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Chapter 1: The Beginning...

"Riley, can you not be as slow as your turtle?!" Josh exclaimed

Joshua Rodriguez - my impatient brother.

I've been working on my painting last night. I didn't able to sleep, I decided to finish it up until the very hour.

"One more touch of blue in the eyes, a bit of glance of brush here, and... it's done!" I released in the air as I finished the whole thing.

"Riley, don't you know how to read time? We're gonna be late!" I heard one more scream from him, going back and forth across the hall of my room.

"Just put my initials, then I'm through." I whispered

"Riley!"

"Almost there!"

I held my bags - one swinging on my right shoulder while I held the other one. I go right away through my room's door and left it unconditionally.

"Well, can you stop being an early bird? We're not going to school today." I shouted irritatedly as I go through the stairs and saw him, laying his back on the side of the van.

As I put my bags down on the back of the van, he blurted out, "Don't tell me, you're gonna go with that face?"

I put up a frown face and looked at the side mirror of the van. There are few paints left on my face, and a screwed hairstyle. I got my eyebags exclusively bigger in size, and had my eyes, red as if I took marijuana.

"You really are serious with those paintings? You can't even sell it."

I didn't respond for a while. I gave him a steady look and told him seriously, "Josh, I have a question." He made a small sound as he nods his head. And so, I continued with a dull face, "Why can't you just mind your own business?"

"Come on guys, DOUBLE TIME. Your grandparents are expecting to see us before dinner." Dad cuts out with the thrilling silence Josh and I just had.

Summer time, year 2010.

It's our yearly tradition and somehow, a yearly curse for Josh and I. The curse started out with a spell horrifying Josh as he  turns thirteen and when I was ten and a half.

The curse of the family's tradition every summer vacation - going to our grandparents' den.

I understand, we get to see them. And it's only been once a year when it happens. But the curse is, we weren't able to enjoy the entire vacation. No cellphones, no any form of gadgets, and to add up, no house parties. It's no fun out there, well, maybe for the first, second or maybe third visit and undoubtedly, countryside is way relaxing than being in the polluted, populated world in Manila. But seriously, going on the same places all over again? Doing nothing but to pick organics, or even sunbathing near the wide ocean of Pangasinan? It gets a bit boring, and if it still continue, either will I kill myself or someone would.

We're on the busy way of our drive. I really don't get the point why we're having this trip in the hot afternoon. The aircondition inside the van is perfectly fine but I enjoy feeling the fresh air along the way. By which, I'm not able to.

"Maybe we can have some music inside the van." Dad interrupted, gleaming his look on the back using the front mirror.

"Ughh, glad you noticed, Dad! Here, I have new songs in my IPod." Josh puts down his earphones while relying his IPod to Dad.

Before he could even give it to Dad, I hastes. "No one enjoys your mood of music, Josh." Everyone seems so shock with my statement. I haven't figured out yet how could I even say it with glamour.

"Well, everyone does, except you." he replied after his signature, eyebrow raised, upon me. By the time, he took back his IPod and put the earphones again. 

He tuned up the music really, really loud. So loud that I could barely hear it without using the other half of his earphones. I continued to talk, leaning my back on the seat, watching him singing along with the song he's busy listening to. "Everyone? For sure, those everyone seems to fit like you. And you know what, I already disliked them."

This war will never be over. A kind of war, only the two of us, understands. Maybe that's just the effect of being siblings and maybe, a notable part of adolescence.

Dad ended up, reaching for the FM radio. Current song: You are the Love of my Life. Ughh, my parents' theme song. The song was set in 1984 , sung by George Benson and Roberta Flack. The next voices I heard, it was already Dad and Mom singing the chorus part.

Josh's busy listening to his rock'n roll music collection. Dad and Mom, busy finding the words of the two lovers' song. Me? Maybe, I'll just sleep. I should've made it last night, so it's better if I had it now.