SAGE was looking pale the moment his feet set on Reinald’s front yard. She knew he was nervous.
Selen had convinced him to talk to Reina’s family. That’s the only way she knew he could redeem himself. It was not an easy task because they were unsure if Reina’s family would accept his apology, especially Reinald. She had known him for years. Reinald was not the forgiving type of person.
She held his hand. She just hoped that it could somehow comfort him.
“Are you ready?” He gave her a side-way glance. “If you’re not ready yet, then we could postpone this—”
“I’ll do it now,” Sage said and knocked at the door.
Reinald’s mother opened the door. Her eyes widened the moment she saw Sage. But she managed to remain calm.
“What are you doing here?” Auntie Rona asked in a low tone.
Selen wondered how they managed to live in the same neighborhood with their house facing one another.
“I-I’m here to—”
“Who is that, Mom?” asked Reinald, who was going down the stairs with his backpack. “Oh, Selen—what the hell are you doing here?” His voice echoed inside the house.
Reinald pushed Sage hard enough, his hand slipped from her grip. Her friend grabbed Sage by the collar.
“What did I tell you, huh? I’ve warned you not to show your face on us ever again because I’m going to kill you!”
“Rei…” She tried to pull her friend away.
Reinald pushed her to the side. “This is between me and Sage.”
“Rei, don’t hurt him. Sage came here to apologize—”
“Ah, so this scumbag finally told you that story,” her friend said through gritted teeth. “Apologize? Do you really think apologizing will bring my dead sister back to life you—”
“I’ve been living in guilt for three years,” Sage burst out in tears. “Every night the memory of that day haunts me. I know I have wronged Reina and your finally. And yes, apologizing could not bring her back—”
“Fuck you, Sage!”
Reinald punched Sage in the face and pushed him to the ground. They rolled over to the grass until Sage was the one under.
“Enough, Reinald!” his mother shouted.
But her friend did not listen, he continued assaulting Sage, and the latter just would not fight back. But Selen could not just stand there and watch the two hurt each other. She ran towards them to stop the fight.
She snaked her arms around Reinald’s waist and pulled him with all her might. It was hard, but soon she succeeded in pulling him away.
“Let go of me, Selen! I will kill him!” Reinald snarled.
“Rei, please stop now… Don’t hurt him. This is not you.” She hugged his waist tightly.
Sage was still lying on the grass, wiping the blood on the side of his mouth.
“He killed my sister!”
“It wasn’t him, Rei. It was an accident!”
“But if not for him, that wouldn’t happen!” Reinald fell on his knees and cried.
She bent over and wiped his tears away.
“It’s all in the past now, Rei. No matter how much you hate him, it will never bring back what’s gone. What you have to do now is to forgive and move forward…”
Reinald looked at her with disappointment.
“And now you’re telling me that? So, you’re choosing him over me?”
He pushed her away which made her fall to the ground.
“I’m not choosing—”
“Come on, Selen! We both know that you adore him!” her friend snapped.
Reinald stood up and walked towards his car. He got in and sped his car away.
Selen looked up and cried. She did not want to choose between Sage and Reinald. But it seemed like she could not have both.
“Are you all right?”
She turned to Sage, who was now standing beside her.
“No, I’m not.” Selen would never feel right now that Reinald was mad at her for real. He must have thought that she was siding with Sage while leaving him behind. “My best friend hates me now.”
“I’m sorry, this is all my fault. I shouldn’t have asked you to come with me.” Sage lowered his head.
“Stop apologizing as if you dragged me here. I came with you on my own accord, remember?” She brushed the grass off her jeans.
“Why, Selen? Why are you like this? Why are you helping me when I—”
“Because you need help.”
Sage stared at her, trying to read what was on her mind.
“I don’t believe you,” he said afterwards.
“And why?” She put her hands on her sides and cocked her head.
Selen did not get any response. He just held her hand and tugged her back to his house.
“You should talk to Reina’s parents. Reinald would not listen—”
“I’ll talk to her parents some other time,”
SHE tried contacting Reinald, but his phone was out of reach. Selen was worried about her friend because his parents said he has not come back home since he left. No one knows where he went to.
“Selen…”
She turned in the direction of the door when she heard Nana Violy’s voice outside her room.
“Yes, Nana?”
Her grandma opened the door.
“Reinald’s parents are here. They want to talk to you.”
She immediately ran downstairs to see them.
“Selen…” Auntie Rona ran to her. “Did he call you?”
She shook her head and sigh. “I’ve been trying to call him since this afternoon, but he won’t answer my calls. His phone is now out of reach.”
“I asked his classmates if they know where he is, but they didn’t know too. They said he didn’t even attend his classes for today.” Auntie Rona started crying. “I’m so worried about him…”
She turned in her grandmas’ direction.
“Can we try to locate him, Nana Cora?” she asked.
“It’s been ages since I last cast a locator spell.” Nana Cora sighed. “But we should give it a try.”
“We need something that could connect us to Reinald,” said Nana Violy.
“Then, let’s do it in their house,” Selen suggested.
HER GRANDMA cast a locator spell on Reinald’s house with his belongings. Nana Cora used a candle and oiled paper to view where he went to. An image resembling a hill appeared on the oiled paper.
“Did he go mountain climbing?” Auntie Rona turned to her husband.
And then, Selen suddenly thought of something.
“Where did you bury Reina?” she asked Reinald’s parents.
“We buried her to the private cemetery nearby,” Reinald’s dad said.
“At Everest?”
“Yes.”
“Reinald’s there. Let’s go.”
She went to the cemetery with his parents.
Her guess was right. They found her friend on his sisters’ grave.
Selen told his parents to just wait inside the car.
“How brave of you to have a slumber party at a cemetery when you’re alone,” she said as she sauntered towards him.
He sneered and took a sip of beer from the bottle.
“How did you know that I’m here?”
“Nana Cora cast a locator spell to find you.”
“Ah, right. I have a friend that came from a family of witches.”
“Rei…” She sat beside him. “Do you really have to hurt him?”
“Do you resent me now because I have this desire to kill your future husband?”
“Can’t you forgive him?” She looked at him, but he looked away.
“It’s been three years, Selen… Three years isn’t that long to make me forget everything.” She heard his sobs. “My sister was too young to die. She was full of dreams. But everything disappeared in just a blink…” Reinald’s voice trailed off.
She cupped his hand and pressed it gently.
“I know how much you love your sister that it hurts you so much to lose her. But resenting Sage won’t do you good. Letting your anger consume you will turn you into someone you’re not, Rei…”
Reinald buried his face on her chest and cried his heart out.
“I’m not forcing you to forgive him now. But I hope that someday when the wounds in your heart have already healed, you’ll forgive him…”