AN ANGEL ARRIVES
The Angelic Instrument, The Rise of The Angels
I hate this!
It's going to be fun in South Korea and London by the end of summer by now and I'm going to miss it. Because I'm boarding this stupid plane that heads south going to the Philippines. "Hope, what's wrong?", my eonnie Faith asked, looking at me. "Nothing.", I replied with denial in my tone. "Hope, you're going to love the Philippines! Heart is there waiting for us." Oh I almost forgot my sister dearest that was left there in that country to be with our adulterous father. But I had no choice. If I was going to stay in Korea, I'll be all alone. And if I stay with my aunts in London, I'll be a prisoner captive of female pirates. It was a 3 hour and 40 minute flight from Seoul to Manila. And we had to fly another hour to go to Davao.
The sun was greatly up when we abandoned the plane. I was extremely sweaty by that time. But the heat didn't stop me from mumbling. "Hope, could you shut up!", Faith demanded. So, I just mumbled through my mind. We got our luggage and finished the remaining work that must be done in the airport. Minutes later, we went out and we easily spotted my eonnie Heart, which I haven't seen for like 5 years after my mom’s death. She was still the same as the last time I saw her-fair complexion, green eyes, long black hair-the only changes that happened was the maturity that she had in her adolescence. We hugged and cried for a couple of minutes-Hey! Eventhough, I don't like here in the Philippines. I still love my sister, you know.
"Where's dad?", Faith asked her after unlocking herself from their hug
"He's in the car. He would love to see you again.", Heart said while wiping tears off her cheeks
"Are you kidding me?", I said while looking around
Faith elbowed my arm. I eventually rephrased my sentence into a more pleasure-to-the-ears-one. Heart then led us to our way. And I saw him. The man I didn't want to see for the rest of my life-my Dad. He was in his wheelchair, beside his almost dashing Hilux which to my memory was about the same as my age. I didn't want to look at his diabolic face. I only concentrated on my luggage and then boom!-I tripped at a little staircase. Fortunately, I was caught by a boy. He looked a bit familiar but I couldn’t remember when or where did I met him. I looked into his face. He seemed a year older than me. He was tall. He held a mestizo look and very cute brown eyes. He also had refined thin red lips. He was really good-looking. I smiled, and he also replied with a mesmerizing smile. His white beautiful teeth flashed it shine on me. Then I felt strange. Something was touching my oh-my-very-protected area, I looked and was furious-it was the boy's hands that held my s! With a dash of anger and for the sake of my dignity, a series of wild punches and slaps flew in the air and the only things left of him were bruises and cuts.
"Ugh! That hurts you know!", he said while wiping away some blood from his face
"That’s what you get for touching my privacy.", I said while wavering my burning eyes at him
"I didn't do it on purpose you know, Ms. Careless?!", he said while standing up
"Pathetic!", I answered back leaving with my hand waving myself goodbye
I could hear his other companions laugh at what happened to him. He was greatly injured as what I saw. And that was just good for him. I could see my sister whispering to one another. Heart’s face showed clear amusement.
“Well, how was it?”, I asked with pride in my tone
"Uhmm Hope I think you should apologize.", Faith said with a pitying face
"And why so my sister dearest?", I asked with confusion, clearly happiness eradicated
"Hope, that was fantastic!", Heart said to me with a great smile, interrupting us. "It wasn't a big deal. He's too weak.", I replied with great triumph on my tone. "You really inherited your mother's strength.", a familiar voice called out to me-my Dad. I didn't reply. "Hope, are you ok?", he asked me. "Me? I'm fine! Seriously? I love this place! With all the memories that I remember? Geez... I love it here.", I replied with great irony, anger and sadness while my angry eyes glued at the man's sad face. There was a brief silence that followed. "Maybe we better get going? Coz' I'm very tired of the trip. Don't you think too Hope?", Faith broke it. I got back to myself and didn't bothered to look at him again. The trip to our new home was quite. The things that were visible to the ears were the sound of the engine and the music coming out of the stereo. I fell asleep after a couple of minutes after our departure. The only thing I remembered was it started to get gloomy and the traffic was heavy. Then darkness fell within my eyes. Spooky to think but something happened in the depths of my dreams. Something I dreamed right after the death of my grandmother. And it kept on haunting me since then.
"Prepare yourself! The time is near.", a voice called inside the dark room of my sleep
I was shocked to hear something strange in the middle of a dark place and without anything to see. I replied to it with a slight of fear and curiosity
"What do you mean?", I asked lifting my consciousness in the darkness
"You must be prepared of the upcoming events, dear Angel.", the voice replied to me with notable worry in it's tone
"Angel? Yes I’m Angel but I use my name Hope more often.", I corrected "it"
"I need to go, precious one. For the time allotted for me has ended. Goodbye, Angel.", it said
"Hey wait! Don't go! Please. I need to know more.", I demanded.
But there was no more reply. I was confused. Prepare. What am I to prepare? Angel. Angel? But I'm Hope and I'm not Angel or an angel. I could feel the breezes inside the darkness. Cold. Then suddenly a very hideous laugh went through my dream. It was a scary laugh of a man. Then the cold was gone but the laugh was still there. Haunting. And then suddenly came forth fire. Fire that was too much to bear. Fire that scorched my entity. It was too much. I couldn't stand it. Then the hideous voice called on to me. "Thou shalt not fight me, Angel", the voice said with amusement and warning in his voice. "Fight? I'm not born to fight. And I'm no angel. What do you want?!", I asked, still feeling the fire that scorched my body and spirit. "You don't know the truth yet, dear Angel.", he said with seriousness and then he burst into a hideous laugh again. Then the fire went hotter. And it was really getting into me. I was like inside a very hot oven or better yet... in Hell. "Help! It burns!", I screamed and screamed. My throat hurt but still I went on screaming. Then something woke me up. The pecks of rain landed on my face and then I was met by the gloomy sky. An old man in a wheelchair was in front of me.
"Hope? Are you ok?", my dad asked me while carrying an umbrella in his right hand and another one in his left unopened
"I'm fine. Get out of the way please.", I answered back while getting out of the car
"Here, an umbrella so that you won't get wet.", he handed me the unopened one
"Thanks.", was my only reply and I hurriedly opened it and went inside the house.
The house had only little changes. The coziness the last time I was here was the day before we migrated to South Korea with my eonnie Faith, my aunt and my mom. But years after my mom went to her birthplace, London, and settled there with her new family. The family picture is still posted here. The great piano which my dad always play when I was a kid. After my dad entered the house, I then went to my old room. I opened the light and looked around. Many changed-my little bed turned into a bigger one, there was a desktop computer on the left corner of the room near the window, my closet's now bigger than before-but still some remained like my old guitar, my carpet which mom bought for me when I won a prestigious swimming contest, my pillows and my favorite blanket and most of all, my pink bunny slippers which didn't fit me when I was a kid coz' it was too big but now it's perfect. And the sweet scents of my childhood days are still in the four corners of the room. I laid my luggage on the floor and went to my bed. I felt very cozy inside this paradise. I took a pair of jogging pants and a sweater. I changed myself and went outside. There was a delightful scent traveling in the air. I never smelled it for years. It was leading me to the kitchen. Then I saw there was my eonnies Faith and Heart talking while eating a Filipino delicacy. My dad was near the stove also eating something.
“Hey sis! Come and eat!”, Heart called on to me
“Uhmm, what’s that?”, I asked while taking a seat
“Whoa! You forgot all about this? It’s your favorite.”, Faith replied
Then I heard the sound of wheels coming near me and the uplifting smell of the food was drawing near. Before I could look left, a bowl of delicious soup with vegetables and meat was in front of me on the table. “That’s Sinigang, dear.”, my dad answered. Now I remember. This was my favorite dish when I was a kid. My dad used to cook this because I would ask for it over and over again. And his recipe was the best. I couldn’t stand it anymore. The aroma was tempting and my stomach was starving. I took a spoon from the utensil box near me and made sips of soup. The warm feeling it made was very relieving. The meat was tender as I always expected. I was enjoying the sweet paradise when something happened.
CRACK!
I was shocked. The sound of a plate rattled into pieces. Memories of the past went flushing back to me. My mom lying on the floor. My dad panicking. My two eonnies hurrying up to call for help. Me, crying with fear and sadness. I couldn’t forget everything. I wanted to but it won’t get out of my mind. That sad moment when my mom died. I was losing my mind. Then, the criminal of all of my pains called, “Hope? You okay sweety?”
I felt myself back and was very angry. I didn’t imagined that I was flooding myself with tears. Without hesitation I said, “You killed my mother!”. “Hope! Don’t say that.”, Faith yelled at me. The criminal was in front of me. His eyes were tearful. It said every misery and sin he committed in his life. I moved him back and I ran to my room. I spilled the soup and broke the bowl. My tears were uncontrollable. They didn’t stop flowing. I arrived at my room and eventually locked the door. I rolled myself into a ball with my blanket. I could hear my 2 sisters calling for me at the door. I didn’t do anything that night but cry. I miss my mom so much and my dad took her away from me. The trauma was greatly haunting me again and I can’t do anything to stop it. After hours of crying, I cried myself to sleep.
Then the nightmare reappeared again. And again the words of the woman were there. And the heat of the fire was also happening again. And still every flicker was greatly damaging. Then her hideous laugh was heard all over again. She was in control of me. Then suddenly a great fireball went to me and luckily I woke up. It was 5 o’clock on my alarm clock. And I was all covered with sweat. It was really hot in this country and I’m not used to it anymore. I went to the bathroom and took a bath to refresh myself. After that, I took a white cotton shirt and a pair of jogging pants. I went down to get some water. After that , I decided to cook for breakfast. The oil was tickling to the ears. And the scent of fried eggs and bacon filled the entire house. And the freshness of the dews of morning was really relaxing. After setting everything on the table, I went outside for a little jog. The surroundings were greatly covered with blue. And I could see early tricycle drivers going to town for their daily job.
I went pass a bakery and smelled the newly baked pandesal which I missed so much. I bought some pieces and ate while jogging. Many things changed in the neighborhood and I was enjoying some of it. The sun was starting to rise after a couple of minutes and I was ready to go back to the house when something caught my attention. It was a tarpaulin and it said, “Assumption College of Tagum opens for enrollees this school year.” I remembered that I wasn’t enrolled yet then I hurried myself back home. My sisters were already awake and was munching on my masterpiece.
“Oh where did you go?”, Heart asked me while eating
“I was just jogging around the subdivision.”, I replied after sipping a glass of water
“Oh alright.”, Heart said
“Hey my sisters of mine, can I enroll for school now?”, I asked while eating my own work
“Oh ok. I’ll go with you.”, Faith said while munching her last piece of egg
“NO! I’ll go by myself. I can handle myself.”, I countered
“I’m going to find a job here little sis.”, she replied
“Faith, you can come with me. We have a vacant position in our company. You can work there.”, Heart saved me.
Everyone agreed. I hurried to my room to change and get my documents. I brushed my teeth and arranged myself.
I went down and saw my dad in the living room. I went pass him without anything to say. But he then called me,
“Hope?”, he called behind me
“Yes dad.”, I answered without looking back
“Where are you going?”, he asked
“Enrollment for school dad.”, I answered still not looking back
“Ok. Hope, about last night I…”, he said
“There’s nothing to explain about dad. I don’t want to talk about it.” I answered then went outside to my sisters’ Mercedes. I opened the door and sat at the back seat. I was quite when I was in the car. Then after a couple of minutes, we reached the school. I waved to them and entered its grounds. I was very unfamiliar with its premises. I was really eventually tired after an hour of swirling around the whole campus asking but still I didn’t find where the registrars office was. I was resting on a black bench when someone caught my attention.
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