They were neighbors and as far as Jamie could remember, he and Tonton had been friends ever since they started walking. His house was just next to Tonton's and both their mothers were also friends' way back high school. They were not really the best of friends, but they belonged to the same squad. When they got married, they coincidentally became neighbors. Jamie's family moved in first. When their daughter turned four, the new neighbor came in. They had no children as they were starting yet. A year later, both mothers gave birth to baby boys.

James Michael de Jesus, or Jamie as fondly called by everyone, may be considered lucky as he was greatly provided and spoiled by his parents. Growing up was fun and easy for Jamie. All that he needed was easily within reach - food, clothes, toys, health care, and all that a child needs and asks for. No wonder, he grew up to be a handsome boy. He was tall for most boys of his age. He had fair yet smooth skin. His eyes always widened in excitement. These were mostly genetics, but his lifestyle was a big influence on his proper grooming. In school, he also performed well.

Despite everything, Jamie was a humble and kind child. In fact, he was soft-hearted and caring. He could not bear it when some other kids were being bullied or hurt. His best friend Tonton, or Mark Anthony Tagalogon, was not so much different. Maybe because they had been playmates since toddlers that they had also developed the same attitudes and interests. Like Jamie, Tonton was also a good-looking boy, though his glasses made him look more serious and brainier than his friend.

Their mothers were pleased that their boys struck up a strong friendship, more so that they had been good influences on each other. So, when one boy asked for a sleepover from the other, the mothers did not make a fuss about it. They simply felt secure with their kids.

Still, the boys can be naughty sometimes and they were just forgiving about it. They knew that they were the ones who wrecked the rose garden and not the dogs. They knew that sometimes, when they were too eager to run out and play, they carelessly rocked the clothesline and dropped the newly washed clothes. They knew that they had been into fights with other boys. They believed that these things were typical to children of their age. For as long as they were responsible for their actions, the two mothers would always trust them.

Jamie was reliving several memories when he suddenly heard movements and muffled voices. Slowly, he rose and examined his surroundings. He forced himself to recollect the moment and soon realized that a powerful light impacted Subangdaku.

He squinted his eyes and saw two shadows closing in on him. They were Bogart's and Kiko's. They were also moving slowly, as if feeling unsteady from what had happened.

"Where's Tonton?" he asked himself. "Why don't I see him?"

"Jamie!" Bogart shouted his name while waving his chubby arms.

"Hey, guys!" Jamie called back. Gently, he propped his hands on his knees and stood up. He was shaking.

"Can you believe what just happened?" Bogart was all energy again. "It is nothing I have read in the books."

"We must be dead if it had been a meteor," Kiko finally spoke up.

"Did you guys see Tonton?" Jamie asked.

The two shook their heads. There were only three bicycles nearby and so Tonton must have been thrown far.

"We must find him," Jamie said calmly.

The stars seemed less bright than before and so the surroundings seemed less illuminated. Jamie felt uneasy but he did not let it show. He could not let his friends see him tense or worried, but in his heart, he was terribly anxious.

They were six years old when Jamie and Tonton experienced something unforgettable in the old, haunted house. It was twilight and along with other boys, they played in the grass near the feared structure. They were in the middle of their hide-and-seek game when the pair ventured into the old house. They had been warned never to get inside it as its rickety floor and post might easily give in.

Once inside, the boys instantly got crept out by the shadows cast by the setting sun on the gaps of the walls. They tiptoed their way into the middle of the house when a black object suddenly jumped from out of nowhere. They screamed, and panicked, they ran down their separate paths. Tonton ran upstairs while Jamie found the door going out of the house. He was about to go outside when a loud cry reverberated from the upper floor. It was so loud that the other boys in the grasses heard the scream. They all rushed inside and tagged along with Jamie when they ran upstairs. Tonton was screaming like he was in so much terror.

When Jamie opened the room at one end of the second floor, they saw Tonton hanging on the floorboard. The floor had collapsed, and several planks had gone down. Tonton's right hand was tightly clutching a board while the other was reaching out to them. Immediately, they dashed towards him and successfully pulled him up.

Tonton continued crying while his whole body quivered. He claimed that an unknown force dragged him into the room and onto the floor. It was only after a while that Tonton stopped whimpering and relaxed. Since that day, Jamie vowed never to return into the house. He felt that if something worse had happened to his best friend, he could never forgive himself.

The fear that Jamie felt that day was the same way he was feeling now. He could not let his friend get into an accident again. The mere thought terrified him. They called out his name, but no answer came.

They walked and from a distance, they saw a bicycle resting atop a large bush. It was upside down, one of its wheels was spinning. Just a foot or two from the bike was an arm sticking out from the bushes. It was not moving.

=====================================================

For Tonton, his dreams were quite different for he was an observer. It was as if he was a ghost or an angel lingering by and seeing things but not being seen. His visions were also very random - back when he was a baby up to the moments minutes ago.

"So I was really cute back then."

Tonton, or Mark Anthony Tagalogon, chuckled. He had seen his baby pictures, but it was different when it was live. At first, he doubted that the baby was him. He thought that it was a vision of a future event - that his mother would give birth to another son.

"Don't be greedy with your milk, Tonton."

When the young mother said those words, Tonton leapt in joy. Finally, he was sure that the handsome baby was him. He constantly came up to the baby and tickled him but there was no response. Indeed, he was invisible.

Flashbacks came and went. After the baby's moments, he was taken to another event, back when he celebrated his fifth birthday. It was in a resort in the nearby town and present were his family and friends. Everyone was happily eating and drinking, while the kids and their mothers were swimming in the pool near a high waterfall. Of course, his best friend Jamie was with him, immersed in the cold water along with the other boys. Tonton was trying to come out of the pool when he suddenly slipped on a boulder and fell on the stones. His face lightly bumped onto a rock and his hands were grazed. Blood oozed from his nose. Jamie and the boys started screaming and immediately, the adults rushed in.

Tonton had no recollection of the event. Not a hint of that day was familiar to him. He wondered why he was having such memories when he could not remember them. He was sure he was only dreaming, but he also knew that these things were influenced by his memories.

More memories came and Tonton was randomly transported to them. Each event flashed for a few seconds before going to the next. In all of them, Tonton was just a spirit observing everything.

Finally, he was brought to the latest events. The four of them were once again standing on the grass, watching the bright light going towards them. In the blink of an eye, the light exploded, and Tonton was thrown away.

Quickly, Tonton got up and found himself standing in what looked like a girl's, or lady's room. It was a modern and techy room, but it was not familiar to him. He was standing on a corner and on the bed was indeed a woman, possibly in her early twenties, lying on her side. She was whimpering and her shoulder quivered every time she let out a louder cry.

"Why did you do this to me? How could you lie?" she was talking to herself.

She screamed hard. Suddenly, she stood up and swept all the contents on her bedside table.

She seemed in pain as she was crying while throwing things in sight. She turned around and Tonton felt she was staring at him.

Tonton squinted his eyes, trying to make out how the woman looked. Unlike everything around her, her face was a blur. Her neck-high blonde hair was sitting on a featureless face, much like that of a manequin.

Slowly, she walked towards him. Tonton felt a little panic. She was steadily approaching him, and from the way she moved her head from side to side out of curiosity, she seemed to have seen him.

"Help me," she whispered.

Tonton leapt, both surprised and frightened. Reflexively, he fled from the room. He lost sense of the place, he just kept running away until he came to a market-like place. People around him were busy, as if on errands of buying various stuffs. Like the woman before, their faces were empty. Tall buildings were around the marketplace. Above them, winged vehicles, much like spaceships, were hovering.

"Where am I?" he asked himself. "This could not be part of my memories."

Tonton chuckled. Surely, all the things he had seen so far were not memories. They could be visions of some distant future. Tonton marveled at everything in sight.

"Catch him!" roared a voice from behind him.

Tonton turned around. To his terror, a group of nine or ten faceless men were staring at him.

They advanced towards him and in fear, Tonton fled again. He kept running and running until he came to a dark place. He looked around. It was not simply dark; it was night. There were two moons gleaming up in the blue-black skies.

"I know this is wrong."

He heard a man's voice saying. Immediately, Tonton hid behind a large bush.

"So we stop now?" a woman asked.

"No, we can't," the man replied. "I love you enough to leave everything behind. I will fight for you."

Tonton was now totally bewildered. Why was he seeing, or hearing, these things? He felt like an invader or voyeur of some people's lives.

Slowly, the man advanced to the woman. Their faces moved closer and, in an instant, under the light of two bright moons, he kissed her hard. While their lips intertwined, their hands were groping the other's body.

"Gross," Tonton uttered and beckoned to turn away. He accidentally stepped on a twig and the sound reverberated through the night.

"Who is there?" the man hollered.

Tonton turned around and the lovers seemed to be staring at him. Reflexively, Tonton ran. He ran and ran until he came to a forest.

It was chaotic. Gunfire was everywhere. But they were not actually gunfire but light or laser blasts. Each blast was strong enough to brighten the entire forest. And whatever the blast hit, it smoldered and melted.

Tonton ran again until some large roots caught his left leg. He tripped and fell on woody ground. He struggled hard, and with each kick he did, the roots seemed to entangle him even more. The blasts continued around him while trees were burned or melted. To his horror, the tree behind him got hit. In a second, its trunk was cut in half while its foliage blazed. Slowly, the upper half of the tree fell. He must be a minute late; Tonton screamed as the large timber fell on him.