A Twist Of Time

two

To be honest, the bed where I slept in was the most comfortable one I've ever had in my whole life. The room also had a cold breeze, which was good since the Philippines was scorching hot. It was silent except for the occasional screeching done in the kitchen by the head chef, whoever she was.

I got up and stretched, looking around. Then I remembered that I magically transported through time and space yesterday and ended up here, trapped in the President's house, building tension with the vice. Pulling the covers off of me, I got up and went to the nearby bathroom. I walked to the mirror where a bunch of toiletries lay, all wrapped up in parchment with fancy handwriting. The soap smelled good, so I used it for a bath and went out.

Then I remembered that I didn't have any other clothes.

In my state of panic, I didn't wait for myself to dry up and put my old clothes on. They became wet as I looked in the mirror again and realized I looked like a walking mess. My hair wasn't even combed yet. I shook my head and thought, who cares?

And my stupidity convinced me to run outside and call for Margaux, though I didn't know where she was. Another friend of mine called idiocy told me to scream her name down the halls in the house of the Philippine President in between World War 2.

I stopped, and so did my breath, when someone tapped on my shoulder. I winced and turned around slowly, expecting to see the small girl who helped me around the huge house yesterday. But no. It was her boss—well, one of them.

"Miss, do you know where you are?" Sergio asked with a raised eyebrow. I opened my eyes and nodded. "Well, where are your manners? Manuel could hear you."

Great, Sergio Osmeña scolding me again. Deciding to bring my pride down, I said, "Sorry. I didn't know. I'm panicking because, look." I motioned down to my clothes. "I'm soaking wet since I forgot that I didn't have any other clothes."

His face looked like he just heard the most ridiculous and stupid thing ever, which was true, I think. "Are you mad? You have a closet in your room. It has clothing for all and I thought you would've explored your room before jumping to the conclusions that we do not care about our guests."

"Well, that's a relief." I sighed. "Thank you, Mr. Osmeña, sir. I'll be happy to take your advice."

"You are truthfully welcome. Do you understand Filipino?"

I smiled. "I do! I'm Filipino, of course I do."

"Then don't be confused when I start talking to you in that language. After all, we are in the Philippines. Good day, Miss," he calmly greeted before walking away. My smile was still there as I thought, yesterday, I was so mean to him. What happened today?

Then I guessed, maybe it's because he helped me. I concluded my thoughts with that one and made my way to the said closet that I still had trouble finding. It had a lot formal attire in one corner, and dresses that I guessed were for sleeping. I pulled out a simple white dress and took my old clothes off, putting the cotton dress on. It was probably the most comfortable dress I wore in my life. Everything in this palace was comfortable and satisfying and I haven't even spent a whole day in it.

Satisfied, I walked out of my room and went downstairs, though getting lost, trying where Margaux was. Or where anything was.

I made a questioning look when I started walking down a hallway named "Kitchen Hall." Obviously, I was lost. And I was lucky that no guard came running to me and bringing me to either Osmeña or Quezon's office for trespassing. I opened the small wooden door and wandered around, the smell of fresh scrambled eggs surrounding me.

"JANE! YOU MINDLESS BABOON! YOU HAVE EYES FOR A REASON, USE THEM!"

Another voice replied, "YOU HAVE A BRAIN FOR A REASON, WHY DON'T YOU USE THAT?"

I started silently walking to where the screaming was coming from, seeing two women chefs in white outfits. "LOOK FOR THE LAMB SAUCE BEFORE I POKE YOUR USELESS EYE OUT!" the first voice screamed. Her nametag had the name "Barbara" on it.

Jane, the girl she was talking to, slammed the pan she was holding down on the porcelain counter and glared at Barbara. Barbara started walking in my direction as I ran to hide. Jane looked so pissed.

As soon as she exited the door, I sneaked near Barbara and observed her. She started wiping the countertop with a wet towel she found near her. Her body movements suggested that she was aggressive.

Suddenly, an idea popped into my head.

"Hey, chef lady! Over here!" I whispered. She turned around and saw me, looking confused. "Help me escape!"

"Who are you and what are you doing in my kitchen?"

I shook my head. "It's not yours, lady. Now, help me out of this trap, please. I'm not supposed to be here."

She pointed at the door. "There's a door there you can get out of if you don't like this kitchen."

"NO! I mean, not this era, not this palace, not any of you. Okay," I sighed, "do me a favor, help me get out of here, then I'll invent robots that help people find lamb sauce in the future. Deal?"

Her confusion stayed, but she looked somehow convinced. "Fine."

Just then, Jane returned with a whole bottle of lamb sauce, slamming on the counter like what she did with the pan. She saw the both of us and exclaimed in an alarmed tone, "HOLY MOTHER. SHE HAS ESCAPED FROM HER ROOM!"

I rolled my eyes. "I know, and I need to escape this whole place. Please."

"But it is President Quezon's orders to keep you inside. I shall not help you." Her arms were crossed.

"It's not his. It's Osmeña's—"

"IT'S HIS? WELL, I'LL BE MORE THAN HAPPY TO HELP YOU WITH THAT!"

I don't know what was with Osmeña ordering it, but I didn't care anymore. Jane took my arm and ran to the back door. She took out a bundle of keys from her pocket and opened it, Barbara trailing right behind us. "There. That's the garden. There's a visible way out into the road out there. Off you go, before anyone catches us—"

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING?"

We all turned around and met Margaux's sharp eyes. Look who suddenly appeared when I needed her least. "GO! NOW!" Jane screamed. I turned my head both ways fast and started running outside. I didn't know where I was going, but the feeling of grass against my bare feet and wind against my face was enough to tell me that I was free. Until Margaux started screaming for guards. But guess who came and decided to run after me?

None other than the vice president who somehow seems to randomly come out of nowhere, always foiling my plans. "Miss! Do not run away! You will be caught at any cause"—he stopped to catch his breath—"and I highly disapprove of this behavior!"

As if Satan wanted to mess with me, I suddenly tripped on a stick. My head hit the dry ground, making me groan instantly. Sergio then ran to me and shook his head. "Margaux, come here. I'll be at my office. Fix her up and make her meet me there before lunch time. This lady needs a word. She has been showing unladylike conduct all morning and is disrespectful to authority. Understand?" He started walking away madly back to his office.

"Yes, sir," Margaux said. She helped me up as I started wiping the grass that got stuck on my body off. "You shouldn't've done that, Miss Turner. He is anything but glad about this."

I rolled my eyes and stood up.