chapter 2

Five months had passed. It's already mid week of August, the month of love, and probably disaster. The first week of school for Grace Joy at the Horizon Reached University.

In her room, Grace Joy sighed nervously while looking at her face in the mirror. Her mother suddenly came in to see how was she. She turned around and saw her mother smiling.

"Ano? Handa ka na bang mag-college?" Her mother asked. She took a deep breath then she nodded as she smile. Her mother came closer then she wrapped her right arm across Grace Joy's back and she grabbed her right shoulder.

"Basta ito ang tatandaan mo." She stated some few advice.
"Basta i-maintain mo 'yung grades mo para hindi mawala 'yung kaltas sa tuition mo. Pangalawa, sumali ka ng mga club doon. Mamili ka din ng mga kakaibiganin mo doon ah. Tapos 'yung pangatlo, pagbutihin mo ang pag-aaral."
"Huwag po kayong mag-alala 'Nay." She said. "That goes without saying." She chuckled then she wrapped her arms around Asunta for a few seconds.

"Magbihis ka na. Sige na. Nakapambahay ka pa pala. Hindi ka puwedeng ma-late sa first day of college life mo," she told her. Grace Joy nodded after.

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Lots of people were entering at the front gate. Grace Joy never thought the students there are that many despite having limited number.

Grace Joy stopped in front of it. She nervously stared what's beyond it while people passed her by. She ballooned her cheeks then she blew the air out. She continued walking forward towards the gate, guarded by two security guards.

She entered through. There she stepped her foot on a wide grass ground. So many people are roaming around there. She stopped for a while. Next to the grassland stands a tall huge building. She stared at it as she got reminded how small she is.

She resumed walking towards that building through the cemented pathway at the right side of the ground which borders the ground from the parking area. The pathway is surrounded by pairs of benches, each pair have tables that separates each other, and bushes too. Likewise with the left pathway at the opposite side.

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At the school's parking lot...

A baby face looking guy hopped out of the car. His big brother came out from the driver's seat afterwards.

The little brother was about to walk away to the grass area but his big brother halted him.

"Cainnick. Teka muna..."he called.

The little brother came closer.

"Tandaan mo 'to ah. Kung may makita ka mang tao na may dugong Lignodon, lumayo ka kaagad," he advised.

Cainnick smiled.

"Kuya, huwag mo na akong alalahanin. College na po ako di ba? Alam ko na kung anong ginagawa ko," he said. "Kung kaya't huwag mo na akong alalahanin.  Kaya ko nang depensahan ang sarili ko."

He raised his hands forward as he showed him his thumbs up.

His cute big brother gently nodded. He bit his lips for a while while reflecting about what Cainnick had said.

"Kuya..." he was about to say something but he suddenly smelled something strange. His big brother sensed  that too. Cainnick immediately turned to his left while the elder one turned his head to the right to where the scent had came from.

They could tell that there's a person who can shift shape near them. But because a lot of people were passing by, they couldn't determine which of them  the scent came from.

They looked at each other with serious looks on their faces.

"Siguraduhin mong hindi ka nila gagalawin."

Cainnick took a deep breath.

"Okay!" He optimistically said.

                                                                            ****

Four subjects had passed. Grace Joy was already sick of introducing herself on one class to another.  Every room she had gone are really different from what she had expected. Mr. Anthony Alhibbing was right, the school he had built is what every Filipino students had dreamed of. Each room she had gone is wide enough to fit at least sixty-five to eighty students but the students who occupies there are less than thirty. Which leaves a  wide space at the back part. The seats aren't ordinary arm chairs but each arm chairs  has wooden desk  that can be folded up or down that serves as a cover to its small storage 'box'. She thinks that she's at an American school because of that.  The walls of each room had been painted. Which are inspired by traditional Cordilleran Cultures. 

At the terrace of the third floor of the main building, Grace Joy was heading for the stairs going down in order to search for the UPA Building. It's where her next class will be held. 

She went to a building that she wasn't familiar with. It's standing tall behind the main building. She had no idea whether she's at UPA or not. She arrived at its first floor wherein she was standing at a corridor. She felt lost, and tensed since she knew that she was already late. And so, she tried to approach some person who were walking at that corridor.

The first person she approached was a girl who was looking for something in her locker. 

"Uummm... excuse me po..."Grace Joy got nervous. The girl ignored her call. 

"Excuse me po... Puwede po bang magtanong?" She said. Still, she didn't answer. 

"Excuse me po..." she asked for the third time. The girl finally managed to hear her. She rolled her eyes then she turned around to face Grace Joy. 

"Yes?" she asked as she drew a fake smile on her face.

" Tatanungin ko lang sana kung ito ba 'yong UPA Building. Late na din po kasi ako." She respond.

Instead of telling her the right answer, she said something that Grace Joy hadn't expect.

"First of all, hindi ako tanungan ng mga nawawalang estudyante." She responded. Grace Joy widened her eyes because of her rude answer. 

"Ha?"Grace Joy was surprised.

"Second of all. Wala kang karapatan na isturbuhin ako habang may hinahanap ako sa locker ko. Tapos puwede bang ikaw na lang mismo'ng maghanap? Dahil wala din lang naman akong paki-alam kung na-late ka  dahil sa katangahan mo, okay?"

Grace Joy couldn't speak up because of all the words the girl spit out to her. She felt so embarrassed.

"And third. Who are you?" She rolled her her eyes and she turned away. Grace Joy bit her lips while she nod slowly as she watched the girl walking away. 

"Ouch,"she said afterwards. 

Grace Joy resumed to look for someone who could answer her questions right.

As she walks along, she saw a cute-looking guy approaching. She didn't know the stranger was Cainnick.  As Cainnick walks closer and closer and about to cross her, Cainnick suddenly felt something odd from his body. He felt the feeling of being lightheaded and he felt that his five senses was getting stronger and stronger. He stopped for a while then he tried to compose himself.  

"What the hell?" he told himself as he creased his forehead, wondering what was happening to him.

 The sensation had reached its climax when Grace passed through. His eyes turned brown, his hairs all over his skin stood up, his nose detected a scent from the sea, his ears hummed loud insid his mind.

Grace completely passed over. Cainninck slowly felt that the sensation was getting lifted.  Cainnick turned back to see the girl who passed by. He saw her walking away. He began to suspect whether she was the one who gave him the chills or it was in his genetics.

"Kakaiba." Cainnick said before he turned around and resumed walking.

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"So... ibig mong sabihin pupunta sila dito sa Baguio para hanapin 'yung may alam sa nawawalang lupain ng ginto?" Mr. Benjie Romero, Cainnick's big brother asked. He crossed his arms on his chest while watching Daya and her brother-in-law sipping their coffee while they are sitting down on the wooden chairs.

" Ganun na nga," Danny answered as he gently nods his head.

"Sa tingin ko isa kayo sa listahan ng Tatay ko," Daya told Benjie.

"Hindi purket isa ang Lolo ko sa mga nakidigma laban sa kanila ay alam ko  kung nasaan iyon," Benjie said.

"E 'yung susi? Alam mo kung nasaan iyon 'di ba?" Danny asked.

Benjie bit his lips and started to think.

"Sa pagkaka-alam ko... tatlo na ang nasa kanila. Dalawa pa ang hindi nila nahahanap,"Daya told him.

"Isa doon ang iniingatan niyo." Danny pointed at Benjie.

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"Excuse me po." Grace Joy approached a group of girls who were talking and giggling at the corner.

That time, the girls got quiet then they faced her. They sneered at her. Grace Joy suddenly felt another creepy feeling from them. In her mind, she's going to regret that she chose them to ask for directions.

They circled her. Then they looked at her up and down, from head to toe. Grace Joy suddenly felt nervous and afraid. She held her head down while letting them scan her. The girls looked at each other and they chuckled softly. One of them rolled her eyes and scuffed. She appears to be the leader or something like that.

"Poor." She said. "Let's go girls. We don't talk to poor."

"Yeah,"they second with their very irritating sassy tone. And then they walked away.  

"Problema ng mga iyon?" she asked herself.

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In a spacious room with thirty-nine  students and a teacher who was lecturing for ten minutes...

Someone gently pulled the door open as it creaks. The teacher halted and she focused her eyes on the person who was about to enter. The students were also curious to see who was it.

The students murmured right after they finally see Sherdel stepping in.

"You're late Mr. Sherdelino," the teacher said.

"Sorry ma'am,"he said with a faint voice. He immediately headed toward the seat located at the back part of the third row. 

"Ops! Ops!" the teacher halted him.

"Ugh,"he rolled his eyes. He stopped and then he about faced.

"Po?" he asked.

"Hindi mo ba i-introduce ang sarili mo sa mga kaklase mo?" she complained.

Sherdel looked around and he saw that everyone murmurs while looking at him. Seemed like everybody in the room know who he is. Still, he has no choice but to do it.

Suddenly, he heard a faint laugh coming from a familiar person. He looked to his right and he saw Gregory sneering like a killer.

Sherdel sighed in frustration.

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"Huwag mo kasing tanungin 'yung mga mayayaman dito." A girl said as she approached Grace Joy.

"Ano ba'ng itatanong mo sana?"she smiled.

Grace Joy smiled back. 

"Nawawala kasi ako... Puwede bang magtanong kung ito ba 'yung UPA Building?" 

The girl smiled... 

"Doon din ako pupunta." She answered. "Samahan na na lang kitang pumunta doon."

Grace Joy thanked her. She was glad that finally someone who has a good heart had finally answered her  simple question.

"By  the way, Ana pala," she introduced herelf.

"Grace Joy." She smiled. 

"Nice to meet you," Ana said then they shook each other's hands.

                                                                         ****

Ten minutes later, Sherdel finally managed to sit down. The teacher resumed her lecture. The students continued to do what they were doing. Most of them were bored, not focused and sleepy. Sherdel was one of them. And so, he decided to text his girlfriend.

"Hi Babe!"

"Hi Babe! Why? Im still in the middle of the class."

"I'm just bored. "

"But babe!"

"Puwede ka bang maka-usap?"

"Ano ba 'yun? Busy ako eh..."

"Ganun ba? Nabo-bored na ako eh. Gusto ko ng ka-usap."

"Sorry talaga eh. May ginagawa ako. Mamaya na lang."

Then... 

"Oh...may isa pang late na student!" the teacher suddenly said.

The students focused their eyes on the student who just entered. Even Sherdel took his eyes off on the phone and look at the one the teacher was talking about.

 In his surprise, a girl with such familiar face, who was standing in front of the students and standing beside the teacher was the one whom he awkwardly met last March. He couldn't believe that he will meet her again. He couldn't believe that months had passed but he still remembers the face of the strange girl...whose name is Grace Joy.