Simula (Completed)

Chapter 10.1

(Flashback)

Nicholas "Nico" Reyes, my arch nemesis, had been defeating me in all art contests since I was young.

I was from a family of artists. My dad is a landscape architect, my mom is an interior designer, my eldest brother Ysmael is an indie movie director who immigrated to Australia with his family and you know my famous brother Francis is also an architect.

The only one who got a different type of work was my only older sister Gerry, short for Germanium, who is a lawyer specializing on civil law in Calgary.

Being the youngest, I had been influenced greatly by this amalgamation of jobs that I started to draw as well.

During those times, my brother Francis Angeles' name had been getting lots of attention from several schools not only in our small district in the Philippines, but also nationwide.

Everybody had high hopes for the small boy from the province and apparently, he did justice to those hopes and aimed high at just the tender age of 16.

Eight years later, another Angeles came into the art scene. Younger, bolder and probably flashier. I, Hannah, have been winning awards in art like crazy. I was on top of the world.

Until that fateful day when a young boy moved in from a different school in my class.

Same age, same interest and same school, meaning one of us has to be on top.

And you've guessed it, he beat me in every art competition.

All my dreams came toppling down.

That's when I thought that I'm not at par with these people.

I should let this apparent destiny go.

And find my own.

On my last years of high school, I stumbled on a photography position in our school paper.

Since I have my old Olympus compact camera, I submitted a photo. In the end, I got the position. I focused on photography and gingerly moved on to writing that I found great happiness and potential talent on.

I graduated high school and went to a local school in the province.

I took medical technology since it was the one that has the most possibility of giving me a job according to my older sister who already immigrated in Canada.

After a year of med tech, I was given the opportunity to move to Canada due to my sister and my parents insistence as well.

Canada became my turning point.

I finished my medical technology course and practiced for a good 2 years while taking my writing course on the side.

A year after I graduate, a new magazine company was looking for new people. I submitted my resume and did a couple of interviews.

I thought I sucked and will not get the job since I don't have the experience.

Then, a man approached me as I was about to leave the building.

He said his name was Richard Hemmingsworth, or I could just call him Rico, said this British stranger.

With his crazy accent, he said something even crazier. He wanted to hire me as the new features editor.

I was aghast.

I didn't know what to do but to accept.

In less than 5 years, IAM magazine became the best magazine in the world.

Well-read by all gender and ages, translated in 25 languages and had been greatly awarded by all bodies of composition and writing.

And my special column called The Catalyst became successful overnight, mainly focusing on interviewing people of all walks of life, celebrities and common person alike.

My name became a staple to all columnists and wannabe writers.

Although nobody had a decent picture or idea what I look like, since I opted for my picture to be blurred.

Anonymity is the greatest form of flattery for me.

Even now, nobody knows that I'm the face of The Catalyst, unless they tend to associate me with my other famous sibling Francisco.

(End of Flashback)