Chapter Text
“Thank you talaga sinamahan nyo ako ah.”
Jhoanna glanced at her friends as she opened the glass doors to the Santiago Music Hall, giving them a nervous smile. Gwen stood beside her with arms crossed but saying nothing, a real bodyguard for hire.
“Ano ba kasing naiwan mo?” Maloi asked, typing away at her phone, probably texting Colet– another one of their friends.
“Yung notes ko sa Bio. Kailangan ko yon sa test next week.” She replied. Jhoanna pushed the doors wider, peering inside as if expecting to see something only for Gwen to shove them both all the way in, making her yelp. “Huy! Ano ba!”
“Tara na kunin mo na kung ano man ‘yang hinahanap mo para makabalik na ako sa ginagawa ko.” Gwen urged them in, leading the way.
Jhoanna followed hesitantly, clinging to Gwen’s side like a scared little girl. It was eight in the evening, so the building would be completely empty by now. If it was any other building, Jhoanna would not be having any problem going in by herself, but the Santiago Music Hall had quite the reputation within the last few months.
It started with whispers of people hearing strange sounds within its walls during the night– and sometimes even the days– in rooms that were supposed to be vacant. Furniture and musical instruments were moved around and scattered all over the studio when no one claimed to have previously used them at all. What was worse was the fact that their studio, the Glee Club room , had been the center of these hauntings. Despite their adviser’s assurance that the rumors were nothing but rumors, Jhoanna still found herself having goosebumps just by thinking about the stories. Now they were here, just when it was dark and probably not a teacher inside. She tightened her grip on Gwen’s arm. Maloi, on the other hand, had her eyes still glued to the screen of her phone.
“Sino ba kasi ‘yang kachat mo dyan, Ate Maloi?” Jhoanna couldn’t help but ask.
“Si Nicolette.” Maloi finally looked up with a smile on her face, putting the phone in the pocket of her hoodie. “Just checking on her if kumain na ba.”
Naks naman , Jhoanna thought. Sana all hindi natatakot kasi kachat si crush .
“Sa studio mo ba naiwan, Jho?” Gwen spoke. The short-haired girl heading for the stairs. It seemed that her two friends did not share her fear of whatever was haunting the building.
The halls were eerily quiet, the automatic lights turning on the moment they walked in, making Jhoanna more terrified. She felt Maloi flinched a few times as well.
“Hindi naman ako naniniwala sa mga tsismis pero grabe naninindig balahibo ko dito.” Maloi whispered, rubbing her arms up and down.
“Ikaw ba Gwen hindi ka natatakot?” Jhoanna tugged at their friend’s arm.
Gwen shrugged. “Wala naman akong nakikita so bakit ako matatakot?”
They made it to the third floor where the studios assigned for the Glee club were located. There were at least eight doors on both sides of the corridors. The left side was divided into four rooms by foldable partitions that can be pushed aside when they need an open floor just like they did on the other side.
The three of them stood in the middle of the hallway with bated breath, Jhoanna and Maloi a step behind Gwen. They stared down the corridor half-expecting to see something move– anything, while also hoping for the opposite.
“Ano na, guys?” Gwen asked impatiently. “Lalakad pa ba tayo?”
“Um, siguro bukas ko nalang kunin.” Jhoanna replied, slowly retreating back to the stairs.
“Teka, teka lang.” The short-haired girl stopped her. “Kung kelan nandito na tayo doon ka pa aatras? Kunin mo na! Bilisan na lang natin.”
Even the way their voices echo down the hallway sends a chill down their spine. Jhoanna and Maloi exchanged glances as Gwen arched her eyebrow.
“Tara na, Jho.” Maloi decided in the end. “Bilisan nalang natin.”
“Okay, okay.” She agreed helplessly, reaching out to both girls. “Basta ‘pag may narinig tayo takbo agad tayo ah?”
“Wala yan.” said Gwen, who pushed the door open to their usual studio.
The room partitions were folded against the walls, making the studio space wider which they often used for rehearsals on dance and other performances. This time though, the space only made the studio a lot creepier.
“Go, go, go.” Maloi motioned for her to go once they entered.
Jhoanna let out a shaky breath before jogging over to the cluster of desk chairs arranged on the corner. “Alam ko nandito lang ‘yon eh.”
Gwen stayed close to the door, hands on her hips. Jhoanna and Maloi were about to start searching when a long screeching sound blared all over the studio.
Jhoanna screeched, causing the other two to jump in surprise as well, then immediately looking for a place to hide. “Ano yon???”
Maloi recognized the notification tone coming from her phone so she whipped it out as fast as she could, finding a message from Colet. “Sorry, sorry! Phone ko ‘yon!”
“Ate Maloi naman!” Jhoanna put a hand against her chest. “Aatakihin ako sa puso sa ginagawa mo eh!”
The other girl kept on apologising as she typed on her phone. “Hanapin mo na notes mo, Jho.”
The younger girl took a deep breath before going back to her task.
“Kala ko ba nandyan lang ‘yon?” Gwen pressed. “Bakit ‘di mo makita, Jho?”
“We were practicing that dance, remember?” Jhoanna replied distractedly. “‘Di ko na matandaan kung saan ko unang nailapag gamit ko. Wait lang…”
“Tingin ako banda dito,” Maloi headed to the opposite side of the studio along the shelves, putting her phone back into her pocket.
A discordant sound of guitar strings rang from the other studio just as Jhoanna was rippling through a pile of music sheet, causing her to straighten up. “Gwen, ano ba ‘yang ginagawa mo?”
When she looked at their shorthaired friend, Gwen was leaning against the wall, scrolling through her phone screen and without a single musical instrument in sight.
“What?” Gwen had her eyebrows raised. “Kachat ko lang pinsan ko dito.”
Jhoanna exchanged glances with a wide-eyed Maloi, a silent question in her eyes. Narinig mo din ba ‘yon?
Maloi shook her head to clear her thoughts, but there was a certain apprehension in her stare. “Hanapin lang natin.”
Jhoanna nodded, although her eyes were fixed on the glass windows overlooking the hallway and the other studio beyond. Just as she was about to lean towards the music sheets again, the same discordant strumming of strings started once again, this time louder and more insistent. Jhoanna and Maloi jumped, even Gwen straightened up from where she was standing, clearly having heard what they did.
“Ano ‘yon?” the third girl questioned.
“May pinapanood ka ba dyan, Gwen?” Jhoanna demanded, her voice had a slight frantic edge.
Gwen held up her phone screen, showing a text thread. “Kachat ko nga pinsan ko.”
Maloi shook her head. “Pero saan–”
The girl was cut off by the disarrayed sound of piano notes like someone had been slamming their fingers on the keys.
“Guys…” Jhoanna whimpered as she crept towards her friends, her legs feeling trembling. Thoughts of finding her lost notes completely forgotten.
Maloi met her halfway, and they both went behind Gwen whose scowling to the direction of the disturbance, eyes trained to the windows of the studio across from them. From their spot, they could clearly see that the studio was empty, dark and the piano keyboard situated in the middle of the room had no one sitting and playing in it… nothing that they could see anyway.
“‘Wag n’yo naman kaming takutin oh…” Maloi pleaded, her voice small and fearful.
“Baka may nagtatago lang, pinaprank tayo.” Gwen tried to peer, then raised her tone. “Hoy, sino man kayo dyan, hindi kami nakikipagbiruan sa inyo ah!”
The notes playing became wilder now. Jhoanna was hiding her face behind Gwen’s shoulder, utterly frozen in horror, and Maloi had been gripping the girl’s jacket too. Then a set of heavy footsteps added, like someone big was heading towards them. They slowly stepped back towards the stairs, three pairs of eyes shooting from one corner to the other in alarm.
“Tara na, tara na, tara na…Lord, please…” Jhoanna mumbled as she pulled Gwen towards the stairs, shutting her eyes. Her lips mumbling prayers to all the saints in heaven to hear and hoping whatever it was coming would go away.
Gwen stayed rooted, stubbornly frowning at the piano keyboard whose keys they could clearly see moving by themselves. “Wait lang, sure ako may—”
The music sheets Jhoanna had been holding earlier flew out of the desk. One quick glance at the windows showed that they were shut closed, no way for the breeze to come through. Jhoanna and Maloi screamed. “Gwen!! Jusko, Lord!!!”
A chair was thrown forward like someone forcibly kicked it to the floor, and the three girls bolted, two of which were shrieking incoherent words as they flew down the stairs and out of the building.
From inside the studio, a sound of giggling could be heard as a silvery apparition came into view, eyes twinkling in amusement as she watched the girls run away. Once their screams vanished from the distance, the ghost of the teenage girl sat on the piano stool.
An elusive memory tickling the edges of her mind as she stared at the ivory keys of the instrument in front of her… a glimpse of a girl that looked exactly like her, fingers dancing across the piano as the beautiful melody swept through her.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
“‘Yan na ba lahat?” Her cousin asked when her third suitcase was rolled in.
“Yeah, that’s everything.” Mikha replied, falling back to the twin-sized bed that she will be sleeping in from now on.
Her eyes roamed all over the dorm room she was assigned in, the other side was already occupied and looked like it had been decorated a long time ago. Particularly, to the picture frame on the wall showing at least a dozen students that Gwen told her were members of the school’s Glee club like her. It would not surprise her if her roommate had been in this dorm room for a while. All the girls who were in their year had been put in the same building and according to her cousin, Gwen Apuli, most of them in the building had known each other since freshman year. Some even longer than the others.
Mikha transferring in the middle of the school year was not only a huge hassle but also– apparently– a rare case. Her parents had pulled her out of her school from the States and flew her all the way back to the Philippines on a whim, then deciding it would be better for her to reconnect to her roots and stay there for the rest of her high school years… as long as she behaves herself. Mikha couldn’t even imagine how much money they promised to donate to the school to make them agree to take her in mid-school year.
Mikha had accepted her fate and simply followed what they asked her to do. Despite having the typical stubbornness and recklessness befitting her age, she knew when to admit that she made a few bad decisions and face the consequences of her own actions. So here she was; sitting on her new tiny bed in a square little dormroom, a corner kitchen and its little en-suite bath she would be sharing with some girl she hadn't met, about to dive head first into classes that would surely be different from the ones she had from her previous school.
But at least her favorite cousin would be with her.
Gwen raised an eyebrow from where she was standing near the foot of her bed. “Okay ka lang, pinsan?”
Heaving a deep sigh, Mikha flopped back on the mattress farther, the old thing creaking under her weight. “Eh… I’m okay, just a bit…”
“Overwhelmed?” the girl supplied.
Mikha nodded.
“You’ll be fine. Ako bahala sayo.” Gwen promised, taking a seat on the bed beside her. “Pero kailangan mo pa din ikwento sa ‘kin ano bang ginawa mo para ibalik ka nila sa ‘Pinas ng ganito.”
“Of course, cuz.” Mikha shot her a grateful smile.
They were seven years olds when she and her cousin attended the same school. Even back then, they were inseparable. When Mikha’s parents decided to move to the States, she was separated not only from her relatives but also her best friend. Gwen and her family had visited them a few times so the two of them managed to keep their friendship. It was the only thing Mikha had been looking forward to through this whole thing.
“Come on, bangon na.” Gwen stood up, then held a hand out for her. “Baka tapos na sina Tito and Tita na makipag-usap sa Principal. Nagpromise ako na itu-tour ko kayo sa campus.”
Mikha reluctantly took her cousin’s hand and got to her feet. They were about to close the door when a short girl approached with a curious smile.
“Hi!” the girl greeted cheerfully, smile widening when she looked at the two of them. “Gwen, ito ba ‘yung nabanggit mo na cousin mo? ‘Yung transferee??”
“Oo, this is Mikha, pinsan ko.” Gwen gestured at her then to the other girl. “Mikhs, this is Maloi, she will be your roommate.”
“Mary Loi Yves Ricalde,” the shorter girl introduced herself. “Maloi for short! Welcome to campus!”
Mikha offered a small smile, holding out a hand. “Hello, nice to meet y—”
Her words were cut off when the former suddenly pulled her in a bear hug.
“Ooof.”
“Very nice to meet you din!”
Mikha exchanged bemused glances with her cousin over the girl’s shoulder before she pulled back from the hug.
“Sorry, naexcite lang.” Maloi apologised sheepishly. “Simula kasi no’ng umalis roommate ko, hindi na nila ako binigyan ng kasama.”
“It’s okay, Ate Maloi.” Mikha replied. Usually, she does not appreciate being touched by anyone, much less someone she just met, but Maloi’s friendly nature seemed to be contagious.
“Naiakyat mo na ba mga gamit mo?” Maloi inquired. “I can help get them.”
“Nasa loob na lahat.” Gwen answered. “Imemeet lang namin yung parents nya outside para mai-tour ko sila.”
“Nice. nice! Sabihan nyo lang ako if you need anything ah?”
“Maloi! Akala ko ba may kukunin ka lang, ba’t nakipagkwentu–” Another voice called out and a new girl came marching over, eyebrows furrowed. She glanced at Gwen first, then looked Mikha up and down. “Ah, hello.”
“Uy, nga pala. Nandito na ‘yung bago kong roommate.” Maloi excitedly told the newcomer whose eyebrows twitched slightly at the last word.
What’s that all about? Mikha wondered.
“Pinsan ko, si Mikha.” Gwen piped in.
“This is Nicolette,” Maloi introduced the other girl. “Everyone calls her Colet.”
Mikha gave the newcomer a nod. “Hi.”
Gwen grabbed her hand. “Ayun na sina Tito, tapos na siguro sa meeting nila. Tara na, Mikhs.”
“See you around!” Maloi waved enthusiastically after them.
Mikha let herself be dragged away from whatever it was happening there. “So that was awkward.”
“I’ll give you a rundown sa mga tsismis sa dorm mamaya.” Gwen assured her, glancing briefly at the two girls before they turned the corner and down the stairs.
—---------------------------------------------------------------------
Saint Agatha Academy, or as more famously known as St. Aggie , was considered one of the top rated schools in Manila for its award-winning excellence not only in academics but also in sports and arts. It had produced an impressive number of successful alumni since the 1950s and continued to do so over the years, among them were Mikha’s parents, which was why they chose this school specifically.
Unfortunately, it had gained a new reputation for the past year, something that the school administration had been trying to extinguish quite unsuccessfully. It was not taken seriously at first, but the rumored ghost sightings spread across the internet like wildfire. Students claiming they had seen a ‘white lady’ and a bunch of different stories of spirit hauntings circulated across the school websites that spooked a bunch of students, this becoming the reason for them transferring to other schools where they thought they would be safer and away from said ghosts.
But jokes on them, ghosts are everywhere , Mikha thought as she followed behind her parents and Gwen who was leading the campus tour.
“This one is the newly-added café slash cafeteria.” Gwen pointed to a nearby building. Its glass walls showed the chic decór within the cafeteria as students ate and mingled around inside. “It was built in the middle of last year but honestly? Mas gusto ko ‘yung mga food na sineserve nila sa kabila.”
Her parents chuckled at her cousin’s remark as their group moved on to the next building. As they walked, Mikha and Gwen had been reading through her new class schedule and the shorthaired girl showed her which classrooms she will be going to and where.
“Mukhang wala namang masyadong nagbago,” Mikha’s mother spoke as they looked around.
“I don’t think we should believe anything we read on the internet, hon.” Her father argued, looking at Mikha. “Our girl knows better than to believe in rumors. Right, Mikha?”
Mikha nodded, a tight smile on her lips. I wish … her mind replied as her eyes darted to the pair of kids standing by the front steps of a building on their right, staring back at her with intensity. Their lifeless emotions and translucent image never fails to send a shiver down her spine. One of them, a little girl judging from her matted long hair and the dirty little doll she was clutching in her arms, waved slowly at Mikha while the other kid simply glared menacingly at her.
She had lost count how many of them she had seen around campus since their tour started. The rumors about the school being haunted were no joke. In fact, she spotted a few the moment their car rolled onto the grounds.
There was the scowling old lady dressed in what looked like a bloody Baro’t Saya standing by the hall in the first floor of their dormitory building, the men in Japanese military uniform guarding the Home Economics building, the nuns floating about all over the school, some young looking ghosts dressed in the schools uniform and a bunch of other apparitions going around like it was just a normal day in their small spectral community.
How did they die? Mikha couldn’t help but think.
It was always the same question that came into her mind whenever Mikha would encounter an apparition. Most of the time, she could tell how just by looking at them and the various marks and bloodstains on their ghostly bodies. It was the only way to distract herself from being scared.
The ability to see spirits and entities was something Mikha had inherited from her grandmother. She could still remember those times when she was small and ghosts scared the living crap out of her a lot, she would often run to her Lola’s side and the old woman would talk to her and make her little mind understand something that no normal child should have to see.
For Mikha, it lessened her fear whenever one of them finds her. Understanding that these spirits were just that, desensitizing her completely from anything spooky to the point that she could easily pretend not to see them most of the time.
Her parents chattered about how different the campus now compared to how it was back in their day, completely oblivious of the things their daughter was seeing. Ghost sightings aside, Mikha still couldn’t grasp the contrast of the vibe of the general student body here and the schools abroad. The atmosphere was just as lively, but in a different way. If only the students knew they were blending along with the ghosts they were talking about on the internet. Ignorance is indeed bliss , Mikha thought wistfully.
As they arrived at the quad leading to the open field where most sports games and events were held, Gwen was approached by two other girls. One of them was full on smiling the moment she saw the short-haired girl and the second was completely accessorized in pink and sparkling colors.
“Hi, Bebe!” The first girl greeted instantly, coming to a full stop in front of their group.
“Huy, si Gwen pala ‘to,” the girl in pink seconded.
“Hi, girls. This is my cousin, ‘yung naikwento ko sa inyo, si Mikha. These are her parents, my uncle and auntie.” Gwen introduced. “Tito, Tita, Mikhs, these are my friends and kasama ko doon sa Glee Club. Doon din sa dormitory naten si Stacey pero si Sheena doon sa kabila since sophomore palang sya.”
“Hello po!” The two girls addressed them politely. “Kamusta po?”
“Nice to meet you.” Mikha said along with her parents for the nth time that day.
“Tinutour ko lang sila sa campus.” Gwen explained.
“Kaya pala,” Sheena nodded enthusiastically.
“Oh sya, hahayaan na po namin kayo sa tour.” Stacey pulled her friend’s arm. “Mikha, welcome to St. Aggie!”
They watched the girls walk away and her parents went ahead. Mikha, on the other hand, raised an eyebrow at her cousin and nudged her on the side in a teasing way. “That girl who called you Bebe is totally crushing on you.”
“Hoy, ‘wag mo ngang sabihin ‘yan!” Gwen was taken aback, then pushed her back playfully. “Cheerful lang talaga ‘yon kagaya ni Ate Maloi.”
“Sure, sure.” Mikha smirked.
Her cousin rolled her eyes. “Bahala ka dyan.”
Gwen went back into Tour guide mode. Mikha noticed that the girl was quite popular on campus based on how many times she was greeted by fellow students and the looks they were getting as they walked by.
“And here is the infamous haunted building!” The short-haired girl finally stopped in front of a four-storey building called the Santiago Music Hall.
The music hall was a mix of old and modern architecture with its arched hallways and glass doors, harmonized singing and musical notes could be heard from the ongoing classes inside. For a place that was supposed to be spooky and haunted, Santiago Music Hall seemed like a pretty peaceful one… until the two ghost kids from another building came running into it. Mikha sighed. Of course…
“Let’s go, Mikha.” She heard her Mom call before going back to her conversation with her husband.
Mikha did not even realize she was left behind. She looked away from the pair of ghosts. “Yup!” She called after them.
As she jogged past the building, a tiny black streak zipped across her path, causing Mikha to skid to a stop. A black cat went to slow strut towards the side of the Music Hall and towards a floating silver figure of a teenage girl, who crouched to the ground to give the cat some gentle pets all over its head. The ghost giggled fondly as the black cat let out some happy purr.
Mikha raised an eyebrow. Huh .
The teenage ghost looked across and met her gaze, head tilting curiously as if realizing Mikha could actually see her… and her lips curved into a smile.