THUNDER

2ND ROAR

SKYE'S POV

I woke up panting with tears streaming down my face.

"I-It's just a dream Skye, a n-nightmare. It's okay. Y-You're alive.", sabi ko sa aking sarili habang hinahabol ang aking hininga.

It has been 7 years since that incident but it still feels like yesterday. Hindi ko makalimutan ang nangyari noong araw na iyon. Not when every time I hear thunder or even the word itself, every painful memory comes back to me.

Nagawa kong maitago ang sarili ko mula sa mga taong alam kong humahanap sakin sa loob ng pitong taon. Of course they have to find me. I did saw my dad bleed to death in front of me. I'm a witness like he said. At alam kong he and his boss wants me dead too. Knowing that terrifies me so much.

I can't even forget his face, the way he looks at me while having me at gun point, his devilish grin and his laugh that gives me chills and not in a good way. Paano ko nga ba sya makakalimutan if he's always in my dreams, my nightmares?

Minsan nga naiisip ko na lang, paano kaya kung hindi ako nakatakas sa mga guards nya na nag-aabang sa labas ng office ni Daddy? Paano kaya kung nahuli nila ako paglabas ko sa pinto? Matatapos din kaya ang lahat gaya ng sa panaginip ko? Will I die while looking at my Dad's dead body in front of me?

"No Skye! Wag kang mag-isip ng ganyan. You're okay. You just have to continue living for your Dad.", I told myself while wiping the tears off of my face.

Huminga ako ng malalim to relax my mind. It's the first day of school today and I don't want to be late. I'm now on my 12th grade and my class will start at 8:00AM. Tumingin ako sa orasan na nakalagay sa bedside table sa gawing kanan ng kama ko.

"5:03AM. I still have plenty of time to prepare for school."

I stared at my room. It's still the same as it was when we moved in 5 years and 8 months ago. Cream colored walls, a bed that is too big for me, a bedside table with a lamp, clock, and pictures in frames placed on it, a closet placed on the right side of the room with the bathroom beside it, a dresser table on the right side of the room near my closet, book shelves on the left side of my bed with hundreds of books, a study table near the book shelves, windows on the left side of the room with a l-shaped couch near it and a few meters away from it is a flat screen TV placed on a glass table with speakers and different movies below it.

Everything's the same as it was except for me. Hindi na ako ang dating Skye. The cheerful and friendly Skye's now gone, replaced by a silent, scared and shy Skye.

Wala akong kaibigan sa school. Lahat sila ay iniiwasan ako. But I'm fine with that. Mag-aanim na taon na simula ng lumipat kami dito nila Nanay Melinda at Tatay Benjie. Pagkagraduate ko ng Elementary ay lumipat na kami. Mas maganda na daw na lumipat kami sabi ni Nanay Melinda, mas magiging ligtas ako. I agreed. I don't want to be in our old house anymore. Masyadong masakit ang nangyari at hindi ko kakayaning manatili pa doon. Lalo ko lang mamimiss si Daddy.

Sa tagal na naming nananatili dito ay wala akong kahit isang naging kaibigan. Pero gaya nga ng sinabi ko kanina, ayos lang sakin yon. I'm convinced that Melinda and Benjie are all I need to survive. They're doing a good job on taking care of me for the past seven years now. They're all I have and I want to keep it that way. Besides, having too much attention means giving the men looking for me a chance to find us.

Wala naman kaming naging problema sa loob ng pitong taon. Ang kompanya ni Daddy ay ibinenta sa tulong na rin ng lawyer namin. Malaking halaga din ang iniwan ni Daddy sa pangalan ko. Ang perang pinagbentahan ng kompanya ay ang syang pinambili namin ng bahay na tinitirahan namin ngayon. Nagtayo din kami ng maliit na negosyo, isang flower shop. Malapit lang ito sa school kaya naman doon ako nagpapalipas ng oras pagkatapos ng klase. Ang dati naman naming bahay, na pag-aari ko na ngayon, ay binabantayan ng isang mapagkakatiwalaang tao. Hindi ko magawang ibenta ang bahay na iyon kahit hindi na kami doon nakatira ngayon. Kahit gaano kasakit ay hindi ko pa rin kinakalimutan na doon ako lumaki at marami pa ring masasayang alaala ang nabuo sa bahay na iyon.