UNTI-UNTING idinilat ni Raea ang kanyang mga mata. From her blurred vision, ang puting kisame ang bumungad sa kanya kasabay ang sikat ng araw na nanggagaling kung saan. It somehow hurt her eyes that made her blink twice.
She's confused where she is. Dahan-dahan niyang inikot ang kanyang paningin moving even her head to look around. At dahil doon ay napaigik siya. She's feeling pain in every parts of her body. At hindi niya alam kung bakit.

"Raea!"

As soon as she heard the door opened somewhere, someone called her name and sobbed. She also heard a faint sound of a bell ringing twice that she doesn't know where it came from.

She saw a girl running towards her and touched her face.

"Thank goodness, you're finally awake!" The girl said and cried again.

Raea tried to recognize the girl but she can't think of her name.

"S-sino ka?" She asked in cracked voice.

Hindi niya kilala kung sino ito and she's worried na baka naipagkamali lang siya nito sa iba.

But she called me by my name...

Gulat at pagtataka ang gumuhit sa mukha ng babae.

"H-hindi mo ako maalala?" Tanong nito sa kanya at tumulo muli ang luha nito sa mga mata.

Umiling siya.

"Oh my god! Do you have amnesia? Shit! I should've called the doctor first!" Anito at nagpa-panic at mabilis na lumabas ng kwarto.

Hindi na niya napigilan ang babaeng lumabas. Nagulo ang kanyang isip. Siya may amnesia? She doesn't think so. If yes, sana hindi niya naaalala ang kanyang pangalan.

But then, it hit her. Bakit hindi niya maalala kung anong nangyari sa kanya at napunta siya sa lugar na iyon? Why her body aches too much as if she just went to a serious accident?

Bumukas muli ang pinto. From there, a doctor and nurses came rushing including the girl she just talked earlier. She also heard again the sound of a ringing bell which was clearer to her ears now. Her brows crossed.

What the hell is that? Tanong niya sa sarili.

They checked on her. Asked some questions which some of them she wasn't able to answer. And at the end, she just confirmed that what the girl said was somehow true.

"I believe she has a retrograde amnesia. But we have to run some tests to be sure. But based on my initial assessment, memories especially before the accident happened are lost," anang doktor na tumitingin sa kanya.

Napapikit si Raea sa narinig. She tried to focus and forced herself to remember something but a sharp pain from her head makes her shout and almost makes her faint.

"Don't force yourself, Raea. Babalik din ang alaala mo..." Anang babae sa kanya at naramdaman niyang niyakap siya nito.

She's consoling her but she was crying so hard which makes her more confused.

Why is this girl being so emotional? Ano ba ang eksaktong nangyari sa kanya para umakto ito ng gan'on?

The doctor told her to rest and asked for the girl to leave the room as he will be saying something to her. After that, all of them left the room.

Natulala si Raea. She doesn't know what to do. The last thing she can remember is when Apollo, her best friend, invited her for a dinner as he said he will be saying something important to her.

Naaalala niya pa, she really made sure na maganda siya sa araw na iyon dahil naniniwala siyang magco-confess na sa kanya ang kanyang kaibigan. She was so elated with that thought because finally, after fifteen years of friendship, she can also tell him how much she loves him and they should start a new relationship.

Speaking of Apollo, nasaan ito? Binisita na ba siya nito at baka umuwi lang saglit? Ang mama't papa nito tsaka ang kapatid nitong si Nike? Parang nakakapagtakang wala ni isa man lang sa mga ito ang kasama niya ngayon sa ospital.

Raea doesn't have a family anymore. She's an only child of her parents who already died when she was eighteen years old. At si Apollo na lang at ang pamilya nito ang itinuturing niyang pamilya ngayon.

She still has relatives though. Pero hindi niya mga close ang mga iyon at dahil nasa legal age naman siya n'ong namatay ang parents niya dahil sa isang car accident, she decided to live alone. Pero syempre, Apollo and his family still helped her na mamuhay mag-isa. After all, magkapit-bahay rin sila ng mga ito at malapit sa isa't isa ang kanilang mga pamilya.

Pinilit niyang bumangon at sumandal sa headrest ng kama. And then she realized that something is hanging in her left wrist. Tiningnan niya kung ano iyon at napansin niyang may suot siyang bracelet.

It isn't familiar to her. Wala siyang natatandaan na mayroon siyang gan'ong alahas. Isa pa, she is not fond of wearing such jewelry kaya imposibleng siya ang bumili n'on para sa sarili niya.

It's like a charm bracelet. But the weird thing is the color of it is black. At ang mga nakasabit doon, there are four small bells dangling on it with broken hearts in between.

Iginalaw niya iyon. Baka ang tunog ng bell na narinig niya kanina ay nanggaling doon.

"Bakit gan'on? Wala man lang tunog?" She asked herself.

Nakailang galaw na siya ng kamay upang patunugin iyon ngunit wala man lang siyang marinig na kahit ano.

Was she hallucinating earlier? At kanino pala galing ang suot niyang bracelet?

Ipinikit niya ang kanyang mga mata. Her mind is in a mess. Ano ba talaga ang nangyari sa kanya? Nasaan si Apollo at ang pamilya nito? Sino ang babaeng umiiyak kanina? At...kanino galing ang suot niyang bracelet?

Raea felt a passing cold wind that made her shiver. Pagkatapos niyon ay iminulat niya ang kanyang mga mata. She almost shout when she saw a man standing in front of her.

"S-sino ka?" Kinakabahang tanong niya.

Hindi niya alam kung saan ito nanggaling at paano ito nakapasok doon. Sigurado siyang mag-isa lang siya kanina pero pumikit lang siya saglit at may kasama na siya.

The man slowly walked towards her. Napaatras tuloy si Raea kahit wala naman siyang aatrasan.

He smiled dangerously at her as he comfortably sat down on the chair beside her bed. He even crossed his legs as he mischievously looking at her.

"S-sino k-ka sabi, eh!" She said trying to be brave but her voice gave it away.

Truth be told, the man looks familiar to her. It's as if she already met him somewhere pero hindi niya lang matandaan. Isa pa, the man looks dazzling. He looks like a prince that came out from a fairy tale book. 'Yun nga lang, he's all in black except for his long silver earring in his left ear. Kung hindi nga lang siya natatakot at magulo ang utak niya, she might be swooning over him now.

The man looked at her lazily. Ipinatong pa nito ang ulo sa kanang kamay as if he's posing in a magazine photoshoot.

"You called me and yet you didn't know me," sabi nito at bahagyang umiling.

"What?" She asked in confusion.

Hindi niya maintindihan kung ano ang pinagsasabi nito. Isa pa, tila ba may hiwaga sa pagkatao nito na naghahatid ng kakaibang kilabot sa kanya.

Is this the side effect of the accident I went through? Aniya sa sarili.

"I am Noir...the one you just blamed for mismatching people," he answered.

"H-huh? A-ano?" Mas lalong gumulo ang kanyang isip.

Tinitigan siya ng lalaki. Kapagkuwa'y tumango-tango na tila ba may na-realize ito.

"Aah...now I get it..." Anito at nakangising napailing-iling pa. "He's really something," dugtong pa nito at tumayo na. Bahagya itong lumapit sa kanya. "The ordeal has already been given. And I hope you're ready for it."

"Can you please be more specific? I can't understand what you're saying," Raea said.

Sa totoo lang, ang takot na nararamdaman niya kanina ay unti-unting lumalaki. It's as if this man talking to her knows everything and there's no way that she can avoid him. Like her life is depending on him which she can't understand why.

"Four bells. You have to finish your mission so you can still live on this planet or else, your wish to be dead before will be granted."

Nabigla si Raea sa narinig. Siya? She wished to be dead? But why? She's living fine. Kahit naman na patay na ang kanyang mga magulang, she still have her friends, Apollo and his family. Why would she want to kill herself?

Bumukas ang pintuan. Dumako ang tingin niya roon pati na rin ang lalaking kausap niya.

"Are you hungry? Meron ka bang gustong kainin? You've been sleeping for a week now and I believe you would want to eat something." The girl she's been talking earlier came back. She's now smiling but there's still hint of sadness in her eyes. "Oo nga pala, I know you don't remember me. My name is Serenity. You can call me Serene. We've been friends for a year now. We are officemates na nag-click ng sobra-sobra and we now treat each other as best friends."

And so...her one year worth of memory is lost, Raea guessed.

"W-where's Apollo?" Instead of asking about Serene's identity, she instantly remembers Apollo. She wants to know where he is. Since she claimed that she is her friend, she's sure, she knows Apollo.

Serene averted her eyes. As if she doesn't want to answer her question.

"Where is he?" She asked again.

Something is bothering her. Looking at Serene's action makes her nervous at the same time confused. She is so sure that something happened to Apollo.

"It's better not to talk about him right now, Raea. Maybe, when you already recovered. It's best for the both of you," anito at hinawakan siya sa balikat.

One look at Serene's face and she already knows that whatever she says, hindi niya mapipilit itong magsabi sa kanya ng mga impormasyon na gusto niyang malaman.

"Bakit? Ano bang nangyari? Okay lang ba siya?" She still asked. She wants to hear the truth. At kung hindi lang nananakit ang kalamnan niya ay baka pinwersa na niya ito na sabihin sa kanya ang totoo.

Umiling-iling si Serene at kapagkuwa'y naglakad patungo sa inupuan ng lalaki kanina.

"Hey, mabubunggo mo—" Raea's jaw dropped.

Serene just passed through that man named Noir.

What the hell?! Is he a ghost? Kinilabutan si Raea. Napatingin siya kay Noir at nakita niyang nakangisi ito sa kanya at kapagkuwa'y lumapit sa kanya.

"Only you can see me," he said coolly.

Napalunok si Raea. Pakiramdam niya ay tatakasan siya ng kanyang kaluluwa dahil sa takot na nararamamdaman niya ngayon.

"Anong sabi mo, Raea?" Serene asked. Mabilis itong lumapit pabalik sa kanya nang makita siguro na namumutla siya. "Are you okay?"

Umiling-iling siya. No...she's not okay. How can she be okay if she's in this kind of situation she doesn't understand? And that man...Noir...sino ba talaga ito? She's pretty sure that he's not a human.

"C-can you see him, Serene?" Raea asked while pointing her finger to Noir.

Kita niya ang pagkunot ng noo ni Serene. She even looked at where she's pointing.

"See who? Tayong dalawa lang naman ang nandito," confused Serene asked.

Napahawak si Raea sa kanyang ulo. It's throbbing again. Iyon ay dahil sa gulong-gulo na siya at natatakot na talaga siya sa nangyayari.

Serene panicked. "Wait for me here. I'll call the doctor to check on you!" She said and immediately left.

"I have told you, Raea. The ordeal has already been given. And you just have to accept it. This won't be happening if you didn't call me. I never really thought that a human being will know my existence," Noir said to her as he approached her.

Suffering from pain, Raea still managed to look at him. "Not every single word you said makes sense, Noir...I don't know if you're just a hallucination or what but please, leave me alone!" She plead as her tears started to fall.

Noir came closer to her. And much to Raea's surprised, he held her chin to make her look at him closely. He's just a breath away and one wrong move, their lips will be touching each other.

"As much as I want to stay away from you, I can't. The connection between us can't be easily cut because this is the punishment you have to face," he said seriously. "You have to remember me, Raea. I am Noir...the dark cupid."