Connectors of the Two Worlds

Chapter 1

As Clan looked into the deep silver sky, the filthy smell of the mixture of boron and carbon was stinging her nose. She hurriedly covered it with a towel as she wandered at her window. Lots of garbage were scattered around Saint Claire. People were getting busy cleaning their surroundings, happily sweeping and disposing of garbage properly.

The New Year has come and still, old faces were around reminding her of many memories. She thinks something is changing.

She has been dreaming of changes to happen to her. She wished for everything that will awaken her boring life, but as the year flips the pages of her untold story, she felt so withered and aging fastly. She's afraid that death might come at any moment. Until she dreamt of weird things...

She has been distant and somewhat conscious around her circle. But in the end, even if she keeps on thinking about it, it doesn't change the fact that she doesn't have the ability to determine what it is.

This is the start of real life. She told herself just a while ago that she needs a change. The world accepted the new leaves of forthcoming stories and she should write something. Something to be read about. Something to be remembered their whole lives.

Who would have thought that a simple-looking teenager like her will encounter something surreal this time? Will this year be good to her or will it bring her misfortune?

Who knows? If destiny will give her something unusual, who is she to refuse that fate?

Her grandmother once told her before that she will be someone that is needed when the time comes as if their lives depended on her. She will be important and her sacrifice will be the most sought-after, like how people needed the sun.

Clan felt relieved and confused at the same time. If her sacrifice will be as important as the sun, what happens after she sacrifices? Will she be needed after? Will she be that sun? Or will she be useless afterwards? It quite disappointed her with those thoughts.

****

Cervanteses.

Four words to describe them. Respective. Classy. Humble. Influential.

The Cervanteses are the untouchable ones, yet they are very close to Clan's family.

Her dad, Paulo Sanchez; and Mario Giovanni Cervantes are the best of friends ever since High School. They worked together as waiters in a small town restaurant at 24. They both loved cooking and the business world, so they teamed up founding the so-called "The Paul & Gio's Resto". No one in the world could ever possibly hate their specialty dishes in town.

The family consists of Mr. Mario Giovanni Cervantes, the father; Mrs. Sharon Cervantes, the mother; Rexander Louie Cervantes, the eldest son and my best friend; and Rodger Lex Cervantes, the youngest.

Clan felt blessed to be close to them. They are like angels in disguise.

****

Love? Love is sick, that's what Clan knew.

Since the day she saw her mom and dad lost it, she began to lose interest in it. Her mom is not with her anymore. She has a broken family and it happened eight years ago. She never dared to approach one of them about the reasons, but there's still hurt living inside her heart— wanting to ask them the reason. Why it has to be this way?

She has been missing them together for so long. She has seen them for so many happenings where those childish fights and the countless moments of problems they had together are very handled in control. The tenderness and the love in their eyes showing her her completeness, telling her that she is loved.

But everything's different now. She thought that concept of love had a problem with coming into the open. It's barely a reality and felt the past was just a dream.

It all just faded when someone made her felt the difference between the past and the love on someone's page.

She just came up with that idea back when she was seven. She thought it was hilarious and weird, but when the moment came of a sudden, all of the funny and strange things about it were gone and forgotten by her heart all at once.

The touch was nothing at all until Fifth Grade came. It was tickling her senses and burning her sleeping desires. The voice was funny until it had been changing into the manly man she never knew. The attractive Asian eyes everyone loves used by him to reflect her.

She was a loser kid before, never get to know how her abilities would shape her into someone better. She always experience bullying and criticism. She became helpless and stupid, never knew how to protect herself. She just withdrew and curl up back into her shell.

Back then, she saw a light one day after she has read a book entitled, "Destined Chains": about two kingdoms that were destined to be united and be protected by each other's race. Though she could not tell much of the story, it was more like a friendship along with the two crazy people she always hang out with.

The first one is Rex.

Rex, the mighty guardian and the protector of hers. An optimistic person and a weird dusty car lover.

Second is Wednesday Alejandro, the kind of girl you'll say an ideal best friend. She love her for being fancy in her way. She's just simple, a self-motivated person who loves Arts very much and a strong woman who gives strength to protect her friends. She's also thoughtful, smart, brave, and exceptionally humble. She's a geek, too. But not as half as she is!

She started wearing corrective eyeglasses when she was in third grade, as she was starting the too-much-reading habits. Then, there goes the story... she was always bullied.

October 26th, 2015 on a rainy Monday afternoon, she remembered the worse day of her school life. Those wicked schoolmates of hers put a prank on her after class, broke her glasses, and dumped some smelly liquid all over her. She never shouted for help. She had let them bully her and just cried. Then he came to rescue her like he always does. But this moment was the first time she cherished his efforts. That moment she saw her hero.

She saw how his body changed as years passed them by.

He is tall, fair-skinned, slender but masculine. He has this cute irresistible smile that makes her turn away before he melts in her eyes. His eyes are brown as bright as the sun, and it shone like the stars in the sky. He makes her dream all about him.

Even if she had turn away and see other guys she will always come running back hoping for the day he will look at her.

He is like the angel she's waiting for, wearing his gentle and warm smile that touches her life.

He's like a prince. An exotic beautiful prince who's different and unique in his ways, close to her perspective of perfection. Call it hyperbole.

She loves his low-toned voice echoing through every corner of this place. Every sense in her body is yelling and yearning for him whenever his skin rushing through her. His warm breath that smells like heaven once felt on her cheeks.

It seems like there's nothing bad about him because he is very kind, gentle, and very thoughtful.

The problem is... she's just his best friend.

She knew him ever since the day she knew how to make friends. A next-door neighbor and her classmate since kindergarten. He is Uncle Gio's eldest son. His name is Rexander Louie Cervantes.

We have so many differences. She loves cooking like her Dad and Uncle, but Rex loves cars very much. When they were very young, he often collected miniature cars and display them in the glass cabinets in their living room. Dreamt of owning real ones.

She likes it when he's dreaming and talking about cars even if she can't understand his terms.

She mostly spend her entire time at their house especially when the chefs are out manning the Restaurant. It was never a problem since her family is not alien to them, knowing her parents and his parents are friends.

Rex loves what she cooks for him, and he would often praise her whenever it's her turn to cook a family meal. He concentrates when he's eating and only say the word "finish!" when he had to, kiss his Mom or give her two thumbs up and drag Rodger to play X-box in their living room.

"Oh crap! Not again!" Rodger protested as his virtual character on the screen went down on the ground with the "level failed" label on it.

Rex just smiled at him and gave a blunt stare.

"Another round! Another round!" the young man shouted.

Clan just shook her head. They're too childish.

Then they began to have another round of the fight. She suddenly noticed that Rex was not focusing on the battle. His brother was conquering him until her best friend's character had lost.

"Yes!" Rodger stood, hands upholding the joystick and happily jumping there as he celebrated his first victory. Rex got to his feet and patted his brother's head and left the living room. She knows where he goes after this. He always visits his garage whenever he's tired of playing X-Box.

She knew he was finishing his machine. And for a fact she doesn't know why she always watch him down there, she just...well... she doesn't know a single idea.

Imagine how dusty the place was. Even if he always stayed in there, he can not even eliminate the dust particles for being too busy.

He was disassembling the wheel from the body when he noticed her— or us she so predictable?

"Hey! I was just watching!" She smiled indifferently at him. Seems like she's been like this whenever he looks at her.

"You always were..." he shook his head continuing his work.

"Umm... I liked our lesson in Social Studies today! Do you know how old is the civilization of Syrians now?"

"How about the equivalent of 3,000, 894, 576 square meters in miles?" he asked back.

"Ehhh?" She raised her brows indifferently. Then he laughed, probably because she looks stupid and for a fact that she hated Math?

Maybe...

"Why are you such a KJ?" She looked at him in frustration, hands on both sides of her waist.

"And why are you such a shabby baby? Why don't you just sit and watch what I will do with this stuff?" he said as he continued wrecking the poor old motorcycle his Dad bought him from Tristan's, our few-blocks-away neighbor.

Sigh. He never changes.

"Doesn't it even looked like I'm entertaining you just a little?" She may look so desperate to keep him company right now, but there's still a part of her that wanted to throw a flame on him and make him realize how he's missing something in his head.

A common sense.

"Well if that's the case, thanks... but no thanks..."

"Too serious, huh? That's just junk you wanted to make. It's a probable project-chaos! And to think that Uncle had wasted his peso just to purchase that junk for you," she said rolling her eyes, speculatively looking at the whole of the old motor parts he tries to revive.

The body was naturally eaten by the weird red color called rust, and recently experiencing the decomposing phenomenon. Like if someone would ask her, it's useless reanimating.

He smirked as if she wasn't able to make a nerve out of him. Yeah, maybe that's true. She has never annoyed him. He always forgives and has this weird bottomless patience. It makes her only fall for him harder than the hardest.

She shook her head meekly. This is crazy. She should stop this stupidity. He's just her self-appointed brother. And I'm just a best friend, period.

"How's your preparation for the contest?" he suddenly asked after a moment of silence.

"What do you mean, a contest? Geez, Cervantes! That's the creepiest thing I have ever heard from you. There is no way I'm gonna do that. Never," she uttered with a determined voice. She's probably the typical goodie school girl, but there is no chance of her doing that sort of contest her Alma Mater is participating in. All she's waiting for is to graduate and get the hell out of there. It's catastrophic, she can tell. It's a serious one and there's no chance of getting a click to that. Not a chance.

"Wait... Woah! Woah! You mean you've rejected the Math Contest Mrs. Briones was urging you to sign up for? Are you even nuts?!" he became a little overacting jerk. His facial expression is like when her father is scolding her.

"Are you even listening to my whole school drama? I'm not like you who is loving and being loved back by that horrible subject! It's hardly my genre, for Pete's sake!" She held her forehead dramatically then sighed.

"But that's a National Contest you're letting go! It might be a chance to go to a good University and have a Scholarship."

"Yeah, it's tempting. But it's not for me, Rex. I hate Math! And why on Earth would a Math Hater be joining that weird Contest? It's as if I'm preparing my own grave. It's the end of my beautiful life!" it's the aftermath. A black hole.

He shook his head. "You know what? You're the only person in this world who doubted herself. Doesn't it even occur to you why I'm forcing you to change your mind? It's because I believe you can do it, Clan. And tell me, why in the world would Mrs. Briones be pursuing you to take it if it's easy for her to peak on one of those Math Wizards in our School? Why would she waste her time on you?" That made her so dumbfounded.

Yeah, why would Mrs. Briones? For her, she's just a nobody. A Math Hater, and yet they wanted her to sign up. It's totally crazy.

She couldn't answer instead she stepped back and started walking.

But somehow, he prevented her from walking away again, and tell her these words she always hear from him: "Hey, I know you can do it. You just need a little practice and don't worry I'm always here to help you out. I'm counting on you." He smiled at her assuredly, it enlightened something in her heart.

She smiled back at him. She never uttered a word until she felt him embracing her.

She's too tired to reject this feeling anymore. She still loves him no matter how impossible it is to make his heartbeat for her. She's just a friend, and she'll be forever like that to him. She tried everything she could to ignore this funny feeling but as years pass by, she has only grown this feeling deeper and stronger.

But he mustn't know.

They were like that for almost five minutes when suddenly his phone rang. They separated and he looked for his phone from his pocket.

"Umm... I gotta answer this call, would you mind?" he said almost a whisper, like the usual Rexander who touched many people by his politeness.

"No... Go on." She nodded then he turned around and answered the phone.

"Hey, Ash..." she heard him. Who else would it be?

It's only Ashley. The reason why she should keep her feelings only to he4 alone. It's because loves her very much.

Ashley is their classmate and a popular student because of her promising traits a man should fall for. She's witty and a friendly person. She has all a woman that has to have, and from a well-spoken family.

Ever since she attended their school, "Saint Claire Academy," she became a regular candidate for Beauty Pageants that she almost conquered. And one can say it again, she's beautiful.

That's the reason why she has kept her feelings for Rex because she knows what both Ashley and she have differently. Well, for a friend she should be supportive when it comes to her friends' decisions. She has always supported their relationship since then.

Everything he does, she always supports him, even if he's doing it out of stupidity or desperation. She always got his back and be affirmative to his decisions, even if it means to support him in reviving a total-wrecked machine and ended up smashing it.

She has tried giving heart-warming advices to him but it ended up to be in reverse most of the time.

She's only silently praying that someday...somehow... He'll know what she feels inside and he'd be able to return it for her. But that chance won't be necessarily important anymore.