In the Present

  Still on the School Rooftop

  A Few Moments Later

  Victoria, upon returning to reality after reliving that moment from three years ago—before being rescued by the firefighters, but now through Téo's own perspective within her mind.

  [Victoria – Incredulous & Trembling Whisper] Téo... [Light, Unsteady Breathing] —

  She immediately feels her heart tighten in a new way, as if faint embers were being lit inside her, an emotion she had never known. At the same time, a heavy weight settles over her chest.

  [Victoria – Incredulous & Trembling Whisper] Why? Why... [Light, Unsteady Breathing] —

  That entire moment, from her own perspective, had taken place just minutes before Téo's fateful disappearance. It had been meticulously blocked in her mind by Téo himself.

  [Victoria – Incredulous & Trembling Whisper] You did all of this for me... why? Téo... [Light, Unsteady Breathing] —

  Téo had wanted to prevent, at all costs, that Victoria would blame herself even more in the future if he didn't manage to return to the physical world to hold her hand again, as he had promised.

  And if that ended up being her final memory of him—the moment she inadvertently triggered the instant in which Téo had to choose between losing her or giving everything he had to save her.

  [Téo – Joyful & Emotional Voice] That's actually very easy to answer, Victoria... [Soft, Affectionate & Ironic Laugh] —

  Téo knew that the choice would destroy him internally long before he could make it back, which inevitably happened over the three years it took for him to return to her arms.

  [Téo – Happy & Emotional Voice] ...Have you really never noticed that you're the most important person to me, you stubborn girl? [Soft, Affectionate Laugh] —

  [Victoria – Reactionless & Trembling Whisper] Téo... —

  Upon hearing those words from Téo, Victoria is left completely speechless. She lifts her gaze, which had moments ago been fixed on the ground.

  Her trembling eyes spill tears at what she has just heard, staring directly at him. But in that exact moment, Téo is not looking at her.

  [Téo – Joyful & Emotional Voice] Even so young on that day of the earthquake three years ago, I... ended up unlocking my Oculi abilities instinctively out of fear of losing you. [Light, Trembling Sigh] —

  [Victoria – Slightly Broken & Tearful Whisper] Téo... [Trembling, Reactionless Breathing] —

  His eyes were fixed on the sky of that late afternoon, his expression initially joyful. At the same time, silent tears slipped down toward the bench where they were sitting, overlooking the beautiful view of the city.

  [Téo – Joyful & Emotional Voice] You were right there in front of me that day, so terrified, running toward me while everything collapsed around us again. [Light, Trembling Sigh] —

  As Téo's gaze focuses on the clouds drifting gently across the sky above the city, a blend of two contradicting emotions becomes visible in his distant stare—guilt for the pain he caused Victoria and happiness for finally being able to hold her hand again.

  Téo seems to recall what she had been forced to do with her own hands, and at the same time how he lost himself completely during the three years after disappearing before her eyes, ending up in a completely unknown place where he initially lived alone.

  [Téo – Slightly Painful & Emotional Voice] Driven by my desire to save you at any cost, I ended up using my Oculi abilities far beyond the acceptable limit. [Light, Trembling Sigh] —

  [Téo – Slightly Painful & Emotional Voice] And for someone as young as I was back then, that was essentially a death sentence... considering how high the chance was that I'd never return to the physical world again. [Light, Trembling Sigh] —

  Téo continued to contemplate the sky while silent tears kept falling down his face. The soft sunlight seemed to veil his expression from Victoria's eyes, leaving her numb before the truth she had longed to hear from him for so long.

  [Téo – Joyful & Emotional Voice] As a direct consequence of my lack of experience while using those newly awakened Oculi abilities at their maximum that day... [Deep, Heavy Breath] —

  Every one of those words carried such powerful emotions that Victoria's heart tightened more with each new sentence Téo spoke, even though they were part of the truth she had desperately wanted to hear about the past.

  [Téo – Joyful & Emotional Voice] Aside from you, Victoria... and my older brother, Kalik... everyone else ended up forgetting my face, my name, and every memory of my existence after what I did. [Deep, Heavy Breath] —

  Téo, still looking up at the sky, cried in silence. His subtly trembling lips revealed a hidden truth, quickly noticed by Victoria due to the strong bond between them.

  Victoria could see the shame that Téo carried, unable to meet her eyes in that moment. He spoke all of it with a cheerful tone of voice.

  Yet simultaneously painful, as if he were venting in the most genuine and sincere way from the depths of his heart.

  [Téo – Cheerful & Emotional Voice] ...Victoria, do you remember that day when I last saw you, four years ago? [Subtle Painful & Faltering Sigh] —

  [Victoria – Slightly Breathless & Emotional Voice] Of course I remember, you idiot! How could I forget the day that became the most important one of my life? [Gentle Happy & Nostalgic Laugh] —

  All of this was visible to Victoria's teary eyes. She felt in her heart a tightness—not of anger or anything negative, but of an intense feeling of acceptance and forgiveness toward Téo, even though she had not yet spoken it aloud.

  [Téo – Cheerful & Emotional Voice] ...Four years ago, I was lost in the playground at a park, and I ended up hiding inside one of the tall play structures because I was scared. Do you remember why? [Subtle Painful & Faltering Sigh] —

  At the same time, Victoria sensed through the way Téo squeezed her hand that he was becoming increasingly unstable and frightened for some reason, with small tremors growing stronger.

  She could perceive, through those subtle hints, how Téo's heart was an agitated ocean of emotions and feelings—intense and deeply contradictory.

  [Victoria – Slightly Breathless & Emotional Voice] I remember. You were afraid they would beat you again because your eyes had turned completely white. [Nostalgic & Slightly Painful Sigh] —

  [Téo – Nostalgic & Emotional Voice] Exactly. That day, still so young, I ended up feeling very happy, and with my emotions heightened, I couldn't keep my eyes "normal." [Deep & Softly Trembling Breath] —

  [(Victoria – Incredulous & Trembling Thought) Téo, I don't like seeing you recall these sad moments, please... (Painful & Deep Breath)]

  If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.

  [Téo – Nostalgic & Emotional Voice] I was so scared of being hurt again by anyone who saw me like that, just like it had happened before, many times before those four years... I— [Deep & Softly Trembling Breath] —

  It was clear to Téo that telling the truth and remembering the past was painful, but necessary—especially for someone who had been hurt the most in the three years since his disappearance.

  [Téo – Cheerful & Emotional Voice] After a few minutes crying alone while hiding, you were the first person to find me in that "frightening" state. [Nostalgic & Softly Trembling Breath] —

  [(Victoria – Incredulous & Trembling Thought) Please, Téo... (Painful & Deep Breath)]

  [Téo – Cheerful & Emotional Voice] But that day, you weren't scared of me, nor disgusted. Instead, you complimented my completely white Oculi eyes... [Happy & Softly Trembling Breath] —

  [Victoria – Slightly Trembling Breath & Affectionately Nostalgic]

  [Téo – Melancholic & Regretful Voice] That day, four years ago... in that tall play structure where I hid, you changed my life forever, without even noticing it, you big nuisance... [Nostalgic & Slightly Faltering Sigh] —

  Téo had also never managed to erase himself from his older brother's mind, given the strong bond they had formed since Téo's birth, when Kalik began caring for him so young, after both had become orphans at such an early age.

  [Téo – Melancholic & Regretful Voice] ...Forgive me. For not being able to leave your mind before I disappeared three years ago... I made you suffer because I didn't have the strength to make you forget me. [Very Painful & Faltering Sigh] —

  [(Victoria – Slightly Angry & Trembling Thought) How dare you ask me for forgiveness with words like that... (Deep Breath in Denial)]

  [Téo – Melancholic & Regretful Voice] I swear on my life, Victoria... I tried so, so hard to erase myself from your mind that day, but I couldn't... [Very Painful & Faltering Sigh] —

  [(Victoria – Angry & Trembling Thought) Téo! Shut up... (Deep Breath in Denial)]

  [Téo – Melancholic & Regretful Voice] And in the end, faced with fear and the faint hope of one day returning to your arms again, I... [Very Painful & Faltering Sigh] —

  [(Victoria – Very Angry & Trembling Thought) I command you! Be quiet, Téo! (Deep Breath in Denial)]

  [Téo – Melancholic & Regretful Voice] I was so selfish to choose to leave one of the two remaining parts of my physical existence inside your beautiful heart... a heart that ended up getting hurt for carrying my memories during those long three years... [Deep, Painful & Trembling Sigh] —

  Upon hearing those words, Victoria felt her heart tighten as if the entire weight of the past three years away from Téo were crushing it, followed by irregular and heavy beats.

  Before her eyes, she saw Téo—who had been looking up at the sky, smiling with trembling lips—lose his strength and reveal a rage-filled smile directed not at her, but at himself in that moment.

  [Téo – Melancholic & Regretful Voice] And during these long three years, when I look at you now—at your essence—I feel the weight of how much I made you suffer for taking so long to return to this world, just as I had promised you... [Very Painful & Heavy Sigh] -

  [(Victoria – Trembling Thought, Very Angry & Hurt) Téo! Please, shut your damn mouth... (Deep Breath in Denial)]

  Victoria noticed Téo's lips trembling slightly, while at the same time he felt in his own heart the pain of having hurt her—having made the person who mattered most to him cry throughout those last three years.

  He had risked his best friend's mental health for the faint hope of truly returning to the physical world. Téo had saved her in the past, when they were 7 years old. Yet he failed to give her a peaceful life after his involuntary disappearance.

  Victoria had been the only one who kept believing in him, even when the world—so many times—thought she was speaking nonsense, merely because she was too young to be taken seriously.

  [Victoria (7 years old) – Echoing Voice from the Past, Angry, Deeply Distressed & Crying] Why? Why... [Trembling & Heavy Breathing] -

  [Victoria (8 years old) – Echoing Voice from the Past, Angry, Deeply Distressed & Crying] Why did I have to survive while Téo disappeared? Why... [Trembling & Heavy Breathing]

  During those three years, Téo had made Victoria cry many times alone in her room, through countless crises of longing and anger.

  Facing a world that made her feel hatred—and even more hatred toward herself. Wishing she had not survived that day when Téo saved her.

  Because she felt so much pain in her heart that she couldn't hold his hand one more time.

  [Victoria (9 years old) – Echoing Scream from the Past, Angry, Deeply Distressed & Crying] I HATE BEING ALIVE! I WISH I HAD DIED THAT DAY! [Gasping & Heavy Breathing]

  Victoria wished she had not been left alone from that day onward during those three years, but rather wishfully beside him, somewhere far away from that world that became a little more gray each day in his absence.

  Three long years that might seem like only three years to anyone else — but to Victoria, they felt like three endless eternities.

  [Téo – Very Angry & Regretful Voice] You are the best friend the world could have ever given me, because... even alone, carrying so much pain and weight in your heart, you didn't give up on me—not even for a single day during those damn three years I was far from you! [Deep Emotional Sigh] -

  Victoria's eyes seemed to lose their strength, along with her head, which slowly tilted toward the ground.

  Meanwhile, Téo's hand—once holding Victoria's tightly—seemed to lose its strength at the exact same time, corroded by the guilt burning in his heart like acid, carried for three long years.

  After hearing those words directed straight into her heart, Victoria instinctively intertwined her fingers with Téo's.

  With that simple gesture, she knew that all those words carried truths and conditions so painful they would be enough to destroy any bond between most people in that entire world.

  [Téo – Angry & Regretful Voice] On that day, in front of the ruins of the collapse, we were only seven years old, and... [Deep Breath] –

  [(Victoria – Emotional & Failing Thought) Téo... (Shaky & Slightly Tearful Breathing)]

  [Téo – Angry & Regretful Voice] ...Now, three long years later, in the present, we return and find each other again—not at seven, but at ten years old. [Deep & Failing Sigh] –

  [Téo – Angry & Regretful Voice] Instead of making her happy like a true best friend would, I... [Deep Breath] –

  But it would not be enough for Victoria to break the bond that tied her heart to Téo's, her one and only best friend. Over those three long years, Victoria had learned.

  Painfully, that best friends should remain together, even when the world gave a thousand reasons to forget each other after a disappearance.

  [(Victoria – Emotional & Failing Thought) Please, don't continue, Téo! (Shaky & Slightly Tearful Breathing)]

  [Téo – Angry & Regretful Voice] ...I made her cry and feel anger at herself so many times, didn't I, Victoria? For making her one of the people who still remembered me normally... [Slightly Trembling Sigh] –

  [(Victoria – Emotional & Failing Thought) I don't want to hear that from you! (Shaky & Slightly Tearful Breathing)]

  [Téo – Heavy & Guilty Voice] ...You must hate me so much deep down, don't you? [Slightly Trembling Sigh] –

  After saying this, Téo, using his last strength, turned his eyes and face toward Victoria, who was crying with a gaze full of emotion and anger directed at him.

  In response, Téo immediately received, before his eyes, a single slap from Victoria, making him turn his face slightly to the side.

  [Téo – Whispering, Disbelieving & Perplexed] ...Victoria, why? [Terrified & Trembling Sigh] –

  [Victoria – Angry & Tearful Emotional Voice] ...Never say those words to me again, you... You... You big idiot! [Deep & Slightly Trembling Breath] –

  Téo was stunned by the look of anger and pain she displayed to the world, slowing down. Before he could react, he saw Victoria move quickly toward him.

  Hugging him tightly as she cried, as if she were still the same seven-year-old Victoria from three years ago.

  [Victoria – Angry, Tearful & Painful Voice] Yes, you made me cry a lot during these three years, but... even through all of this, I never stopped believing that you would come back to me, because... [Broken & Tearful Breath] –

  [(Téo – Disbelieving & Unresponsive Thought) Victoria... (Scared & Trembling Sigh)]

  [Victoria – Angry & Emotional Tearful Voice] Because you promised me you would never disappear forever, after we finally became best friends, remember? [Broken & Tearful Breath] –

  Victoria's words left Téo speechless, unable to hold back his own tears, which now fell more and more freely.

  At that moment, Téo also hugged her, his arms still trembling but gradually regaining strength, feeling the unique and special warmth that only Victoria's embrace could give him.

  [Victoria – Whispering Happy & Emotional] I never stopped thinking about you during this time, you annoying boy! I kept reminding myself day after day, with so much care, of all the few unique and special moments we had together! [Happy & Tearful Sigh] –

  [(Téo – Disbelieving & Confused Thought) What is this feeling making my heart beat faster and at the same time slower? (Deep & Slightly Emotional Sigh)]

  [Victoria – Whispering Happy & Emotional] During all these three long years, I couldn't forget a single day of you, Téo... [Slightly Broken Breath] –

  [(Téo – Disbelieving & Confused Thought) Why does my heart seem to hurt, and at the same time I feel a tightening in my chest hearing all this? (Deep & Slightly Emotional Sigh)]

  As their hearts, once so tumultuous with conflicting emotions and feelings, began to calm, now so close to each other, beating in perfect synchrony.

  And during a subtle change in the surrounding environment, they both felt a strong breeze that swayed the terrace flowers.

  Making Victoria's long hair dance in the wind, while Téo's short white hair did the same in this very special moment.

  [Victoria – Whispering Happy, Emotional & Affectionate] Your attentive gaze taking care of me, and your special smile, made me feel, when I was little, like the luckiest friend in the whole world. [Slightly Broken Breath] –

  [Victoria – Whispering Happy, Emotional & Affectionate] These were the two things that gave me the most strength through the pain of these three long years without you by my side. [Slightly Deep Breath] My only... and unbearable... big idiot! [Emotional & Joyful Tearful Laugh] –

  -------------------------------------------

  – (Act 2 – Family) –