Eternal Promise: Fragments Of Us

LEON

THE next day, Alynna bombarded me with a lot of questions.

“Leon, are you okay? Why aren’t you answering my messages? I know you don’t enjoy chatting that much, but I messaged you before it was too late in the evening. I was so worried about you,” Alynna was totally haggard when she approached me.

I frowned at her words. “Messages? What messages?” I asked, fully unaware of what she was trying to say.

She clicked her tongue, then furiously took out her phone and showed it to me. “You just read all of it. All of it,” she said in an angered voice.

It shocked me to see it, and read them one by one before I defended myself. “Look, Alynna, I slept right awa-” I paused, and took a second glance at Alynna’s messages. I felt horrified when I noticed something suspicious. “Alynna, Derrick went to my dressing room yesterday. He didn’t come inside, but he told me you were looking for me,” I told her, and Alynna’s jaw dropped. “And I turned off my phone last night before going to sleep. I was already asleep when you sent all those messages. And when I woke up this morning, my phone was off.” This time, it was me who had a gaping mouth out of shock.

“Tell me you’re making a terrible joke right now,” she pleaded in fear. Her hands trembled, and she looked like she wanted to throw her phone away.

“Why would I make a sick joke about this?” I said to her, and she shed tears of disbelief.

“Okay,” she sniffed, and calmed herself down. “I will talk to Derrick about this. We need to hear his side on this. We can’t assume too much, Leon,” she said.

“Alright,” I nodded in agreement.

We parted ways after that. I tried to act normal around everyone. Director Kim no longer intrigued me about his unanswered message. I focused on our scene for today and tried not to think about the messages that Alynna sent me.

I did just fine, but I couldn’t hide the fact that I was bothered. I just hoped that no one aside from Alynna and Derrick would notice.

“I SWEAR, no one was in your room when I went there yesterday!” Derrick exclaimed. It baffled him when we told him about the messages, and the incident that he and I got to talk yesterday!

“How sure are you?” Alynna inquired.

Derrick gasped in disbelief. “You seriously think I’m lying, aren’t you?”

“No, Derrick,” I intervened. “It’s just that I remember talking to you yesterday. I swear, we talked,” I clarified.

“What did I say exactly? Because I called you many times, but there wasn’t a single response. I stood there in front of your effin’ dressing room, Leon, for like an entire minute. But not even the slightest word came from you,” he retaliated.

“You told me that Alynna was looking for me,” I replied.

“Well, that’s true. She was indeed looking for you… Like always,” Derrick seconded.

“You asked me if I was okay,” I further said.

“I did, but like I told you-”

“God, Derrick, will you let Leon finish talking first? Stop reacting to every goddamn thing he’s saying!” Alynna butted in, a little annoyed at Derrick’s heightened emotions. And just like that, the guy immediately behaved himself.

I felt bad for Derrick, but he was overreacting, so Alynna had to shut him up like that.

“Derrick, what else did you say to me yesterday?” I asked him. For a moment, he hesitated to speak. Alynna got irritated the more he refused to speak up, so he took a deep breath first before clearing his throat.

“Well… You were acting kinda a little weird yesterday, Leon,” he said, and stared at me like I did something that freaked him out. “You looked like you were… I don’t know… like you were scared of something?”

“So what? He’s asking if there’s anything else you said to him back in the dressing room,” Alynna interrupted.

“Actually…” This time, Derrick was sweating as if he was nervous about something. “It was really weak, but I think you said something to me yesterday,” he told me, and both Alynna and I braced ourselves for what Derrick was about to say next. “Stay away from me.”

“What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. Did I mishear what he said? No.

“Stay away? Why? Are you sure it was really Leon who said that?” Alynna asked consecutively. She, too, was confused by these.

“It was really Leon,” Derrick insisted. “How many times do you think I’ve heard his voice? All the time!” he exclaimed. “During the shooting, breaks, and even when the scenes I’ve filmed are being edited, I can hear his voice repeatedly. I’m so used to it by now! It’s actually creepy because even at my place, I can hear his voice sometimes!”

Alynna and I were petrified. Why did it come to this? I only wanted to clear things up, and solve the misunderstandings that I’ve caused to some people. Why did it become worse?

“I’m getting goosebumps. Seriously…” Alynna admitted.

“So am I,” Derrick strongly seconded.

I took a deep breath before speaking out, “Guys, about the messages, it’s not just Alynna that I ignored even though I saw their messages on our chats,” I told them.

“What do you mean, Leon?” Alynna asked. I could see that she was getting scared now.Content (C) Nôv/elDra/ma.Org.

“The same happened with Director Kim,” I revealed. “Remember when I almost fainted the other day?” I asked, and both of them nodded in unison. “Later that night, he sent me a message, asking me if I was okay and got home safe.”

“Don’t tell me you also just read it?” Alynna guessed, and I just stared at her. She understood it was my way of saying ‘yes’, and that made the situation even more complicated.

Confusion and frustration were visible on Derrick and Alynna’s faces. Why did it have to happen now? I needed to focus on the movie.

“I don’t want to judge but, does Sheldon…” Alynna had second thoughts about blurting her attempted accusation against my boyfriend just now. I had a feeling she was about to say that maybe Sheldon had something to do with the seen messages.

She respected our relationship from the very beginning, and didn’t ask me why I dated a guy. Unlike Derrick, Alynna was a lot more mature and reasonable to talk with my problems. But sometimes, I felt like she was not in favor of Sheldon. My boyfriend was a shy person to begin with, so he rarely exchanged conversations with my friends.

“Are you doubting Sheldon?” I asked her straightforwardly. Alynna didn’t want to admit it, but she faintly nodded. “Sheldon was not with me when the incident about your messages happened, Alynna,” I clarified with a calm tone, but I guess she could see right through me. My hurt gazes at her gave away my feelings.

“I’m sorry, Leon,” she sincerely apologized.

Derrick, who couldn’t read the atmosphere at all, occasionally averted his stares at me and Alynna. “Guys?” he innocently called out, and looked like a clueless idiot.

“I will get my phone checked this weekend,” I said to break the awkwardness between me and her. “If we keep treating this like some sort of mystery, nothing will happen,” I added.

“I get that your phone may be broken, but I don’t think that – whoever it was – dude that sounded just like you was something you can ignore,” Derrick said. “Man, I don’t believe in the supernatural… paranormal, whatever you call that shit, but I think I do now,” he declared with a terrified expression.

He was right, and Alynna thought so too. If I didn’t really talk to Derrick yesterday, then who did I talk to? Both of us didn’t see each other, which made it more questionable. And if Derrick heard me speak in a very weak voice, what did “Stay away from me.” mean?

Should I talk about this with Sheldon? Will he believe me? I argued within myself.

ANOTHER day ended with so much going on. As days passed by, weird things began haunting me.

“I wonder if it has something to do with my dreams, as well?” I helplessly thought while staring at the ceiling of my room.

Everything around me seemed to warp as I stared at the ceiling for a few moments. I knew it was weird, but I didn’t move an inch or speak a word. My eyes were fixated on the nothingness of the concrete hovering over me. The longer I stared at it, the more it appeared to close in on me.

I felt fear and soon realized that I couldn’t control my body anymore. What was happening to me?!

“Why are you leaving me, (…..)?”

?That voice again!」 I exclaimed inside my mind.

“You said you loved me.”

“Why are you doing this, (…..)? Please, come back!”

I could feel the intensity of his feelings inside my mind. It was so overwhelming that I felt like my head was going to split into two.

“I won’t forgive you for leaving me behind, (…..). I will find you… AND I WILL KILL-!”

I finally went back to my senses and I shrieked like hell. “Fuck!” I cussed, and covered my face with my hands while trembling so badly. That was the scariest moment of my life. What did all of those mean?

?I’m scared! I’m scared! I’m scared!」 As I coiled in fear, I thought to myself.

After that, I didn’t get to sleep a wink. I was so lost in my hurdling thoughts that I no longer noticed Sheldon was calling my phone multiple times. I did not put it in silent mode, but I never once heard it ring the whole time.

?to be continued」