TEARS show anew as Callea cleaned up the clutter in her room. Her sketches were crumpled but there's no tear. Her costumes were all over the place and her skeleton friends were detached. She could easily fix those. But she couldn't fix the mess she had created.
She heard the sounds from Deive's room as he packed his clothes. She couldn't face him. Would he believe in her? And will he accept her if she told him the truth?
She was in shambles when Marina entered her room. "O! What are you doing here, Señorita? Your groom is about to leave. He said he won't come back here anymore. He was also mad at me. He said that we are in connivance in terrorizing him. What do I know about that?"
"I am sorry. He learned the truth about me. He entered my room a-and she saw me looking like a bloody white lady. He thought that I am just trying to scare him so he won't go through with the wedding."
"Since the beginning, I told you to tell him the truth, remember? You didn't listen to me. Now, this happened," she sermoned.
"If I showed him the real me, I am sure he would be scared right away. I mean, who would marry a weirdo like me? Grandpa Thomas would be mad if I do that. Deive would think that I am crazy. He would lose his interest to stay here in Villa Celesta." She was only thinking about her own welfare. She didn't want to lose the house.
"Well, you are bound to lose Villa Celesta now. You are cooped up inside your room and crying. As if it would help. It was as if you are counting your last days in this house. Do you want to lose this place?"
Callea shooked her head. "No! I don't want to leave the mansion. This is our home."
Villa Celesta was not only for her but for Marina and Luna. It was their safe haven from all the judgmental people who wanted to harm them. They could leave there without judgment. They were happy there.
Callea didn't want Marina to suffer from people who hurt her and put her down because of her physical appearance. She wanted her friend to feel comfortable with herself and appreciate her own beauty. She didn't need validation from people who thought they were better than other people and enjoy putting other people down because of their physical superiority.
She wanted Luna to keep on receiving love from her, not the cold streets with people who are cruel to animals or other cruel cats who thought she was a competition when it comes to food.
And Callea didn't want to face the danger of the world because of her own beauty. She didn't want any more blood in her hands.
"Then talk to Deive while he is still here. He is still your visitor. Be a gracious host. You must fix this. Show him that you didn't intend to harm him or lead him on. I think he will understand."
She didn't want to face Deive or beg him to stay. It would be impossible for him to listen. But he was too good to her. She just wanted to thank him and show him that he was appreciated. Marina was right. She couldn't let Deive go without clearing things up. She wanted them to part on good terms. He deserved to know the truth.
"I will just take a shower. Can you tell Deive to wait for me in the living room? Tell him not to leave yet. I... I just need to talk to him." Marina answered her with a nod and left the room.
Callea didn't waste time. She washed away the grime of synthetic blood on her body. After taking a bath, she had chosen a clean flowing white gown. It was a new one that she hadn't worn yet. At least she didn't look that scary on that gown but she still looked presentable. She left her face devoid of make-up. She didn't clip her hair and let it flow on her back.
When she went downstairs, Deive was standing in the middle of the living room. He was holding a cup of tea and his luggage bag was already at his feet. It looked like he was ready to go. She felt at a loss as if she was used to his presence.
He looked in her direction when he heard her footsteps. His face darkened and drank the tea in a gulp. As if he was in a hurry to end everything and get away from her as soon as possible.
"Thank you for waiting." She noticed that the scratch on his arm was already treated. She asked Marina to take care of him a while ago.
"I don't want to leave yet without thanking you for your hospitality," he said with sarcasm. "If you don't want to marry me, you should have told me from the start. You don't really have to put on this show. You only made it hard for yourself.
She laid her palm to indicate the sofa. "Take a seat."
"I prefer to stand. Thank you. I won't stay for long after all."
Callea sat down at the antique wooden sofa and crossed her ankles. "I just want to clear some things before you go. You might get tired of standing so long. This could be a long, long story."
He was forced to sit on the sofa across her. "Then make it short. It is a long way back to Manila. I don't want to waste any more of your time. We already wasted enough."
Callea clasped her cold hands. It was not easy for her because she knew she would be judged. But she owed him the truth about her. "For starters, I want to apologize. Luna attacks men especially someone he met for the first time. She is a manhater."
"Don't give me that crap, Callea! That cat is pure evil. Maybe you trained him to attack me so I will get scared."
"Look. Luna was traumatized before because she has bad experiences with people. And whether you believe me or not, I want you to know that I accepted you properly as a guest. I tried to be a great host..."
He smiled sarcastically. "So this is your version of hospitality. You made it seem like this house is haunted and you pretended to be a ghost to scare people away. That's a nice touch."
"I didn't try to scare you away," she corrected him. "I didn't pretend to be a ghost. Whatever you saw a while ago, that's part of who I am. I don different costumes of the characters I write as part of my internalization. I put on different costumes I can get a feel of my characters and the story more."
His eyes squinted. "Try another one. I don't believe you."
"That's the truth. On your first night here, you thought I was a white lady because that's the story I am working on." She passed him her sketches of the scenes themselves. "I usually work during midnight. My mind is more productive and creative during that time. And even if you didn't come here, I usually play piano in the middle of the night."
His face twisted as he looked at her drawings. "Creepy!"
"It is a part of an artist that most people won't understand."
"So, you prefer to stay here and work on your art?"
She nodded her head. "I am not good at interacting with people. This is my safe place to do my art and no one would bother me."
"But people think that you are a witch or cursed or member of a cult. Doesn't it bother you?"
She shrugged her shoulder. "It is okay to be abnormal as long as I am not bothering the rest of the world. If they are scared of me then much better. I don't really like other people. Same with Marina and Luna. We are more comfortable on our own. Inside this mansion, nobody will judge us."
He shook his head. "I don't know. Everything is just... weird. I can't understand why someone as beautiful as you prefer to live like a ghost. Why should you look scary and creepy? Why do you hide your beauty that other people work so hard and spend a lot of money to achieve."
She looked at him sharply. "Beauty? THat's not important to me. You don't need beauty in this kind of place."
"Are you a witch or a member of a cult?" he asked with caution.
Callea smiled sadly. "I am not shocked that's what you were thinking. No, I am not. I don't have plans to hurt anyone. That's why you will never understand. Maybe that's the reason why my grandfather wants me to marry. He doesn't want me to be alone forever. So, if you won't marry me I will lose this mansion. And you are my only chance to get Villa Celesta. Once I lose this house, I don't know where Luna at Marina."
"You mean, you were just pretending to be beautiful and normal like what you are doing now?"
"You won't even look at me without saying a prayer if I look like a witch or a ghost, right? And I don't want my grandfather to lose face once you see the real me."
"And do you think I will still marry you now?"