Episode 1: The Wake

Charlie Estevez woke up with the suns rays glaring his eyes. Seeping through that window was not only the suns rays but also a welcome of a new day, seeing life in a new perspective now he's come into terms with himself and what he really wants. The day of doing something old in a different way, going to the same destination through a different path, living it up.

He limps through the corridors of his mom's humble abode. The walls are not tall but they were neither small. Just apt for his slender tall figure. Lanky, others may say and fairly yellowish , but pale. Almost, he's smooth as glass with little hair but the dark hair on his head signifies long hours in bed and not having any haircut.

"You're up! Oh my God, stay there I'll get you!" Belinda said, her mother.

Belinda almost ran across the kitchen island before doing a turn to grab Charlie's arm.

"Why didn't you called me that you're... anyways how's your leg?" She said with the most worried eyes.

"I guess it's okay, I want to eat something." Charlie finally spoke almost inaudible. A relief for Belinda.

Apparently, Charlie haven't spoken for a month or so. He's in his bed for weeks, after being admitted in a nearby hospital he was brought home to rest. He was traumatized after the accident.

The accident everyone is talking about. The accident that almost cost the life of Belinda's only son. The accident that led Agatha to finally learn how to be the 'big sister'.

Belinda's phone rang. Agatha said on the other line, "Mom, give the cell to Charlie!" Belinda handed the phone to Charlie's emaciated hands.

"So... are you really talking now?" Agatha asked in a very slow manner, with much apprehensions.

With a deep sigh, Charlie blurted, "I guess..."

Charlie's relationship with his sister Agatha was not a very nice one while they were still young and immature. An age gap of five probably ignited the teen clash. While Charlie was pampered, Agatha was taught. Agatha almost cursed their situation, but when she entered college and became busy she just completely disengaged herself from her own family. She finished college and lived her own life. But she came back, for her brother, whom she realized is still a part of her life. And for her mother, ultimately, that was so affected by her actions due to childish jealousy. She knows better now.

But she wasn't just jealous when they were teens. The young Maria Agatha Estevez, who is always irritated with the little Charlie is always with him. They are inseparable, in a sense that Belinda gave her that duty, to be in charge of her little brother all the time while she's working in her own dress shop. They were always together that she knows pretty well everything about him, especially his peculiarities.

Charlie, as Agatha sees it, is a shy boy, but inquisitive. But oddly he doesn't asks when he's going to do something involving  permissions. He just do what he wants, but not as he pleases. He's a normal boy who watches cartoons and hates math but his reading skills are of paramount. He always makes stories involving very old people and the past with inanimate creatures of some sort. Agatha finds this peculiar and funny. He as well has a penchant for the arts. Agatha always mess with his drawings, but it doesn't make him mad, he just frowns and do something else. For Agatha, Charlie is just dead weird. Charlie sometimes goes into a daydream and not talk, she felt amused with this. One time Charlie had this daydream for nearly an hour and Agatha freaked-out. She was fifteen then. It was not a big deal but Belinda was cautiously worried and reprimanded Agatha. More and more, Agatha hated Charlie, but deep inside she loves her brother but she just don't get him. She feels an aura, that's what others may call it, when Charlie trances to the fantasy land. Was she horrified, she doesn't think so, but more of being worried she is curious. But because of her immature emotions she just feel completely jealous of the fact that her mom somewhat understands Charlie more over her. That is a fact for her.

But all things changed when she got back. She has matured over the years studying Applied Physics in a big university in the far west from their town. She is a looker, a stunner. She wasn't single, she's kind of engaged to her former classmate George Van Houten who wooed her for years.

She came back after her mother's dramatic call one eve. "Mae, Charlie's in the hospital now.", she reminisced. That was around two months ago, and it came to her that she still have a family. That night she rushed to the hospital and heard from her mom that Charlie was involved in a deadly accident. That struck her, her little brother is going to die. But apparently, Charlie somewhat survived the deadly ride with severe lacerations, fractures everywhere and internal organ injury. Belinda thought he would die of such horrendous event. But, no, Charlie did survived. The doctors thought that the extensive damage to his body would soon cause a multi-organ failure that would lead to a cardiac death, ultimately his death. But his body fought.

Miracle it is, Belinda strongly believes. Agatha thanked the Lord, but at the back of her mind she thinks it's not miracle at all, that there is something that she could not fathom to think of but can't completely drop it. Belinda Estevez knows something and she's very afraid.

Charlie on the other hand was in a deep sleep at that time, in a very deep sleep that brought him somewhere we couldn't even imagine.

"Okay, so tell me what really did happened? Agatha insisted on the other line, with much curiosity and passion.