Chapter 1: Lost in the Middle of Nowhere (Literally)

Yuna's POV

Moving to the province was supposed to be a fresh start. A break from the chaos of the city, a chance to breathe, maybe even figure out what I wanted to do with my life.

My aunt's family was supposed to pick me up from the terminal, but they were apparently too busy. So, here I was, alone, sweaty, and already regretting my life choices.

I should have known things were going to go downhill the moment my suitcase wheel betrayed me.

It didn't just break—it exploded. One second, I was rolling it down the bus terminal like a graceful city girl, and the next, I was dragging it like some tragic heroine in a drama.

A very sweaty, very frustrated tragic heroine.

The air in the province smelled fresh, which was nice, but I was too busy wrestling with my suitcase to appreciate it.

I sighed, pulled out my phone, and opened the online map. My aunt's directions seemed easy enough—just follow the road straight and turn left at the small sari-sari store. Simple, right?

Wrong.

Because guess what wasn't on the map? The dozens of tiny paths that looked exactly the same. And guess who had the brilliant idea to "trust her gut" instead of asking for help? Me.

Obviously.

So there I was, dragging my half-dead suitcase through a suspiciously uneven dirt path, when I realized the houses were getting fewer, and the grass was getting taller.

Then, out of nowhere, I heard a 'plop.'

I froze.

The sound was way too close.

I turned my head ever so slowly and, to my horror, saw a large frog chilling just a few inches away from my foot.

"Stay calm," I whispered to myself. "You're a strong, independent woman. A little frog can't hurt you."

Then the frog jumped.

And so did I.

Unfortunately, I also tripped over a rock and ended up rolling a good five feet down a slope, landing in—yep, you guessed it—a rice field. A literal rice field.

For a moment, I just lay there, staring at the sky, trying to process my life choices. The mud was cold, my suitcase was half-buried in the dirt, and somewhere in the distance, I could hear a carabao snorting like it was laughing at me.

"This is fine," I told myself as I sat up and wiped some mud off my arm.

"Totally fine."

I looked around, expecting to see someone who could help, but there was no one in sight.

Just a wide-open field, a few distant houses, and the path I had somehow tumbled from.

Sighing, I stood up, shook off some of the mud, and grabbed my suitcase with a determined nod.

"Alright. No more trusting my gut."

With no other choice, I climbed back up the slope and decided to continue my journey. Hopefully, I'd actually find my aunt's house before sunset—or before another frog ruined my life.

I was beginning to accept that this town had it out for me. First, my suitcase betrayed me.

Then, Mother Nature decided I needed an up-close and personal introduction to mud. Now, I had a new mission: find my aunt's house before something else went horribly wrong.

Dragging my half-dead, mud-covered suitcase behind me, I spotted an old lady sitting on a wooden bench outside her house, fanning herself lazily.

She looked wise—like she'd seen things. Maybe even knew the secrets of the universe. More importantly, she seemed like the kind of person who knew where everything was.

"Excuse me," I said, forcing my most respectful smile despite looking like I had just crawled out of a swamp.

"Do you know where I can find Aling Rosa's house?"

The old lady paused mid-fan, squinting at me like I had just asked for directions to the moon. Then she launched into a full-speed monologue in the thickest accent I had ever heard. I caught maybe three words—none of which were useful.

"Ah," I said, nodding like I understood.

"Right."

She kept talking. And talking. And talking.

I kept nodding. "Got it."

I had no idea what I had supposedly gotten, but it felt like the right thing to say.

At one point, she waved a hand wildly toward some trees, then gestured vaguely at the sky. Was I supposed to climb something? Was there a secret passage I needed to unlock? What was she telling me?

"Thank you!" I chirped before she could quiz me on what she just said. I gave her a polite bow (because when in doubt, bow) and hurried away in a random direction, pretending I totally got it.

Spoiler alert: I did not get it.

As I walked, trying to piece together the mystery riddle that was her directions, I heard a noise behind me. A soft clucking sound.

I turned slowly.

A chicken stood a few feet away, staring at me. Unmoving. Unblinking. Pure menace in poultry form.

I took a cautious step forward. The chicken took a step too.

I stopped. It stopped.

I narrowed my eyes. It narrowed its tiny, soulless chicken eyes back at me.

Okay. Maybe I was imagining that part. But still.

I picked up the pace, dragging my suitcase faster. The chicken matched my speed.

Then it sprinted.

"WHY?!" I yelped, breaking into a full-on run.

Was this normal here? Did chickens have personal vendettas? Was I about to become the first recorded case of poultry-related tragedy?

I zigzagged like my life depended on it, suitcase bouncing behind me, while the demon bird flapped its wings and chased me like it had been waiting for this moment its entire life.

I didn't know where I was going. I didn't care. All I knew was that I had one goal,to survive.

And find my aunt's house before I got pecked to death.

after a while of running.

I finally lost the chicken.

After what felt like an Olympic-level sprint through an unfamiliar neighborhood, I ducked behind a tree, gasping for air. My suitcase, which had already suffered enough today, sat slumped beside me, one wheel barely hanging on for dear life.

I peeked around the tree. The chicken was gone. Or maybe it was just hiding, biding its time. Either way, I wasn't taking any chances.

With my heart still hammering, I reached for my phone, desperate to check my location.

No signal. I tapped the screen. The battery icon blinked once before the screen went black.

Perfect. Just perfect.

No signal, no battery, and I had just survived a poultry assassination attempt. Things were going great.

I glanced around. The street was quiet, save for the occasional rustle of leaves and the distant chatter of people from inside their homes.

I was stranded in an unfamiliar place with no idea where my aunt's house was. But instead of panicking, I did what any logical person in my situation would do.

I sat down, pulled out a bag of chips from my backpack, and started eating.

Crisis? What crisis? Hunger always came first.

I had barely taken my second bite when I heard footsteps approaching. I looked up to see a guy watching me like I was the strangest thing he had ever seen—which, given my current state, wasn't entirely inaccurate.

He looked local. Tousled dark hair, tan skin, and a relaxed stance like he belonged here.

His eyes flicked from my mud-streaked clothes to my defeated suitcase to the half-eaten chip in my hand.

"Uh," he started, clearly unsure how to address whatever mess he had just stumbled upon.

"You okay?"

I crunched loudly on my chip and gave him a thumbs-up. "Yup. Totally fine."

His brow lifted slightly, like he wasn't sure whether to be amused or concerned.

"You sure? Because you look like you fought a wild animal and lost."

"Close," I said, wiping my hands on my jeans.

"Chicken."

He blinked. "Chicken?"

I nodded. "Vicious. Relentless. Probably still out there, plotting."

He let out a laugh, short and disbelieving, like he couldn't quite process what I was saying.

"Right. And you're just… sitting here?"

"Well, I don't have a phone, I don't know where my aunt's house is, and running around hasn't exactly worked out for me so far." I held up my snack.

"So I figured I'd wait for help. And eat."

He stared at me for a second before shaking his head with a smirk.

"You're not from here, are you?"

"Wow, what gave it away?" I deadpanned, stuffing another chip into my mouth.

He chuckled and sat down on the bench next to me. "Who's your aunt?"

"Aling Rosa. Do you know her?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I do. You're not too far. I can take you there."

I exhaled in relief. "Finally, some good news."

I stood up, brushing off my jeans, and grabbed my suitcase—only for the handle to come off in my hand. I stared at it, then sighed.

"Okay, now I might panic a little."

The guy let out another laugh and reached for my suitcase. "Here. Let me."

I hesitated for a second but handed it over. He lifted it effortlessly, carrying it like it weighed nothing.

"Come on," he said, tilting his head toward the road.

"Before the chicken finds you again."

I didn't need to be told twice. Falling into step beside him, I cast one last wary glance behind me.

Just in case.

To be continued.