Watch Tower

On the day I started my days in school as a freshman, I would hear claims from people, students and teachers alike, that the old school building on my present-day school as haunted.

Silly isn't it?

There wasn't a solid piece of proof that supported those claims but it went on and on for quite some time and as if it was never heard of, the claims stopped.

"Ridiculous..." I sighed upon remembering those claims.

It's my 3rd year in high school right now and my class is doing self-study period since our current period's ( the 4th one ) teacher on basic statistics is on maternity leave; counting from the last day I saw her, it's been a month since she went on that leave and I kind of get irritated, because instead of studying, my classmates chatter.

Their topic? The return of that rumor about the haunted building.

"Would you live for once?"

A hand covered the page I was currently reading on a textbook. Clear nail polish with a diamond studded bracelet on the wrist gave away the person who owned them. Eunice Lune.

"I'm living aren't I?" I said, snatching my book away.

"Yeah, right!" The girl said. "You're basically a living ghost!"

I felt a little annoyed. Of all people, why did my seatmate have to be such a person that likes to meddle in other people's lives. I don't talk in class because I'm angry... angry at the fact that people would believe such a false fact.

Ghosts and such aren't real. Why can't they understand that?

"Elise Skye."

"What?" I answered as someone called my name.

"You weren't like this before."

"Before...?"

My name is Elise Skye and I'm not the most forgetful type of person. I also have one of the best grades in school... for 3 years I've been keeping a low profile and I am not the sociable type either, so what is Eunice going on about?

"When you started high school..." Eunice said feeling disturbed. "You were always smiling with this guy." She looked away and I noticed she had this scary grin on her face.

Eunice quickly sat on her chair and opened a book as the next period's teacher went inside the room, cutting our bizarre conversation. I brushed off the uneasiness I was feeling and decided that Eunice has finally gone nuts. I really don't remember being with a guy before.

I ran to the school gardens when lunch hour came.

My favorite place to eat was there, under a shady tree that bore peach flowers, having a clear view of the garden path a few meters away. I always felt like I've been doing this for a long time even though I only started a month ago.

"Elise."

I took a spoonful of cheesecake into my mouth when I heard a faint voice calling my name.

I looked around and called out for Eunice but no one answered. I finally disregarded the call and thought I was just hallucinating.

"Elise... Hey, don't ignore me."

I almost jumped into the nearby fishpond when I saw a person standing before me. That gave me such a scare and now my things are scattered on the ground.

"W-Who are you?!" I was fuming with anger but stopped.

The person standing in front of me had a pained face that made me feel a little sorry for shouting at him. He was wearing the school uniform and he was carrying a few textbooks on one hand; He should be a second year student, with a yellow tie tucked on his uniform's knitted vest.

"My apologies," He knelt down and started picking up my scattered things. "disregard what I said, and sorry for startling you."

"It's okay..." I knelt down too, realizing what a mess I've made.

When we finished cleaning up, I checked my watch to see that there's still an hour left before lunch ends, I felt really bad with having to shout at someone I just met so I turned around to apologize and for a moment I thought I saw his pained expression, but he was just smiling warmly.

"Why... were you ignoring me?"

"I really don't know you..." I was feeling disturbed.

"You don't?" He looked as if I was playing a joke on him.

"Yes... I don't" I repeated.

He stared blankly for a few second then just extended his arm. It took me a while before I realized that he was trying to tell me to shake hands so I stretched my arm.

"I guess they did do hypnotism on you." He said with a sigh.
 
"Me?"

"Don't mind what I said... Let's be friends again." He shook my hand. "Call me Arvel."

"I'm Elise." I said wondering why his hand was a little too cold, and how come he had a wound, nearly invisible to a person who didn't look carefully at his left arm.

"Why do I feel like I know you..." I suddenly mumbled.

"Really?" He smiled. "I think the same."

We conversed for a while and he helped me understand a part of Chemistry that I couldn't understand. I was so nervous because I overheard the other classes saying that they had a surprise quiz on the same topic I found hard to learn.

"Thanks!" I grinned patting dirt off my skirt. "I owe you!"

"No problem." He said glancing at his watch.

The bells tolled, signaling the end of out lunch hour and I turned around to run to the direction of my classroom when Arvel called out to me.

"What do you think of me?" He muttered.

"I... really don't know yet." I said apologetically then ran.

I stopped by the entrance of the high school building to catch my breath and when I looked back to where Arvel was standing a while ago, there was no one there. He must be part of the track-and-field, because no matter how far I looked, he wasn't anywhere to be found.

I had a good score on the supposedly 'surprise' quiz and received praise from the chemistry teacher who was shocked at my grade. I think, I should thank Arvel this time.

"As expected of you." Eunice said.

I noticed he was gripping her pencil too hard.

"You got a 97% didn't you?" I remarked, "One mistake isn't bad."

She looked at me in that weird stare of hers again. "I thought you never pay attention to anything."

"I just overheard."

Class seemed to go on for a while and I was feeling a little lightheaded, my vision was turning blurry and for some reason the lesson was a little bit gibberish to me. Thankfully, Eunice had noticed and brought me to the clinic.

I had a fever, and a really bad one at that. I was told I fainted.

"What's this?" Eunice was looking at me. "The amount wasn't enough?" She said sarcastically.

"I'm sorry... what did you say?" Her tone told me something worse was supposed to happen other than this.

"As expected of you..." She grinned forcefully as she tucked a bottle of her skirt pocket.

I was about to ask her to leave because she's really making me uncomfortable, but the door to the infirmary rattled and when it opened, I saw Arvel. looking a little relieved but still in a panic.

Eunice stared at the door for a while then excused herself after giving me a tablet. She went out of the room ignoring Arvel and I felt bothered by that. Those two, did they fight just recently?

"Hey, thanks for earlier." I smiled getting ready to put the tablet on my mouth.

Arvel suddenly slapped my hand and the tablet it carried flew across the room. "Don't eat that."

"Why?"

"Was it that girl again who gave it to you?" He completely ignored my question.

"Eunice..? Yes."

"I knew it." He sighed and gave me another tablet, "this should be the right one."

"Thanks..." I said. "By the way, what section are you in?"

"Ahh... umm... never mind that." He smiled. "You come first."

It was near dismissal time when I was given a permit slip telling people why I was sent to the clinic and Arvel wouldn't leave me alone, reasoning out that maybe I would faint again.

I really appreciate the company Arvel's giving me, but I feel a little bothered. To change the tension, I changed the current topic we were talking about.

"Hey, do you believe in those rumors?"

"What kind?" He sounded serious.

"The one about that building?" I pointed to the left side of campus.

"The Watch Tower?" Arvel smiled weakly.

"Is that what it's called?" I smiled.

"It used to be popular too, you know." Arvel smiled again, but this time there was a cold feeling to it.

I was told by Arvel that the 'haunted' school building was really a beautiful place where students would go to during break hours since it had a really beautiful scene of the whole school.

There also used to be classes held there on certain days and transferees from different schools were said to have come here only to see that now abandoned building.

As we passed by, I thought to myself, Why not? the place was an obvious beauty, with an open balcony that I figured was where the students would spend their time during breaks, a vivid garden near the base even though some vines are grappling on the sides of the building, a great structural design and a clean atmosphere.

I don't get at all why people would accuse such a place to be haunted.

For the rest of the week, I felt really happy being with Arvel. He's a great tutor and he should at least be on the top of his batch since he knows so much. Even Eunice told me I was starting to 'return' to who I used to be, and she wasn't happy when she said that.

Days and days went on with the same routine and I started trying to go up to the balcony of the watch tower. I loved the view; it made me feel nostalgic though I don't know why.

On some days Arvel would go there and we'd converse.

"Why do you keep going here?" Arvel asked.

"I just feel like I've been here way back." I smiled. "The view is great."

Tomorrow is the start of winter break and I've been trying to go here on my free times to just relax. Haunted or not, this place is greatly misunderstood.

"This is really fun." I smiled. Arvel and I were sitting at the floor of the balcony looking up at the peaceful blue sky.

"What's your most important wish?" Arvel stood up.

"I guess, to find a guy like you." I smiled. "Someone who'll protect me and be at my side always."

He laughed. "After all this time... You still haven't changed."

He took out a necklace with an hourglass in the middle. It was really pretty and somehow expensive too.

"This is something that I couldn't give you back then." He smiled when he placed it in my hand. "I hope you remember soon."

As soon as he said those words I saw blood on the floor and I stood up, shocked. What's all this?! Even my hands had blood stains. I almost collapsed. What is going on?

"Hypnotism won't last that long." Arvel said and when I looked at him, his clothes were stained deep red. "If it's you, it won't last long." He smiled.

Fragments of memories rained in my head. There was bloodshed.

"I'm sorry." Arvel said.

"Stop." I said shaking.

I remember now.

When I transferred here on my first year of high school, there was this second year student who I always went to spend time with. He was my childhood friend and then one day, I received a death threat.

I was so scared that I couldn't go to school, but I realized that it shouldn't be that way, so when I came back to school, my childhood friend and I would always go to the watch tower to enjoy the view together.

Then one day, my worst fear came.

A girl from my class, who always came in second place had a grudge on me for being the top student at our batch and she charged at me with a knife. She was always bullied by her family for not getting first place and the only reason she could think of was that I was a big hurdle to her dreams.

"Be cautious of Eunice." Arvel smiled. The blood was gone and I dropped on my knees to the floor.

That's it. It was Eunice, who tried to stab me but someone blocked her.

"Arvel...?" I called the name of my childhood friend who knelt in front of me.

"I hope someday you can find someone who can protect you forever." He smiled.

"No... wait."

"Don't cry." He laughed a little. "I saved you so you can live."

"Why?... Why did you do that?" I was shouting.

He ruffled my hair.

"You said you wanted someone to protect you..."

He was fading.

"Do you remember that we fought that day?" He helped me stand up. "You got angry because I couldn't get you a birthday present."

He continued to talk as I cried.

"I couldn't think of anything so I asked you what you wished for, then Eunice came in losing her mind."

I wiped my face with my sleeves but the tears still fell.

"I wanted to be that person... who'd protect you."

"Don't cry like that." He was smiling but I saw nothing to be happy about.

After that, the next moment I opened my eyes, I was at home. I thought it was all a dream but on my hand was the necklace and strung in it was a pendant aside from the hourglass.

I clicked the pendant open and looked at a note inside it reading it aloud.

Happy Birthday, to Elise Skye and please always smile for me.

This gift, I hope you will cherish in compensation for the promise I can’t keep.

I really loved you.