Chapter 5: Daniel

Goodbye Annie ..

"Huh!" I woke up when I heard those words.

The sun was up outside, but when I looked at the time, it was only about six.

I lay down again and remembered my dream. I felt like it was good, but I couldn't remember any specific incident.

I got up again and did my morning routine before leaving the room.

I found Auntie already preparing breakfast.

"Oh, you're awake. Good morning," she greeted.

"Morning," I answered lazily and then sat down at the table.

"By the way, Anne, there's a prayer at our neighbor's house later. Maybe you want to come? You know Daniel, don't you? I heard he's your classmate."

"Ah, yes, we are classmates. Why do they have a prayer?" I asked in surprise.

"It's been a year since his brother passed away."

I was stunned by what she said.

I mean, Danny also lost his brother?

I went to school early that morning, but I waited outside the house for a while, hoping Danny might come with me again, just like the other day. But it looked like he was already at school, so I just went straight to school.

I looked for him in places he could possibly be. In the classroom, in the library, on the rooftop, in the canteen, and everywhere else, but I did not see him. I think maybe he is the one who needs a friend now. And maybe that is also the reason why he was not able to walk me home last night.

Hayys. When that man is needed, he's nowhere to be found. If you are not looking, he will suddenly appear. He's mostly like a mushroom.

When the bell rang, I just walked to the classroom because he might be there too.

"Anne!" I stopped walking when Teri called me.

"Oh, Teri, good morning," I greeted her.

"Good morning too. Are you free later? Someone is praying at Daniel's house," she said.

"Ah, yes, my auntie also told me about that."

"Ah, is that so? Let's just meet later," she said, and she was about to leave when I remembered something.

"Ah, wait a minute, Teri. Did you see Danny?"

"Ehh?" she asked in surprise.

"I mean Daniel. Did you see him?"

"Ah, yes, he entered your classroom."

"Is that so? Thank you," I said and quickly turned my back on her.

But I was disappointed when I did not see him.

"Ahmm..hi," I greeted the guy who was sitting next to Danny and who also went home with me last night.

"H-hi," he hesitated to greet me.

"I'll just ask if you saw Danny?"

"Huh?"

I was going to ask more questions, but our professor came, so I didn't talk to him again.

The day passed, but I didn't even see Danny's shadow. But I thought maybe he made an excuse for now because they had a house prayer later.

Some students and teachers also went to Danny's house.

I waited for Teri to come out so that we could go to Danny's house at the same time.

"Oh gosh! I can't take it anymore...huhuhu..." Dondon cried while we were on the road.

I was about to sympathize with him when Nicko suddenly hit him. So I couldn't help but laugh.

"You're overacting again," Nicko said.

"What the heck...I just can't stop my emotions," Dondon cried.

"Do you want to follow him?" Maritess said with difficulty. She was usually quiet in the group but was now shaking.

"Alright, I'm kidding, okay?" Dondon replied, and I just laughed at his answer.

When we reached Danny's house, I was even more surprised because, instead of going inside the house, we took a different route.

"Wait, aren't we going inside?" I asked.

"Let's go to the gazebo first. It will start later," Jay said, leading the way.

I just nodded and then looked around, hoping to see Danny, but I still failed.

Their house was beautiful and large. Danny's father was said to be a well-known businessman, so I wasn't surprised if they were also wealthy.

"Ah, guys, did any of you see Danny?" I couldn't help asking when we arrived at the gazebo.

They all stopped and looked at me.

"You mean Daniel?" Teri corrected me. I remembered they call him Daniel.

"Ah, yeah," I answered.

"Oh my, I think...he will come out later," Leo replied, with his feet on the chair and sitting on the rails.

I just nodded and then waited for Danny.

"It's been a year since we last saw Craig. That idiot was also sweet," Joy suddenly said.

"Yes, indeed. I also miss his mischievous laugh," Marivic said.

"As well as his teasing and antics," Ara said.

"But the way he always treated us in the canteen was even sweeter," Mark spoke enthusiastically as if remembering a past with Craig. Maybe that's Danny's brother's name.

"Yes. I also miss his stupid jokes," Jay said.

"Those jokes that make you laugh because they're so stupid," Jemalyn said.

"And how he often borrowed paper when there was a quiz," Retchel added.

"And those days when he was often late and pretended to leave the room so that when he got caught, he would be sent back to his seat," Jane said with teary eyes.

"His smiles and his beautiful voice when he sang were also sweet," Dondon said with tears in his eyes.

Everyone was quiet, and the surroundings seemed sad.

I couldn't help but remember my friends.

It's also been a year since they disappeared.

"Did I miss something?" We all looked at the newcomer.

I was still surprised because he was the man I went home with last night and the one who sat next to Danny's chair.

What is he doing here? Is he also friends with Danny?

"Hey dude. We just suddenly remembered Craig," Nicko said, a bit teary-eyed as well.

"Is that so? The prayer will begin," he said, looking slightly and smiling at me. I smiled back at him.

"Is that so? Well, let's go before Craig comes to us and sees us crying for him. That idiot will surely laugh at us," Mani laughed.

The others stood up again.

"Wait..." I called them. They stopped and looked at me.

"...shall we not wait for Daniel?"

They were stunned for a moment and just looked at me, then looked at each other.

"Anne, are you kidding?" Teri said with a slight laugh.

I looked at her in surprise.

"Why? Is there something wrong with what I said?" I asked her confusingly.

They were stunned again.

"But Anne, I'm Daniel, and I'm already here," the man who came last said.

I was the one who was stunned by what he said.

"What? You're Daniel?" I couldn't believe him.

He nodded hesitantly.

I was confused by what was happening.

"But h-how? I thought you were just some student who is also Daniel's friend," I said, confused.

No one spoke.

"If you thought he was not Daniel, then who is Daniel to you?" Teri also asked, confused.

"Danny. My annoying neighbor that I was talking about who did nothing but pester me from the very first day that I arrived here," I said.

They were all shocked by what I said.

I was nervous about their reactions.

What's that? Danny and I are always together, but they do not know?

"Are you sure about this, Anne? This is not a good joke," Daniel asked seriously in front of me.

"Why would I do that? He was just with us last night. And he's been bothering me since my first day here," I said.

I could see the fear and anxiety on their faces, so I also felt scared.

"Anne," Daniel approached me.

"Why are you guys making those faces? Maybe you're the ones kidding here, right?" I said with a nervous laugh.

But they were all serious.

What's going on?

"When I arrived, he was lying on that tree because I was in the gazebo that day..." I pointed to the mango tree that Danny was lying on when I came here.

"...and that was the beginning of him pestering me. The next day, he annoyed me again, so I shouted at him in the hallway. He kept bugging me until yesterday, when he told me he knows everything about me and that he's always there if I need him. Last night, he was with us in the plaza and joined you at the shooting booth. He even put his arm around Mark's shoulder, and I thought you weren't with Daniel because he was far from you. When we were in the chairs, he sat in front of me. Right, Ara? You looked at him because he was sitting in front of me. You even asked if I was okay with my seating position, didn't you?"

No one answered. Ara looked at me while trembling as she clung tightly to Jay.

"B-but Anne. N-no one was sitting in front of you last night." I gasped at what Ara said, and the corners of my eyes warmed up.

"You can't be serious, Ara," I said, unbelievably.

"B-but Anne, there really wasn't. That's why I asked you last night if you were okay in your seat because you suddenly parted your legs while sitting," Ara added.

"No. You can't be serious," I said and grabbed my head when it suddenly hurt.

"Anne..." Daniel called to me and handed me something.

"...is this Danny you're talking about?" he asked, pointing to a photo from his wallet.

My hands were shaking when I reached for it.

And I finally burst into tears when I saw the photo of Danny hugging Daniel. He was smiling there, and he looked really happy.

"Is he the Danny you were talking about?" Daniel asked again.

I slowly nodded at him. Everyone gasped again, and the others could not stop themselves from panicking.

I sat down while still looking at Danny's picture.

"The man with me there is Danny Craig. He's my twin brother. We're not identical twins. And he's been gone for almost a year, Anne. He's the reason why we're all here. To pray for his soul." I cried even more when Daniel said that.

"This can't be happening..." I burst into tears.

Others also cried, fearing and shocked by what they heard.

"Why me? He said he would never stop bugging me until he saw me smile again. But why is he doing this to me? Why me? I have nothing to do with him!" I said, my eyes blurred from tears.

"Anne..." Teri also hugged me with tears.

"He knows that I've been through a lot of pain! He said that to me. He said he knew me, and that's why he wants me to be happy again. But why this? Why me?" I cried out of deep resentment. Fear was no longer present; instead, I felt a strong surge of anger towards Danny for what he had done.

"Why does he have to play with me? He even told me that out of all the girls he met, I was the only one he got serious with. He's nothing but a big damn ghost liar!" I said angrily and threw away his picture.

Daniel picked it up.

"This picture was taken the day before he died. He is happy here because he will finally be able to be with Annie." I was stunned by what Daniel said.

"Annie? Who are you talking about?" I asked him.

"Annie is the woman he loved, who was studying in the City. I don't know much about her, but he always talked about her. He transferred to Annie's school at that time. He called me the night before he died to say that he had finally spoken with her. He mentioned that she had rejected him, but it was okay because, to him, the most important thing was that he had finally talked to the woman he loved."

I was even more confused by Danny's story. If I am the Annie he mentioned, and if he really talked to me before he disappeared, then when did that happen? I don't recognize him. Maybe it's a different Annie.

But there is only one way to know that.

I looked at Daniel again.

"Tell me, Daniel, how did he die."

"It was a car accident. He was driving his sports car when he collided with another speeding car. He was pronounced dead on arrival at the hospital. The occupants of the other car also died, except for one survivor. According to the report, there were five people in the other car, and they were all dead on the spot."

It can't be. That is not true.

I cried even more when I realized everything.

Danny was in the sports car that my friends and I collided with while I was driving.

I feel like my heart has been crushed by what I have heard.

"Danny..." I whispered, and everything went black.

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