Chapter twenty-two

Five months later

"Merry Christmas!" I opened the door of my house and let Pat come in. She hugged me, smiling. It was so cold outside, snow was falling heavily. "How are you doing?"

"I'm fine" I tried to smile, but the truth was that since last summer I wasn't the same person, and my friends knew it, although they ignored why. I had visited many psichiatrists, doctors had tested my health at hospital, and everything was well. Nobody knew which was the reason of my sudden change, nothing could explain it. I had only told everything to one person: Pat. She had listened to me and didn't comment anything. She had promised me to keep silence.

Pat sat on the armchair before me, and looked around. "Are you alone?" Her black eyes searched around.

"Yes, my parents left some minutes ago.. you know, the typical shopping week.." I replied, turning the lights on. It was only 5 pm but the sky was getting dark. "I wonder when will stop snowing." I murmured, and Pat shrugged.

"Alana, I came to give you my Christmas present in private.. because it's something that maybe will make you embarrased.." She took a wrapped object and looked at me.

"What do you mean?" I asked, amused, and picking up the present. Carefully, I removed the paper and stared at the content. "A book.." I said, but it was the title of the book the thing that made me feel shocked. Pat observed me.

"It's Homer's story.. you know, about Troy.."

"I know" I replied, staring at her. "Why did you choose this?" My question wasn't sharp, but I felt a bit angry. My friends thought I was crazy, and now this..

"Alana.. you changed since last summer and you became obssesed with history.. but you never were able to check this book.. I went with you to the library many times, with the excuse you gave me that you had to make a research for a project.. I observed that you picked up all books from shelves except this one.." I felt tears in my eyes. It was true that I was afraid of reading Homer's texts, afraid of finding the new things I had changed in the past. "Don't be angry with me, please.. I just thought you should read it. It will help you to recuperate your usual state.." She stood up and walked towards the door.

"Thanks, Pat.." I said, and she smiled, as she closed the door behind her. My hands were trembling, my heart beating fast. But the time had come. I had to know it. So I started reading, taking a deep breath.

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Dave threw himself in the big sofa, the remote control in his hand. It was snowing outside, he couldn't go out. With a sigh, he turned on tv, choosing a channel.

"Very well.. lets see.. MTV" He said to himself, and put the remote control on the coffee table. It was a special show about movies, and the host, an unknown boy for him, probably one of those new singers, was introducing the next guest.

"Yes, yes.. you all know who is coming today, right?" He shouted, and the audience replied with a big cry. Dave smiled, shaking his head. "Ok, people! For the first time since summer, this famous actor decides to appear in public! He will explain us why.. because here comes... Orlando Bloom!!" Now the cries increased, when the dark boy showed up, greeting the audience with a smile, shaking hands with the host. He sat on the sofa next to the host's desk, and make himself comfortable. "Very well.. tell us, Orlando, how do you feel after the accident you had?" The man asked, and the actor sighed.

"The truth is that I've been laying on bed many weeks.. I was in coma during ten days, so I have to say that I feel a bit lost, now that I'm back to real life" He smiled sadly.

"Yes, because we all know that this man fell from a horse during his summer holidays, right? How did it happen exactly?"

"I can't remember , I was riding a horse with my girlfriend, and all from the sudden, I woke up in a hospital, ten days after.. everything was so confusing.." He shrugged. The host nodded, and checked his notes.

"And here comes the question that the whole world wanted to ask you.." Orlando put a serious face,shaking his head. "I'm sorry, but you have to explain us something.. there are rumours about you.. it seems that when you were in coma, you were speaking in dreams, saying strange things.. calling a girl by her name.." At this time, Dave was half asleep, half listening to television. "Who was her? Alana?" Dave woke up inmediately, frowning. What a coincidence. But he didn't give importance to it.

Not too far away from there, Pat was watching the same channel, together with Sarah. They opened their eyes in surprise, but only Pat became suspicious when Orlando went on talking.

"Yes, I had strange dreams indeed.. and I promised I would explain them and now I'm ready to speak.. I needed some months of therapy, because they were very vivid dreams, so vivid that when I woke up I felt I had lost everything.. it was very strange.. as if I had lost the person I most loved.."

For the next thirty minutes, the actor told the story, and Pat was listening with her mouth opened. Sarah had fallen asleep, but she was completely awake and shocked. Because he was telling the same story as Alana had told her. Exactly the same. Her hands were shaking when she picked the phone up from the table.

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I had read half of the book, and I felt shocked, because the story was the same as before.. it described the war as everybody knew it.. he didn't mention the changes, the differences.. but then I remembered what I heard once about Homer.. he wasn't there so he told the story he heard from people. So maybe people told what they wanted to be known, not the whole truth. Or maybe it was true that I had become crazy. But if I was crazy, how could I explain the bracelet I had found in my pocket?

The ring of the phone made me jump, and I stood up to reply the call. "Hello?" The voice I heard from the other side made me freeze.

"Oh, my god! Alana, connect tv, channel MTV, please, now!!" Pat was so nervous that I obeyed her at once. The image I saw made me freeze as well. Orlando Bloom. I felt the tears in my eyes remembering about Paris. But it was stupid, they weren't the same person! "Alana, are you listening to him?" She asked.

"If oyu let me, I'll do" I replied, ironically. The boy was having a bad time, his eyes were red and his voice was shaking. He was talking about the famous dreams they said he had while he was at hospital.

I didn't realize when did I drop the phone. I heard Pat's voice very far away, calling me. But I was staring at the screen, with my mouth opened, listening to his story, that was also mine. I thought I was becoming crazy. I thought I had lost the reason.. only the voice of my friend reminded me that she was also watching the same, hearing the same. I picked the phone up and tried to speak.

"Am I dreaming, Pat? "

"No, I can't believe it but you had the same dream as he, how is it possible?"

"I don't know, maybe.. maybe.." But I didn't find an explanation. Tears were already in my face.

"Alana, calm down, listten to me. You're not crazy, whatever happened to you, it was real! Do you know what does it mean?"

"Maybe it's a coincidence.." I said, trying to convince myself. "Who would believe me, Pat? If I told this, they would think I'm just inventing it because I heard it from Orlando's voice.. and I can't write to him, he would think I'm a crazy fan who invented a stupid excuse to get to know him! And do you know how many letters he receives every day? Thousands!! How could he read mine? I mean, it's impossible! "

"Alana, imagine that you write him and that he chooses your letter" She said, but I smiled sadly.

"Even if this happened, how could he believe me?" I asked, so sure about myself, but the reply from my friend made me wake up.

"Because you would send him your picture!!" She shouted. It was true! He could recognise me! "Listen, Alana, we have to make sure that he will read your letter.."

"But how?" It was impossible. And my friend knew it.

"I'm sorry, Alana.. I could look for his fan club's address.. but I'm sure he doesn't read his letters in person.. I mean, his secretaries or managers..."

"I know, I know.. thanks, Pat. But I need to be alone now.. "

"Oh, I understand..look, now he changed from subject.. I let you watch him, have a good night"

"You too" I replied, hunging up and staring at the screen. The host was laughing, as well as he.

"So, Orlando.. what will you do now? Go back to work? "The host asked.

"Yes, I have some projects now.. but my first plan is a trip. I need some rest in London, so I'll spend some days with my family there. "

"Very well.. this is Orlando! Thanks for coming!"

"Thanks to you" He replied, smiling. The program was over. A music video started to play, and I listened to it, absent-minded. "The power of goodbye", by Madonna. One of my favourit songs. So sad.

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Pat connected her computer, after Sarah left her flat. She waited and opened Google, typing "Orlando Bloom". A bunch of web pages appeared, and she chose a random one, looking for a fan club's address. She smiled when she saw it, and wrote it down on a piece of paper. Then, she took her album with pictures of her friends, and selected a big one where Alana looked well. She took the scissors and cut the shape of her friend. Looking around, she picked up an envelope and wrote again, on a paper, just a phrase: "She's my best friend Alana.. and she has a story to tell you", and then she wrote Alana's telephone number.

She checked her watch, it was still 7 pm, the post office could be opened. Taking her coat and scarf, she left walking under the snow. In two days, the letter would arrive in London, where he had one of the fan clubs. The girl in the post office looked at her with a smile, when she read the address, but didn't comment anything. Once she left, Pat felt that she had done something wonderful. But, at the same time, she knew that probabilities were so small that she could say it would be impossible that he read it, it was a plain white envelope with only a sheet of paper inside. But she had to try.

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Two days after, a man riding a motorbike arrived in one of the streets of London. He picked up the heavy bag full of letters, and threw it on the ground with a smile. A young girl came out from the building, smiling.

"Thousands of letters again for Mr. Bloom" The postman said, and she sighed.

"We have too much work here. He promised he would read some of them, but he's always so busy.."

"Those girls have too many hopes.. if they left him live his life alone.." The man murmured, leaving in his motorbike, and the girl took the heavy bag, entering the big building. A couple of letters fell from it, and she picked them up.

"He said he would reply ten of them.. here we have five.. Ok, then I'll put my hand inside and pick another five ones.. now I have ten" She spoke to herself, putting the bag appart. "Sorry, girls" She said, leaving the rest of letters in the garbage compartment and coming inside her office with the ten envelopes. She picked up the telephone and dialed some numbers. "Mary? Is he here? Ok, when will he come? Ok, I'll leave the letters on my desk, please, give them to him.. the other day he insisted a lot, so don't forget about it! " She hang up, staring at the envelopes. Then, went on with her work.

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He parked the car near from the building, and then put the blue scarf on, hiding half of his face. Luckily, it was snowing so hard that nobody would pay attention to him. The umbrella covered his head as well. The pavement was completely white and his shoes were wet. With a sigh, he hurried up and entered the building.

He was happy to have friends there. The secretary Mary was a helpful mate, she was in charge of replying some of the letters he got, and Diane, the manager, was even better. She took care of everything and saved him a lot of time. he knew it was impossible to reply all letters, but he liked to read them anyway.

The building was already closed, so he went to the back door and knocked, waiting for a reply. The blonde girl showed up, smiling.

"We didn't expect you so soon, come in. We won't steal you too many time"

"Thank you, Mary, I want to leave soon. I don't know if someone followed me" Orlando said, coming in and closing the door behind him. "And Merry christmas, of course!" He said, smiling, and Mary shook hands with him.

"The same to you. Come here, Diane picked up ten letters, as you asked.. you can take them home. I hope you'll have a nice Christmas dinner tonight, did you bring Kate with you?"

"Unfortunately, she had to stay in Los Angeles. So this will be only a familiar dinner" he replied, and then put the gloves on. "I'm in a hurry, Mary, but thanks for everything"

"Thanks to you, have a good holidays!"

He arrived home in one hour, and greeted his mother. His sister still hadn't come, and the dinner wans't ready yet, so he sat on an armchair , in front of a window, and picked up all the letters, with a smile. He liked reading them, girls were so kind with him, they even sent him small presents, besides all the compliments and hearts painted in red. All the envelopes had the names written with fancy handwritting, except one. He took it and left the rest on the small table next to the window. A white envelope, nothing else.

"Orlando, can you help me with this?" His mother called from the kitchen, and he looked up.

"Just a moment, ok?" He replied, standing up but still holding the envelope. He decided to open it, and saw a small piece of paper. "She's my best friend Alana.. and she has a story to tell you" He read it in loud voice, becoming angry. So some of those girls heard his story on television and they were making fun of him. But he saw a picture inside.. and when he picked it up, he opened his dark eyes in astonishment. His hands started to shake violently. He had to sit down, feeling dizzy. He was holding the picture of Alana. His Alana.

"Orlando, are you feeling well? "His mother came in the living room, and approached him, shocked. "What's wrong? What happened?" He looked up at her, shaking his head.

"Nothing, mum.." He put the letter inside his pocket and tried to smile. "How can I help you?"

The rest of the evening passed like a dream for him. He felt so confused, so shocked. It hadn't been a dream. He had been in Troy, in the past, with a girl from the present. The paper had a phone number. And it was Christmas. A night for miracles. His sister Samantha took her cup of champagne with a smile, as all the guests stood up saying "Cheers".

"Merry Christmas, Alana.. wherever you are" Murmured Orlando, drinking from his cup, closing his eyes.

---------------------------- -------------------------------- --------------------------------Disclaimer: I only own Alana, and all I wrote about London's fan club is fiction, so if there was any coincidence with reality, it wasn't my intention. Like all what I wrote about orlando, it just came from my imagination. So Orlando, don't sue me :)