The Tale of the Ascendants

CHAPTER 1: That awkward moment

(Author's Note: This one is an edited version. I'm starting to edit and keep this one on-going from a long hiatus.)

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"MOM! MOM!" I shouted as I roamed around our new house here in Cortana. We'd been here for almost two weeks now. After taking my morning jog around this exclusive village, I went back to our house after my mom called me for breakfast.

"Kitchen!" Mom replied. I headed straight to the kitchen. Busy preparing our breakfast, Mom, wearing her favorite apron, welcomed me. I sat on one of the stools near the kitchen counter and watched her.

"How's your Med School so far?" she asked out of the blue. She's always like that—always asking me about how things went.

I'd been in Medical School for almost two years now. My mom had persuaded me to continue my studies after I had recovered from my car accident three years ago. At first, I was totally against it because it didn't feel right for me to be in it. Ni ang tamang paghawak at paggamit ng scalpel hindi ko maalala. Paano niya naisip na dapat kong ituloy ang pagiging doktor? However, with my mom's persuasion skills, I had said yes, which I had regretted until now. Hindi ko kayang tanggihan ang nais ng nanay ko, so I tried my best to fit in my classes. I even needed to study twice as hard as my classmates because of my condition, and that was draining me. Halos wala na akong tulog at pahinga.

"I need a one-year internship this coming school year," I announced with a boring tone. My mom knew that I was not really 100% into Medicine. She just nodded at me ignoring my unsaid protest. Alam kong alam niya na after two years of studying, my heart wasn't really into it, but she kept on deceiving herself that I was.

"Kakausapin ko si Dr. Alvarez. Ang alam ko they have a nearby hospital here. She can help you," excited niyang sabi. I hated it when she sounded so supportive. Well, I should be thankful, though, but I just didn't feel like it.

Simula ng aksidente tatlong taon na ang nakararaan, hindi na umalis si mommy sa tabi ko. She even resigned from her long-term work and became a full-time mother. Sinubukan kong kumbinsihin siya na bumalik. I even told her that I didn't need constant monitoring, but she just refused it without even considering the idea. Ang tibay din talaga ng paninindigan niya—no doubt sa kanya ako nagmana.

"I don't think I would want to have it now. Sa madalas nating paglipat, I don't think this is the best time to take that opportunity," I said matter-of-factly. For me to grab that one-year internship here in Cortana would be impractical since we'd been migrating from one place to another after indefinite period of time. 

Minsan ko na siyang tinanong tungkol dito. She kept on insisting that it was because of my Dad's business. Hindi ko naman makita ang logic doon dahil kahit pa-lipat lipat kami ng tirahan, I hadn't had a chance to see Dad for a longer period of time. He never even slept in our house because of his busy work. Para saan pa ang paglipat? Hindi ko na siya muling tinanong tungkol dito.

Pagkatapos ng almusal, dumiretso ako sa kwarto at nagkulong. It was my usual routine during school break. Since we're newbies in Cortana, I didn't spend my time roaming around and befriending the neighbourhood. Sometimes I was asking myself if I was an introvert.

Grabbing a book, I decided to have some fresh air in my room's veranda. I sat on the chair and let the breath of fresh air take all my worries.

Every time I closed my eyes and tried to relax, I couldn't help but feel empty and lost. Hindi ko maipaliwanag pero it seemed like there were things missing within me, which I couldn't even name. It was like everything about my life was weird and distant, and everything that I did was never been a part of me before.