Be Free

chapter one

- Unedited (will edit soon)

We never confirmed how the Earth was truly formed, most of it is still comprised of theories. Logical guesses that researchers intertwined to create an answer that MAY be right or completely off. Maybe life is meant to be filled with logical guesses, random ideas, and irrelevant streaks of nothingness. Everything remains a blur and a buzz. Everyone just wants to live their life in a way where they could enjoy the only singular life they would ever have. Everyone wants to make a mark, a statement, something they could look back at and proudly say, "I did it."

But everyone does not always have the energy nor the want to succeed every single minute of their precious life, hence why this seventeen-year-old girl is sitting in her bed going through another existential crisis like every other teenager on this stupidly gorgeous planet.

"Two-faced dicks," Malaya muttered under her breath, scrolling through her social media and scowling at the number of filtered selfies of the popular girls who followed her on social media and later on unfollowing her when they realized she has no intention of ever following them back. Scoffing at the sight of one too many teenage boys who post nothing but the fish they caught in the lake or thirst traps that enchants nobody but their relatives who cheer them on for staying so fit.

Malaya then placed her phone back to charge on her left bedside table, trying to forget the horrendous things she saw on Instagram. A normal teenager should not be so cynical especially when it comes to the peers she should supposedly like, I mean seventeen is usually the time where one goes to parties, proms, and have the time of their life with their group of eight friends and live this fantastical high school life. But, Malaya could care less. Parties give her anxiety, large crowds trigger her panic attacks, people from her school make her gag, and she only has two best friends who she dearly loves and loathes at the same time.

"Hey, there bud.", a soft knock came slowly after, her white pearly door opened revealing a short-haired woman in her mid-forties. "I made rice and chicken adobo today, your medicine is on the counter, and do NOT forget to call your therapist at six." Mrs. Malakanyang chided the teen, her Filipino accent hardening as she enunciated each word for Malaya to understand, her eyes crinkling into a smile showing the eye wrinkles she learned to love. Mrs. Malakanyang is Malaya's stay-at-home nanny for seventeen years, the sole person who took care of Malaya whenever her parents were busy overseas handling their own affairs.

"Yes, Manang. Thank you." Malaya sweetly answered, shooting Mrs. Malakanyang a tight-lipped smile before the older woman closed the door behind her.

Sighing into the palms of her hands, Malaya stood up from her plain white queen-sized bed and paused in front of her vanity to look at herself in the mirror. Everything looked dead, her brown skin had no glow, her eyes were droopy blackened from the restless nights, and the hair on her head disheveled and unkempt.

"Another fucking day, another fucking trainwreck. Woo-hoo!" She cheered with fake enthusiasm dragging her feet down the stairs and sliding into one of the white island stools.

Mrs. Malakanyang silently placed a bowl of rice and a plate of adobo chicken on the table and the two sat eating in silence. This was a normal day in the household, often quiet and the only sounds you could hear are the birds chirping, the wind passing by, or the occasional clinks and clanks whenever Mrs. Malakanyang cleaned around the house.

Malaya's home was situated in the suburban part of town, the part where most upper-class families lived. The house was bought in the southern part of her neighborhood, secluded to everyone but the seven houses that we're covering up the whole street. It was a large home, fit enough to situate six people under one roof and enough space to cover two homes but what happiness would that bring when the house only has one sole homeowner and a nanny who occasionally leaves to see her own family back in the Philippines. It was a fucking lonely house and the neighbors were all nice old ladies who were too busy with their own lives to even think about the lonely young teen.