CHAPTER 2: WHAT IS HAPPENING?

I wake up feeling my head is heavy. I try to move but every inch of me is in pain, with that, I can't help but groan. I just notice that I am not in my room, nor the school's clinic. Where am I? I look at my hands and saw that there's an apparatus attached to it.

"Mom!" I screamed, but I heard a different voice coming from me. I try to move but I can't, I don't know what's happening. Where am I?

"Mom!" I screamed again but like earlier I heard a different voice again. I just noticed that a man is sitting beside my bed, he looks like he is in his 30's. He's wearing some weird dress, he looks like he's from the past. While inspecting him, he flinched and wake up, he holds my hand and looks at me. As his gaze focuses on me, you can see that he is surprised by what he is seeing.

"Athena! You're awake!" He said and hugged me. Huh? Why is he calling me Athena?

"Wait here, I will just call your Mom and your Dad!" He said and kissed my forehead. What the f*ck?! That stranger! Why did he kiss me on my forehead?! I will kill him, once he is back. After a few minutes before that guy leaves, he came back with a married couple and a teenage guy.

"Oh my god! Athena! Thank God, you finally woke up!" The woman said and hugged me. She looks at me while her tears are flowing. She looks like she is really happy seeing the 'Athena' girl finally wakes up.

"Who are you?" I said

"And why are you calling me Athena? I am not Athena! I am Astraea! And you! Why do you kiss me on my forehead! You as*hole!" I said. They looked all so surprised at what I said. I don't care if I said something mean to them.

"Athena! What are you saying?" Said the woman.

"Like I said! I am not Athena!" I said and was about to leave the bed, but I can't move because my whole body is paralyzed with pain.

"Oh please, Athena, my daughter! Please don't force yourself!" Said the woman

"You are not my Mom!"

"Carlos! Call the Doctor!" Said the woman to the teenage guy! He immediately leaves, and the rest of them are still trying to calm me down. After a few minutes, the guy came back with the Doctor, the woman immediately went near the Doctor and asked what is happening to me.

"Doctor Gomez! What is happening to my daughter?" Said the woman

"She's saying that she is not my Athena, and saying another name!" She said and started crying again. I just rolled my eyes, because I've had enough of this drama.

"I will be going to check her okay? Please calm down!" He said and walks toward me.

"Hi Ms. Athena." He said and smile. I just rolled my eyes on him and avoid his gazes.

"I am Astraea, Doctor! Astraea? Understand?" I said

"Oh! Okay. Ms. Astraea! What is your whole name?" He asked. Finally, it looks liked he believes in me.

"Well! I am Astraea Jordan!" I said they looked so surprised.

"Astraea Jordan? So you're an American?" He asked again

"Obviously!" I said

"Okay, so where do you think you are?" He asked

"I am at my school, but while my teacher in history is discussing I suddenly felt dizzy and collapsed!" I said. It seems like he is concluding what is happening to me.

"Okay? So how old are you and what is the date today?" He asked

"I just turned 18 years old last January, and today is June 25, 2030." I said. After answering his last question, it looks like he made his conclusion.

"Okay! Thank you for answering." He said and look at the woman behind him, and asked her to come over.

"Ma'am Dela Cruz, your daughter is suffering to personality confusion. Maybe the shock of the accident affected her mind and mostly her personality. Just always talk to her, especially about herself, so she can remember who she is." The doctor said and leave the room. What the?! Personality confusion?! But I am Astraea! I need to get our of here, I might lose who I am. After Doctor Gomez left, all of them went near me.

"What?! Will you please stop staring at me?!" I said and hide from my blanket.

Thank, God It seems like they are going to stop, but only minutes have passed the woman started to talk again.

"Athena! My daughter." She said. Okay! Here we go again.

"I know you are awake. Please listen to me!" She said and started talking again.

"Athena, you are my firstborn daughter. Your whole name is Athena Dela Cruz, and you are already 31 years old." She said. Oh! So the Athena girl is already old, pfft!

"I am your legitimate mother, I am Mrs. Edlia Dela Cruz, I am 57 years old, and my husband is Mr. Gardo Dela Cruz, he's 59 years old, you have a little brother named Carlos Dela Cruz, he's 19 years old, and you have your boyfriend Jetrick Santos. And lastly, you are a Filipina, not American. Okay?" She said and stopped talking. Silence occurs for a long time, that's why I peaked from my blanket and saw that they all left. I remove the blanket on my face and let out a heavy sigh.

"I don't know what's happening to me, but I just want to go home" I said and was about to cry when the Jetrick guy enters my room.

"Athena." He said, and sit beside my bed.

"Like I said------"

"Yes! Like you said you are not Athena, and you are Astraphea." He interrupted me, I rolled my eyes at him because he's still wrong.

"Astraea, not Astraphea. Okay?" I said and rolled my eyes again.

"Astraea, okay. I understand. Do you want to eat something, lunchtime has passed already and you haven't eaten anything." He said sounded so concern.

"Nope! I don't want to eat anything, and I'm not hungry." I said even though I am really hungry. God! When was the last time this Athena girl eat?

"Are you sure? Mamang cooked adobo earlier for you." He said. What's adobo? And who's Mamang?

"Ow! Sorry, you're American right? That's why you don't know what I am talking about." He said.

"Ahm, how do I explain this? Mamang is your mother, we called her Mamang because it's our tradition, and adobo is a Filipino dish, it can be sometimes chicken or pork, and it's cooked with soy sauce and vinegar." He explained. I just smiled at him awkwardly because he seems like he's having a hard time speaking in English, unlike my so-called Mom and Dad here, they can speak English well.

"Okay! I get it, so can you leave me alone now?" I said

"Oh. Okay!" He said and he was about to kiss me on my forehead again, but I blocked it with my hand.

"Please! Will you stop kissing me? I'm not your girlfriend okay? Okay?!" I said and hide again on my blanket, I heard that he responded and leave the room. I hate this, I don't know where I am, I don't know who are those people, and why they kept saying that I am Athena, I want to go home, I wish as I open my eyes tomorrow, I wish that I am again in my normal life.

The next day...

I am awake already, but I am not opening my eyes. I am still hoping that, as I open my eyes, I will see my room or school clinic, or any place I know as Astraea. I open my eyes slowly and see that I am in my room. Oh my god! I am here, on my bed.

"I knew it! The Athena thing is only a dream!" I said and continue jumping again on my bed. I didn't notice that my door opens, and my Mom saw me.

"Astraea! Didn't I tell you, stop jumping on your bed! You are already a lady, so act one!" She said and went near me.

"But, what happened? It seems like you have already recovered from what happened yesterday!" She said and commanded me to come down from my bed. I went near her and hugged me so tight.

"Please don't scare us again like that okay?" She said and rub my hair.

"Of course Mom, it won't happen again" I said and hugged him back.

"By the way, you should start preparing, did you forget you have your tour today!" She said. Oh yes! I remember we will visit the museum of history today with my retrophile friends. I'm so excited!

"Oh yes Mom, I gotta prepare! Gotta go Mom! I said and kissed her on her cheeks. I immediately head towards my shower room and started doing my morning routines. While fixing myself, I can't help but get so excited about this tour, because my knowledge about history will surely expand. After fixing myself, I headed downstairs to eat breakfast. I saw that my Mom is still preparing our food. That's what I love about my Mom when it comes to taking care of me and my father she is so hands-on. I went near her and gave her a back hug.

"Hey, Mom!" I said and kissed her on her cheeks.

"Hey, my daughter! You're already finished? Wait there at the table, I am almost done at preparing your breakfast!" She said, and go back on her cooking. While waiting for her to finish, I check my bag if all of my needs are there. Powerbank, notebook and ballpen, my wallet, extra shirt, and an umbrella. Yes! Everything is here already, so I headed back to the dining table. Exactly! Mom is already finished at cooking, so I helped her on fixing the utensils that we will be using.

"Thank you Astra! But go call your Daddy upstairs, so we can together." She said

"Okay, Mom!" I said and headed upstairs. As I reached my Daddy's room, I knocked on the door and opened it.

"Hey, Dad good morning! Food is already prepare, so let's go downstairs so we can eat together." I said and walks toward him

"Good morning too, our Astra! Okay, just wait for a minute, I am almost finished. I am just preparing the papers for our meeting later." He said and started to prepare his things again. After a few minutes, he is already finished and we headed back downstairs.

"What took you so long? The food is already cold." Said Mom and started scolding us. I looked at my Dad, and we started laughing.

"What's funny? You two!" Said Mom and started to chase us. I super love my family, even though I am their only child, they always made me feel that I am enough. When we are already tired, we sit at the dining table and started eating. While eating we heard that the bus is already here.

"Astra! Go brush your teeth, and I will say to the driver that to wait for a while." Said Mom and headed towards our door. I immediately went upstairs to brush my teeth, and get my bag. After that, I bid my goodbye to Mom and Dad and headed towards the bus.

"Thank you for waiting for me!" I said as I enter the bus.

"No worries. Go ahead and find your sit." Said the driver. I am finding my closest friend so I can sit beside her.

"Astra! Here!" She said while waving her hands. When I saw her, I immediately headed towards her, and sit beside her.

"Oh my god! I'm so excited!" She said as I went near her.

"Yes! Me too! My knowledge about the past will surely expand after our tour in the museum." I said and we continue our conversation until we reached our destination.