubloon. Her brows furrowed in confusion. Why would he give her this? What is he trying to say? Does Zen know something she doesn’t? Or was it--

“You could’ve stopped this from happening!”

The sound of yelling is heard outside the room.

“Zen??” She rushes towards the door to try and get a better hearing.

“Listen, young man. If you don’t shut up now, the deal will be off.”

“Deal? What deal?” Octavia asked herself as she pressed her ear to the door, despite how loud they already are.

“Ah! Let me go!” There’s a pause... BAAM! The sound of a gun rings in the air.

“Zen!” She swings the door open, and witnesses the scene in front of her. There’s a bloody Zen on his knees, hunched over, clutching his abdomen. Blood seeps through his fingers, and it feels like it goes on forever. He sobs and groans from the pain. Two guards stand behind him and his murderer stands in front, his gun still aiming at Zen.

“No-- Zen!” Octavia tries to rush to Zen’s aid, but the two guards stop her! She tries so desperately to wrestle out of their grip, but to no avail. She just watches helplessly at her brother, his sobs’ the only thing they hear.

“Octavia…”

...

The flashback ends and she hears familiar voices talking in front of her.

“Earth to Octavia!” She finally pays attention to them.

“You okay? We're passing the hallway now.”

“I-I’m... in... heart forever...” Her friends give confused glances to each other as she shakes herself off from her daze.

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Few Hours Later, La Huerta

“Finally! My back was getting cramped in there!” The five walk out of the airplane.

“Octavia! You still have your cam, right?” Shaila runs to the center of the tarmac and strikes a pose. “Take a picture of us!”

“Yeah!”

The others run next to Shaila as Octavia sets up her camera.

"All right everyone. Three… two… one…"

Click! She shows the picture to her friends.

“Let’s go now.”

Few Minutes Later

“Do you guys think there’s a hotel?”

“What kind of a question is that? Of course there’s one!”

“I don’t think anyone would enjoy sleeping in the forest.”

One by one, they stop in front of a destroyed building, where the Celestial was once standing.

“... Alright, who jinxed it??”

“What the hell happened here?”

“This was supposed to be where The Celestial stands.” Mark, one of their friends, said.

“Nobody bothered to deal with this?”

“A 25 storied, 1,200 suite, once ranked top ten in Travel and Leisure hotel is taken down, why?”

They all look at Octavia.

“How the hell do you know all that?” She thinks for a second.

“... good question. At least we’re only staying here for a day. And look. A beach!”

She points to the sea, it’s waves crashing against the beach, it’s tides shimmering under the sun. 

“Last one there is a fish out of water!” Everyone raced toward the beach, laughing and having fun.

Hours Later

They trek the forest of La Huerta in search of…

“Why are we here, again?”

“Octavia and Ron wanted to find something.”

“Find what, exactly? And why the hell do it at night?”

Octavia and Ron look at each other with surprise before replying.

“None of your business, Mark.”

He raises his hands in the air.

“Okay. I’ll back off.”

Octavia pulls Ron closer and whispers next to him.

“You suggested, too?”

“Yes, looks like you did as well! Why did you wanna come here?”

“It’s... personal. All I can say is that I have unfinished business that needs taking care of.” Those words sound awfully familiar to her.

“So why did you suggest?”

“It’s complicated, but it’s none of your business as well.”

She crosses her arms and looks away, the disturbance she feels is evident. Shaila changes the topic.

“Hey, look. These flowers are glowing!”

“Oh my god... there’s so many of them!”

Flowers glow pink and blue peacefully around them, giving light in the dark night.

“They’re so…”

“Beautiful? Pretty? Wonderful?”

“That’s practically the same thing.”

“No, they look… familiar. Like, I’ve seen them before.”

“Maybe you found them on the internet.”

“No, it’s like--” She stops herself.

“... Yeah. You’re probably right.”

They continue walking through the forest, Octavia slowly trailing behind. Then, there’s this strange feeling within her. Like a beast who wants out of his cage. Suddenly, everything goes dark.

Minutes Later

“What the-- How did I get here?” She stands a few feet away from a cliff’s edge, none of her friends in sight. Suddenly, a man, with short, curly hair, wearing a white and blue colored t-shirt, and a woman, wearing a turquoise hoodie and a ponytail, appear in front of her, making her yelp in surprise. They even seem surprised, themselves.

“Octavia?” 

The woman approaches her, but Octavia backs away.

“Who are you?” She asked her.

“Octavia, you don’t remember me?” 

A third one comes running towards them; a woman with red hair, a dolphin choker around her neck. She looks at you.

“...Octavia?”

“Wait, how do you know my name?” Then, there’s that nagging feeling. That feeling when that beast from before might come out of its cage at any moment.

“Oh my god... stay away from me, please!”

“Easy, easy! We’re not a threat.” The man said as the other woman backed off. There’s a moment of silence, until...

“Listen, we got off the wrong foot back there…”

Hours Later, New York City, Midnight

Gazing out the window, Octavia watches the city, thinking of the mysteries she has in her life. Why was she in a coma for months? What ‘deal’ was Zen talking about? Why is Zen the only family member she knows and saw? And her childhood, she can’t remember. All those questions remained unanswered for five years. But now…

“Two days.” She said softly. “I’m meeting them in two days.”

Exhausted, she walks to the bed and immediately falls asleep.

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