His Luna

“Vera,”

I heard a faint voice, that voice is way far from me, but for some unknown reason, I can vividly hear it, like it was behind my ear. I planned on ignoring it and getting back to sleep, but I heard a bell.

My eyes open, and I’m gasping for air like I haven’t breath for a while. I sat and roamed my eyes. I looked at my wristwatch, it was eleven forty-seven, I only slept for an hour.

“What the hell was that sound?” I heard another sound of the bell again, my team was sleeping, I’m sharing the tent with my four other colleagues, and they are sleeping, like dead. I chuckled, “Ah, fuck,” I mumbled again, the sound of the bell was now echoing through my head.

I sigh and stood up, I grabbed my coat and wear it, before walking out of the tent. The whole place is silent, our tents were in a circle form, and in the middle of it was the bonfire, we called it a day, around past nine, since everyone is tired throughout the day.

The bonfire looks good, Caleb must have put some extra wood for the fire to last after dawn before he sleeps. This place is safe, well, as the tour guide said, and there is some patrol outside the woods, no soul can enter the premises around seven in the evening, to keep everyone who’s inside safe.

I silently walked, I trod on the leaves, and they crunched and crackled under my feet. I’m trying to look at what’s in the wood. It’s pitch black, and even my phone’s flashlight won’t pass through the darkness, a couple of trees were lit.

However, the moon is shining so bright, and I can’t deny that its beauty and shine made me feel the urge to go inside. I fumed, my curiosity will someday bring me to my death. I shrug off that thought and start to walk inside.

I stumbled countless times, I halt when I notice that there are tons of fire

flies around me, my lips curled up, fascinated with what beauty was laid in my eyes right now. I love fireflies, it brings me comfort. My grandparents, who raised me, loved this, and I learn to love it, mamita said that fireflies are a bringer of good fortune and good omen, I didn’t know that omen can also be good.

I loved catching it and putting it on a bottle, they’re glowing, making it feels magical. It’s been a while since I saw these glowing bugs, maybe because, I’m not prepared to associate myself, because it will open some painful memories, that I want to forget.

Going to the woods again-in this place, I mean, brings back different kinds of emotions, I barely knew that I still have inside. I lift up my hand, and fireflies start to land on it, I chuckled, and didn’t intervene their brief rest on my little palm.

“How could you be all so magical?” I looked like crazy here, talking with the insects. They all start to fly off from me, I look in front of me, and that’s when I notice, that in front of me, there is a big and tall tree, and the fireflies start to land on it.

The three glows, and I saw from here, how majestic it is. “Wow,” I can’t help but be in awe, I stepped after another until I reach the tree, it’s more beautiful up close than from my spot earlier. “So beautiful,” I caress the tree, it’s rough, and there is some small grass on it.

I was about to take another stop to look up closer when I heard footsteps from behind, I immediately looked behind, only to find out that I wasn’t alone, and regret my decision to fill in my curiosity. My eyes widen, and my breath became uneven, upon looking up.Nôvel(D)ra/ma.Org exclusive © material.

A big and tall man, no, no, he’s not a human-he’s something else!

“OKAY, for today, we will be having our first activity, treasure hunting,” Jena announced. She and Rein are the facilitator of the team building.

“Are we talking about real treasure?” the group laughs at Caleb’s question.

“Of course, so the embark would be fun, since you were already divided into groups, we will explain the mechanics, so we can start,” I was just looking at Rein while holding a piece of paper, “We have prepared the places where you can and can’t enter when you see a red flag, it means you have to stop from there, because it is either trespassing our dangerous, however, and the other hand, when you see a green flag, it means, obviously a go, and a safe place to look,”

“Are we digging or what? Count me out if yes,” I chuckled upon hearing Allian’s sentiment, others look at her, with furrowed brows, yeah, it wasn’t just Rabiya and Yana, it was the majority of the department who probably hates her.

“Of course not, we can’t dig, the treasure is just around the corner, this game will try to measure your planning and teamwork, on how to achieve the goal, you may start,” he looked at his watch and smile at us, “Now,”

Most groups run to the woods, “Okay, what’s the plan now?” Yana excitedly asked, “We don’t?” she said and looked at us.

“We can group ourselves into pairs, so we can look for the treasure fast,” I suggested, they all nodded, agreeing to my suggestion.

“Okay, then let’s pair up, Yana and Allia-”

“What? No! I don’t want to be paired with her, I’d rather do it alone than to be her partner, pair me with Caleb or Jace!”

I chuckled, “You’re with us or not? Don’t be over dramatic girl, I don’t even like you, not even pretty, height? Nah, talent? I’ll withdraw, no offense, okay?” Yana brutally slapped her with her witty answer, I nearly laugh.

“Oh, stop it. Okay, me and Anika, hmm,” Ally looked at Rabiya, “Okay, Rab and Caleb, you will pair u-”

“What the hell, why are you pairing Caleb with such a dumb girl?” Allian, once again interrupted the groupings, Ally rolled her eyes.

“One word, Allian, then you’re out, don’t test me,” Ally looks mad, Allian rolled her eyes, and crossed her arms on her chest, “Okay, and Vera, go with Jace, is that alright with you Jace?”

“Yeah, no worries,” I can see jealousy in Allian’s eyes, but she chose not to open her mouth again, I didn’t know, Ally could shut up. I mean, Ally looks very delicate and Uhm, kind, well, that’s good for her. She can confidently protect herself.

“Okay, let’s do this, okay,” she put her hand in the middle, and we put ours too, “One, two, three, let’s go!”

We now moved, Rein and Jena nodded at us, we went to different sides of the woods, and Jace was with me, of course.

“Vera,” I halt, when I heard Jace call me, he was looking at my wrist, “What happen to your wrist? Are you alright?”

He looked concerned, so I looked at my wrist, I had a wound there, “Oh, it’s nothing, I got a minor accident last night,” I casually said, and smiled.