[I think with this part, it might confuse some na hindi pa nakakabasa ng 11ways. teehee. :D]

Let me tell you, Allen. 

...ends here.

11 Ways to forget your ex-boyfriend told us that Allen left her beloved ex-girlfriend Sena because he can't bear hurting her when she finds out about him dying. Allen thought that he is dying but it's just his pessimism, he's not dying... He has a heart transplant but it's only a 20% chance of success but as what Shekinah told him, percentage is just a number and believing is the real deal.

Let me tell you that nothing is possible when you have faith and hopes with you. When you feel you're inbetween life and death, don't feel sad 'coz you're in the most safest existence... you're in the arms of hope. Feel it and dare to believe. 

xxx-xxx

Knock knock.

I suddenly become uneasy, "C-come in!"

"Time for your 10pm medicine, Allen." it's one of the nurses, nakahinga din ng maluwag. Since this morning, evertime someone knocks I get panicky by the thought that it might be Shekinah... or if she's even existing. Up until now, my mind's crossed by last night's... whether it's a dream or not, I have no idea. I've been waiting for her to show up again but the day's long gone and no one named Shekinah's knocking. 

"Hey, would you mind if I ask something?"

"Sure," she said as she arranges the medicine from a box on my table.

"D'you know who's at the other side of this room?"

She stops from what she's doing and looks at me in terror, "Why'd you ask?"

"Well, If you happen to passby her room later, can you say 'hi' for me?"

"Uhh, yeah sure. Take your medicine Allen," she said stammering and her hands are shaking as she hands me my medicine.

"Ok, thank you."

"O-ok. I better go. Take a rest now." she exits rapidly. Weird.

I drink my medicine and watch something on the television and after some quite while, I turn it off and close my eyes to sleep. I woke up by the knocking sound on my wall, I rub my eyes and take a look at my bedside clock... it's 11pm.

*KNOCK KNOCK*

The knocking repeats. As a response, I knock as well. She stops knocking and after awhile, I hear a knock on my door.

"Come in," this time, I'm sure it's Shekinah.

"Hallooo!" she's giddier the last time I saw her which was just yesterday. She jumps to my bed and smile to me as she mimics Bugs bunny's famous line, "What's up doc?"

"Nothing's up you weird girl," I throw my hand on her face and pushes it lightly.

"Eeek! Get your big hands off me!" she squeals and pushes it away from her face as irritation puckered her brow.

"What happened last night?"

"Ya don't remember?"

"Vaguely."

"You sure alzheimer's not your reason of being admitted to the hospital?" 

"No. It's just that, I really can't remember how I went back to the hospital. The last thing I remember, I fell asleep on one of the gravestones and after that... I saw myself waking up in my hospital bed. Did you bring me here? Or being in the graveyard was just a big dream? It's kinda confusing me..."

"Secret!" she stands up and pulls my hand, "Let's go."

"Huh? Where?!" don't tell me she wants to go out again at this hour.

"To Neverland." she winks and let go off me, "Go get your jacket and shoes. I'll take your blanket and socks again."

"Neverland? Who are you, peterpan?"

"Nah, I'm tinkerbell... You are peterpan."

"Stop fooling with me, Shekinah. I'm so not gonna play with your games again. Go back to your room and sleep. If someone get us caught, it'll be trouble."

"Oh c'mon Allen, this is the last time I'd ask this favor to go out with you... Afterall, the day after tomorrow will be your operation day right?" I try to remember if I told such information to her but I failed, "Pleaaaseeee?"

"Oh geez," I jump off my bed and went ahead to my cabinet, putting my jacket, socks and shoes as she wraps my blanket around her and puts my socks on her small feet, "This would be the last time I'm going out with you at an hour like this, you hear me?"

"Aye aye captain!" 

xxx-xxx

Tonight is a different night. Instead of just walking around somewhere, she brought me to a train station.

"Where do you think we're going?"

"Somewhere." she walks around with her hands at her back and orders, "Go buy a ticket."

"Why so?!"

"Just go and buy it!" can she be more demanding than this? 

"Fine. What destination?" I don't what she has in mind but I don't think there would be any harm on playing along with her. I might as well enjoy this 'coz this would be one of the last nights of my life if ever I won't survive the operation.

"Up to the final destination of this train."

"Are you crazy?!" 

"C'mon! Just buy it!" then she pushes me to the ticket machine. 

"Geez, fine." lucky I always bring my wallet with me and has atleast $60 in it. She sits to one of the benches as she wait for me to buy some tickets. I take my $20 and insert it in the machine 'coz each ticket up to the final destination costs $10.

"Here," I hand her ticket, "That's $10."

"I don't have money, you should have not bothered." still she accepts it.

"If I did not, how can you ride the train? Now that I'm already here, I can't go alone."

"You can't go alone? That's what you've been doing since last night."

"What?"

She just laughs and stands up from the bench, "Let's go, here's the train."

We ride in, it's not quite full neither empty. As we pass every seat, some look at us and eventually fix their eyes on me, some did not bother and continue reading books or typing on their laptop and others, well almost the rest, are sleeping comfty. We found sits immediately. She sits beside the window and I at her right. 

"So where are we going?" I manage to ask in low voice so not to disturb anyone. We actually don't have any neighbors with us on the opposite chair.

"Give me a number."

"Why?"

"Ask me to give you a number." she never answers my question. =___=

"Fine, give me a number."

"5."

"Ok, then?"

"After 5stops, let's get out." 

"Then?" I don't really know what's her plan. She's going random, I guess.

"Then... I don't know. Let's think about it later. I want to sleep first." she closes her eyes and lays her head on my shoulder. I watch her sleep.

Just to think of it, she's too pallid... how sick could she be? I don't really believe that she has only asthma. She's even cold and she seems lifeless as she sleeps... does she happen to have a severe sickness? Oh no, I'm thinking too much. I should not bother with things that ain't my business.

As the train stops at the 5th stop, we head out and she tells me her next plan, "I'm hungry! Let's go to the nearest restaurant!"

"You really are out of your mind, you think there's still a restaurant open at this hour? It's almost midnight!"

"I know a place where it's still open!" then she pulls my hand and we start running out of the station and we stop at the nearest 7/11 store.

"This is not a restaurant." I glare at her.

"Well, we can still buy foods in here." she giggles.

"Uh-kay." I heave out a sigh, "Well then, let's go in."

As we enter, the lady in the counter who's around 50 greets us with a warm welcome. We head straight to chips and other snacks to pig on. I grab some nachos and chocolates as she grab a pack of marshmallow, she hands it to me and ask me to bring it for her. What a lazy bun. =___=

We went to the counter and I ask her if she wants anything else and she told me, "Just a hot chocomilk."

The counterlady has a big question mark written on her face as she punches our stuff on the code bar. What's bothering her? Oh, I don't know, weird people these days.

"Ah yeah, I would want to add 2 hot chocomilk." well, I would like some too of those hot milks. 

"Sure." she turns to prepare hot milks and when it's done, Shekinah asks me something.

"Can you put some marshmallows on my chocomilk?"

"Why don't you do it yourself?" 

"Please?"

"Oh for Whoever's sake." I exhaust to her incredible annoying self and just open the pack of marshmallow and place some piece of it on the chocomilk letting it to float there. 

I paid all the expense and before leaving she says to the counterlady, "Goodnight, take care of yourself."

But it seems like the counterlady did not hear her and turns to the other way, fixing some stuff.

As we go out of 7eleven to eat our stuff on the pavements, I notice that she doesn't have her chocomilk with her and she's only munching on her marshmallows.

"What happened to your chocomilk?"

"I drank it already."

"Liar. I did not see you drinking any."

"Well... I forgot it there."

"Say what?! You forgot it at the store?"

"Yeah, I was thinking too much that I forgot to bring my own cup."

"Oh, how stupid can you be! Let's go back and get your cup!"

"No! Just leave it there."

"And why? I spent a dollar for it!"

"Just leave it to the counterlady, she might need some of those hot chocomilks... Afterall, it's very tiring to work at nights." 

I keep silent. Crunch and bites are the only audible ones between us. She then speaks, "Do you want to throw your heart away, Allen?"

"No but I have no choice, my parents want me to take this operation."

"Your parents? How about you, don't you want it?"

"Honestly, I don't believe much in this operation but I guess, like what you've said... I'm inbetween life and death so I might as well take this hope with me and wish for the best with my soon operation."

"If it's a success, what's your plan?"

"I don't really know."

"Will you come back to your girlfriend?"

"Maybe... Maybe I'd try to check her if she's fine..."

"And when she's fine, what are you gonna do next?"

"I don't know."

"Who knows..." she throws a mallow in her mouth and then she buries her face on her knees, "When operation's done, can you tell me how it feels to have another heart inside you? I mean... I want to know if it feels like being two people inside one body. I want you to tell me how it feels to have another heart beating inside you, I want you to tell me if it still feels the same... I want you to tell me if you can feel through that other person's heart or if you could still hear the feelings of the original owner of the heart... I want you to tell me if having another person's heart beating inside you, makes you feel the presence of the original heart owner."

"Why do you want me to tell you these?"

"I want to know, Allen. Please tell me, Allen... Tell me everything after the operation."

"Sure, you can always knock at my door after the operation. Afterall, I still have to stay at the hospital after some days even the operation's done already."

"Thank you, Allen."

"Don't thank me, I'm not even sure if it'll be a success. And yeah, why are you so eager to know?"

"I'll tell you Allen but that's gotta wait until your operation's done." 

"Well... okay."

After pigging out with the stuff we bought, we lay our bodies on the pavements not caring if anyone would pass there any moment... And once again, we watch the glittering sky and the big moon shining upon us...

"Allen..."

"Hmm?" I look at her at my side to see her looking at me too.

"Can I ask you a favor?"

"What is it?" 

Eye to eye, she tells me, "Please take care of your new heart, take care of it for me."

Though I did not understand it well, I just said yes and we continue to watch the sky and not knowing how... I fell into a deep slumber.

And the next day, I woke up again on my hospital bed wondering if last night's just another dream again with Shekinah.

I want to go out, I want to check her on the room next to mine but the doctors and my parents won't allow me to go out 'coz they said I should rest myself for tomorrow's operation. No one allowed me to go outside so I did not have the chance to meet her before my operation.

They prepared me at 11pm 'coz I will be operated at midnight, yes... exactly midnight. That was the hour given to me 'coz they told me that my operation will run very long.

xxx-xxx

As I am laying on my operation bed, lights flashing on my face, voices echoing in my head, blurred faces surrounding me... flashbacks of the past starts to play like those of camera films. 

"Hello?"

"Sena..." 

"Ah, Allen... napatawag ka..."

"May mga bagay na gusto sana akong itanong sayo, sana sagutin mo. Wag mo ng itanong kung bakit basta sumagot ka lang."

"Sige.. ano ba yun Allen?"

"Umiiyak ka pa ba sa gabi?"

"Eh?" 

"Sagutin mo na lang Sena, please."

"Hindi na..." 

"Meron pa ba akong remembrance o kahit ano sayo?"

"Eh?"

"Binabanggit mo pa ba palagi ang pangalan ko?"

"Hindi na."

"May mga pinagkakaabalahan ka na ba?"

"Oo, marami." 

"Bagay sayo bangs mo pati highlights mo." 

"Eh?!"

"Pasensya na dati ah nung dapat kablind date mo si James, nagkasakit kasi sya nun eh kaya ipinasa ka na lang nya sakin, hindi ko naman alam na ikaw pala yun eh, iba kasi pangalan na ginamit mo eh."

"Teka Allen, bakit mo sinasabi mga bagay na 'to? Tsaka diba sabi mo magtatanong ka lang hindi ka naman nagtatanong eh." 

"Alam mo bagay kayo ni Trey, masaya ako at nililigawan ka nya."

"Allen---!"

"Mahal ka ni Trey, magtiwala ka sakin. Hindi ka sasaktan nun."

"Teka lang Allen---"

"Masaya akong makitang masaya kang kasama sya. Masaya ako para sa inyo. Wag ka na ulit iiyak Sena, ha?"

"Allen! Teka nga lang, ano ba pinagsasabi mo? Nanggugulo ko ba or what?" 

"Sena... mahal mo si Trey diba?"

"...."

"Pakiramdaman mo Sena kung mahal mo na sya. Ipikit mo mga mata mo. Pakinggan mo ang puso mo, itanong mo sa puso mo kung mahal mo si Trey."

"..."

"Pag malakas ang tibok ng puso mo, mahal mo na sya." 

"..."

"Huling tanong, mahal mo pa ba ako?" 

 "Ikaw na bahala magcheck sa box, sana malinaw na sayo ang nararamdaman mo. Wag kang malilito Sena at wag ka ring kakapit sa nakaraan mo. Palayain mo ang sarili mo sa sakit..."

"Teka Allen! Paano mo nalaman yung tungkol sa box!"

"Sena, dare to fall inlove again. Yan ang 11th way to forget me."

"Allen---!" 

"Hand it to me."

"Doc, do you need this one?"

"Yes! Yes! Hurry!"

"Doc, the rate's decreasing so fast!"

"We need to give it a pump! Hand it to me,"

"Now?"

"Now!"

"Nothing. It keeps on decreasing."

"We can't give up now! Another push!"

"Still nothing, doc!"

"Kid, listen to me. I know you hear me, don't give up now! PUSH!"

"Hi, I'm Shekinah. Knock knock."

"You whiner!" 

"What kind of heck accusation should that be?!" 

"In life, percentage is just a number! Transplant is always a transplant! Why are you such a pessimist?!" 

"What sense there is in a 20% chance of success?!" 

"And what sense there is to waste the heart that is about to be given to you?! Atleast believe! Atleast have a 100% faith! 20 plus 100 makes 120% surpassing the hundred!" 

"Don't teach me math! I know better!" 

"I'm not teaching you math,I'm teaching you to believe more than beyond."

"Tell me Shekinah, what's inbetween life and death? Where am I? If you can tell me what's inbetween them... Then maybe that's where I am right now."

"Let me tell you Allen that between life and death is hope. That's where you are now. Let's go?"

DUG. DUG. DUG.

"Doc! We need to hurry!"

DUG.... DUG.....

"Don't give up kid! Don't!"

"Please take care of your new heart, take care of it for me."

DUGDUGDUG.

I felt someone inside me, someone I know.

xxx-xxx

"Where are you going?" my doctor stops me as I was about to knock at Shekinah's door.

"Just gonna check out a friend, my operation's a succes so I guess she deserves to hear the good news." when I said that, my doctor frowns.

"There's no one there."

"No one? How come? Is Shekinah done with her treatment? Has she left the hospital already?" maybe yesterday? 'Coz after the operation, I slept for a day.

"H-how did you know about Shekinah?" he's so shocked that he places his hands on his mouth with eyes wide open.

"Huh? I don't get you, doc."

He did not answer but instead he opens Shekinah's room with one of the keys he has on his pocket and opens it for me, revealing me an empty room, "Shekinah's long gone. When she was going to her school, she got hit by a driver who lost control of his wheel... She got hit so hard that she had had coma."

 "I'm a constant liar. I tell mix truth and lies so it will always be up to you if ya wanna believe."

"For how long did she stay here?" I manage to ask.

"For a month and some weeks."

"I have asthma, been staying here for a month and some weeks."

"Oh God..." realizations run down in my whole system... 

That's why she seems so transparent everytime the moonlight strikes her skin. That's why she's so pallid, that's why she's so cold. 

"Here," I hand her ticket, "That's $10."

"I don't have money, you should have not bothered." still she accepts it.

"If I did not, how can you ride the train? Now that I'm already here, I can't go alone."

"You can't go alone? That's what you've been doing since last night."

Since last night? She meant that I was always alone... she was never with me, or physically with me atleast. Then why do I always wake up on my bed? Is she a dream? Oh, my mind's clouded with questions that I don't where to seek the answers.

"How did you know that this was Shekinah's room?" the doctor asks me, "Did your parents told you already that she's your donor?"

DONOR. Shekinah's my heart donor?

I run out of the hospital hearing my doctor shouting, "Allen! Stop! Don't run yet, it'll be bad for your just operated body!"

I don't bother listening, I just keep on running and heading to that place where she brought me first...

To the graveyard. I search and search for the graveyard where we sat and I lay my body and when I found it... I saw a woman around 50 and she seems familiar... the woman from 7/11, the counterlady. She's standing at that gravestone with her head bowed down and eyes closed.

I feel butterflies inside my stomach. It's like I'm connecting the dots so fast and I can't control myself to stop...

"Excuse me," I told the lady as I walk near her. She raises her head and she is surprised to see me, "Have we met before?"

I did not answer her question and instead I look at the name written on the gravestone... Shekinah Blake.

The first time she brought me here, I did not even notice her name on it. How stupid and blind can I be?

"Do you know Shekinah?" I ask the lady.

"Yes, she is my daughter."

"Aren't you from the other city working at 7/11?" she's surprised when I asked her that question.

"Were you the one who bought 2 hot chocomilks and left the other cup for me?"

"No, it wasn't me."

"Say what?! You forgot it at the store?"

"Yeah, I was thinking too much that I forgot to bring my own cup."

"Oh, how stupid can you be! Let's go back and get your cup!"

"No! Just leave it there."

"And why? I spent a dollar for it!"

"Just leave it to the counterlady, she might need some of those hot chocomilks... Afterall, it's very tiring to work at nights." 

"It was your daughter, Shekinah. She left it there and told me that you might need it 'coz she knew that it's very tiring for you to work at nights."

The lady smiled bitterly, "I knew it. I felt her presence that night, I heard her say... goodnight to me and to take care of myself. That's why I decided to go back to this city to pay a visit to her stone."

"Did you not see her?"

"No, but did you?" 

I look down at Shekinah's grave, "Yeah. She kept knocking on my wall and now... she's knocking on my heart."

"Oh my god, d'you happen to be Allen--- that guy that was to receive her heart?!" 

I nodded, "I guess so. I can feel her inside me."

"When operation's done, can you tell me how it feels to have another heart inside you? I mean... I want to know if it feels like being two people inside one body. I want you to tell me how it feels to have another heart beating inside you, I want you to tell me if it still feels the same... I want you to tell me if you can feel through that other person's heart or if you could still hear the feelings of the original owner of the heart... I want you to tell me if having another person's heart beating inside you, makes you feel the presence of the original heart owner."

xxx-xxx

“Ladies and gentlemen, we have just been cleared to land at the NAIA airport. Please make sure one last time your seat belt is securely fastened. The flight attendants are currently passing around the cabin to make a final compliance check and pick up any remaining cups and glasses. Thank you.”

I'm back, Philippines. I just want to check how my ex-girlfriend's doing. If Sena's happy now, well I should be happy for her as well. Shekinah,  you know what? Having someone's heart beating inside you is kinda creepy... creepy just like you. But thing is, I really feel your presence inside me. Will you be always be there to guide me? Let's keep beating together, Shekinah.

I may be surprised, too happy, nervous and maybe... I might fall inlove again and get hurt in the future but don't worry,

 "Please take care of your new heart, take care of it for me."

I'll take care of this heart, I'll take care of you. You are the hope inside me.

END.

xxx-xxx

denny's note: Hey! Tapos na rin! haha. sorry if it's too short, this is practically a give away sequel. haha. I tried giving Allen a happy ending but... I just can't. I don't know how... Sorry, please don't hate me for torturing Allen with such ending. I tried not to be that harsh. XD

I forgot to place FANTASY with the genre. And oh, this is not a DRAMA-DRAMA neither ROMANCE-ROMANCE, sorry to disappoint you. :D

I know some of you had a hunch already that Shekinah's a ghost. mwahaha. :D

Feel free to correct grammars and spelling errors, I know I have some.

Well yeah, thank you for those who read this! Thanks for supporting my short story. Hope you'll vote and leave a comment. Thank you. :3