A Christmas Special with the lunatics. This is a special chapter I wrote for KUMU Write With Me session. Thank you so much for joining the live and writing this special chapter with me.

Nakakabagot ang buhay. Lalo na pag papasok ka nang school, kakain, humiga sa pera, maligo sa puri, mamili ng babae, at matulog. Paulit-ulit lahat araw-araw. Lahat nalaro mo na, poker hanggang pag-ibig naipanalo mo na. Kung sana may pwedeng paglaruan. Yung unique. Yung nakakatuwa. Nang dumating siya sa buhay ko, natuwa ako kasi pinaglaruan ko siya. Humingi siya ng pabor. Binigay ko. Nagpaturo siya. Tinuruan ko. Humingi siya ng masasandalan. Binigay ko. Kasi nakakatuwa siya! Pero habang tumatagal, bakit siya na yung natutuwa at ako na pinaglalaruan? Hate. Lies. Temptations. Betrayal. Pain. Love. All in one. Training To Love.

Maria Georgianne Marfori loved Noah Elizalde more than anything in this world. Ganon din halos lahat ng mga babaeng kilala niya. Yes, he's probably that hot and adorable. Kaya naman ay maaga niyang natutunan ang pag mamahal ng walang pag aalinlangan at takot. Kailanman ay hindi niya naisip na darating ang araw na susuko siya at mapapagod. Never. Noah will end up with her no matter what. But is it really right to love him intensely at a very young age? Her family didn't believe in love. They think it's pure sentiment. They think purely loving someone with your heart was wrong. Binigyan tayo ng Panginoon ng puso at utak. Puso, para maramdaman ang sentimento. Utak, para mapag isipan kung dapat bang tanggapin ang sentimento ng puso. We have to identify who's the better judge. But then again, do we always have that chance to judge? Paano kung ipaglaban mo man iyon ay wala ka parin namang halaga? How are you going to fight for your heart when you know from the very beginning you will lose? That you are Worthless? Why do we all want this? To love what does not love us. To leave those who want to stay. To push away those who want to stay close. To treasure what is worthless.

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 ＃𝟭 || Infamous as a latecomer, Rainie found herself expelled from her current school due to her unpunctuality. Her seemingly ordinary life began to take a strange turn when she was forced to enroll in an unknown and suspicious institution located in the middle of a forest. She entered as a transferee in Tantei High, advertised to her as a school for extraordinary people. However, before she could even fully understand what was happening, ravels of mystery and conspiracy about her background and identity started lingering around Rainie. Would she be able to bear the truth once she learned that her whole life was built on a tragic lie?

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 ＃𝟯 || Krystal was out for revenge. She had been alone since the tragedy that stole everything from her and she spent her whole life trying to get back at the people who did it-Flame Spectre. And Krystal might finally get that chance in the War of best, battle royale among many gangs of the Black Division. Along with dependable Huntres comrades who shared the same ice attribute as her, Krystal's goal was to dominate War of Best and fight against Flame Spectre. Together, they must triumph in this game or die trying.

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 ＃𝟮 || As the next head of the Shinigami tribe, Rielle was given a mission to infiltrate their archenemy's base, Tantei High, in search of any information about the legendary seventh sense. Her animosity toward the Senshins made it hard for her to get closer to her goal, and worse, Hideo, the heir to the Senshin's tribe seat of power, had already deemed Rielle suspicious. But as she spent more time with the Senshins, she had began questioning the beliefs and principles she had adhered to for a long time. Trapped between her responsibility as an heir, and her personal feelings, Rielle must choose the side she'd stay with.

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗡𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗹𝗹𝗮𝘀, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 ＃𝟭 || As the war ended, another problem has arisen.

𝗘𝗿𝗶𝘁𝘆𝗶𝗮𝗻 𝗧𝗿𝗶𝗯𝗲𝘀 𝗦𝗲𝗿𝗶𝗲𝘀, 𝗕𝗼𝗼𝗸 ＃𝟰 || Nel had always been easygoing and unworried about her missions as she was confident with her team's skills in combat and espionage. However, as clues about her mother's death started resurfacing after more than a decade, Nel started pursuing Nox Organization recklessly, the most elusive criminal organization in the world and the main culprit of her mother's team's tragic downfall. As she delved into Nox as a spy, danger and death constantly lurked around her. Nel started learning about her own people's deceit and began doubting everyone. But as the heir to the Custos tribe, she must get every crucial information and disrupt the core of the organization, even if it meant witnessing the costly price of betrayal herself.

Elevators. Airplanes. Palaman ng Sandwich. Yung feeling na papunta ka pa lang at excited ka pa lang sa pupuntahan mo. Yung feeling na palapit pa lang yung birthday mo. Yung feeling na palapit pa ang isa pang espesyal na araw. Yung feeling na ilang oras na lang ay pasko na. Yung feeling na tatlong araw na lang simula na ulit ng pasukan. Yung feeling na nasa gitna ka pa lang at di ka pa nakakarating. Yung feeling na malapit na pero hindi pa. Yun ang laging gusto ko. Yung nasa gitna pa lang. Yung nasa gitna ka ng dalawang bagay. Gitna ng isang building. Gitna ng langit at lupa. Gitna ng dalawang matatabang tinapay. Gitna ng byahe papuntang disneyland. Mas gusto ko yung feeling tuwing nagbabyahe kesa doon sa nakarating ka na. Mas gusto ko yung feeling na may inaantay ka kesa doon sa nandyan na. I always like the things in between. "You only like things in between, Coreen. You only like the chase... You only want me chasing after you. You don't want to decide... Pero pakiusap naman, magdesisyon ka na, kasi tao rin naman ako, nasasaktan. And you? I don't think nararamdaman mo yung sakit na nararamdaman ko... You are just too heartless."