My news feed is bursting with valentine craps. From people who seem trapped in love every freaking day to people who are desperately looking for the love of their life. I passed through pictures of couples greeting each other online. Why can’t they do it personally, eh? They’re just gonna break up, sooner or later – that’s all I’m sure of. It happened to my parents, to my friends, to those I know, even those I don’t know, and I’m sure it would happen to them, too. Why do people put themselves in a situation that would only hurt them in the end? Oh, if only I have the ability to break them apart as early as I can, I could have saved them from greater pain. But then, I’m just ordinary. I can’t even socialize well. I just scroll down, trying to find something more interesting – for me, at least.
I got nothing to do. I’m jobless for the time being, and I’m just too fond of my current situation to find a new job. Maybe next week, yeah. All I want to do is lay down on my bed until I feel too lazy to sleep that I’d be forced to get up. Oh geez. What a life to have on a February. But then what’s the difference between February and any other month? They’re just the same, they all would pass and repeat.
I absentmindedly scrolled until this particular post from a certain Icarus caught my attention. It read, ‘To you, who wants a dark valentine. Comment down and you’re up for a ride you’d never forget.’
I was like, what the heck? I laughed, not because it’s funny, but because it’s just so weird. And who would want a dark valentine and ruin their fantasy of flowers and chocolates on that day?
And since I’m one of the weirdest persons on earth (as what my classmates in high school told me. They believe I’m some kind of a witch), I commented, ‘Yeah sure, what kind of ride is that? ‘
The next thing I knew, I was traveling in another dimension. Wait, am I time-traveling? I wasn’t sure. Well, not before someone spoke.
“You can say that this is time-travel, yeah.”
I turned to where the voice came from. I saw a man, er, how would I describe him? He’s good-looking. That’s all I can say. He was walking with his hands in his pocket. Whoa. Looks like a scene from a movie, I thought.
When he got closer, I noticed his neck-level wavy hair. Why does he have a more gorgeous hair than I do? He has copper hair with blonde highlights. I have a dull black hair. He’s much taller, yes, because I’m just five feet in height. I think this guy is a six-footer, more or less. He isn’t chubby, not slim, and not too masculine. He was wearing a simple white shirt and denim pants. My eyes landed on his face. He suddenly smiled and I think I just saw Jon Snow in him. With a different hair color. Wow.
“Looks like you’re enjoying the view, eh?” He grinned.
“Oh ye – NO!” What was I saying?
He just tilted his head and whispered something I wasn’t able to catch.
My eyebrows crossed. What did he say?
“It’s something I never intend to let you hear, Aziah.” He grinned.
A shiver ran down my spine.
“How do you know my name?”
“Oh, I know a lot of things.” He added, “I even know what you’re thinking right now. You’re afraid of me.” His eyes turned pitch black intensely gazing at me, scrutinizing my soul, I guess.
“Well, I can only read your thoughts, not look into your soul.”
And he can read minds!
“Yes, I can.” He nodded in agreement.
My heart started to race like hell. What did I get myself into?
“Don’t get too nervous yet, this ride hasn’t even started.”
“What do you mean ‘this ride’? I don’t get it,” I managed to ask.
He slowly reached for my hand and intertwined our fingers. I think my heart just skipped a beat. What the hell. He laughed. Oh, sh*t, I forgot, he can read my mind. How can I even stop talking inside my head? It’s my only talent. Geez. When his laughter subsided, he squeezed my hand for a second to get my attention, I guess.
“Don’t you remember? You asked for this. You wanted a dark valentine. I’m giving it to you. You can’t back out now.” He returned to being serious.
Our surrounding suddenly disheveled, forming another place. I gaped at what I saw. This is our house!
“Why are we here?” I turned to look at him.
“Don’t you miss your home?” He smiled.
“This isn’t my home. It’s hasn’t been since God knows when.” I frowned. Bad memories.
“Well, why don’t we come in and find out why we’re here?”
He took my hand before we entered the house. I saw my mom happily humming a song in the kitchen. She was preparing for dinner. Right, I remember this. A little girl rushed to her and hugged her from the back. I covered my mouth with my hands. I can’t cry.
“Mommy, what’s for dinner?” The little girl asked.
“You’ll see, later baby Aziah. Now go call your dad upstairs. Tell him dinner is ready in five minutes. Okay?” She smiled sweetly. How I missed that.
The little girl who used to be me rushed upstairs shouting ‘daddy’ on her way up. Someone knocked on the door so my mom walked from the kitchen to our sala. I followed her, dragging this man holding my hand.
“I’m not just a ‘man’ Aziah. I have a name. It’s Icarus.” He said, dryly.
“Yeah, yeah, who cares what your name is.” I countered.
Suddenly I can’t take a step forward.
“If you don’t like to walk, you better get your hands off me.” I hissed.
I tried to grab my hands, but he wouldn’t let go. He just frowned.
“What?”
“You just bruised my ego.” He said, pointing a finger to his chest.
I rolled my eyes. If we were in a movie or a book, this scene would’ve been cute. But now that I see it with my own eyes, it’s not. It’s disgusting as hell.
“Okay, I quit. Just stop with the ‘disgusting as hell’ in your head.” He let go of my hand.
I rushed to the sala and found my mom talking to a guy. I walked closer, trying to figure out this scene. My eyes widened when the guy raised his head.
“Oh, so you’ve already seen me,” he said as he walked toward me.
“You’re the delivery boy. What were you doing at our house?” Curiosity kicks in.
“Just watch then you’d know,” he whispered in my ear.
The guy, which turned out to be Icarus, handed a brown envelope to my mom. She opened it immediately. Suddenly her eyes widened as a drop of tear escaped from her eyes. Her hands were shaking as she scanned through the papers. I walked closer, only to find out that my mom is holding pictures. Of my dad. With another girl. What the…so this is how it happened? Anger took over me. How dare he ruin my family?
“I didn’t ruin anything. It was bound to happen. I just helped finish it as early as possible. So your mom won’t live in a relationship full of lies. So that she could make her own choice, whether to forgive your dad or to leave him. It was still her decision that would matter.”
“And she chose to push my father away, all thanks to you.” I glared at him.
“You may not understand, but your dad had been with his mistress for three years and your mom didn’t know a thing. She thought everything was fine. Would you rather have her believing that everything is fine when your father keeps on cheating on her?” He asked, perplexed.
I didn’t answer. We both know he’s right, and all I could do was cry. My mom and dad separated and neither of them took me into custody, so I was raised by my grandparents.
Icarus once again held my hand. I just stood there wiping away my tears until it stopped falling. It’s no use crying over spilled milk, anyway. I grew up just alright. My grandparents gave me all the love I needed.
When I raised my head, we’re already in a different place.
“Isn’t this Vince and Mari’s place?” I whispered to myself.
Icarus just stood beside me, without uttering a word. Maybe he’s contemplating. Suddenly a man came – I’m pretty much sure it’s Icarus – who opened a laptop on the table. We were inside Vince’s study room. He switched it on and started pressing several keys on the keyboard. When he was done, he just disappeared.
Wow, he got some powers.
“Yes, I do. You’d like that too?”
I just rolled my eyes.
A minute later, Mari came calling Vince’s name. When no one responded, she checked the laptop and gaped.
“No, this can’t be!” She said in a hushed tone.
“I am not going to marry a man who’s broke!” She hissed.
She rushed outside the study, grabbed her things, and made her way out. So this is why she broke up with Vince? I thought she said he was cheating on her! I even cursed and yelled at Vince when Mari came crying to me. What the heck. We were fooled!
“Vince wasn’t really broke, I just made it seem like it because Mari wanted nothing but his money,” Icarus explained.
“I can’t believe her!” I couldn’t think of anything else to say.
He brought me to several places and showed me how other couples broke up. Some wanted space, some just fell out of love. But in every break-up, Icarus was there to make it possible.
“There’s one last place we haven’t visited yet.”
He held me and off we went to another place. This looks really familiar. Are we in the past or are we –
“In the coming future, yes Aziah.” He stated, finishing my thoughts. “And we are in your best friend’s place.”
“Shiara’s place?” He nodded.
“Why are we here?” I asked, arms crossed.
“This is going to be your first assignment as a dark valentine,” He smiled sadly.
“Who said I’m going to be like you?” I challenged.
His eyes softened.
“You wanted this, Aziah. I’m sorry but you can’t back out. You’re bound to be just like me.”
Anger filled my mind. How dare he decide for me?
“I’m not going to break other people’s relationships! Why can’t they just break up on their own? No, I won’t become like you! That wouldn’t happen! This is just a dream and you are just a dream!”
“You wanted to break them apart as early as possible to save them from greater pain, right? This is your chance to do that. Hey, look at me.” He said as he searched my eyes.
His pitch-black eyes turned to dark brown, showing concern and regret.
I did say that in my thoughts but I never thought this would actually happen. Seeing those people weeping because of their lost love, I don’t think I can take part in their heartbreaks. I won’t do that.
I fiercely shook my head, closed my eyes, and covered my ears with my hands. ‘This is just a dream. This is just a dream’. I kept chanting those words until his voice sounded deep and fainted.
“Aziah.”
I was breathing heavily as cold sweat rushed down on my cheeks. I stared long at the ceiling, trying to calm myself. It was nothing but a weird dream, thank heavens. When I was feeling better, I took a bath and let the cool water relax me. Later that night before going to bed, I checked my Facebook account, just to update myself. I scrolled down the screen until a new status update popped on my wall.
‘It wasn’t a dream Aziah. And you can’t hide from your destiny. You are bound to become a dark Valentine. You are bound to end up like me.’
– Icarus
(End)
Letters From Vier 