Flashback Episode - I
Reina Gomez, as a child was always fascinated by how animals survived in nature, how they functioned, and how they lived their lives each day.
Therefore, when she grew older, she decided to pursue her dreams and studied hard to become a zoologist specializing in ethology, the study of animal behaviors.
She had spent months in the jungles with her seniors, studying animalistic behaviors while residing in their natural habitats after obtaining her degrees.
Life was amazing for Reina but that was until she heard the news about her parents' demise in an airplane crash.
With just a single phone call, Reina and her elder sister, Tayna, were left orphans.
Luckily, they were already adults and their parents had prepared them for the worst at all times so it was not too hard for the sisters to carry on with their lives.
They were trust fund babies, to begin with; hence, Tanya and Reina had nothing to worry about all their lives.
They lived a life of luxury from their childhood days and even after their parents' sudden death, they continued to live in luxury.
They worked because they had a passion for their respective fields and not for the income they received from it.
Therefore, both the sisters did not mind when they went into professions that fetched far less money as they did it to follow their hearts' desires without the greed for money.
Tanya, the elder sister, was a struggling writer who wanted the world to read the content she had worked hard to create.
The younger sister, Reina, though she loved her job as an Ethologist, had developed a phobia of airplanes after her parents' sudden demise in a plane crash.
The trauma of the loss she faced made it impossible for her to fly in any aircraft ever again which soon presented itself as a troublesome issue.
After completing her parents' funeral rituals, she stayed with her sister for a while before deciding to get back to her job.
The first case of her stifling fear appeared when her team leader had invited her to join another expedition into the jungles located on a whole other continent.
Just the thought of sitting in one of those metallic cages of death, she felt her stomach churn and her head spin.
Having no other option left, Reina turned down that golden opportunity for the sake of her mental health which took a beating every time she stepped closer to an aircraft with the intention of boarding it.
Therefore, after a few phone calls to call in some favors from her professors, she landed herself a new job in the field that she loved.
The local animal sanctuary was looking for someone with the field of expertise that she had so it was a win-win for both parties.
The sanctuary authorities were looking for a quick replacement for their old ethologist and Reina, seeking the same job was a godsend for them.
She soon started working with the animals sheltered in the sanctuary and even began making friends in this new place.
However, after just a year of working there, another incident occurred which left her jobless and mentally scarred once again.
A Silverback gorilla which she had observed and declared as stable for the sanctuary a while ago had attacked a colleague and injured him.
The victim was attacked by the aggressive animal when he had gone to check the security feeds of the CCTV that the sanctuary authorities maintained to keep an eye on the animals.
His injuries had left him with a broken arm, now in a cast and the blame for the incident fell on Reina who had done a terrible job at assessing the mental stability of the vicious gorilla.
No matter how Reina tried to explain to her superiors that the animal she had observed was docile, they refused to believe her and had fired her.
Being fired from the job she loved wasn't as big a blow as her colleagues and friends who refused to believe that she wasn't at fault here.
They accused her of being lax with her duties as she came from money and was not as invested in the job as they were.
No one chose to stand by her side when she was being accused and derided for this mishap which wasn't even her fault.
Having left with no way to prove her innocence, Reina decided to accept her fate and returned to her penthouse where she locked herself in.
No one was allowed inside except for her sister and her maid, Rozella.
While she refused to step out of her home, many things were happening in the outside world.
The Government had initiated an investigation to find out what had taken place at the sanctuary as the local news had made a large media fiasco with the carelessness of the former employee of the sanctuary at the center of it.
After three months of bearing the wrath of the public in the news she watched each day, Reina's innocence had finally been proven.
The habitat where the Gorilla lived had three surveillance cameras.
Two which the employee had come to check upon as they had malfunctioned before the incident and another which had been placed on a higher altitude for the birds which resided high up in the branches.
The existence of this camera, only one ornithologist, an old man obsessed with birds knew about.
He had been away for a while so only upon his return were the others informed about the existence of another security footage that might shed some light on the incident that had gained immense popularity in the media.
The footage from this camera, when zoomed in due to the long distance between the camera and the gorilla's habitat, gave them the perfect view of what had taken place on the day Reina was fired for her 'careless attitude' at work.
The reason why the employee had been attacked by the gorilla was that he had tried to pick up the young infant of the silverback gorilla.
The protective instincts of the primate had been awakened and before the man could get a hold of the scared infant, the gorilla caught hold of his hand.
This had caused the bone in his arm to be crushed thanks to the strength the gorilla possessed.
Earlier, the sanctuary had fired Reina solely based on the testimony given by the victim who claimed that he was attacked without provoking the animal.
However, things were clear as day in the video which was circulating in the media now.
The Government then issued an official statement to the media that the injured man was the one at fault and the other staff had done nothing wrong.
Reina was given her job back but the wrongs the sanctuary authorities had done could not be righted with just a few pleasant words.
One trauma had caused her to not be able to step on a plane and now the other forbade her from ever leaving her penthouse.
Earlier, she felt trapped in the country but now she had trapped herself in this penthouse.
She had everything she could ever desire inside the comfort of her home where she was far away from the judgemental eyes of those who had pointed their fingers at her and questioned her morals with such ease.
Why would she ever wish to step out into a world filled with people who believed that she was bad just because she had money?
Thus, from the day she had been fired, Reina remained inside her home.
Her sister and Rozella were the only ones who could contact her from the outside world.
During this period, she had met her other calling in life which gave purpose to her dull existence once again.
A world full of amazing new things available on the internet opened up to her, becoming her new best friend.
She read novels, comics, watched anime, live streams, started following V-tubers, and so much more.
Reina began living her best life online without the worry of being tormented by evil people like her old coworkers who treated her well until they could use her expertise and her money.
Yet the moment she became an inconvenience to them, they tossed her aside and did not bother with her.
Therefore, she chose to find solace in the arms of the amazing world of the internet which would remain by her side and most of all, not judge her without any reason.
Thus, Reina Gomez spiraled into the slippery rabbit hole called the internet from which she never wished to step out.
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'That was when I met Meteor Sama!' She giggled and cupped her cheeks in excitement.
Sitting on her bed in the room next to the Vampire King's, Reina smiled when she thought of her amazing life.
But just like always, something had come in to wreck her happiness once again.
This time, the one to wreck her happy life was none other than her annoying older sister, Tanya Gomez.
'If only she had never come looking for me for that stupid favor!' She gritted her teeth then fell into her thoughts about the events that had led up to what had taken place until yesterday in her previous world and life.