It was already midnight but Gisella was still nowhere to be found at the hospital. Meanwhile, Desmond also laid unconscious in his ward, battling for his life. Catherina sat by her son with her head on the bed, fast asleep. The doctors, nurses, and the securities continued checking all the wards and surroundings for her but to no avail. The whole staff present stood in the corridor of the hospital, worried.
" Who last saw her?" The doctor queried, anxious.
" I did, sir– I went to drop some water in her ward." Reina, a nurse at the hospital replied.
" And how was she? Was she behaving weirdly or did you see anything suspicious around?"
She thought for a moment with a creased brow but instinctively tilted her head.
" Um, not so sure of what I saw but it seems she was kind of desolated and quietly seated in her wheelchair without looking up. She kept staring down, gloomy".
" Gosh, Reina–You should have alerted me on that" The doctor cried, nervous. Just then, the door slammed open, drawing their attention.
" Doctor– what happened to Gisella? Where's she? Have you found her?", Lizzy cried, approaching with a pale and weary face.
" Um, not yet but she was brought in here by a young gentleman of her age, severely bruised and unconscious." He explained. " After attending to her, she regained consciousness and was responding to treatment. " He suddenly sighed with a worried look. "But we just couldn't find any trace of her this evening; I mean, one of the nurses went to check on her but found her ward empty."
Lizzy gaped with a flushed gaze.
" What? But where did she go?– How was she able to get out of this hospital without anyone's notice? Gosh!" She echoed. "This is driving me, crazy."
" Calm down, ma'am– We'll find her. The police are already searching for her as well"
Lizzy nodded, devastated with tears running down her cheeks as she settled in a chair in the corridor.
" Where are you, Gisel?– Please come back home. I'm so scared and nervous now. I don't know what I'll do if something bad happens to you." She cried uncontrollably. The doctor drew closer to her and patted her back, consolingly.
" She'll come back home safe and sound, dear. Just calm down....", he assured. Lizzy nodded in response.
***********
Gisella stood in front of the park, 35 meters away from the hospital, nervous. She sighed and strolled into the park, gazing around, anxious. The place was so quiet with no one around. All you could hear was the sound of the wind and the movement of the leaves.
" Grandma!, Grandma?– where are you? " She called. "I need to see you now. I have to save Desmond no matter what. " She cried. Her darted eyes lurked anxiously across the park.
" You finally came, Gisel." A voice called from behind. She jolted, swiftly turning towards the direction of the voice. It was the old woman who had appeared at the hospital the last time. She sat on a bench under one of the trees, staring at Gisel with a smile that can't be explained. Gisella trembled a bit as she trod towards her.
" Grandma?" She stammered. The strange woman responded with a broad smile.
" Yes– I knew you'll one day come in search of me. Come on, come over here." She slowly strolled over to her side, frightened but wearing a composed gaze.
" Sit, here." She drew Gisella closer and made her sit beside her. Gisella kept staring at her in awe.
" I know you have a lot of questions on your mind at the moment but this is not the right time to attend to them. Time is so not on our side but yet, I need to ask you these questions."
She echoed which made Gisel stare with rapt attention.
" Have you made up your mind now? Are you ready to fight for yourself and save those you love?" She queried.
" Yes, Grandma– I need to save Desmond, I can't lose him, please help me." She cried.
" Good, I'm glad you finally accepted who you are." She chortled. "Now you've got to let the old you, the timid, weak, and downcasted Gisella die so that you can embrace the new you, your reflection."
"My reflection?" She mumbled with a furrowed brow.
" Yes, Gisel, your reflection– The real you within. The bold, brave, courageous, and determined, you. Your inner being." She emphasized.
Gisella thought for a while and finally, nodded with a broad smile.
" Okay, I'm ready to let go" She stuttered. "I'm ready to lose this Gisella and love me– I'll, from now onwards fight for myself. Enough with the pain and tears" She exclaimed.
" Good, now you need to go and save Desmond. Natasha is not just a mere human being that you see. She's an angry ghost who had returned to take revenge on your father and his family. She promised to make life more miserable than death for you and Desmond is her victim after your dad and Gina. Now, take this." She handed over around portable mirror and a necklace to her. Gisel stared at the objects with a creased brow as she examined it
" What is this for", she asked, bemused.
" Put that necklace around Desmond's neck and show this mirror at Natasha's soul when it appears anywhere around him. Hurry, go now!"
She tilted her head and jerked to her feet. "Okay, thank you." She smiled. Without wasting any more time, she sped off but suddenly paused some few meters away from the old woman, turning back.
" Who was behind the attack?" She queried but found no one at the bench. "Where did she go all of a sudden "
Gisella gazed around for a while and sighed dashing out of the park towards the hospital, as fast as her legs could carry her.
The young girl from the cemetery suddenly appeared at the entrance of the park, while she stared at her back fade away in the distance. Her lips instinctively curved in a bright, satisfactory smile.
" This is the beginning of our new life, Gisella– No one will ever and ever, suppress us or diminish our character or self_ esteem. From now on, I'll make sure you're who you were created to be." She mumbled and disappeared.
BACKGROUND SONG
LOSE YOU TO LOVE ME _ Selena Gomez
CEMETERY
Natasha pulled over in front of the cemetery and got off the car. She took a black sack, like a bag from the seat next to her and hastily strolled off into the cemetery.
" I'll make sure you never get off that hospital bed alive, Desmond...", she muttered with a chuckle.