Chapter 1 : Wake Me Up(2)

Paul then silently walked away, leading him to the old oak tree in the middle of the grass field, seeing the tree. He remembered the first day of September, about the promise of performing together, about a girl she can never have again, a part of him that was already lost.

"Ahhhh!!!" He raised his hand, and created a strong force jab on the oak tree, no matter how many times Paul punched, it was useless.

Then he remembered Serina's voice long ago.

"It was a promise witnessed by this century-old tree."

Witness.

Then Paul realized, the only thing that witnessed them both together was this old-oak tree, since they are young it existed, it was always a place where both of them played and grew up, then Paul stopped punching.

All the nerves calm inside him, only a pain in the hand left, he looked at it and it was reddish, due to him repeatedly punching.

"Why? Do you know how hard it is to pretend I am okay? I was lost, I can't even find myself right now!" He looked upon the stars and screamed, the stars just dim in light, like millions of eyes that observe a tragic story.

"You know, the only thing that stands in here is the reality that all will never go back! This... Damn Reality that tells me she was gone! It sucks, doesn't it? Feeling that you are in reality that she is not around anymore, useless, and can't do anything to change the past? " Paul vent up all to the world, shouting it all out, below the stars and in the front of a century tree.

"Did you know that I was watching everyone falling apart in that tiny room, I was only watching...I was alone, I am alone! I can't run, there is no one to run into, You are the only thing I can run and vent all of this, A tree, A tree..." Paul weeps everything and cried out loud, and falls asleep on the tree, only to be seen by Elliot and Miya, who are trying to find him because he did not come back home.

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The gray days passed, as Paul kept himself locked in his room for how many days, for him sleep was the only thing that comforted him now, even the comfort of people was just an empty food for him, everyone around the town attended the funeral of Serina, yet the one whom she was closed with never shows up, Paul can’t take the emotions showing up on her farewell, he just can’t.

The reason why he woke up was gone, the joy of the sun is now gone, only to be replaced by the pale moon that glooms his night.

"I wish I can save you." He murmured, again and again, his normal appearance was now dragged and messy, his face was pale and his eyes were tired.

"I swear, I will find who kills you!" He gritted his teeth, repeating the word in his heart. The hatred only grows deeper and deeper.

"Paul, your dinner is here." Her mother slightly opened the door and placed the food in the ground, watching as her son struggled, she too was hurt seeing her kid in pain. But she was helpless, the only thing she could do was to comfort and support him.

"Tomorrow is a new month." Her mother reminded her, he locked himself in the room for 3 days. Not aware of the time he spent motionless in the room. He looked at his mother and tried to give her a cracked smile, but it only gave her a sting in the heart.

“ Thank you." He said, tired and sleepless.

"When you need something just asked, I'm just down there okay." Her mother reminded him, then she gently closed the door.

Paul stared at the food on the ground and the silent night outside the window, the moon was bright that night. A full moon to be exact, gazing at the moon above him, he tried to stand with his weak state and proceeded to drag his weak body unto the cabinet located at the corner of his room, along with the unused equipment that should be used to perform at the September ends, then he slowly reached picking up the guitar near the cabinet.

Placing his fingers on the strings of the guitar, he sighed a deep breath and he started strumming.

Down below, His mother slowly raised her head upstairs, trying to listen to the melody of his play, familiar with the melody, it was the same that his son and Seri always play, and her eyes slightly reddened.

Paul started to play the guitar and sang in a hoarse and faint voice, akin to a person holding his pained heart releasing it all in one song, trying to burst it all in one voice and one final play.

🎶 summer has come so fast🎶

🎶 memories that never last🎶 

He sang in tears and hoarse, he let go of everything in his voice, the song they were supposed to sing together, was played in an empty room, the song she was supposed to voice was sung by Paul in his hoarse pain voice alone, slowly his voice became calm, the smooth and soft melody calmed himself.

🎶 wake me up when September ends🎶 

The memories flashed in his mind, the September of happiness and the farewell of September, the yellow days of the time and the gray days, in the end, the sweet start and the bitter end.

A dazzling sunrise that shines unto him, only to depart at dawn and fills the world on dark again.

🎶 here goes my dream again, becoming who we are🎶 

🎶 as my memory rest, never forget what I lost🎶 

Seeing himself in this state, wishing himself to end this nightmarish dream. The memories conflict in the present event, the joy of the past, and the pain of the present, he lost the most important to him. And it will never be brought back again, he then proceeds to strum the guitar hardly, venting all the hatred on it.

🎶 wake me up when September ends..🎶 

He wishes for this September to end, he wishes for someone to wake him up in this reality, he wishes this was all a dream. He wishes to wake up from this September, to end the terrible month that happened to him.

To wake him up when September Ends.

The night was played in the melody of the guitar, Paul strung the last chords and silently rested on his bed gazing at the bright moonlight in his window.

"I wish to wake up from this September, like the song you choose, I wish to wake up." He slowly closed his eyes as all the pain invoked in his word, and slowly the pain turned into a liquid of tears flowing from his left eye.

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*tiit* *tiit* *tiit*

The sound of alarm echoed in the room, Paul mumbled in his sleep and slowly opened his eyes.

Looking at the alarm clock which he forgot to turn off yesterday.

"I set this alarm when I needed to visit Seri for the rest of the month" Mesmerizing the day when he set the alarm at exactly 9 AM, for the reason of not wanting to be scolded by Seri about being late for practice.

Paul smiled a little bit, and turned off the alarm, Backing into sleep again, trying to brush up the early sadness.

*ring!* *ring!*

"Is it mom?" He mumbled, while his eyes were closed he blindly found his phone, Picking up he clicked to accept it.

"You idiot! Where are you?" A high voice of a girl echoed on the phone, Paul suddenly stood up awake from the phone call, his eyes widened and his mouth trembled in shock.

A chill run down on his body, his heart can't keep pounding too hard, as he holds the phone in trembling hands, a voice that was very familiar unto sounded live and clear

A familiar voice, a familiar tone, a familiar attitude. It was the same thing as the same that was on his mind.

"Seri?!" He unexpectedly said a name came out of his mouth.