CHAPTER 5

"I'm done watching Kimetsu No Yaiba and Attack on Titan, and you wouldn't believe how amazing it was." Zendee spoke up, not even bother to our class discussion as he kept on talking. "It was awesoooooome."

I was sitting between the two of them, Jessica and Zendee. It's our last subject and we huddled here in Computer Laboratory taking Digital Arts.

"What episode are you now? You've got to be updated in every anime so you won't get left behind."

I looked at him, he's waiting for her response.

"Hey." He muttered when he have noticed that she was not even paying attention at him. But instead, her eyes were glued on the monitor while listening to the lesson. "Hey, hey yow!"

I took a brief look at him and to Jessica. She looks annoyed right now and Zendee doesn't even feel bad about it. "Hey! Heeeeey…. Hey—"

"Whut?!" Jessica mumbled in a grumpy manner, her brows knitted.

"You're not even listening."

"I'm listening to the discussion. Don't you see it?"

"I don't want to believe it. Your eyes is on the monitor."

"Of course I'm paying attention. It's not even our dismissal yet. I don't wanna left behind in this."

"Hey, you only live once." He said that made our jaw dropped. He literally don't know what he's talking about.

"So?" Jessica's brows snapped together. "What do you mean?"

"You've got to watch all the episodes of every animes before you die. Well atleast if your time had finally come, you were still able to watched your favourite anime."

"Seriously Zendee?" She said in disbelief and let out a heavy sigh. "You've got to wake up." She uttered and snapped her finger infront of his face. "You talk like you have completely lost your mind."

"What's wrong with that? I'm just stating the facts. I believe I have a point."

"Do you still prefer to watch anime than to listen to our discussions?"

"Sorta." He lifted his shoulder. Oh I can't believe this. My two silly friends were having an argument in front of me, during lesson. "But anyways, have you heard the new song of Twenty One Pilots?"

"Can you please stop? Don't you see??"

"Don't I see what?" He asked with a puzzled look.

"This?" Jessica pointed out, telling she was listening. But he just blinked, probably didn't get it.

"What this?"

"This!"

"Your sweater?" I gave myself a facepalm. He's hilarious. "Yeah, it looks good on you."

"Seriously?" Jessica gasped. If I were in her situation, that would also be my reaction. "Zendee you've been bothering me since mor—"

WHIP!

We flinched. It was the sound of a long stick whipped on the desk. Our eyes shifted to the front and witnesses Ma'am Torres's burning gaze.

"Mr. Zendee Loiue and Ms. Jessica Payne, am I interrupting someone?"

~DNA~

"Heyyyyy… c'mon, the two of you." I whined at them, grabbing their forearm to make them close to each other. They're only few inches away. "Can you please settle each other down? We're friends right? Helping hand?" I smiled but none of them responds.

Zendee was looking down while Jessica was crossing her arms and staring sassily to her perfectly painted nails. "C'mon it's just a little things, no big deal." I told them as I pleased. "Pretty please?"

"Fine." Jessica said reluctantly, looking away.

I smiled and looked at him. "Zendee."

"In one condition."

"Zendeeee."

"Ok fine." He sighed defeatedly. "No more war."

"That's not a war." I told him.

He looked at Jessica and smiled before lending both of his arms. "Ok, it was my fault. I'm sorry, let's hug."

Jessica and I chuckled before she threw her arms around him.

"You guys should love and respect each other, ok? Just always remember that I'm always here whenever you guys have a misunderstanding. I love the both of you." I told them and flashed a warm smile.

They hugged me and giggled.

"Brendaaa!" I looked up. I saw mom, she's inside the car, waving and smiling sweetly at me. "C'mon sweetie let's go home."

I gazed back at my friends. "Guess I should say goodbye. Remember what I've told you."

"Of course." They said in sync and said their goodbye before I made my way towards the car.

But before I was able to hop in, Jessica yelled. "Bye Brendaaaaa!"

I glanced and waved back at them. "Byeeeee." I beamed and shut the door.

"Honey."

"Hm?" I mumbled, placing my handbag beside. I'm sitting at the back seat.

"Your cousins will visit you in our house today."

"Today?" I gasped with a sparkle on my eyes.

"Yeah, aren't you excited?"

"I am—but wait, which cousins?"

"Jess, Jessie, Jessa."

"It's been five months since the last time we've seen each other. I really miss them."

"Well then, cherish the moments you spend your time with them."

"Sure, I will."

Jess, Jessie, and Jessa were actually triplets, they're my cousins in mom's side. While I got two in my dad's.

The car ride was peaceful, I was looking up on the giant billboards, then a scenario struck me.

My last nightmare.

I sighed and leaned my head back to the seat. Watching every houses and streets on every roads we pass.

"Oh mom! Wait." I exclaimed as I sits straight. "I want some Sorbetes."

(Sorbetes means ice cream)

"Oh, ok." Mom pulled over.

I opened the car window and could clearly hear the ice cream's bell.

"Sorbetessss!" I yelled, grabbing the old man's attention. He pushed the cart towards our way. "20 pesos please." I said and took my purse out of my Hermes Bag that dad gave me and found a 100 bill.

"You want mom?"

"Don't mind me."

"Ok."

Manong gave me the ice cream and I handed him the 100 peso. "Here. Keep the change."

"Thank you miss."

"You're welcome."

"That's so generous of you honey." I smiled and so as mom.

We're now heading to our village, Manong Ely opened the gate for us. Mom parked the car beside, I hopped off and made my way inside the house.

I walked straight into my bedroom to see my cute little puppy, but to my surprised he's gone. I wandered around the room but he's nowhere to be found.

I walked out of my bedroom and made my way downstairs to the kitchen room.

There I saw mom. "Mommy where's Golden?"

"Taking care of Yaya Silvia. She's at the garden."

"Ok, thanks mom!"

"You're welcome."

I immediately went to the garden and could already hear his little barks. "Golden!"

Arf! Arf!

"I miss you so much…" I uttered as I held him to my arms.

"He pooped around the hallway."

"What??! Eeew." I wrinkled my nose at Yaya Silvia.

"But I already cleaned it up. Nothing to worry."

"Sweetieee." I snapped my head to the glass door where I could see mom holding a glass of milk. Mom walked to me. "Go to sleep so you can have energy later. Your aunt told me they'll be here at 3pm."

"Ok."

~DNA~

"Brenda sweetie wake up." Someone's caressing my cheeks. I slowly opened my eyes and it was mom. "Your cousins are already here, wake up honey." I yawned. "Guess someone's had a great sleep today huh."

"Yes, it really was. Thanks for the milk." I sneered.

"You silly. C'mon." Mom chuckled and helped me to climbed out of the bed.

"Brenda!!!!"

"Jess! Jessie! Jessa!" I yelled in happiness while sprinting down the stairs. "I missed you so much guys!" I uttered in a happy tone while giving each other a hug.

"Us too!"

It last for a seconds until mom walked towards us.

"Hi Aunt Selene." They said.

"Hey there kids, let's eat first so you guys can bond right after this."

The afternoon have passed, it was five o'clock and I'm here in my room with my cousins.

"Your room got a lot of stuff toys than it way before. I've miss your room." It's Jessa who's sitting down on the carpet, taking pictures of my favourite stuff toys. "It looks even better."

"Thank you."

Jessie suddenly appeared from the door.

"Hey he's not barking at you anymore." I beamed in surprise. He's now holding my puppy who's barking and growling at him earlier the first they came here.

"How did you do that?" Jess said in a high pitch tone, probably amazed.

"What's your secret?" I asked.

"I'm a professional dog trainer." He responds with a grin.

We chuckled at his comment and even threw him some big pillows that earned a giggle from him.

~DNA~

"Honey what are you doing?" Mom asked, making her way towards me. I'm in the living room, sitting down on the couch. Pulling my knees to my chest with a book on top of my knees.

"I'mmm, coloring a book."

"Oh that's great, then what are those drawing?" Mom asked as she sat next to me.

"It's Tangled."

"Tangled? What's that all about? Mind telling me?"

"It's about a girl who's locked up by her overly protective mother on their tower." I paused, my attention is strictly on coloring. "As the time goes by, she wish to her mother to see the world outside, but her mother disagreed. Telling her how dangerous outside and she was too worried if something bad might happen to her. And so her mother said that she was the only one who's capable to go outside."

"And then, while her mother is gone, her wish to escape into the world outside finally comes true when she meets someone who took the courage to climbed their tower, he was actually a thief, his name is Flynn."

"Oh, that's very interesting then." I could see mom's slowly bobbing her head with my peripheral vision. I'm still having fun coloring. "What else?"

"Because of him, she finally have seen the world with that guy."

"But you said he's a thief right?"

"Yes he was a thief but, he has a good heart."

"Oh, I see…"

"But then she discovered something that could change her life, she realized that the mother who raised her is a gigantic liar."

"Why?"

"The only reason why her mother doesn't want her to get out of the tower is because she might've find out her true identity that will ruin her mother's life forever. Her mother was pretending to be overly protective at her so she wouldn't know the truth that could lead to reality. She is the long lost princess of the King and Queen." I explained as I was busy coloring Rapunzel's dress. "In fact, her mother just wants her precious long hair."

"What's with her hair?"

I paused and looked at mom. "Her hair is like a magic, and it was powerful that can turn someone younger again."

"And that old witch slash the fake mother wanted to use it. She took her out of the castle when she was a little." I added.

"When everything seems clear to her, she took the courage to confronts her fake mother. She told her everything she finds out. She was very upset, she's gone mad at her. Because her mother is fake, she lied. The fake mother hides her true identity. She lied to her, she pretented that she was the true—"

"That's enough, that's enough." I abruptly stopped and stared at my mom, she looks frantic. "Everythings clear to me." Mom gave me a warm smile. "What a nice story."

I smiled back. "Yeah, it's a nice story." I agreed and went back on coloring. "The witch gets her karma like what she deserves by turning to ashes."

Mom sits next closer to me and hugged me like the way she used to. "Is there... a problem, mom?" I asked and looked up at her, then I saw some tears streaming down her face. "Mom are you crying?"

"Tears of joy."

I turned at mom to face her. I began to feel worry, I don't like seeing my beloved mom crying like this. "I shouldn't have told you the story, I know it's kinda sad and over whelming at the same time."

"I'm just happy and grateful that I have you, that we have you." Mom said between her hoarse voice. "You don't know how much happy I am the day you came."

"You're such a blessing to us." Mom smiled and put her left hand on my face.

"Mommy why are you saying that?" My voice cracked. My eyes is strictly glued to my mom's. "Are you going to die? Are you sick?"

"Noo, no-no-no baby…" Mom shook her head, sobs filled the room. "I'm good. I just wanted to tell you how I feel to have a kid like you."

"Mommy's alright, don't worry." Mom gave me a warm smile, gently brushing my face with her thumb.

My tears holding back, I leaned closer to my mom and threw my arms around her. "I love you so much mom…"

My heart melts from the last word she said.

"I love you to the fullest."

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