RUN FOR YOUR LIFE

CHAPTER 8: RUN

Chapter 8: RUN

"ONE sheep. Two sheep. Three sheep. Four sheep. Five sheep—argh!"

Bumalikwas ako ng bangon at iginala ang paningin sa silid ko. I tossed away the big frame of a flock of sheep. Yes, I literally counted sheep upang makatulog ako ngunit sadyang mailap ang tulog sa akin ngayon.

Siguro ay nabo-bother ako dahil sa nangyari kanina sa school. Hiyang-hiya ako! Sino ba naman kasing mag-aakala na teacher pala namin iyon?!

She's Venna Ruiz, an Academy graduate na batch ni Jean-Claude, ayon sa mga kaklase ko. Venna ranked 3rd on the Royals and she's said to be the only woman on the list that time. Nakakatuwa lang kasi may babae rin palang nag-e-excel sa batch ni Jean-Claude! Gusto ko na nga sana siyang gawing modelo at inspirasyon ngunit pagkatapos ng ginawa ko sa kanya kanina, pakiramdam ko ay wala akong mukhang maihaharap sa kanya.

Bumaba ako sa kama at binuksan ang bintana ng silid ko. Maliwanag ang buwan at puno ng bituin ang kalangitan. A night stroll would be good and it will probably induce me to sleep later on. I slipped into my hoody jacket and rubber shoes.

Pagbaba ko sa sala ng dorm ay tahimik doon. Wala rin ang houseparent at marahil ay namamahinga na ngayon sa kwarto. In a swift movement, I slipped passed the door and strode outside. Mga huni ng kulisap at sariling hakbang ko lamang ang naririnig ko.

My watch says it's past 10 in the evening. I remained watchful for snakes lalo na't tila gubat ang akademya. Despite the civilization and development of technology and infrastructure, the academy remained like a hidden forest in a middle of a modern city. Not a natural forest, but a man-made one. Ang mga naglalakihang kahoy sa paligid ay halos produkto ng teknolohiya. Artificial trees and grasses that looked exactly like the real ones.

Inilibot ko ang akademya. Wala akong panahon upang maglibot at hindi rin naman pwede dahil baka dumugin lang ako ng mga estudyante dahil nga mula ako sa prep class. I could end up as human pancake mix again anytime.

Napadako ako sa bahagi ng akademya kung saan may mataas na gusali. I climbed the flight of stairs at halos hingalin nang marating ko ang tuktok. It was an overview of the whole Capital. Nakikita ko rin ang ilaw mula sa iba't ibang ward.

I felt relaxed. Dumadampi sa mukha ko ang malamig na hangin. Dumaloy sa gunita ko ang mga hangarin ko sa buhay. Maybe it's a good ground for me to refresh my mind and eventually start new despite my bad start.

I am the soliloquist type of person at wala rin namang tao. Humiga ako at tinanaw ang kalangitan.

"I, Sunny Gallego, wanted to be one of the most successful people. One that will mark the history and future generations will remember me as a significant person in the future."

I breathed some air and closed my eyes. I spread my arms to feel the moment.

"I will make the world a better place for everyone. Hindi lamang sa mga lalaki kundi pati sa mga babae. Para sa lahat. Gusto kong ibalik ang panahon na kinikilala pa rin ang kababaihan."

My history class told me that way back in the early years, women are deprived of rights and were oppressed. Then came the women who proved them wrong and excelled in all aspect like medicine, technology, etc. They even ruled countries pero ika nga, life is a cycle. In the present, women are oppressed and deprived of rights and other privileges again. The significant things that women in the past have done were considered as luck and not potentials.