In The Arms Of An Angel (ON HOLD)

CHAPTER 1

"This place is perfect for the concept!" Dei exclaimed as she looked around the clearing and pulled up her DSLR camera to check the lighting and scenery through its lens.

"Arghhhh! I can't believe na kailangan pa talaga nating umakyat ng bundok, Dei! Pwede namang sa studio na lang natin gawin ang shoot. Grabe! ang sakit ng legs ko sa haba ng hike, ha. Nakakaloka!" Valerie, her personal assistant and friend complained as she gingerly sat on a big rock. She started massaging her right leg to relieve the cramps while their companions started setting up camp.

Dei just spared her a glance and started looking around the area to find the perfect spot for what she came here to do. It was already almost ten o'clock in the morning when Dei and her four-man team finally reached the clearing they are in now near the summit of Mt. Banahaw after an almost four hour hike. They decided to set up camp there so they can have their lunch before they explore the area.

"Val, sabi naman kasi s'yo wag ka na sumama paakyat dito. I just need to check the location in advance before we do the actual shoot next week. Dapat kasi nagpaiwan ka na lang sa resort." Dei said without looking at her companions, her full attention on doing some test shots with her camera.

"Girl, alam mo namang di ako titigilan ng parents mo at ni Papa Uno kung pabayaan kitang umakyat dito ng hindi ako kasama! Sa akin ka nila binilin for this trip. Dapat kasi pumayag ka na sumama si Uno mo para may bodyguard ka."

Dei sighed at the mention of Uno's name. She does not want to think about him right now. She pursued this trip not just for work but to have some time away from everything. Especially from him. To think.

She was not even sure why and what made her choose this particular mountain for the location of her new project. She has never been a fan of any outdoor sports or activities. But something is drawing her towards this particular mountain. She has dreamt about it several times already for the past month since she got this project.  It's as if someone is telling her to come here. She looked around at the trees. For some unexplained reasons, she felt she really should be here now.

Her attention was abruptly caught by a vaguely visible foot path at the left side of the clearing where they are right now and decided to walk in that direction, determined to start exploring the area.

"Hoy, Dei! Saan ka pupunta?" Valerie  suddenly asked her. Maine just kept on slowly walking towards the foot path as if in a trance.

"Dei! Maglalunch pa muna tayo bago tayo mag-ikot. Mabilis lang naman magset-up ng food. Wag ka mag-adventure mag-isa baka maengkanto ka dito!" Valerie called out to her again but she chose to ignore her.

"Pssh! Maengkanto ka dyan! Hello! It's already the 21st century! Pinagsasasabi nitong si Val?" Dei thought and shook her head at her assistant's words as she continued to walk towards the direction of the trail.

"Ma'am, wag po kayo lalayo. Mahiwaga po ang bundok na ito. Mas mabuti po na may kasama kayo lagi pag maglilibot kayo..." Their local guide also called out to her. Dei just nodded absentmindedly, her attention still drawn to the path that she is seeing through the trees.

"Dei! Ang kulit mo! Wag mo akong iwan! Sasama ako syo kung ayaw mo magpapigil..." Valerie tried to stand up from where she was seated despite the cramps on her leg. This made her wince in pain. Maine looked at her assistant in exasperation.

"Val, wag na!Ayan nga di ka halos makatayo sa sakit, oh. May titignan lang ako sa banda roon. Nagpeprepare pa naman sila ng food.  Sayang ang time and I think the lighting now is perfect for what I have in mind for the shoot. Don't worry I won't go far, stay where you are. I'll be back in a few minutes."

She did not wait for her assistant's reply and just continued on into the path.

Dei followed the faint foot path she found excited to start exploring the area on her own. She deliberately trudged through the path with her camera hanging from her neck. She found out after a couple of minutes that the path leads to a narrow ledge with a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside.

Dei's eyes grew wide with excitement when she saw the scenery and walked towards the ledge.

Dei purposefully walked to the edge of the cliff to take in the view before her. She excitedly took some photos and looked at her camera's screen to check the shots.

"The view is really good!" She thought excitedly.

She looked around at the ledge to find another angle for additional shots and found a small outcropping near the side of the cliff and decided to climb on it to check the view from that angle of the ravine. She slowly tested the foot hold she found with her right foot to see if it could hold her full weight before she pulled herself up with her hands on a protruding rock slightly above her head. She found a flat surface a couple of feet up and turned towards the ravine to take pictures.

"Perfect!" She thought as she continues standing by the edge and aiming her camera lens at the view unmindful of the imminent danger her present location poses on her. She was too busy imagining already where she will place the models during the actual shoot to maximize the beauty of the scenery. She shifted her left foot a bit to get into a more comfortable position when she suddenly felt the rock she stepped on give way under her!

As if in a slow motion, Dei felt herself losing balance and slipping down towards the ravine as she tried to grab on to anything to prevent her fall but found nothing solid to hold on to as she stumbled. She scraped her arm on a rough patch of rock as she tried to twist her body to turn towards the rock formation behind her as she struggled to regain her balance. She opened her mouth to shout but no sound came out as she was gripped by terror at the realization that she is about to fall to her death. She closed her eyes tightly and said a silent prayer for help as she felt her body free fall towards the ravine.

"Oh God, help me!"