Haylie...

Wake up, Haylie...

"Huh?"

Wake up...

"Who's there?"

Open your eyes...

"Who...are you?"

Arise...arise...

"Frank?"

Come to me...

My eyes snapped wide open. I was still laying down my bed beside Hallie, who was sleeping peacefully. Darkness was engulfing the room as I sat up & saw dark figures laying on the floor. I realized right away that it was Dawn, Taylor & Gail. I immersed myself in my own thoughts. That voice...I'm sure it was Frank's. With so many things that happened today, I even thought that this was normal. He said, "Come to me." What did he mean by that? Is he saying that I should go back to that house? Then suddenly, for a split second...I saw that house on my mind again. For just a split second...

Without thinking for just a minute, I got off the bed, ran to the closet & took out a shirt, a hooded vest & a skirt. I changed into these, put on my socks & my shoes, & quietly went out the door. I avoided making any noise & descended the stairs silently. I took the keys from the key holder & headed for the front door & unlocked it. I went out but as soon as I did, I saw another vision of something. The key I found in that abandoned building...

I hurriedly went upstairs (and avoided making any noise) to our room & took my bag, which I've decided to bring anyway, in case I might need something. I also took my flashlight from the side table & shoved it on the side pocket of my bag. I was walking out the door when I heard something. It was nothing to worry about. Taylor just grunted in her sleep. Slowly, I turned around but I heard Hallie stir.

"Haylie, whereyugoin?" she said groggily.

I was forced to answer. I told her that I was just going downstairs to drink a glass of water.

"Alrigh..." Then, she fell back to sleep. I tiptoed through the stairs & finally out the front door.

"Finally..." I sighed.

I made my way to his house. If it was unnerving the first time, this was more terrifying & spine-chilling this time. I stepped over the threshold into the almost total darkness of hall. I could smell that damp, dust, rotting smell & felt a funny prickling on the back of my neck. God, I can't believe I'm doing this. I took my flashlight out & let its light shine through the eerie darkness of the house. I gasped as I've heard a loud thump from somewhere. It was just the wind blowing in & slamming the broken window. Still, I didn't let this make me lose my courage, even though I can feel it dwindling away. I looked at my watch. It was already 3:00 in the morning. If in any way he shows up again, I will have to ask him everything. I don't care how scary this place might be. I have to see him & ask him about everything. Everything I wanted to know.

I sat on his bed, waiting for him to appear. But with all the darkness surrounding this place, I was starting to feel immense fear.

"Please, Frank...show yourself. Just show yourself to me. Please..." I muttered to myself. Then, that strange, eerie cold feeling began to surround me. That life-draining coldness. The very same in my dream. I started to feel weak & sleepy. Then...strangely enough, I felt myself falling. Falling in a bottomless pit. Bright, insubstantial light was surrounding me, just like in my dream, but this time I was falling.

"It's so bright."

Suddenly, someone spoke to me.

Can you hear me?

"...Yes."

I looked around but I saw no one.

"Where...where are you? I can't see you?"

Right here.

When I opened my eyes, I saw that I wasn't in Frank's room anymore. Instead, I was in a place I found difficult to describe. 'Ethereal', I thought, was the right word to describe this place. It was a field, a beautiful field carpeted with flowers. Its petals were swaying in the wind. And along with these, I noticed that there's something else floating around. White orbs of light were fluttering around like fireflies. These things floated all around me, surrounding me, feeling its warm glow upon my skin. Then, all of a sudden, I felt that my clothes were fading away. When I looked again, I thought I would see myself naked, but rather, I was draped in a snow-white silk gown.

"What's happening?..."

Then, suddenly, out of nowhere...an otherworldly voice spoke.

There you are.

I was startled when I heard that voice. I turned around. Out of the mist, I saw an outline of someone. It was walking towards me. As the closer it approached, I finally saw his face. My eyes widened as I did. It was Frank.

I finally found you.

I could never believe my eyes.

"Is that...really you?"

He smiled, like the way he used to when he smiles at me.

It is me. Jack. I've waited so long...Selene.

I was really confused. Why did he call me "Selene"? Who is she? And he just call himself..."Jack"? My eyes were intensely focused on him right now. As he walked closer, the white orbs flew all around him, changing his appearance. As I watched in awe, he turned someone else. It was all too soon when I've realized that I'm facing the young man that I've been dreaming about. That same young man in the picture I found. And the very same young man who lead the 1899 New York Newsboys strike.

Jack Kelly.

Selene...

"But...but I'm not Selene." I turned my back on him. I didn't want to face him. I was afraid...for some unknown reason.

Selene...we used to play together when we were little, but one day...you just suddenly disappeared from my memories. I couldn't understand how it happened...

He continued, in his unearthly voice, in a solemn tone.

When you went away, my life changed. My mother died, my father got arrested...my life became unbearable. I became an orphan. I was sent to The Refuge. All those times I've spent in there, I realized something. I've lost everything, including you. But now...I have my memories back. My memories of you. Just after we won the strike...I got it all back. But...just after I did, I learned something. We could never be together after all...

He said these words full of grief & regret. I felt really sorry for him. I knew what he meant. I could understand what he feels. Nothing hurts worse than being separated from the one you love...

I loved Sarah...but...I could never let go of my feelings for you, even though you already passed away. More than a hundred years have passed, and I can't leave it all behind.

But I'm through waiting...

Now, nothing could separate us anymore...nothing. There's no distance to part us. We can be together again. With you...Selene.

I felt him touch my shoulder. Although, I've thought these words "Don't touch me," I never came out and say it. The suddenly, he just wrapped me in a tight embrace.

I was startled when he did that. In my mind, I was going to push him away. But something told me not to. In that embrace, I felt complete warmth, rapture, bliss. Then, visions raced through my mind. Unknown feelings welled up in my heart. Feelings that I don't think is my own. Whose feelings are these? Whose memories are these?

Selene's?

Mine?

"Open your eyes!"

I heard someone shout at me. But the moment it did, everything started to dissolve around me, including him.

"No, no! Please don't"

The surroundings also faded away. Then, everything just vanished.

"NOOOOOO!!!!"

"Haylie, open your eyes! Please!"

And I did. I saw my sister leaning over me, along with the others.

"Oh my God! I...I thought you were..." Hallie said, tears falling from her eyes. Then, she just hugged me. I hugged her back & tried to stop her from crying.

"Okay, okay. I'm fine now. Please stop crying."

"What were you doing here, Haylie?" Dawn asked. I could tell from the look on her face that she was also worried.

"I...I..." I was meant to say everything, but it just came out as a stutter.

"You were trying to find more answers." Taylor said, as if she read my mind. "Weren't you?"

Unable to say it, but I just nodded at her. Then, I looked at my surroundings. I suddenly realized that I wasn't in Frank's bedroom anymore. I was in the backyard, where all the grass & weeds have grown so long. I also noticed a brick wall amongst all the thick long grass. Wait a minute...how come I've never noticed this before? But the real question here is...how did I get down from the bedroom to the backyard? I was pretty sure I was in the bedroom & fell asleep. Or so I thought. I dwelled back to what I've seen in that 'dream'.

"Will you guys tell me how I've got here?" I asked, still thinking about it.

Hallie shrugged her arms & said, "Well, we should be the ones asking you that."

Perplexed about what I heard from my sister, I turned around & looked at her.

"What are you talking about?"

"We followed you here, although we searched for you almost throughout the whole city. Then we realized, wherever you might be, it would be right here." Gail said.

Unsatisfied from her answer, I asked them again.

"Okay, where exactly did you find me? Upstairs, in Frank's room or here?"

"How many times do we have to tell you, Haylie?" said my sister, quite irritated. "Right here, in the backyard."

At that moment, my blue-green eyes widened & I felt a strange churning in my stomach. I was inside Frank's room, waiting for him to show up. Then, the next thing I know, I'm here in the backyard! What's happening to me? Am I getting delusional?

"Why are you saying that you were in Frank's bedroom, when clearly, you are right here?" Hallie said. I turned instantly at her direction.

"Because I was." I said, looking at her straight in the eyes. I could see that she was really doubting me. So I told them everything I saw. After all that, they all looked at me weirdly.

"Okay, you were, like, in some place, you say? With all the creepy floating things around you?" Gail asked in a completely puzzled look.

"Yeah. Then I saw him." I said. I asked them how they found me here afterwards.

"Well, you were walking like you were on the moon or something." Gail said, still a bit perplexed.

"Yeah, you were following a floating white orb." Dawn said, and she shivered. "It was so scary."

I was following a floating white orb? Just like the ones I saw in that vision? Okay, now everything's screwed up. Even the thought that I was walking around like some mindless zombie made me shiver. And Jack Kelly...I can't believe I would actually see him & Frank at the same time. I was also wondering...who's Selene?

I noticed that Hallie's face was chalk-white. Her eyes were bulging to the size of dinner plates. Beads of sweat slid down her face. Now it's my turn to be a worrywart.

"Hallie, Hallie, what's wrong?"

She didn't say anything, but she turned her eyes at me.

"C'mon, tell me what's wrong!"

The others were getting nervous as well.

"Hey Hal, c'mon, what's wrong?" I could tell that Gail was already panicking.

Finally, Hallie seemed to have found her voice.

"Did you say that you found yourself in a field of flowers & white orbs were flying around?" she said quietly.

"Yes?"

Then, she just whispered to me the next sentences she was going to say. I was surprised about what she said. I couldn't believe what I've heard. What was that vision I saw? Did I see myself...in heaven?