C11 Bitten

V E R A L U N A

I woke up weirdly; it was three in the morning; I’d been trying to go back to sleep, but it was no use, so I grabbed my flashlight and blanket and went for a walk.

This is my second night in this village, and everything is going according to plan; the children are way too fast learners than usual, which made me happy.

Children like that must have access to education; they have a good foundation in learning; it’s just that they don’t have government access and don’t usually roam to places like this.

In the future, we might know that excellent engineers, architects, genius scientists, great teachers, lawyers, and many more professionals might be from this rural village. You just have to give them a chance.

“Ahh,” I winced when I felt a pain in my chest; I couldn’t breathe; I held my chest hard and tried to breathe; it was like there was a needle that was slowly losing its thread, “Fuck,” I mumbled, as the pain was fading, “What was that?”

This was the first time I felt that kind of pain, even if it was just for a second; I suddenly had the urge to look at the moon; as I was looking at it, I almost forgot the pain and looked at the shining moon.

I haven’t had the chance to see the moon as bright as tonight. Oh, there was one time. However, it is one of the most painful moments I have been trying to forget.

“Grandpa! Mamita! Look what I’ve got!” I’m running toward my grandparents while holding different kinds of flowers, my young heart and eyes were overwhelmed with happiness, as I run through the flowers.

They brought me to a garden full of flowers in the middle of the forest, it was my twelfth birthday, and instead of throwing a party, I asked them to bring me to the most beautiful yet hidden place. Well, it’s eleven fifty-eight, two minutes before my birthday, but basically, it’s already my birthday, my most awaited day.“Wow, you picked the prettiest flowers, Vera,”

Grandma smiled brightly; she also had some flowers in her hands, Grandpa was asleep for a very long time, and yesterday, he woke up and immediately planned for my birthday.“Mamita, why is the moon so bright tonight?” I asked; I was looking at the shining moon, it was the only source of light for us, but it was more than enough to see the surrounding.

The place was not just a field with flowers but fireflies and trees; I could also hear the gushing water; there must be waterfalls nearby.“Something good will happen; that is my belief when the moon is shining so bright,” she sat in front of me, “Do you know that your name means heavenly?”

“Really?!” I excitedly said.

“Yes, that made you closer to Luna,” she softly said.

“Who’s Luna, mamita?” I curiously asked her.

But mamita just chuckled, “Luna, it’s one of the famous names that mean,” she pointed out the peach-black sky, “Moon, you are closer to Luna, it is located where you are, and you are always bound to be a Luna, like that moon, you don’t need anything to shine, you will shine on your own, even without us,” she was smiling, but I can’t fathom, if that is a happy smile, “You have the same name as hers,” I nodded.

“Why are you saying that, mamita? Will you be gone for long?” She just smiled and kissed my forehead.

Four months after that intimate Celebration, Grandpa breathed his last breath, while Grandma, I hadn’t seen her since I ran away; I heard nothing from her; I didn’t even know if she was looking for me.

I knew that she left me when Grandpa did, and nothing hurts more than that. My uncle was too greedy to realize that he had no family left with him. He was just all about money.

Mamita and Grandpa already gave him his share of their wealth, but he spent it on various unworthy things. The time that we met him again was at the police station.

He was involved in a sexual assault case, where a teenage girl reported being harassed while doing her work, they were about to put him behind bars, but mamita was well-known for being charitable and kind to our place, which made the victim withdraw from its report.

My family, it’s not perfect; still, they are the family I grew up with; even if they left me here alone, I’m just wondering why I haven’t met my parents. I looked at the amulet Sinitra had given me; I had never been to a rural village like this; this was also the first time I taught children that were not attending school, and this was also the first time that I was welcomed warmly to a foreign place, and I was also given a gift for protection.

I grabbed my phone from my pocket; there was no reception in this area, which is understandable. Today is my second and last day in this area; I have a positive output of my work here; I may have to leave some of my materials for the children to use; I’ll maximize my day until the afternoon since I only walked from my car to here.

My eyes widened, and I felt a shiver when I felt another pang of pain in my chest, “Fuck,” this time, it wasn’t just for a split second; it was eating my breath, “F-fucking hard,” to breathe. I couldn’t even finish my word. With that, everything went black.