Finding Peace In The Missing Piece

Chapter 16 - Hello France

Bye Philippines, hello France.

This is it. Pagkalapag ng eroplano namin ay na-feel ko na agad ang pangungulila sa pilipinas eme, nangungulila ako sa kanya. Eww ang rupok.

I can't believe myself. Nakakausap ko na ulit ang sarili ko in this way. Siguro dahil na rin sa closure na binigay ni Lavin. And I think he's right.

From the airport, sinalubong ako ng mga tiyahin ko. Kapatid ni Daddy.

"Oh, Xena! My pretty niece. " She hug me and kiss my cheeks.

"Glyn, let's go home, my daughter needs to rest." Dad said, at ibinigay na sa mga bodyguard ang maleta namin. Pinagbuksan pa nila ako ng pinto ng kanilang Bugatti Veyron.

I come from a wealthy family, both sides of my mother and father which afforded me to have the privilege of having what I want. But my mother disciplined us on how to handle money very well so walang mawawaldas sa kung ano-anong bagay na hindi naman nag ma-matter.

"Hija, why do you suddenly decided to study here? If you mind, I'm just curious." My Auntie said.

"Glyn–"

"No, Dad, it's alright. The reason is my partner, Auntie. He impregnated another woman, unintentionally. Despite our love for each other, we've chosen to end our relationship due to his responsibility," I stated, maintaining a calm voice kahit nanginginig ang aking labi. "Gusto ko lang pong magsimula ng panibago." huling sabi ko.

"Ohh, I'm sorry."

"It's fine. I'm here to move on, Tita. And can we go to the University? I'll take my entrance exam."

"Are you sure? You can rest now then take the exam tomorrow, darling." Tita said.

"Yes, Auntie. Para isang bagsakan na lang. Right after matapos ang exam ay malalaman na daw agad ang result eh, and I don't want to waste my time po." Magalang kong tugon.

" Do you want me to accompany you?" She asked.

"No. I can handle this." I said.

Silence filled the car. Marami kaming nadadaanang naglalakihang building. Mamaya pagkatapos ko sa exam ay pupunta ako sa Eiffel tower. My Auntie is really talkative, talk here, then talk there, my ears are already bleeding.

We parked the car in the University parking lot, and I immediately stepped out, taking in the sight of the campus.

Maraming estudyante ang nagkalat na nagpakaba sa akin. Makakasabay kaya ako sa kanila? Wala ka yatang mapipintas sa mga students dito ah, not that I want to say something fishy about someone ha.

Sa gitna, may malaki at eleganteng fountain na napapaligiran ng mga upuan, shockss! Parang plaza lang ah! Napapalibutan din ito ng nagtataasang mga building at ang mas lalong nagpamangha sa akin ay ay ang napakatataas na puno! Is this a school or a garden? Ang ganda rito!!! Mas makakapag-aral ng maayos ang mga student pag ganito ka-peaceful ang paligid. Parang akong nasa fantasy world!

I was walking through the cobblestone pathways papunta sa main building para doon kumuha ng entrance examimation.

May mga naka salubong akong mga nagtatangkarang lalaki! Gosh, kasing tangkad toh nila Lavin at Kuya ah!

What? What did I say? Lavin? Gosh! Erase that man in your head, Xena!

I really can't explain how fascinated this school is. It's really nice here, and there's a lot of AFAM! Tall men and women, colored eyes, blonde hair, and white skin. Sana talaga makahanap ako ng friends, and I'm really praying hard people would be nice.

I said my goodbye to Dad and Auntie. I already went here years ago with Mom so it wouldn't be hard for me to get home.

I went inside the building and it welcomed me to a big hallway, it really looked like a palace! I walked while looking at the chandelier. But, I groaned in pain when someone accidentally crashed my arms that hadn't healed yet.

Fuck!

"Je suis désolé mademoiselle. Êtes-vous blessée?" The guy asked. I looked at him and we both looked shocked to see each other here! "Xena?" Hindi makapaniwalang sabi niya. 

"Harvey?" Tanong ko, confused if I say his name's right.

He nodded. "What are you doing here? Are you for real?" He smiled.

"Yeah. What are you doing here?" I asked.

" I'm studying here, Xena."

I just smiled at him, relief for not being alone here. At least I have someone to be with right now.

"Where are you going?" He asked.

"Ahm, I'm here to take the entrance exam, can you accommodate me how to get there?" I said and he just smiled with his dimple.

"Sure." He said and smiled at me once again. He had a thicked eyebrows. Matangos ang kanyang ilong at maganda ang hubog ng cheekbones niya na bumagay sa perpekto niyang panga. Malapad din ang kaniyang mga balikat at kung maglakad ay parang isang modelo na nasa fashion show. The first time I saw him, para siyang may spicy aroma na kahit anong anghang ay kakainin mo pa rin.  Kaya hindi na nakakapagtaka kung babae na talaga ang naghahabol sa kanya, lalo na sa pilipinas hindi maiiwasan at foreign.

As we walked around, he gave me a tour of the important facilities of the university, including the cafeteria, library, gymnasium, and shared some insights about the student body. Instant tour guide ko!

He emphasized the school's strict disciplinary measures, mentioning that as Harvey had said, any infractions would result in a punishment.

The most dreaded consequence being tasked with cleaning the entire campus, a punishment that instilled fear in me. The sheer vastness of the campus was difficult to put into words – it was truly immense, surpassing the mere description of "large".

"Wala ka bang kaibigan dito?" Tanong ko.

"Kakilala meron but I don't have friends here. Nasa Pilipinas na lahat." He chuckled. "So? This is the room for the entrance exam, goodluck! See you later." He waved his goodbye at me.

"Thank you, Harvey!" I said before entering the room. The woman asked me something that I didn't understand. "I can't understand french, Miss." I said.

Tinanong niya ako kung ako raw ba ang anak ni Alexander Miller and I nodded. Agad niya naman akong inassist na para bang babasagin na gamit na maaaring mabasag kung maka-alalay siya sa'kin.

Mabilis ko namang natapos ang english part kasi madali lamang. Moving on to the next section, which was all about mathematics, I immediately grabbed the scratch paper provided by the woman wearing glasses earlier. Bawal gumamit ng calculator kaya ang time-consuming para sa'kin, need na manually i-solve pero makalipas ang ilang minuto ay natapos naman na.

Sa pangatlong part naman ay science at medyo paborito ko ang subject kaya napadali ako ng pagsasagot. At ang panghuling part naman ay abstract reasoning.

At sa wakas! Natapos ko rin despite the time pressure, I remained composed and made educated guesses where necessary, ensuring I completed all 100 items within the allotted hour.

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I'm really trying to improve my writing skills and I don't know if I used my words right but I'm still proud of myself for making it this far! Thank you for your non stop support. Especially to my best friend youresafewithxae who consistently encourages me to give my best, thank you, Mhima!💚✨