The Sun's Vessel (Deities in Town, #1)

Chapter 1 : A Visit from the Unearthly

If anyone would ask Eliane what talent does she have, she'd surely say running away. From responsibilities. From people. From reality. She thought she was pretty good at it.

Katulad na lamang ng nangyari ngayon. She just got home after bumping into Jaren at the convenience store. Nagkasalubong sila sa loob pero agad siyang tumakbo bago pa matawag ang pangalan niya. Jaren was her childhood friend, but they had this cold war the other day because of her thesis.

Eliane finished writing the draft of her manuscript, but she was not confident about it, so she asked for him to review it, knowing that he would be impartial. However, his impassive face and his stern words while critiquing made her feel like all her efforts were wasted.

"Ang redundant na ng thoughts dito," anito sabay turo ni Jaren sa Chapter 3. "Be concise. Hindi naman kailangang pahabain para masabing marami kang ginawa. A single sentence can summarize this whole paragraph."

Wala siyang nagawa kundi ang tumango. Eliane was silently listening to his review, but it was starting to sound harsher after some time. Some of his words were so hurtful that she was having a hard time holding back her tears.

"Ano ba 'to?" Jaren intoned. "Graduating ka na pero parang hindi fourth year college ang nagsulat nito. Seryoso ka bang ito ang ipapasa mo sa thesis adviser mo? You could have done better, Eliane. This is a thesis, not a high school paper."

And that was the last straw. She snatched her laptop from his hands and glared at him, tears welling up her eyes. Scoffing, she yelled 'thank you' in anger and walked out of the café.

Pagdating niya sa apartment ay tahimik siyang umiyak. She could not even open the file because of his words. Pakiramdam niya ay walang kwenta ang ginawa niya. Na walang saysay ang ilang gabing pagpupuyat niya para dito. And objectively speaking, even if it really were worthless, she thought it was still valid to feel upset and offended because she worked hard for it.

That night, she cried herself to sleep.

***

Two days had already passed yet they were still not on speaking terms. Alam niyang pareho silang mataas ang pride kaya hindi iyon matatapos hangga't walang magpaparaya.

Eliane thought it was her who asked him to review her thesis, so she should talk to him first, but his words were demoralizing. She had already told him a hundred times that being too frank would only get him into trouble, and it already happened on several occasions, yet he was as blunt as ever.

Okay, mali rin naman ako, she thought, pero hindi ako ang unang magso-sorry.

Sinubukan na lang niyang i-revise ulit ang manuscript niya pero sa tuwing naaalala niya ang mga masasakit na salitang binitiwan ng kaibigan ay nangingilid ang luha sa mga mata niya.

"Oo na, oo na, hindi na ako magaling magsulat," she muttered as she angrily typed on the keyboard.

On a positive note, her annoyance drove her to write and research better. Ni hindi nga niya napansin na lagpas na siya sa usual bedtime niya dahil masyado itong naka-focus sa pag-e-edit. When she checked the time again, it was already 10 PM. Marahan niyang itinabi ang laptop niya nang makaramdam siya ng antok at agad din siyang nakatulog.

***

Her eyes fluttered open, and the white ceiling came into view. Dazed, Eliane remained lying, trying to remember what she had just dreamed of.

Certainly, there were voices talking about something or someone, but she couldn't remember the conversation anymore. All she could recall was how their voices were filled with worries.