I was drenched in my own sweat when I woke up. The shrill sound of my alarm made my ears ring but my head was too preoccupied with the dream that I just had. It was unusual and familiar. I feel like I have forgotten something important, the problem was, I don't know what it is. I shook my head to clear my thoughts and push myself out of bed. I look around and grimaced, I hated my apartment. It was small and falling apart but it was the only thing I could afford so far with the little money I had.
My phone started ringing on the nightstand and I reach over the bed and grabbed it. "Hello?" I asked groggily and Jodie's familiar shrill laughter pierced through my ear making me pull the phone away from my ear. "Seriously Jodie, it's like five in the morning," I groaned and she continued laughing, "Good morning Temper, how are you in this fine morning?" she giggled and I frown, "You seem hyper, what's going on?"
"Nothing much,"
"You're a bad liar,"
She burst out laughing, "Okay, okay, so, guess who I called last night?" I rolled my eyes and smiled, "Someone?" I said and she groans, "Your no fun,"
"Just spit it out, don't keep me in suspense here," I laughed.
"I called them last night," she squealed and I once again pull the phone away from my ear.
"Who?" I sigh and she let out another squeal, "The gang, you know, Percy and the crew," she replied and all my grogginess went down the drain, "Are you kidding me? No way, what'd you talk about?" I asked in anticipation, "I asked them how they've been and guessed what a certain someone told me," she taunted and I sigh.
Long story short, Jodie and I became close friends when I transferred to the city and we basically did everything together. One day we just got bored with hanging with each other too much and come up with a solution of making friends with others for a week. So a week later, we get to hang out again and share our words of longing and introduced the people we had made friends with for the week.
Since I was still new and not a lot of people knew much about me, I only got to befriend one guy named Justin while she befriended three people named Percy, Ruth, and Kaleb. After we both realize that all six of us seem to work well with each other, we decided to just keep hanging out and after graduating, we promised to keep in contact with each other but it only lasted for a month before we went on with our lives, only talking with each other when we find ourselves missing the other person.
So that's it.
"You haven't talked to him haven't you?" Jodie asked and I cleared my throat "I'm busier these days Jodie, my senior has been pestering me to finish three company project presentations at the same time, and honestly, calling him slipped my mind," I reasoned and she sighs, "Whatever your reasons are, I think it'd better you tell him that, he really sounded frustrated," Jodie said and I smiled lightly, "If I get a free time in my schedule, I'll tell him," I said.
I heard Jodie move something before she replied, "We both know that your never gonna have free time," she scoffs, "Why do I feel you are up to something?" I asked suspiciously and she giggled, "Because I am up to something, tonight, we're meeting up and I'm not taking no for an answer, I'll even help you with your presentation tomorrow if you agree," her voice was stern and demanding and I swear, I was really tempted to agree, "I'm so sorry Jodie, I'll make it up to you," I apologized and I heard her take a deep breath.
"You better do," she then ended the call which made me felt extremely guilty. I frowned and threw my phone on the bed, "I promise," I whispered to myself before preparing for work.
Half an hour later, I was out of the apartment and walking down the silent path of the park. Not many people were around but then again, this place doesn't really get many people considering how dangerous it could be to be lurking around an abandoned dog park. I was humming to myself when I felt someone watching me from a distance. I ignored the thought and just kept walking but the feeling was starting to bother me so I made the most common stupid decisions that most people make and looked at.
My eyes met another pair of eyes that was sitting out in the shadow of a tree nearby. An old lady sat on a small make-shift stool and a make-shift table. When she noticed that I had turned around and was in fact looking straight at her, she waved her hands and beckoned me to come near her. Without thinking, my feet moved and led me towards her.
"What a curious little thing," for some reason, her face doesn't seem to match her voice. Her voice was soft and smooth, attributes that you don't much associate with old women since their voices are raspy. Her face was wrinkly but somewhere in the back of my mind seem to recognize her, especially the way she smiled. "Do I know you by any chance?" I asked lowly and her eyes widened for a second and I frowned.
She shook her head and reach her hand out towards me, "I may be old, child but this old brain of mine would certainly remember anyone as beautiful as you," she laughs lightly and I felt heat rush to my face as I duck my head, "That sounds embarrassing," I mumbled and she started laughing. "Don't be embarrassed, that is only one word among other else to describe you like one you used to know may say,"
I look at her in surprise. "Who are you?"
She waves her hands around like a crazy person, "You must be the reason I came here, might as well get on with it to be done of it, am I right?" she suddenly grabs my hands harshly, pulling me forward towards her. I made a move to pull away but she held on tight which was surprisingly strong despite how wrinkly and frail her hands may look. She moves my left hand around before making a face and letting it go, "Wrong hand," she muttered before moving on with my other hand.
She runs her thumb on my palm before grinning, "Good hand," she traces the patterns on my hand and nodded as if she was talking to someone, "What a tragedy, you must have suffered for so long," she mumbled, "A tragedy indeed," she looked like she was about to cry and I stared at her weirdly, "Okay," I laughed nervously and made another move to get my hand out of her grasp but then she tightened her hold and I gasped.
"Temperance, coincidentally you were named as such as you were back then. A tragic past it was. How long has your soul sought for answers? How long has it been moving from one life to the other? I don't know. You bear many names yet you end up having the same name as you have once had before. You are unlucky but this seems to be the only life you have that lived for so long that the memories of the past have slowly invaded your mind. He seeks you and he is near, always been near. It is he you seek and he is you he seeks. What a tragedy it was, tragedy indeed,"
I was scared and I wasn't going to hide it. This woman was crazy. When I was finally able to pull my hand away, the old woman shook her head furiously before looking at me, "Oh my, I must have said too much, well, goodbye," then she slowly packed up her things and left me standing there, confused and deeply offended.
Snapping out of my train of thoughts, I look to where she had left, "Hey, we're not done yet, what are you trying to say?" I shouted at her as she wobbled away with her stool and table in hand, she turned to look at me and wink, "All will be answered, just wait and see," she waved at me and disappeared into the overgrown bushes.
I drop my hands to my sides and inhaled sharply. "I am really starting to hate my life,"