November 14, 2017. Diary Entry 1
I had a plan. I told everyone I knew to start writing these 'diary entries'. It's been 4 days, and God knows that it's been such a long weekend.
No one's sure how it happened, or why. I expected more speculation, more inquiries, people with just as much of questions as I do. Maybe, most are just scared to ask them, fearing of what could happen if they find out. Everything that's happened were all so sudden. It's why I decided to write this, to collect my thoughts and make sure I don't go insane myself.
It started on the night of November 10th 2017. It was quiet but it wasn't exactly unusual for Pilar Village to suddenly be quiet, but it wasn't exactly something that happened each night. That should have been the first clue of the things that would come. I was out of the house, on my way home from school, when suddenly the church bell rang. I was confused as our church didn't have mass during Fridays, or in this kind of hour. My confusion soon turned to fright when people suddenly came running in from the direction of the plaza.
A sane person would run away, go along with the crowd, or maybe hide in a house or a building that might serve protection.
I, however, being the person I am, ran directly to where the commotion started.
I knew exactly what I was thinking and I knew that it was incredibly stupid.
I wanted to know what was going on. So I ran against the crowd, hands up my chest to offer protection as I was pushed into wherever the fuck, or whoever, came in my way. People screamed, and I'm pretty sure I saw a few children crying and people locking the doors of their houses, to no avail. Whoever was terrorizing everyone here likely had a plan to enter in- if they wanted to anyways.
And that's when I saw them.
The first thing I noticed were their cloaks. It was Harry Potter-esque. The hoods they were wearing completely covered their faces despite the light. It was surreal. They walked in unison, a column of 5 with 3 rows. This was either some kind of prank, or a cult.
My phone rings, well, vibrated. I grab it from my pocket immediately.
It was Carl.
"Ysa? Where are you?" he asks, I can hear the worry in his voice. I duck away from a woman flailing her arms as she ran, and went inside an empty store for cover.
"Plaza." I say, heart thumping. I lock the door behind me. "I'm in an empty store. The one infront the main quadrangle."
"What? What are you doing there?" he demands, "That's where it all started, Ysa! Fine. Just stay there, I'm on my way."
"Boy, you don't even know which store I'm in!" I argue. I look outside, and to my surprise, evevryone was gone. Infact, there was even no sign or trace of the people in cloaks. "I don't think you should go here."
"No. I'm heading to exactly where you are right now. I have a tracker on your phone." he says.
I say nothing, shocked. I tried to regain my senses. On one side, I'm glad that he's worried and on his way here (though I would prefer it more if he was safe), on the other side, how- no, when did he start tracking my phone?
I say this aloud.
"It doesn't matter, I'm close by. Since you're already in a shop, go grab some stuff. Only the important ones, Ysa. Basic necessities. Leave everything else."
"And by everything else, you mean school stuff?" I ask, placing his voice on speaker.
"Yes."
I frown. "Isn't this technically stealing? What of the people who owns this place?"
"That's your concern?" he says, "I know." he adds, though his voice doesn't sound regretful at all. "We really don't have much of a choice."
I have no idea what is going on, but I knew better than to doubt my boyfriend. Especially when its about something like this. Luckily, the store was still stocked. I remove most of the items in my bag, all of my books, notebooks, and other miscellanous school stuff, leaving only my laptop and it's charger. However, the comfort of Carl didn't stop the questions forming in my head. Despite this, I start grabbing can after can and drink after drink. Prepping food the way I'd usually will in a field trip.
"I'm at First." Carl says, "Take a look outside if it's clear. I'm in the family car."
Santol was the street where we 'first' met. I remember it bright as day. The way he walked up to me, our first hug, and our reassuring that yes, this was real. Carl and I have four possible meeting places. First Santol, then school, then my house, then his. It was a flow that we created in order to keep a look out of each other in dangerous scenarios. A complete 48 hours, a blue sharpie signalling we've been there, then unto the next destination.
He's.... paranoid.
Very paranoid. And no, not in a negative way (though sometimes it might look like it) His plans, this one especially, is probably the reason we're still together. And I mean together alive, not just together romantically.
I take a peek outside.
"The entire place is empty." I tell him, "Where is everyone?"
"Gone." he says, "Which is why you need to get here now. There should be an exit at the back of there."
I take one last long look outside. Looking back, I felt a little guilty that I didn't call my mom, or a friend. I was so focused on Carl the very moment I heard his voice. But as guilty as I was, I didn't regret it.
I swung my backpack on, grabbed my phone, took one last long look outside before heading to where Carl should be.
I actually saw him first before the car. He wasn't inside the empty lot this time, instead, he was leaning his back on the car, a worried look on his face, and he kept on twirling around his phone. Like the first time we saw each other, relief immediately flows to his face. We hug, and he gives me a kiss.
"Get inside," he says as soon as we break apart.
Once in, I finally allowed my confusion to take over.
"Where are we going?" I ask. Most obvious questions first, generalized ones, before the specifics or hard ones. In this case, the most obvious question was almost just as hard to answer as the others. The next thing I knew- it was day time. Carl stops the car immediately, I can hear the wheels screech as he breaks.
"What the fuck!" He says.
It was an understatement.
What the ACTUAL fuck!" I say, hands on the heather. I look at Jem, who was staring at the road in confusion. He looks at me.
"What time is it?" he asks. I take out my phone- 8:23 P.M. Here in the Philippines, during that time, the sun has already set and you can see the full view of the night sky. But now, it suddenly looks like it just passed noon.
"This is actually happening." he murmurs to himself. I have never been so confused (and scared) in my life. But I get a grip.
"Carl." I say, "Do you have any idea what the hell is going on?"
That was my last memory of that night. Why? I have no idea. I didn't exactly black out but the aftermath of that question- the memory of it- is like looking at murky water. It was distorted, unfocused, as if someone had decided to mess up my head by dumping water inside.
I can't say that I haven't seen Carl since then, because I have. It's odd, seeing a younger version of someone you love. Especially if it’s your boyfriend, and especially if he doesn't know who you are. I panicked at first, the first night here was tough. I cried a little ( a lot ) but I knew I needed to put up a straight and strong face. I can't let my emotions get ahead of me, not in this situation.
Every student in Pilar is here, and by every, I mean students- people- adults even- that went through Pilar, is here. Carl Franc, a graduate of San Antonio, school year 2011-2012 and he's 16. In fact, there wasn't a single person here who wasn't 16.
Ysa sighed. She closed her notebook then leaned back to a tree. She felt so overwhelmingly tired, the first week at this new shithole had been incredibly hard. She had to manage her classmates, get them to actually fucking listen to her, and make sure none of them did something incredibly stupid. Although it wasn't as hard as she had originally thought. The older students, the one that was in the same position as Carl, helped her out. They even gave her tips on how she could trick them to listening to her.
The people in this place didn't come in in one go. They came in batches. The farthest ahead of them came in a month ago, and the latest just earlier this morning. All of them were 16 year olds ranging from 40-80 per batch. What's also weird is that they didn't all come from the same birth years, making her think that whoever took them had some time travelling device. The farthest batch away from them were from the year 1973, a complete 21 years away from when her batch was born. What was more odd (but it actually made sense), not everyone from her class appeared with her on the same day, a few of them appeared on the next one. They were born in the year 2003.
In short, people that came in a day later are a year younger than the people that came the day before them. With that, Ysa concluded that Carl came in exactly 8 days before she did.
She takes a long look at her phone, its clock was showing that it was 11:30 pm. She had figured that with everything that was going on, (especially with the whole "night turn day" thing that happened the night they were taken) she didn't really trust anything.
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Despite her phone saying it's 30 minutes til midnight, the place that they were at seemed to be early morning. Ysa was outside the building they were staying in (stuck in), green landscape went as far as the eye could see. People she knew were sitting in groups, her classmates, her friends, Carl and his friends, and the rest were just people she saw at school. She stands up and stretches before making her way to her friends.
No one seemed to be panicking today.
"Hey, Ysa" says Jeremy. "I hear an official broadcast will finally be held tomorrow." Jeremy Loraine has been Ysa's best friend since childhood. They went to the same school together and the lived on the same street.
Ysa gives him a look. "Really?" she says, "That's the fourth 'official broadcast' I've heard since we got here."
"You don't believe it?" asks Kristine, another friend of hers.
"I don't know." she answers truthfully, sitting down with them.
The group consisted of Jeremy Loraine, Kristine Reyes, Dale Garcia, and Leo Torres, aka the only group of teenagers that Ysa trusted at the very moment.
"I have never been so at lost in my entire life." says Ysa, flicking a piece of grass "I'm actually finding it hard to believe what's happening."
Leo sighs. "We gotta accept it, man." he says, lying down. "I mean what else can we do?"
"We can try to find out what's going on." Kristine says, giving them all a look. "I mean, I know it sounds crazy-"
"because it is." butts Leo in. Kristine glares at him.
"You heard what Ysa said!" she says, "what else can we do? We can't just stay around here and do nothing."
"But we can't just rush into it either, right?" says Dale, speaking up for the first time. "I mean it's been what? a week?"
Jeremy makes a face. "A week?" he says, "No, Dale. It's only been four days."
"What? No way" Dale replies, he fixes his glasses. "It feels like it's been a week!"
"I actually can't deny that." says Leo, sitting back up again. "I'm game with Krissy's plan."
"Don't call me that!"
Ysa shakes her head, thinking. It's only been four days, they had absolutely no idea what was going on except that there's a supposed 'broadcast' that would happen tomorrow. She didn't think it would be a good idea to provoke whoever the fuck took them so early. Especially since they know nothing. She says this outloud. Hence, silence spread between the five friends.
"So, we should wait it out?" says Leo.
Kristine looks surprised. "That doesn't sound like you."
"I know." Ysa tells her. "But we have literally no idea what the hell is going on. I say we wait till this broadcast, if there is one, and decide from there.
"And if there isn't one?" asks Jeremy.
Ysa gives him a pained look. Knowing well that she can't really answer his question properly, and yet- "Then we find out what the fuck is going on."
The Building (they had no idea what else to call it) rings, and the now familiar tune of the teleprompter follows. "Attention: Please head to the Cafeteria for Lunch." This repeats three times. The five stands.
"Good timing!" Dale says, stretching as he stands. "I'm hungry as fuck. You know, if there's one thing you can give this place credit for, it's the food."
Leo nods. "They probably tortured some poor chef to cook them all."
Dale snorts, "oh man, I'd hate to be that guy."
"I'd hate to be the guy who'd eat your cooking" says Jeremy. Leo laughs as Dale punches him in the arm. The trio walked ahead, the two girls lagging behind.
Kristine gives Ysa a concerned look. "You okay?" she asks.
"Yeah." she shrugs. "I mean, I'm doing better than the first day."
Kristine gives her a nudge. "You're not convincing me." she says. "I saw you looking at your young boyfie just a while back."
As she says that, Ysa can't help but to look at said boyfriend (future boyfriend?). He was laughing along with friends, his loud voice carried through the open field. His dark hair was swept down to the right, but Ysa could still see it sticking up in a few places, absolutely refusing to just stay down the way he wants. His glasses flash, and his face turns to look at her.
Ysa blushes and looks away, not wanting to remember their first meeting (Is it considered their first?) and drags Kristine on forward ahead to their boys.
Kristine gives her a one armed hug as they entered the building.
"So not okay." she says. Ysa sighs, shuffling closer.
"I'll be fine."
Leo turns around. "Of course you will be!" he exclaims. "You have me with you!"
Jeremy rolls his eyes. "You mean us, right?" he says. "You can trust is Ysa."
"I know that guys." she says.
"So there's no need to be so down, okay?" Dale adds. "You know, to make you feel better, I'm gonna go grab you some cake at the cafeteria."
"Thanks, Dale" she says, giving him a smile. Kristine snorts, making Dale look at her.
"What?'' he says, blushing slightly. Ysa nudges her slightly in the arm, small enough for Dale not to notice.
The act just made Kristine laugh.
After lunch, the quartet decided to go around the Building. Ysa, however, decided to go back and stay at the open fields. She takes a look around and see that there were not so much people there. She lies down and stares at the sky, not doubting that said sky was just as fake as the one from the place she left.
The sun gave just enough heat that would be enough to warm her. The wind began to pick up, giving a soft gentle breeze. The weather was just perfect to lul her to sleep. But yet, she couldn’t. Instead, she continued to stare at the sky. Thinking about everything that was happening so far. She rereads the diary entry she wrote earlier that morning, trying to make her brain somehow remember what happened after dark became day.
But it all availed into nothing.
She groans, flopping her hand into her side, stubbornly not letting her eyes well up with tears. Ysa… Ysa had no idea what to do.
She sits up, aggravated. Glaring angrily at the open fields.
“Now what has mother nature ever done to you.”
Ysa jumps, although she knew whose voice it was, even if it did sound a little different. She wipes her eyes hastily with her sleeve. “Nothing.” she mumbles.
Carl gives her a look. The two stand there awkwardly for a moment.
“So,” he says, finally breaking the awkward silence. He pats his hair down, a mannerism Ysa knows he does when he’s nervous, or- well. Feeling awkward. “My friends told me to talk to you.” he pointed his finger to a group of people nearby another tree, taking comfort in its shade.
“They did?” Ysa asks, looking up.
“What?” he says.
Ysa coughs to clear her voice, blushing slightly. “What do you want to talk about?” she says instead, punching down her emotions.
Carl leans against the tree, arms crossed. “I don’t exactly know."
“Oh" she says. “I’m sorry for the other day.”
Carl grimaces. “Let’s not talk about it.” he tells her, shaking his head. “Though this must be really hard for you.”
Ysa says nothing, deciding to look at the open fields instead.
“Was he with you?” he asks.
“Yes he was.” Ysa replies. She looks back at him. “I think, anyways. I don’t remember much.”
“You and me both.” he says, sitting down. He motions her to sit down as well.
Ysa sits down. “What do you remember?” she asks, “If you don’t mind me asking.”
Carl shakes his head “Well there’s nothing much to say.” he says, “The last thing I remember was falling asleep. I’m pretty sure you’ve heard more exciting stories than mine. Didn’t you go around the other day telling people to start writing diaries?”
“Yes I did that.” Ysa tells him. “I thought it was a good idea.”
“You think they’re messing with our memories.” He says.
Ysa nods.
“That’s pretty smart, actually.” he admits.
Ysa draws up her knees.“Aren’t you curious with what’s going on?”
"Of course I am.” he says, sounding a little annoyed. “But I doubt we can do anything about it. We just gotta accept and move on.”
“I’m not going to accept until I know where- well, you went.” says Ysa. “They gotta know.”
Carl snorts, “Do you even know who ‘they’ are?” he asks. “You have no idea what’s going on. What do you think can you do?”
Ysa snaps,“Well I know I can’t just sit here and do nothing!” she gives him a look “I’m not going to do anything stupid.” she says.
Carl raises his hands in surrender. “Okay then little lady.” he says, making her glare at him. “Your name is Ysa, right?”
“Alyssandra Montilla.” she says. “But yeah you can call me Ysa.”
“So what happened?” he asks, “when you were taken?”
Ysa gives him a long look. She didn’t really know if she could trust him yet. Though, he was Carl… She sighs, handing him over her diary. Carl holds up his hand to get it, but Ysa doesn’t let go.
“I know a lot of shit about you..” she falters, staring at him. He looked so cute, actually, he still had a baby face, his hair kinda went all over the place, and his glasses were a little askew, he also had blue braces. Oh Ysa remembered the time when he still had them on.
“So you’re gonna blackmail me?” he says with an eyebrow raised.
Ysa grimaced. “Well-”
“No, no.” he says, voice tight. “I understand naman. I won’t tell anyone else, if it really bothers you.”
“Thank you” she says, letting go of the notebook.
“Though you could have just said that.” he points out. “Nice drawings.” he says.
“Thanks.” she repeats, quieter this time.
Carl reads quietly, back pressed against the tree. A breeze sweeps in, cold enough to make Ysa shiver slightly. She looks at the sky, it still looked like they were in the afternoon. Then again, she never had the skin for cold weather. She did love it though.
“Huh.” he adjusts his glasses, “I see.” he says, standing up “Well then! Thank you, Ysa”
“For what?” she asks, standing up as well.
“Trusting me.” he says, “trusting me enough, anyways.. I just wanted to know how future me ended up.”
“I don’t know where he is.” Ysa says, tidying her pants “I’ll find him though.”
Silence.
Ysa looks up to him. Carl was looking at her.
“Thank you.” he repeats. Ysa felt herself blush.
“Yeah, yeah.” she mumbles. “I know he’d do the sa-”
Ysa gets cut off as a siren wailed from the building. Carl jumps, head snapping to look at his friends, Ysa’s eyes follow. They seemed to be alright, though extremely alarmed.
“What now” he says, eyes narrowed.
“Attention!” says a booming male voice, so unlike the lady that spoke during breakfast, lunch, and dinner. “Meet up at Great Hall!”
“C’mon.” Carl says, motioning her to follow him. The dup ran up close to his friends.
“What’s going on?” asks a guy. Bry, Ysa thinks, one of Carl’s close friends.
Ysa shakes her head. “We don’t know” she says. Ysa looks at her phone, it said it was 4 am. Dammit, where were her friends? She looks at the building, before the booming voice spoke again, saying the same thing. She remembers what Jeremy said earlier that morning, they did say that there was going to be a gathering but he said it was tomorrow.
“We should go.” she says finally as she saw people begin to flood in the doors, looking just as confused as they were. Ysa squints, trying to make sense of the figures going in, all while slightly jogging in herself. One figure looked familiar, and it was Jean, her fellow batchmate. Ysa took a glimpse back to see if Carl and his friends were tailling behind her, and they were.
She looks back front to see that Jean spotted her as well. Ysa waves.
She doesn’t wave back, instead, she does something Ysa didn’t expect.
Like in a blink of an eye,
she disappears.