Chapter One

I no longer knew who or what I was but I woke up and saw the real world when Madam Emma picked me up. I've lived with her eversince.

She told me that she felt bad for me because I was outside lying down while it was raining. I'm happy that I survived living in the mortal world even though I didn't know who I really was.

They made me a house helper so that I could pay for what I owed them ever since I entered their lives. They fed me and put me in school and now, I was a 10th-grader at St Maximus. I always wondered why I was older than my other classmates, but they said it was because they didn't put me in school right away. I was 17 and next year, I'd be 18.

"Ely" was my nickname because I Madam Emma named me Elise Magnayon. Apparently I was as beautiful as my name. Madam Emma had two other children who were in the 12th grade, studying HUMSS and STEM.

Madam Emma never wanted me to call her "mother". Apparently, I had no right because I didn't come from her womb.

"Move, Ely, It's already noon! Your classes will start any time now!" Madam Emma yelled. I immediately headed downstairs so I could start getting ready.

"You disgraceful child! Sleeping until noon… Don't you think about your older sisters' classes? See, you're only starting to cook! What if you stain your uniform?" She commented. I tried my best to cook eggs as fast as possible for my older sisters, Rose and Jamine.

"I'm sorry, girls, but I'll have to eat breakfast with you today…" I said. I hurriedly finished the egg and rice I prepared, then I proceeded to brush my teeth.

"Madam, I'll be leaving now." I said as I hurriedly fixed my bag.

I didn't have the same schedule as Rose and Jasmine because high school students had to be at school earlier.

I ran as fast as I could because I didn't have eough money to catch a ride. I could only use the money I had for lunch later on. I glanced at my watch and saw that it was nearly seven-thirty. I began to run faster, but I accidentally bumped someone and caused their things to fall on the floor. I turned around to see who it was.

"Are you blind?" I asked angrily. Suddenly, the light shone on his eyes.

Wait. Did his forehead shine, or was it just my imagination?

What was that? Glow in the dark? But it was still bright out. That would be impossible.

"Did your forehead shine just now?" I asked while pointing at his forehead. The male simply stared at me with a stoic expression on his face, as if I was crazy.

When our eyes met, she immediately looked away. His eyes were beautiful; they were red.

He stood up, grabbed his things, and ran away.

He probably thought I was too nosy.

What was annoying was that he didn't even bother to help me up. His eyes were different; he must have had some foreign blood in him. No Filipino would have eyes like that.

I checked my watch and realized that it was already 7:50 AM. I was extremely late, so I ran as fast as I could until finally, at 8:00AM, I reached our classroom. However, as soon as I entered, everyone had their eyes on me. I looked at our teacher and gasped. It was Ms. Celine, our strict science teacher.

"Ms. Magnayon, you are late. Stand in the hallway!" She commanded. I couldn't do anything but obey.

After an hour of alternating between standing and sitting down at the hallway, my head started hurting for some strange, unknown reason.

I hadn't stayed up late the night before and I definitely was not pregnant because I didn't even have a boyrfriend. I slowly grew weaker and weaker until I collapsed right outside my classroom.

I cautiously opened my eyes and saw that I was in the clinic. Ms. Celine must have seen me when she exited the classroom.

I woke up groggily. As soon as the nurse saw me, she approached me.

"You have to rest first. If you force yourself, you'll risk fainting again." The nurse told me. I made eye contact with her.

"Who brought me here?" I asked.

"I don't know his name, but I saw his eyes—they were red. That's so unique, isn't it?" She giddily informed me. Whoever brought me here was probably handsome, hence her giddiness.

It must have been the guy I bumped into earlier, but that was unikely since I'd never seen him around campus before.

Maybe there was another male student with red eyes.

"Thank you, nurse, but I need to get to class." I said. I was about to stand up, but the nurse stopped me.

"You're excused from all your classes for today, miss Elise. What you need is rest. Don't force yourself to do anything." She told me. I couldn't do anything but close my eyes and fall asleep.

✿ --

A woman donning a symmetric dress suddenly appeared. She was gorgeous—her eyes were a deep blue color, and there was a crescent-shaped mark on her forehead.

"Luna, listen to me. It's time for you to know about this world. Do not go near anyone with red eyes." The woman said. I didn't know her, but the more I looked at her, the more I felt like she was familiar.

"Who's Luna? What world and who is that guy? Why should I avoid him, answer me!" I scratched my head as I demanded answers. I didn't have the slightest idea about what she just told me.

"Because he is the chosen one, and you have to stop him." She replied. I inched closer to her and touched her, but she evaporated into thin air.

"Wait, don't go! Who am I and what do you mean by "the chosen one"? Answer me! Please…" I shouted, but she was gone.

I woke up sweating and my hands were shaking.

I didn't notice that my cheeks were wet, which meant that I had cried. "Clueless". That was how I'd describe what happened.

It was only one dream, but it affected my emotions greatly. Who was that girl? I didn't know why, but there was something about her that seemed familiar, like she was a part of my past.

"You're awake." Spoke a deep voice. I turned around to see that it belonged to a boy leaning on the clinic's door.

"Who are you?" I asked. He looked up at me and I saw his deep red eyes.

"Why don't you ask yourself that question?" He retorted, his eyes seemed to be piercing through my soul. He inched closer until I found myself with my back pressed against the wall.

"Who are you, really?" I asked confusedly. Even I didn't know what was happening.

"Don't be swayed by your emotions. If you do, many will perish in the war that you started." He warned. I sunk to the floor as the boy slowly disappeared.

Weird things keep happening to me today—maybe I need to go to a place where my mind could be at peace. I must be stressed, that's why my imagination is running wild.

When I went out of the clinic, it was already noon. Everyone else had probably gone home already. I had been asleep at the clinic for a long time, anyway.

I walked and walked, and I let my feet take me to the lake that had a tree—my favorite place to go to whenever I felt sad. However, the place wasn't empty like it usually was. Next to the tree lay a person wearing a hat.