Duskfall

Chapter 8

Chapter 8

I was very excited going to other country so I watched Nancy packing my things. Although Lien told me that I already went to different countries, that the old me. The current me has no memories of going anywhere else other than the places I've been with mom, Lien, and Lucius this past few days. Kahit nga pagpunta sa ibang lugar sa bansa ay hindi ko pa nagagawa.

When Nancy was done packing ay umalis na siya. Pinagalitan pa nga niya ako dahil hindi daw ako mapirmi sa isang pwesto sa sobrang pagkaexcite. I laid on my bed and looked at the ceiling, pero dahil sa excitement ay bumangon ako at nagtungo sa aking office table at binuksan ang aking laptop. Mom bought it for me dahil 'yung dati kong laptop ay may password, and I can't open it dahil hindi ko alam kung ano. There might be some important files there so we can't reboot it. I kept it in my drawer in case my memory comes back.

I opened the browsing app and types New york. Instead of fussing ay minabuti ko na lang na magsearch tungkol sa puputahan namin. I search for the hotspots for tourists and other things. I was afraid of committing mistakes so I even looked for their basic laws to understand what things I should avoid.

I was busy reading nang tumunog ang phone ko. It's on the nightstand kaya tumayo ako para kunin iyon. I looked on the screen and saw Lucius' name. I immediately accepted it and put the phone near my ears. "Hello?"

"Good morning, Solana. Did I wake you up?'

Umiling ako, but then, I remembered that he can't see me. "No, I'm already up hours ago. Why did you call?"

"Mom said we need to get our measurements remeasured since it's been a year since our outfits were made, so the tailor can fix it. She asked me to take you there too. I can't go now but I can readjust my schedule. Are you free 2 days after?"

Outfits? Then he must mean the white gown like the bride I saw was wearing. Nakucurious ako kung anong itsura nito and I want to see it, but sadly, it needs to wait. "No, I'm not. I'm going to New york with Lien tomorrow. He said we'll be gone for 4 days."

"New york? Why?"

"It's business matters. I'm just tagging along."

"Are you sure? Baka maligaw ka ulit."

I scoffed because he is obviously teasing me. "Of course, I've been there before." Sabi ko kahit na hindi ko naman naaalala. Lien said so so I'm not lying.

"There's a lot of people there, as well as big buildings. It's easy to get lost. Don't leave your brother's side. And don't easily believe what people tell you. You might get scammed."

Minsan talaga, dinaig pa ni Lucius si mommy. Para siyang si Lien na panay ang pangaral sa akin.

"Yeah, yeah. I already memorized the emergency hotline and even studying their laws."

"You're studying laws?" Sabi niya baog bumulanghit ng tawa. "Why are you doing that? You'll just stay there for a few days and not moving in. Are you planning to do something messy, so that's why you're studying how to get out of it?"

Napairap ako. "Of course not. I'm studying it to avoid it."

Nadinig ko pa ang mahinang hagikhik niya. Why does he keep laughing at me?

"You don't need to study their laws. Just find out the guidelines for tourists."

"Like what?"

"It's not recommended to go outside or use subways after 10p.m because crime rates increases during that time, especially for women going alone."