Featheria Series #1: The Basement Pet

Kabanata 5

Tattoo

I had this dream before— my first and last ordinary dream. It was to become an educated fine lady in the future.  So ordinary, of course, for my age before that the kids around me dreamed about it, too. It was so happy to think about being an educated fine lady where people would be amazed to you. Around my age, that was the dream of all.

Me and Ate Bria's dream.

The pain and curse of life has not hit us at that time. It was always sunshine and daydreams. Even though we were sometimes laughed off for being dreamy, it didn't matter. Laging pangarap ang puhunan namin sa buhay no'n. Dahil kung hindi mangangarap, paano kami makakaahon at paano kami magkakaroong inspirasyon sa kabila ng hirap ng pamumuhay? Pero sa mga panahon na 'yon, ni hindi sumagi sa isip namin ni Ate Bria na mahirap ang lahat. Laging may dahilan at solusyon ang pangyayari sa amin kaya magiging sulit din— gano'n ang mindset namin.

It was a fun and almost a dream, now that I'm thinking about it. I don't regret that in contrast to what we really experienced before, we still saw the positive side of being in that hell. So glad that in that hell, I have Ate Bria. It was still worth it dreaming.

We were an orphan waiting to be adopt and loved to the fullest. In the orphanage, we were treated like a slave in a way that we never knew that it was a slavery not until we were forced to do everything that we don't like. At an early age I learned the hard way about life.

Until that one spectacular day I thought, I thought being adopted would do any change, but it didn't. More than what the orphanage made us do, the family who adopted me and Ate Bria was way more worse. They treated us like a total slave; obeying them from there and there, would beat us if we got it wrong, and they did starve us almost to turn bones.

That's why we had it really rough.

We never had a proper education because of that— or because we were really a daughter of failure, and cursed?

We were officially registered and thought inside the orphanage. We all finished elementary level. On the new house we had, we actually studied but homeschooled, too. It was messed up and I didn't even understand a word or two.

So being in a mission now which I need to disguise for the first time as a student felt, too, like a dream. I never imagined that even though I will disguise until then, it would definitely not just feel like I am doing my mission, I am actually going to study and learn things not absolutely thought inside the organization.

I never dreamed again to step foot in any school to become a student. I know that just dreaming about it would feel forbidden.

But then, I am here! The color of my uniform blends in with other student around me. The laughter of the students probably same as my age, or younger or older. The backpack felt light because inside, I only brought the usual things brought when first day; an intermediate paper, index cards, two notebooks, and a set of assorted ball pens.

The first time of my life to become a senior high school student— even though just a disguise.

"Sige, puntahan natin mamaya!" A group of girls shrieked while walking and talking. They're busy minding their group business, talking about the new establishment that has opened near the school.

That was when I realized that I was thinking too much about my ordinary dream before.

I closed my eyes tightly. I need to calm my senses and think more about why and what I came here for. This is not the time to go easy peasy as if I am a real student who came here to study hard for the better future.