Into The Multiverse

Chapter One

Venturi

"Good afternoon! Welcome to Oxygen Corporation."

We are greeted by a holographic woman wearing formal attire. Gagi ang galing. Para akong bata na hinahawi-hawi ang hologram na kaharap gamit ang kamay ko.

"Aray ko naman tangina, Phere." Anong klaseng kamay 'yan ang bigat, muntik nang humiwalay ang kaluluwa ko sa katawang lupa ko dahil sa lakas ng impact. Sa inis ay hinampas ko pabalik ang kamay niya.

Honestly, I have no plan on tagging her along pero hindi pa man ako nakakalabas ng bahay kanina ay rinig ko na ang sigaw niya mula sa labas ng gate. Isa pa, masiyado akong clueless sa mga nangyayaring kababalaghan sa akin ngayon. It's good to at least have someone to guide me, pero mukhang galos at pasa ang aabutin kosa kaniya.

"Let's go." She grabs my wrist and pulled me towards the front desk of the lobby before I could even complain. Gawin ba naman akong bata, punyeta. The nerve?

"Wag mo nga akong hilahin," I complained in annoyance.

"Greetings! I am Intel Celeron of Oxygen Corporation. How can I be of service to you today?" A man in his late 20s wearing a brown vest over a black blazer matched with a black tie extends his arm for a handshake.

I gazed at him intently, observing his eye movements and the contraction of the muscles around his eyes as he smiled at us. He seems genuine. Phere reached for the man's hand before I could even accept the handshake. Hindi ko mapigilan ang sarili na kumunot ang noo, marahan kong kinurot sa tagiliran si Phere na ikinangiwi nito.

"We just dropped by to send the monthly payment of my friend's family." He smiled as a response and led us to his office. The scent of green tea and the cold breeze from the air conditioner greeted us upon entering a well-designed enclosed space, probably his office. The mixture of light and dark colors in the interior purposely made the ambiance of the room decorative yet professional. I scanned through his office, his files are neatly organized in alphabetical order. Nakakahiya naman sa kwarto ko.

"Please, have a seat." He sat in his office chair over a computer desk, leans his back on the backrest cushion and points his palm toward the seats in front of him.

"Do you mind handing me your identification pin for a scan?" I paused for a moment. Identification what? I gave Phere a questioning look that she kindly responded with a facepalm. Sorry, okay?

After realization hits her of how ignorant I am of the situation, she rolls her eyes in disbelief and leans closer to my side. Halos masubsob ako sa desk na katapat matapos nitong hilahin ang aking palapulsuhan palapit sa kausap. "Here," she said after grabbing my wrist, pulling it closer to Sir Celeron. Bastos talaga.

Sir Celeron bends down and rummages through his drawers for a minute and reaches for my wrist with a handheld scanner in his other hand. He points the scanner to the serial numbers imprinted on my wrist. Kailan pa ako nag pa-tattoo? I am somehow dumbfounded when a hologram appears showing my profile information after the scan.

Resident Profile

Name
Venturi Rouschevlair
Age
18 years old
Mother
...
Father
...

"You should have mentioned that you're from the Rouschevlair Clan." Wait, what? Anong meron sa angkan namin? I glanced at Sir Celeron who immediately stood up from his sit and gave us a slight bow of his head. Nagmumukha na naman akong mayabang nito.

Hindi kaya anak ako ni Bill Gates dito? Pero teka hindi naman Gates ang apilyido ko. Venturi Gates. Tangina! Ang bantot.

"It's an honor to meet someone of your status, Mademoiselle."

***

"Aray ko lintek—" My sentence was cut off nang hampasin ni Phere ang bibig ko. Tangina kadiri, who knows kung saan-saang lupalop nanggaling ang kamay nito.

I raised my arm at ibinaling ang tingin sa mabigat na bagay na nakasabit sa sleeve ng suot kong pullover. My eyes met a pair of deep brown orbs, it instantly reminds me of a breathtaking mountain gaze.

"Meow."

"Hala ang cute." Inilapit ni Phere ang mukha sa pusa and tries to move the cat away from me but to no avail. I waved my arm sideways to get rid of the cat. Tangina ayaw matanggal. Naka-shoe glue ba ito sa braso ko?

"Ang sakit, bitaw nga!" I raised my voice on purpose para matakot ito at bumitaw sa pagkaka-kalmot niya sa damit ko. Phere on the other hand, pasimple ang pagkurot sa tagiliran ko just because of the way I am treating this cat.

"Meow." The nerve of this white round ball of fur. Isa pang palaisipan kung paano niya nagawang sumabit sa sleeve ko when my arm was resting comfortably on the armrest almost a hundred centimeters from the ground. I squinted my eyes to examine the cat. 

"Paano ka nakatalon kung mukha ka namang siopao sa taba?" Pagkausap ko sa pusa na hanggang ngayon ay kalmot-kalmot padin ako sa braso. I almost did a facepalm after realizing how stupid I look after questioning a cat and actually waiting for its response.

"Excuse me? How dare you insult my pet?" I turned around to face the owner of the voice, only to find myself trapped in the beauty of the sunset. I felt my heart skip a beat while my eyes remained on her amber orbs, witnessing the color of nature's palette as the sun sinks beyond the horizon's floor.

"Arrest her." Tangina sandali, ano raw? I took a step back when a squad of muscular men, each one of them holding firearms as they walked towards me. They are wearing a different uniform from the security personnel in this building.

"Hey, don't touch her!" Phere exclaimed after they grab me by the wrist and cuffed my arms behind my back. Regret starts to invade my mind. After years of studying, magiging kriminal lang pala ako. Sana naging holdapper nalang ako, Lord.