During her toughest times, Seraphina Ramiro found herself falling harder for Kasper Lacsamana, as every time they were together filled her with hope and a renewed sense of purpose, pulling her back to life.
Kasper, however, was afraid of getting too...
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"What do you know about Tesoro?" the voice dramatically echoed in Nana's ears as she continued to stare out the bus window, lost in the blur of passing scenery.
Tesoro. Kung siya man ang tinatanong ng batang katabi niya, wala itong mapapalang sagot, considering na hindi niya nga alam mismo kung saan siya pupunta after ng byahe. Ang alam niya lang ay nakita na niya ang pangalang Tesoro sa isang article na nabasa niya dati.
Napakahabang-kwento kung paano siya napadpad sa bus terminal, kung tutuusin dapat nasa Agreste siya ngayon at tini-take ang midterm exam niya. Nana could hardly believe herself, she actually did it.
She had planned this all night, and now she was finally on a bus, leaving the city behind. It was self-explanatory—she was fed up with how harsh that environment had been for years.
"May hearing problems po ba kayo?"
Napukaw ulit ang atensyon ni Nana nang marinig ang parehong boses. Lumingon siya rito para tingnan, at nakita niya na naman ang bratty na batang lalake sa tabi niya. Napapansin niyang kanina pa ito tanong nang tanong.
Nana sighed in defeat, leaning back as she looked at the kid, feeling a twinge of sympathy for his attitude.
"Whatever. I just realized I don't wanna talk to you," saad ng bata sa kanya saka ito ulit tumingin sa hawak nitong cellphone. Sa hula niya ay nasa eleven to twelve years old lang ito. Napailing nalang siya sabay tingin sa labas.
She doesn't want to talk to people either, much less an ill-tempered kid.
"May earphones po kayo?" Tanong na naman nito matapos ang ilang segundo, paubos na ang pasensya niya pero sa pangawalang pagkakataon, napahinga siya nang malalim sabay halungkat sa dalang bag. At that point, na-realize nalang niyang hindi niya dala ang cellphone at earphones niya.
She didn't know whether it was a good or bad thing that the kid asked her about it. If he hadn't, she might not have remembered that her gadgets were basically confiscated last night. At this point, she figured it was fine-at least she had left.
"I don't have one," she decided to say, zipping up her bag again. She glanced down at the kid before placing her bag on her lap.
"So ungenerous."
"You don't talk to older people like that."
She noticed the kid sigh as he dropped his phone onto his thigh. "Okay na po, hindi na po ako mamimilit. Nagtaka lang ako nung sinabi mo sa konduktor na sa Tesoro ka bababa, gusto ko lang magtanong."
"Is Tesoro a sinister place?" Kumunot ang noo ni Nana, pero hindi na siya nag-abalang tumingin pa rito. Pakiramdam niya tuloy magiging horror move vibes pa ang escape niya.
"Parang ewan ka naman po kausap," reklamo nito. "Maganda raw ang Tesoro sabi nila. I wish our field trip had pushed through and we didn't have to change locations. If I could, I'd go with you po."
