Victoria

CHAPTER 1

When I opened my eyes, everything has changed.

What greeted me was the sight of an expanse of grass while I stood underneath the skies tinged with gray and white. And for a while I was in a daze, thinking of what I supposedly did for me to get in here again.

Ah. Naalala ko na. Masyadong boring ang lecture kaya nakatulog na naman ako. I groaned and sighed in exasperation, internally berating myself for napping in the middle of class. Again. Stupid, lazy piece of—!

A dull, grinding sound of metal woke me from stupor.

Ten to fifteen steps away from me was its source—a swing with rusty frame and hinges—dancing with the wind that accompanies it.

The motion produced a creaking sound which gave me quite a headache—one that I tried to suppress by blocking my ears and closing my eyes.

I sighed in dejection when my action proved to be futile. What it only did was magnify the sound as if saying, 'there is no escaping this, woman'.

"How annoying," my lips involuntarily muttered when my mind finally grasped that I was trapped in another dream. And it's always about the same person—

Speak of the devil and she shall appear.

As usual, everything was painted in monochrome, like a medieval painting of some sort—beautiful and haunting—except for her.

As if it wasn't apparent enough that she's the focal point of this story, I thought to myself inwardly rolling my eyes.

Her ebony hair were tied with a cherry hair tie, a deviation from her usual look of free, flowing locks. She has her blue dress on today and black shoes paired with knee-high socks. Her shoes scrape the earth as she propel the swing to move to and fro.

The little girl was humming another one of her lullabies—mga kanta na hindi ko maalala kung saan ko narinig. Basta ang alam ko lang ay pamilyar ito sa akin. Remember when you hear a song somewhere and you knew the lyrics but you don't remember the title? Parang ganun yon sa akin.

Resigned, I took refuge in a nearby shade and sat there, waiting for something to happen. I can never leave this place anyway, no matter how hard I try to wake myself, so might as well get comfortable.

Birds cry from a distance, albeit I can't see them. The caress of wind to my skin felt like an angel's touch. If only this dream gets a bit more vibrant then it would be a perfect day for a picnic.

I'm pretty sure na nasa park na kami ni Lola kapag ganito kaganda ang weather. Malamang kasama rin naman si Krieg dahi mahilig siyang maki-peste samin. Gustung-gusto kasi nito ang luto ni Lola kaya araw-araw itong kumakain ng almusal sa bahay.

A true peasant if you ask me.

But moving on—

Pagkatapos naming kumain, uutusan ko si Krieg na maghanap ng ice cream. Matatagalan ang lalaki na yon siyempre, dahil may makikitang magandang dalaga na kanya namang lalandiin. He'll still get the ice cream, of course, lest I blackmail him into blocking his entry at my house.

And then I'll sprawl on the grass and lie on my Lola's lap, while I gradually become lulled into sleep.

It will be peaceful. The skies will be blue and the birds will sing. A picturesque scene with family. A normal life.

Pero hindi katulad ng buhay ko ang para sa batang babae na ito.

For the days I accompanied her, she never got a day where she can have peace. She was always swamped with faceless people, talking in a language I don't understand.