Chapter 8: Enchantment

"He did not speak, yet his eyes have shown me so much trust. His expression of faith in silence touched my heart."

It was about five o'clock in the morning.

I needed to to do the chores quickly because Hermana Auring was not able to go home last night. Maybe, she preferred to stay with her friend. It is fine as she needed a break anyway.

As I opened the cabinet to get my precious jade comb, I noticed the box of chocolates Antoine gave me.

I took the one shaped like a heart and popped it inside my mouth. The combined sweetness and creaminess of the delicacy was too tempting that I decided to spend a few moments tasting some more.

I was about to get another chocolate with the shape of a fish when a loud thud was heard from above.

It was from Antoine's room.

Then, a glass was seemingly hurled at the floor.

I ran and went up towards his room.

"Antoine!" I called. "What's going on?"

As I heard no response, I attempted to open the door but it was locked. A heavy object slammed on a wall, causing me to shriek.

I rushed to the kitchen and got a knife to force open his door. With one quick jab I destroyed the knob and barged in.

The room was in terrible condition with broken furniture everywhere. I scanned the area for Antoine but he was out of sight.

A pretty girl of about sixteen with scanty clothing that revealed her voluptuous form, was lying on his bed. Her hands were tied on the bed post and seemed to be sleeping.

I felt my blood rise up to my head.

Due to the unexpected and unpleasant sight, I was in danger of suffering from a stroke or brain aneurysm.

My mind exclaimed, "He's with a girl!"

Again. 

"He's with a girl!"

Tsk! Antoine!

Once I get out of here, I am going to write that you ended up with a nagger!

Who would have thought that he will be a good boy turned wild?

Upon further inspection, I found Antoine sprawled on a corner. His hair was a mess and his eyeglasses were broken.

"Hey!" I sat beside him and tapped his shoulder to wake up.

"Bianca..." he responded.

"Wake up, Sleeping Beauty!" I told him while gritting my teeth in annoyance. He felt my anger because he looked at me like he was pondering on what he did wrong. "Treat your girlfriend to a feast!"

"Huh?" he cluelessly muttered. "Girlfriend?"

Then, as if he's woken up in a daze, he realized the awkward situation and quickly sat up.

"It's not what it seems." he was quick to make an alibi. "I do not know her."

"Yeah. Right. You had a very wild night!" I assumed while rolling my eyes. "You disappointed me. I thought you are a decent man."

"You don't understand-"

"No need to explain." I cut him from speaking any more. "Fix your mess." I stood up to leave but he held my hand firmly.

"Wait..."

When I turned to look at him, I saw droplets of crimson liquid on the floor. Blood spurted from his utmost left side staining his shirt.

"Oh my goodness! What happened to you? I will ask for help!"

"Look out!" he pulled me towards him and shielded me.

A strong wind blew and a chair was thrown off breaking the window. If he had not stopped me, I could have been hit. The girl convulsed from the bed and laughed hysterically.

"Come here, Antoine. No need to be shy."  she teased. "Join us!"

Her eyes turned white and her mouth started to foam with black.

"Can you get me a vial of holy water and a crucifix while I try to disable the demons within her?" Antoine requested while holding his bleeding side.

"Is she...possessed?" I saw an evil aura emanating from the girl. If my senses were right, thirteen demons were taking over her body.

I pitied her so much. Her soul might be suffering yet she could not do anything about it.

"Yes. Wait for my signal before you go, alright?" he instructed.

"Go ahead." I bravely responded, determined to save the young lady's life.

He recited a prayer in Latin and as he started to pray the Christian prayer, the "Our Father" he gestured me with his hand to go.

A bone-chilling cry was heard from the poor girl he was trying to exorcise.

I sprinted towards the altar and took everything he asked for. When I returned, I found him sitting on the floor and looking at the innocent girl with great concern.

"You're not supposed to send us back to hell! We'll be always coming back for you!" the demons shouted in unison.

She then turned her head to me in an angle impossibly human. I shuddered as blood came out of her eyes and nose.

"And, you!"

"Do not intimidate us. You know that I won't allow you to lay a finger on her." he warned the demons. "I will send you to hell over and over again."

I handed the holy water and crucifix to him. He recited the rite of exorcism. A horrible scream filled the room when he sprinkled holy water on the girl's body. I closed my eyes and covered my ears because the demons kept on bribing me to make him stop, with things I could not comprehend.

Soon, the wind calmed down.

I heard a real girl whimpering.

"Where am I...please...please...don't hurt me..."

"We won't." I assured her. Feeling that she had no more demons within, I sat beside her and covered her with a blanket. "Do you remember anything?"

"I was getting water from the river and I just woke up here." she wailed and sobbed like a baby.

Antoine started to free her hands. She was so disoriented and her whole body shook in fear.

"Where am I?" she inquired while looking around. Upon seeing the man beside her, she suddenly stopped crying, quickly drawn under his spell.

"Who...who..is he?" Her eyes shone like a teenager seeing her crush. "G-Good morning, Mister?"

"Antoine."

She let out a flirty squeal and excitedly shook his hand.

"Antoine Sta. Maria. The gorgeous one! It is an honor to meet you in person!"

"Well, thank you for the compliment." He humbly told her, making her squeal even louder.

Oh, dear.

She completely forgot her trouble like nothing bad happened.

Teenagers will be teenagers regardless of era.

"Look here." he instructed her, while pointing at his eyes.

The girl looked at him attentively. She bit her lip in anticipation. "Your eyes are gold, I can tell. My sisters will be very envious because I saw you up close and personal."

"You will forget everything about this morning." he began to hypnotize her. "Rest and sleep for now."

Like she was injected with anesthesia, her expression turned blank. She did as was told. He carefully placed a pillow on her head and pulled the blanket up to her chest.

She slept soundly with a slight snore.

He returned to the corner, sat and closed his eyes. I kneeled beside him and observed his injury.

"It's alright. I'll be fine." he said with his usual calmness as if he knew what I was about to say.

"Antoine, you're bleeding!"

The sun's rays passed through the broken part of the window, illuminating his angel-like face.

This creature is of otherworldly beauty that he is not even aware of.

He slowly opened his gentle eyes and

I found myself staring at gold orbs with specks of silver.

"He did not speak, yet his eyes have shown me so much trust. His expression of faith in silence touched my heart."

My mind was in a state of disarray like it was screaming submission to him. He was quick to shift his gaze down, noticing the effect he had on me.

"I'm sorry."

"I...I...have to go!" I stood up in haste and went out of his room. I proceeded to the sink and washed my face to wake myself up from the spell he inadvertently cast on me.

Was that an accident?

Or, did he do it in purpose?

Nope.

"Why would he do that?" I reasoned. "Enchanting people is not his hobby. So probably, it was indeed an accident." I tried to convince myself.

I went out to get some guava leaves to serve as an herbal antiseptic for his wound.

"Just a little more and I will get your babies." I taunted the tree as I jumped to grab the stem full of green and fresh leaves.

"Let me help." He picked it for me.

"A-Antoine!" I exclaimed. "What are you doing here?"

"Are you alright?" he asked me in return. "Did I scare you? I'm really sorry about that. Most of the time, I forget what my eyes are capable of. Rest assured, I won't let you do anything against your will. I promise."

He seemed to be more concerned for me than himself even if he was still spewing blood.

"You're still bleeding."

He touched his wounded side and shrugged his shoulders.

"It's quite painful but I think it is just a scratch."

"You think? Antoine, you're unbelievable!"

Well, sort of, he is fiction after all.

If I were in his situation I'll be dragging myself to the hospital and probably unconscious due to massive loss of blood.

"The truth is I don't want to stay in the room with that girl. She might wake up with me in sight." he sheepisly admitted.

"Let's go inside. Come."

He followed me in the living room.

"Wait here. I'll just boil these leaves and I will be back soon." I instructed him. He nodded and sat on a sofa. After a while I returned to him with the warm herbal mixture.

"Let me see that wound." I pointed at his side. "Remove your shirt.

His eyes widened as if he had seen a white lady in me. "I'll take care of it."  He took the basin from me and put it on the table.

"No, allow me." I insisted. "I doubt it if you will clean that wound nicely."

"Do I really need to remove my shirt, right here? Right now?" he said almost in a whisper.

"Yes. Don't be silly. Would you rather bleed to death than remove that shirt?"

Realizing his hesitation, I attempted to make him feel comfortable. "No worries. I have four big brothers and I see them without their shirts all the time."

"Four brothers?" he asked while  crossing his arms in front of him.

"Where are you going?"

"Somewhere...safe."

"What?" I blurted out with a giggle.

Why do boys get intimidated with girls who have big brothers as siblings?

Especially when all of them are martial arts experts?

I blocked his way yet he dodged like a scaredy cat. We ran like kids around the room with me chasing him.

"Sit down!"

"I can't."

"Why?"

"Your brothers might kill me if they catch me shirtless with you."

"Haha! The great Antoine Sta. Maria is so scared!" I sneered and teased him like a certified villainess. "Ooh. Shake, Antoine, shake!"

But karma hit me so quickly due to my bullying of a good boy who just wanted to escape from me. I stepped on my long skirt and tripped.

He caught me by the waist and I landed on his chest.

For a moment we were like from a scene on a "chick flick".

"Persistent, aren't you? I am going to bleed to death due to the chase."

I pushed him gently and regained my balance.

"You're so hardheaded." I blamed him. "I just want to check on your wound, that's all! My conscience can't take it if you get an infection due to negligence."

"Is that so?" he pondered for a moment as he held his wounded side. "I really appreciate your help. Thank you."

He went to the table and took the basin. He squeezed the wet cloth, raised his shirt and put it on the wound. He winced a little.

"See? It is not that bad." He smiled warmly, just like my long lost friend, Anthony.

A mix of emotions instantly filled my heart like I've seen a dead loved one coming back to life.

My eyes began to mist.

This man, a product of my dreams and imagination is becoming like my best friend every single day. No matter how much I try to convince myself that I am in a "fantasy world", his mere presence makes me believe that everything is indeed, real.

I approached Antoine and hugged him tightly. I cried like a thirteen year old again.

"Did I say something wrong?"

"No, I just remembered something very sad."

"Is there anything I can do?"

I shook my head "no" and wiped my tears.

"Nothing. This is nothing." I turned my back and proceeded to lock myself inside my room.

I opened the window to get some fresh air. A white butterfly landed on the sill and stayed there. It flapped its wonderful wings as a sign of greeting to me.

It is a young soul.

A messenger among the dead and the living.

"Hey, there." I greeted back. It jumped in its place, joyful that I acknowledged its presence.

"Do you know by chance, where Anthony is? He is my best friend. He just disappeared and I do not know where he is. Could he be dead? Have you seen him?"

I got no response from the soul.

It probably said, "No".

"OK. I will still take my chances. Could he be alive then?"

The butterfly flew in circles and went near a Narra tree.

It said, "Yes."