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Black. That’s all Rena could feel. Everything was pitch black. She felt like she was floating in nothingness, suspended in a void where time and space seemed to have no meaning. The darkness enveloped her, wrapping around her like a thick, velvety blanket. She stared into the abyss, her eyes searching for any hint of light or movement, but there was nothing. Despite the overwhelming darkness, she didn’t feel any fear. Instead, there was a strange sense of calm, as if the void was a place of refuge rather than terror.
The silence was profound, almost deafening in its intensity. It was as if the world had been muted, leaving her alone with her thoughts. She could feel the gentle, rhythmic pulse of her own heartbeat, a steady reminder that she was still alive. The sensation of floating was surreal, as if she were drifting in a vast, endless ocean without any sense of direction or purpose.
Where am I? What happened? She wondered, her thoughts echoing in the emptiness. The last thing I remember was playing the piano, and I suddenly felt a wave of emotions, but were those even mine? I feel so lost and confused.
The void seemed to respond to her thoughts, the darkness shifting slightly as if acknowledging her presence. She felt a subtle change in the atmosphere, a faint whisper of something familiar yet distant.
“I’m so sorry, Rena,” she heard a voice whisper, the sound barely audible but unmistakably filled with sorrow.
Who is that? Wait, is that the voice I heard before I fell asleep? I was so tired. Am I still sleeping? She questioned, trying to make sense of the disembodied voice.
The darkness around her began to change, the inky blackness giving way to a soft, ethereal glow. It was as if the void was slowly coming to life, revealing hidden depths and secrets. The glow intensified, forming shapes and images that danced before her eyes. Suddenly, a memory began to play in front of her, almost like a movie. It was Rena as a baby, in her mother’s arms. Her mother’s smile was so warm, tears falling down her cheeks.
“Hello, my little angel. Your name is Serena Amara Reyes. You were born to do great things,” her mother said, placing a kiss on her little forehead.
Are these my memories? Her heart felt fuzzy at the sight of her mother. She could almost feel the warmth of the arms holding her. A smile formed on her face as another memory started to play.
This time she was a toddler, crawling on the ground. Her mother was there in front of her, holding her arms out.
“Come on, ReRe. You can do it! Come to mama.” Little Rena pushed herself off the ground and took a step towards her mama. Her first step. “That’s it, ReRe! Come to mama! Look at you growing up so fast!” that familiar warm smile on her face. As little Rena took another step towards her mama, the smile grew even warmer if that was possible. She took another step, and another, finally reaching her mother. “You did it, ReRe! I’m so proud of you!” The little girl looked up at her mother and smiled. “Mmm… ma… mama!” she stuttered her first word, and her mother wrapped her arms around her baby girl so tightly Rena could feel it through the memory.
Now Rena was five years old. A backpack atop her shoulders, standing and waiting for the bus. It was her first day of kindergarten. She was so nervous, holding her mother’s hand as she looked up.
“It’s okay, ReRe. You will do fine. You are my smart little girl. Mama is so proud of you. If you get scared, just remember our little saying.” Rena smiled back at her mom and chirped, “A smile a day keeps the troubles away.” Her mother smiled back. “That’s right, ReRe.”
Another memory started. Rena was still five, but instead of everything being warm and fuzzy, it felt dark and cold. Rena was in a hospital room, in the bed, laid with her mother. A doctor came in and started speaking to a woman in the chair opposite the bed, Rena’s grandmother. Rena couldn’t make out much of what the doctor said except for the words “stage 4” and “cancer.” Her little self didn’t know what those words meant. All she knew then was her mama was sick, and she was scared. She felt her mother squeeze her hand, causing the little one to turn towards her mother.
“Come here, ReRe. I need to tell you something.” Little Rena climbed on the bed and leaned in so her mother could whisper in her ear. “You saved me, little one. You really were mommy’s little angel. You might not understand it now, but you will when you are older. Mommy is going to be going to a place where I won’t be sick anymore, but I won’t be able to see you for a long time. Don’t be scared, sweetheart,” she said as she wiped little Rena’s tears. “Grammie will take care of you. So go be a good girl for mommy, okay?” Little Rena nodded her head, and her mother placed a soft, weak kiss on her forehead. “Remember, mommy loves you, and I’m so very proud of you.”
The scenery change to a cemetery. It was cold, dreary, and the rain was relentless. Everyone was dressed in black, surrounding a spot in the ground. A long wooden box was hovering over the earth. She glanced up at the woman she learned was her grandmother. Her mother told her she would be living with her from now on. The woman didn’t even cry. She just stared at the casket. Once it was lowered, everyone took their turn to drop a rose on the casket. Soon it was Rena’s turn and she stepped up to drop her blue colored rose. As she raised her hand she heard her grandmother’s voice.
“What are you doing, you insolent child! The roses are to be black! Where did you get that?” she growled. Rena just looked up at her with a blank face.
One of the assistants spoke softly “I gave her the flower Miss, she asked me for a blue one. I see no issues in–”
“There is an issue because I specifically instructed them to be all black. This is a funeral. A time of mourning my lost child.”
“Ma’am blue is often used to symbol–”
“I don’t care! Don’t let her drop–”
Rena released the flower and it gracefully floated down, resting on top of the mound of black. ”Blue was mama’s favorite color.” Rena said simply before she marched off, leaving everyone speechless. A single tear slipped down her cheek.
The scene cut to later that same day. The woman Rena was to stay with was yelling at her, finger pointed in her face.
“You. You ruined EVERYTHING. She had so much potential. She had a future set out for her. A full scholarship to university. Everything was ruined when she met that man. She got pregnant with you and that's when it all ended. Her cancer inflamed because of the pregnancy and when you were born it got worse! You're the reason she died. You shouldn't be here. I despise you. I'm only taking you in because the government is forcing my hand. If you want to stay, you better not fail me like she did.”
What did she do to deserve those words? What did her mother do to deserve to die? Why did she have to be alone? Was there anyone who could save her from the darkness?
Now Rena was seven. She was sitting by the lake with her knees to her chest, tossing rocks into the water. It was the second anniversary of her mother’s death. She had handled the death of her mother fairly well for a five-year-old, but it was hard to keep it together on the anniversary.
“Hey, you!” She heard a boy’s voice call from behind her, but she didn’t bother turning around.
“HEY!” she heard him shout again. This time she turned halfway around to glance at the boy. She had tears in her eyes.
The boy felt a little bad seeing her crying, so he went and sat down next to her. “Sorry I yelled. Why are you crying?”
Rena didn’t answer and just went back to throwing rocks in the water.
“What’s your name?”
No answer.
“Not much of a talker, are you, huh?”
Rena still stayed quiet, so the boy just sat there, watching her throw rocks into the water. After a few, he joined in with her, throwing them farther than she was. Soon it turned into a competition of who could throw them the farthest. No words were spoken, but a smile started to form on her face.
“R-Rena,” she finally whispered, answering at least one of his questions.
The boy turned and smiled at her and replied with his own name, “Clark.”
Rena’s memories were flooding back. She smiled, remembering the boy she grew up with. He only visited on the weekends during the school year, but during the summer, he would show up for weeks at a time.
Clark stepped out of the car and looked over to see Rena anxiously waiting on the window. He gave her a smile and a wave before he turned to ask his dad if he could play for a while. After getting permission, Clark ran over, a big smile gracing his face. Rena answered the door with a smile just as big.
“Hey Ree!” Clark greeted as she answered.
“Ree?” She was a little surprised at the nickname. The lady person to call her a nickname was her mother. ReRe.
Her smile dropped slightly remembering her mother so Clark quickly apologized.
“Oh sorry. Um. Is it ok if I call you that? I thought we could have nicknames for each other. Friends usually do that. If you don’t like it–”
“I like it!” she yelped, her cheeks flushed. He blushed a little at her response but couldn’t help thinking it was cute.
They became very close, almost inseparable during the summers. Clark made sure to invite her to every holiday. A memory of their first Christmas together flashed before her eyes.
Clark reached for a large gift next to the tree and placed it in front of Rena.
“This is for you, Ree.” he said with a smile brighter than the sun.
“W-what? For me? But..”
“No buts. Clark here went and got that on his own. Paid for it and everything.” Clark’s dad said as he sipped his coffee.
Rena just stared at the gift in front of her. She was awestruck. A gift for me? But why?
“Come on Ree! Just open it!” Clark said, bouncing up and down.
Rena slowly pulled the wrapping paper off. As she saw the image on the box she looked up at Clark. He gave a nod and a smile. She looked back down as a tear slid down her face.
“T-this is for me?” she asked softly.
“Yeah! Of course it’s for you!” he grinned.
“You got me a keyboard?” she smiled as another tear slid down her face.
“Do you like it?” He asked, worried that she didn’t since she was starting to cry.
She looked down at it again before tackling Clark in a hug.
Flashing forward 3 years, the memory of the treehouse began.
“Ree, you know what would be amazing?” Clark asked as he finished his book, his eyes sparkling with excitement.
“What’s that, Clarkie?” she said with a smile, her curiosity piqued.
“If we had our own treehouse!” Clark cheered, his enthusiasm contagious.
“Like their treehouse? That would be so cool!” Rena cheered with him, her eyes lighting up with excitement.
“Let’s go ask my dad! I bet he’d build one for us! My birthday is coming up, it can be my birthday present!” Clark said as he helped Rena off the floor, his heart racing with anticipation.
It wasn’t anything too crazy, but it would be big enough for them to consider it their clubhouse. It took his dad and grandpa almost a week to build it, but when it was finally done, it was everything they had imagined it would be.
“This is our place now,” Clark said after he finished the carving, his voice filled with pride.
“It’s amazing,” Rena said as they sat down on the carpet they had brought up, her heart swelling with happiness.
To commemorate their clubhouse, Clark used his small pocket knife to carve their initials into the tree. He carved out ‘R & C 4ever’ inside a heart.
As the sun began to set, casting a warm golden glow over the treehouse, Rena and Clark settled into their cozy sanctuary. Today was an extra special day—it was Clark’s birthday. The timing couldn’t have been more perfect.
Rena had brought a small cake, carefully hidden in a box, and now she revealed it with a flourish. “Happy birthday, Clarkie!” she exclaimed, her eyes sparkling with excitement.
Clark’s face lit up with surprise and joy. “Ree, you didn’t have to do this!”
“Of course I did,” Rena said, smiling warmly. “It’s your special day, and now we have our special place to celebrate it.”
They lit a single candle on the cake, and Clark made a wish before blowing it out. “I wished for more days like this,” he said, his voice filled with sincerity.
Rena’s heart swelled with affection. “Me too, Clarkie. Me too.”
Before she could see the rest, another memory came back. This one had been the one where Clark showed Rena the tree. She then was flooded with the memories of Versa and ultimately everything that had transpired up to the present. She smiled, finally having got her memories back, but then immediately frowned as she felt a sudden immense pressure. It had been a while since she had felt it, but there was no mistaking what it was. It was him.
38Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡa36v8XJtAF
