Forget-Me-Not

Chapter I: Forget-Me-Not and Sweet Pea

The old CD playing on the radio didn't do any better to soothe her down, well in fact it did worsen her already protesting mood. Cramped inside an old family van, Phoebe Abellana was forced to share the same air she was breathing with her mom and dad. She was seated on the backseat as her dad drove their way to their destination. Her mom who was seated on the passenger seat kept telling her stories about Baguio which she didn't show the least interest in. This hell-like situation had long been jeopardized by her dad who had been singing along with the music with his husky and screeching voice.

She didn't even try to fake her expression with a smile, since this Happy Trip was all her parents' idea and she was even left in the dark when they planned this out. She fixed her eyes on the window beside her, busying herself with the different landscapes and other sceneries they were passing by. She never agreed to any of this nor did she at least imagine herself going with her nagging old folks on the annual one-week vacation again for this year. It had actually been their family's tradition to visit Baguio every once in awhile.

"Are we there yet?", she asked no one in particular.

"Almost there honey, save your excitement.", her dad answered.

Phoebe rolled her eyes at that. "I'm not excited!", she retorted, enunciating every word.

"How long are you gonna keep the tantrum Phoebe? You're not on your death sentence, we are going to Baguio for a vacation. You know what? You're the only person I've known who kept sulking after being given a chance to take a marvelous trip." Her mom added.

Phoebe scowled, her mood hadn't change a bit. "Well mom, you said that wrong. I am someone who was forced to take again a trip that has been a nightmare to me for years now, that's how you word it out. Moreover, I don't think 'marvelous' is the term because there's no way it would be marvelous if force and authority were applied."

Dorothy was the typical self-restrained mother-material woman, which made sense when she succeeded in controlling her temperance and avoiding herself to knock the hell out of her daughter.

She rather smiled at Phoebe. "That's okay, I'm sure you will take that all back when we get there. Baguio City changes dramatically every passing year, honey. What you saw the last time we visited there might not be the same thing that you will see today.", she said then turned to her husband. "Carl darling, can you speed up?".

"Yes ma'am!", he responded.

By that, the van ran in a flash. It took them another 15 minutes which made it a total of 2 hours and 30 minutes from the time they left Cabanatuan City. Phoebe's parents had a property in Green Valley Village which saved them time from undergoing scrutiny and other security measures. They arrived at their rest house in no time.

She paused for a while and let her parents enter the house first. She took her time straying her eyes on the familiar place before her. It wasn't really bad and she had to admit that. The whole place was surrounded by vast field of carabao grass and aesthetically-shaped landmasses. The houses seemed identical, well it was a village after all.

Her mom was right when she said Baguio was changing every passing year. It was not the buildings or stuff, but something deeper. It could be the people, or the natural beauty of the nature, or probably the feeling that the place gave off. Those things at least gave her a good reason to stay, but if there was someone who had seen the scenarios that were about to happen coming, it was Phoebe herself. She knew very well that her parents would never stop forcing her on things.

The 10°C of wind was seeping through her hoodies, and that was the sole reason why she refused to go to Baguio City. She used to hate cold, she never wanted to though, but her body always contradicted her mind. This temperature should not be much of a big deal, but the shudders of her teeth clearly showed disagreement. She entered the house and headed to the one room upstairs which used to be hers to start unpacking.