sucked in

Chapter 01

"Mira." I can feel somebody shaking my shoulders. "Mira!"

Who the hell is Mira? Bakit ang ingay? At sino itong umaalog sa mga balikat ko?

"Ano ba..." nakapikit parin na daing ko. I'm still sleepy. "Leave me alone."

"Mira, we're dismissed already. You need to wake up or you'll be left alone in this sh*tty room. God, what would you do without me? Be thankful you have a friend like me," I heard her say in a sassy tone. 

Is she talking to me? My name is definitely not Mira. But why does it seem like she's talking to me? Kahit mabigat sa loob ay iminulat ko na ang mga mata ko para tignan ang babaeng kumakausap sa akin. 

"Oh, finally. The princess is awake." 

"Aww," mahinang daing ko nang iangat ko ang aking ulo mula sa desk. What? Desk? I don't remember sleeping at a desk. Wait--- this desk... this desk looks weird. Lumingon-lingon ako sa paligid. And to my surprise, I'm in a classroom. "Wha...What?"

I'm starting to panic. Where the hell am I? Napayuko naman ako para tignan ang suot ko. I'm wearing a school uniform. My eyes widened in shock. Am I high? Am I hallucinating? Did that old lady drug me? Oh, no. This is bad!

"Mira, girl, what's happening? Are you alright?" nag-aalalang tanong ng babae sa harap ko nang mapansin niyang nagpa-panic ako. "You slept through our last period. Girl, you're hardcore."

"Mira? Who's that? And w-who are you?" litong-litong tanong ko. I feel like crying. I don't know what's going on. 

"Damn, girl, it's no time for pranks," natatawang wika niya naman. "Anyway, you need to get the f*ck up right now or I'm leaving you," she added. 

Tumingin ako sa suot-suot niyang ID para tignan ang pangalan niya. "Liana."

"Yes? Did you just call me by my whole name? Oh, my gosh," nakahawak sa dibdib na aniya. "Geez. You're acting weird, Mira. You're freaking me out. Anyway, now that you're awake, I'm leaving. Bye! See you tomorrow!" She blew me a kiss before hurriedly exiting the classroom. 

And just like that, ako nalang mag-isa sa classroom.

Wala sa sariling napahawak ako sa dibdib ko, at mayroon akong nakapa. ID lace. Right. I'm wearing an ID. Dali-dali ko iyong tinignan.

Nanlaki ang mga mata ko dahil sa nakita. This picture... This is me, but I look younger here. And the name... This is not my name. My name is not Miranda Estrella. I'm Gwen. Gwen Cristobal!

Napakunot naman ang noo ko nang mapansin ko ang pangalan ng school sa itaas na bahagi ng ID.

"Saint Mattheiu High..." mahinang pagbasa ko rito. This school sounds oddly familiar. "Saint Mattheiu High. Saint Mattheiu High. Saan ko nga ba ito narinig?" I'm trying hard to remember.