When Back In Time

THERE WAS nothing.

There was only darkness and silence. A total tranquillity.

She doesn't know where she was. She tried to take a step, to wander in this pitch-black place.

Nothing. There was nothing.

She seemed lost in this stygian world.

What happened anyway?

She did not recall anything.

'Why I am here?' she thought to herself, 'Why is it dark in here? I need light. Light….'

Indistinct noises could be heard behind her.

She promptly turned her back and then saw the light. It was no longer dark.

Roaming her eyes around, she saw she was inside four white painted corners of the room. It was her classroom.

Wooden armchairs were lined up neatly in five rows and four columns. Girls and boys, of the same age as she, were laughing and talking and teasing at each other. They wore their beautiful and neat uniforms.

The girls were wearing their long khaki below-the-knee skirt and a white upper collared blouse with brown neckties. Meanwhile, the boys were wearing black pants and a white upper collared blouse and brown neckties.

She looked down and saw the clothes she's wearing. It's her school uniform.

"Psst."

A hand tugged her arm down f.o.r.c.i.b.l.y that made her sat abruptly on her chair.

"Hey! I said, let's play," the beautiful girl sitting in front of her said. She has porcelain and flawless skin, with bushy eyebrows, big eyes, pointed nose, and thin lips. The girl was smiling at Esperanza.

A soft smile formed on Esperanza's face.

The girl before her is Maria, her friend.

"Maria," Esperanza said and immediately embraced her friend, "You're alright."

"Of course I'm alright. What's gotten to you?" Maria asked, "I'm not sick okay."

"You were hospitalized after the incident in the park," Esperanza said.

"Um, as far as I remembered I never was and I never am. I never get hospitalized. And what incident?"

Esperanza let go and laughed sheepishly. She told her friend, 'nothing '.

That's weird. How did Esperanza come back here in her time, in 2019, like nothing really happened? She really doesn't have any idea.

In addition, it is as if, she went back to the time before Maria's incident.

But, whatever. She's back now. Who cares what happened and why she's back here magically. The important thing is, she's back. Right.

She and Maria took their mobile phones from their pockets and started playing online game.

It was lunchtime and break time, a time to play leisurely.

They played the game called Mobile Legends.

Esperanza picked her favorite hero in the game, Hanabi. Meanwhile, her friend took the Mage hero named Lunox.

When the game started, Maria always mumbled aggressively, "Die! Die! Die!"

"Hey Maria," Esperanza said, laughing softly, "Are you really that stress out? Why you always mumbled die?"

"Die, die, die," Maria continued as she moved the cursor on the screen of her phone and used her attack skills to fight their enemies in the game.

"Okay," Esperanza said.

"Die. Die you all," Maria said.

Esperanza glance at her friend. Her friend was never this aggressive. She's always a mellow person.

As Maria continued to mumble fiercely while playing, Esperanza said, "Maria stop."

"What?" her friend asked.

"Stop saying 'die'." Esperanza continued on playing, hitting her enemies with Hanabi's weapon, flower petals, and her kunai.

"Why?" her friend asked, "What's wrong if I say 'die'?"

"Because this isn't you. You never played like this before. Usually, if you're pissed or stress you always closed your mouth and concentrate to the game until you win."

"Why are you so tick off when I say that word?" her friend said without lifting her eyes from her phone.

"Huh? I didn't."

"Yes. You are ticked off. Why? When in fact, you're already dead," Maria said.

"I am not ticked off----" Esperanza's fingers stopped moving. She looked at Maria. "What? W-what did you… say?"

"You're D.E.A.D right? You're dead," Maria looked at Esperanza casually, "Don't you remember?"

Suddenly, Esperanza felt a burning sensation all over her body. She stood up clasping her body in pain and everyone in the classroom looked at her.

"Fire," the boy, her classmate, said. When he pointed his finger on her instantly fire started to engulf her.

She screamed for help but everyone just looked at her blankly.

She drew towards Maria to seek her help but as she tried to inch closer, the more Maria and the others were farther to reach. Without moving, Maria and the others were getting farther and farther from Esperanza.

"No! Maria! Help me! help me!"

And then, suddenly she felt pain on her legs. Her knees buckled and her hands touched the ground.  She looked at her leg and saw crimson blood oozing from it. She griped it.

She shrieked in excruciating pain.

Out of nowhere, the ground where she sat shifted and morphed in the liquid state. And then suddenly she's drowning in the sea of darkness.

She can't breathe.

She tried to swim her way upward to reach the surface. But the more she paddled her arms and feet, the more some powerful force pulling her down.

She screamed and the air went out from her mouth.

'No!' she told herself, 'Someone. Please. Help me.'

She stretched out her hand and she was sinking deeper in the water.

It's cold down there, freaking cold. She's alone and dying. Dying…

Her eyes were slowly shutting down.

A second before her eyes closed, she saw, partially, a light.

* * *

She opened her eyes and gasped. She sat up abruptly and coughed. She held her neck as she tried to inhale air.

Rapid footsteps outside could be heard. A few seconds passed and the door on her right shot opened and a gentleman came in, panting. He looked at her trying to compose himself. "Gi- gising ka na," he said. (Yo-you're awake)

Indeed. She is.

She's awake. She's alive.