8 Journal

Everything is unexpected since you came, love. I became free, I became childish and I find it easy to let go of my past.

I cherish you as much as I do until I don't know how to let go of the only escape life has given me.

Through monstrous storms and powerful winds, I will still love you.

____First Person____

Jayden was lost for words when the lady asked him if he lived by the mansion. He is not mesmerized by the lady's beauty but shocked when it talks to him.

"Hey, mister? Are you with me?" the lady waved her hands at him and that's when he snapped out of his senses. He immediately looked at himself and was shocked when there’s nothing changed in his body or appearance, no disappearing happened. He turned to the woman and answered even though his shock was still there.

"Oh, yes.”he seriously replied.

But as he took a clearer look at the lady, his eyes widened.

"W-what's your name?" he stuttered. He is sure that the lady resembles her.

Her. He means the love of his life.

"I'm glad that you live here. You must be the 'Simon' that Julie talks about. Well, I'm Eula Hidalgo." she offered her hand and Jayden immediately accepted it. Even the texture and the softness of her hands are like her.

Eula let go of his hand and smiled at him genuinely.

"Since I hope that you know that Julie is dumb, can you please take care of her? Don't let her feel like she's alone since she pushes me away and I will not be with her forever. Can you do that for me? Please?" the girl pleaded with him and he can’t ignore it. After all, she just asks to take care of her friend.

"Yes, no need to tell me that." he sighed after he said those words. He felt kind of relieved when he talked without stuttering.

"OMG! Thank you, Simon!"

"W-wait, I'm not Si--"before he corrected his name, she drove away in her car and left him cluelessly.

"I told you that I will not talk!" Jayden was in a dark room with a light right just above on his head. He is tied on a chair and he screamed when he feels the electricity travels in every part of his body.

"Too handsome man and it will be better if you'll stay dead!" the crazy woman shouted at him at top of her lungs. He can feel every words coming into his face as the sound grow in every part of the room.

"Why can't you just leave us alone?!" in the midst of pain and anger, Jayden had to admit that he was strong enough to

say those words. Add the fact that the woman in front of him literally lost her mind.

"Oh, Jayden. I thought you were smarter than that. Can you not see that the girl holds much information that can make our family burn into ashes?"

"Our family?! I never once consider this group of douchebags as my family!" then he spit on her face that made her go rampage.

"YOU DIRTY RUDE BASTARD!" then a loud slap came across his face and he winced in pain. He spit the blood in his mouth as he stared at the woman one more time before a blunt object hit him on the head that made him lose his consciousness.

The last time Jayden felt alive was a hundred years ago. He can't even remember how it felt to have someone on his side. There's Simon, of course but he needed something. He is longing for someone. He knew that the friend of Julie may look like his love but that doesn't mean that both share the same personality. He can't deny the fact that he wanted to talk with the girl. He missed the façade of her, he missed her voice, and he missed everything about her.

Why would I be interested with someone who only just looks like her?

He shakes his head at the thought. He needs to snap out of it. It's been years and he should have accepted the reality that there's no going back to the past. It already happened and he should move on and step forward.

But how can he move forward when there's no future to look on to? There's only the past that keeps on coming back to him and hunting him down.

Jayden rolled and rolled on his bed when the girl's face kept flashing on his mind. Argh! Why can't this girl get out of my mind?!

He cannot hide the fact that he was happy because for several hundred years, he saw her beautiful face again.

Jayden knows that there are a hundred possibilities that another girl will have the same facial features as hers. And he knows that he must get on his senses.

"Jayden?"Jayden just woke up when he heard his friend's voice behind the door. Before he could get up, the door of his room swung open and Simon entered while Julie pushed his wheelchair and its IV.

"What's the matter?"Simon asked him. Jayden just rolled his eyes and looked at Julie with a worried look on her face.

"I'm having nightmares again. A very terrible nightmare."he answered.

"My mom has nightmares almost every day, the doctor said there are triggers there, trauma and experience. Do you mind if you tell us what you dream of?"Jayden frowned at Julie's sudden speech. He knew the woman was worried about him but he can’t afford to tell her about his past. She might passed out again, for goodness sake.

He looked at Julie and sighed because he knows Julie is just worried.

Then he suddenly remembered the woman who brought Julie back here last night. Will Julie get mad if I ask her about her friend or will I be able to tell her what makes me curious about her friend's life?

He sighed again before he talk.

"Okay, I dreamed about Devoree."Jayden did not take his eyes off Julie so he saw how her forehead furrowed because of the unfamiliar name he mentioned.

"Devoree? Your girl? I thought that you're through with the nightmares about her?" As expected, Simon knew about Devoree. He’s the first person to know the story between the two of them. There was a moment of silence between the three of them. Simon and Jayden just stared at each other as if they are having a conversation through their stares.

"Devoree? I think I’ve read a name like that before. I just don’t know when..."Jayden turned to Julie who was deep in thought. He became interested in what was heard so he had his full attention on her.For a few moments, Julie’s face suddenly brighten up.

"I knew it! When I visited Eula's house, my friend. There are pictures of their ancestors in their grandmother's journals at the end, the name Devoree is always there. "Simon and Jayden looked at each other for a moment then he looked back at Julie obviously wondering what they were doing.

“Are you sure?”Simon asked and Julie nodded like she was so sure about it. Simon turned to Jayden. They both know that this may be the start. They can find the truth now and Jayden can finally be free. That must be it, Julie’s friend might be related to Devoree. Jayden got goosebumps when he thought of Julie's friend may be a relative of his woman..

He hesitated to look at Julie but still dared to speak.

"Will you help me get that journal?"

____Julie____

"Eula, I’m just curious. That’s it."I squeezed Eula's palm, who was obviously surprised by my actions. She didn't seem convinced by my explanation of why I wanted to see her grandmother's journal again. This is the only reason I could think of and I wanted to help Jayden so bad.

I also felt sorry for the man's condition so maybe I can help somehow. I know that a woman named Devoree is a big part of his life and Jayden will not stop until he knows the truth he wants to know.

"Julie, this is not you. There's something wrong and I don't know what my great great great grandmother's journal has to do with it."I slapped my forehead. She really knows me better than anyone.

I tried to think of another alibi but I couldn’t think of something else.

"Promise, I just want to look at something. After that I can finally be at ease and die--"

"Hey, I will stop you there! Okay, okay! Take it easy! Come at my grandma's house tomorrow evening then promise me that you will never talk about ending your life, okay?" it raised its hand as if surrendering to the police. I just nodded at what she said making her smile.

"Good girl."

I smiled as I was taking my leave after saying goodbye to Eula. I was still smiling when I got back to the mansion. The two man greeted me with a waiting look.

____First Person____

"Tomorrow. I can get the journal tomorrow." There's a glint of amusement in Jayden's face and Julie can't deny the fact that she is happy too to see that the man is happy. As the two exchanged smiles, Simon just shook his head and watched what he saw now was one of the memories he would cherish until his last breath.

A smile flashed on his lips and he continued eating.

"The journal is so important and I'm sure that your friend really trusts you, huh?" Simon got Julie's attention and couldn't help but notice Jayden's frown. The smile never left Julie's lips and this was the best smile Simon had ever seen in his entire life.

"Eula is my best friend and we're together since we got into high school. We share a lot of things with each other. That’s when I know about her family."Simon and Jayden turned their attention to Julie.

"What do you know about their family?"

The woman thought before she spoke again.

"Well, when she was a child, Devoree's granddaughter is still alive." Julie looked around at the two as they talked and their full attention was focused on her. But Jayden's forehead began to furrow.

"It is stated in the journals that she died of a disease but her great granddaughter said that she died because of a man. W-wait, does anything I say connected to you?" The two did not answer him and just stared at her.

After Julie left, Simon immediately talked to Jayden who was restless.

"She wasn't sure if the man she's talking about is you. Calm yourself, man."

"How can I calm myself if I am one step ahead of knowing the truth?"Simon just scratched his head because no matter what he said, he could do nothing to calm Jayden. After so many years, they finally have a lead on how to get rid of the bitter fate that befell Jayden.

"I'm sure that this all can wait, Jayden. You have to take some rest."Simon tried again to talk to Jayden and he was thankful that at that moment, his friend didn’t insist and just sat on the bed.

"On the second thought, I think you're right. I should get some sleep."he just smiled and tapped Simon’s shoulder. "You probably forgot to thank Julie for this." he said seriously before finally leaving his room.

Simon left him with his thoughts. How can he forget about thanking her?

Jayden closed his eyes and looked out the window where the moonlight was dazzling.