"Que permita que esto ocurra?!"

Naalimpungatan ako dahil sa narinig. Napakunot ang noo ko dahil sa sinag ng araw na tumatama saking mukha. But instead of getting up, I changed my position and decided to go back to sleep.

"Bastardo!" I jolted out of my sleep nang marinig muli ang baritonong boses ng isang lalaki.

What the fuck was that? Bakit nag-iingay sila ng ganito kaaga? Sound proof ang kwarto ko pero bakit nariri— What? Natigilan ako nang mapansin ang silid na kinaroroonan ko. Inilibot ko ang tingin sa apat na pader ng silid. It's made of a light material. Something like, a bamboo rod or a bamboo mat. Napadako ang tingin ko sa bintana sa tabi ko. It was an awning window held open by a wooden rod. The rooms ceiling was lower than the usual. The bamboo slat floors allows cool air to flow inside. All in all, the room is designed to let in as much fresh air and natural light as possible.

But my room isn't like this. I gripped the rough blanket na hinigaan ko. This is not my room. Where the heck am I? And wait? Inilibot ko muli ang tingin sa paligid. Is this a nipa hut? Natulog ako sa kwarto then I woke up in this..in this cheap, deteriorating room! How the heck did I end up here?

I shook my head. May namumuong kaba saking dibdib but tried to calm myself at naisipang bumaba ng kama. Pero bago pa man ako tuluyang makababa ng kama, an old woman suddenly entered the room. She was wearing a dirty white sleeved collarless blouse that covers the upper torso and a brown long skirt. She had grey-white hair that was tied into a low bun. Her skin complexion was sun-kissed.

A kind smile appeared on her wrinkly face. I raised a brow and waited for her to say a word.

"Uh.." If she's not gonna initiate, then I will. "I'd like to ask... how did I end up here? Kidnapping, is that it? Are you kidnapping me?" I asked. I felt the panic as soon as the thought crossed my mind. Of course, there's 99.9% chance that this is kidnapping. I'm Kristin Lopega for christ's sake! A daughter of an internationally known business tycoons and a well known and award winning filipino historians. In short, I'm the "apple of the eye" for ransom kidnappers.

Panic started to form inside me. The thought of me being kidnapped makes me anxious. My brother was kidnapped before kaya kinakabahan ako. Memories of him suffering PTSD, is coming back to me. 'Yung mga time na nakikita ko siyang nagwawala habang sumisigaw. Yelling and asking for help.

Rape. Rape? Oh no.

I looked at the woman. Still, she didn't answer. If anything, she just gave me this puzzled look along with that ever so kind smile. Do kidnappers smile to their victims? Moreover, can grannies be kidnappers too? Yes, they can. I've seen it in hollywood movies. If they exist in hollywood movies. Then they exist in reality.

I calmed myself. We can talk this through. I'm good with negotiations. I'll just talk my way out of here. "Paano ak-"

"Magandang umaga, hija. May nararamdaman ka ba'ng masakit sa iyong katawan?" she asked. Well her speech is surprisingly very old fashioned. Her voice was calm and gentle. Not the typical character of a ransom kidnapper. But am I feeling pain?

I checked my body before answering. "None of the sort. Asan ba ako? Anong ginagawa ko dito?" I kept looking around. Seems like something's going on outside. I can even hear foreigners. Seems like they're mad about something.

The old woman smiled again, "Halika sa hapag-kainan, hija. Alam kong nagugutom ka na."

As if on cue, my stomach grumbled.

I faked a cough.

Never heard of a nice kidnapper. Tumayo ako at sumunod sa matanda. She seems harmless. But still, I have to keep my guard on. Lumabas kami ng silid at bumungad kaagad sakin ang hapagkainan. This house.. is surprisingly very small. My gaze landed on a makeshift kitchen (Otor: It's the actual kitchen in the past) situated near the dining table. The windows in the small dining room was the same with the ones in the bedroom. Maaliwas ang buong bahay nila.

Once again, my stomach growled. I have to find a way to escape. But first, I have to eat. I can't escape with an empty stomach.

Habang nakaupo sa upuan, nag-iisip ng paraan kung paano makakaalis dito. Kidnapping lang talaga ang nakikita kong dahilan kung bakit ako narito. Naisip kong kaibiganin sila - oh crap, who am I kidding? As if that would work.

Napahilamos ako ng mukha. God, Kristin. Think think! Think fast. You have to get your ass out of here. But, how did they kidnap me? I was in my room last night. Natulog and- Ghad! Paano nila ako makikidnap kung hindi sila makakapasok sa loob ng kwarto ko. May room was locked, my windows, locked too. And heck! 'Di rin naman nila kayang pasukin ang mansion since andaming guards na nakabantay sa bahay. The mansion was heavy guarded with security.

Wait— Maybe it's an inside job? Maybe one of our maids or guards did this?

My thoughts were interupted when the old woman placed a plate of dried fish and rice in front of me. And a soup, with green leafy stuff that looked like it grows on the sidewalk. Para bang nawala ang gutom na naramdaman ko kanina pagkakita ko sa mga pagkaing nakahain. Seriously? Is this all they've got? Wala ba silang bacon? Egg? A coffee, perhaps?

Naupo sa hapagkainan katabi ng matandang ang isang matandang lalaki, na obviously asawa nung matandang babae. He looked like he's been working in the fields.

I looked at the old couple. Haven't seen them in the mansion before. Pero baka 'yung anak nila, kung meron man. Tama. 'Di ko pa nakikita ang anak nila, baka isa sa mga maids namin e anak nila.

"May anak kayo?" tanong ko para makasigurado.

"Ah. Meron. Ang kaso ay wala na siya.  Ngunit narito sa amin ang kanyang anak. Nasa labas siya ngayon. Kinakausap ang mga prayle at mga guwardiya sibil," sagot ng matandang babae saka nilagyan ng kanin ang pinggan ng asawa bago jilagyan ang kanya.

Prayle? Guwardiya sibil? What the heck?

The old man gave me a tight smile, "Mukhang hindi ka sanay sa mga pagkaing nakahanda. Pagpasensyahan mo na at yan talaga ang palagi naming agahan rito." Siguro napansin nilang ayaw ko sa pagkain. Well, I don't like it. I don't eat stuff like this. I'd rather starve than eat this kind of food.

"Maaari ba naming malaman ang iyong pangalan binibini?" the woman asked.

Their outfits seemed to date back to Rizal's time. But, I think it's normal. I've seen a lot of old people wearing this kind of outfits. Especially in the country side, where modern civilization doesn't seem to get to them.

"Most people call me Kristin," I answered. "Kaya Kristin nalang Uh...Ako si Kristin." Is it okay to ask for your kidnappers' names? Aren't they too old for kidnapping? But, the real question here is, may kidnapan ba talagang nagaganap?

"Ah, ang iyong pangalan ay pangalan ng isang dalagang pilipina. Sa iyong dilaw na buhok at mala-dayuhang mukha, mahirap mawari na ikaw ay isang kababayan," sagot ng matandang lalaki. "Nestor, ang iyong pwedeng maitawag sa akin, binibining Kristin. At ito ang aking pinakamamahal na asawa, si Isay. Kami ay naninirahan dito sa bahay na iyong tinulugan," he added.

"N-nasan ba ako?" I asked. I want to gi home. I badly want to go home. Aside from the fact that I'm feeling anxious, my mom will freaking kill me if she found out na wala ako sa bahay. Dad would probably start a search-and-rescue operation by now.

"Si Antonio na lamang ang sasagot sa iyong mga katanungan, hija. Ipagpaumanhin mo na."

Nagpatuloy sila sa pagku-kwento. 'Di ko na napansin ang mga sinasabi nila. I was too pre-occupied with my thoughts. Seriously? Prayle? Kastila? Makalumang pananalita? Old clothing? Like who would believe that? Maybe they have a serious case of psychosis? Well, having creepy kidnappers is bad. Really bad. Gusto ko na tuloy makaalis dito as soon as possible.

But a part of me wants to believe that I traveled back through time. Nakikita ko sa labas ng bintana ang mga lumang mga kubo. Pero, may mga ganitong kabahayan naman sa pilipinas kahit na 2016 na, hindi ba? Pero, 'di lahat ng tao nakasuot ng barong at saya. Pero, lahat ng tao dito nakasuot ng makalumang damit. The people I see outside were wearing the same clothes with the old couple in front of me. Why?

Is this a dream? Maybe. No. I could be. But it's so surreal.

I pinched myself, hard. "Ack!"

"Hija! Anong nangyari? May masakit ba sa'yo?" nag-aalalang tanong ni Aling Isay.

I shook my head, "A-yos lang ako."

Goodness. It hurts. I'm not dreaming.

Matapos kumain, pinabalik nila ako sa kwarto. Mas makabubuti daw na manatili muna ako dito at magpahinga. They didn't tell me the reason, they just went out of the house. Naupo ako sa kama na hinigaan ko kanina. I looked at my feet like it was the most interesting thing in the whole world right now.

If this is kidnapping, why are they treating me nicely like I was a guest? An important guest. But if this is not kidnappinga and it's not a dream either. Time travel? It's too late to confirm that. And as if such thing exists in reality. Am I hallucinating? No. I don't remember having mental abnormalities. I don't remember taking drugs.

I exhaled then I run my fingers through my blonde locks. Geez, this is so frustrating. Just thinking about all these possibilities is driving me nuts.

"Alam mo, sana bumalik ka sa panahon kung saan sakop pa tayo ng mga dayuhan.." I remembered what mom said the other night. As if that'd happen. Curse me all you want, mom. My hatred for this country won't change. It'll stay. As long as this hatred stays in my heart, I can continue living.

I raised a hand and brought it to my chest. This hatred is the only thing that keeps me alive. It makes me strong. I won't let it go.

"Phone mo 'to?" My eyes grew big at agad na napalingon sa pinanggalingan ng boses.

It was a little boy standing on the edge of the bed holding my Iphone 6s+. Mas lalong nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang maalala ang bata.

Napatayo ako, I remember this kid!

"Ikaw!" I exclaimed. Tama. Siya 'yung batang nagpapatulong ng history assignment. 'Yung batang tinawag akong bobo! 'Yung batang nabangga ko. He was wearing the same outfit he was wearing with my first encounter with him. That dark blue denim jumpsuit over that grey hoodie.

"Ako?" he asked nonchalantly saka kunwaring napalingon pa sa likuran to check if there were other peopke there.

"Oo, ikaw!" I stood up, "You're the one who ordered those old folks to kidnap me! Huh! I knew it! I was right. This was kidnapping."

He looked at me like I've grown another head, "What the heck? Why would I kidnap you? I don't need money." Lumapit siya sakin at namewang. "Moreover, can a kid do such a hideous thing?"

"Wala akong sinabing kailangan mo ng pera, 'wag kang ano. Kaya mo ako pinakidnap because you want revenge. Gusto mong makaganti dahil nabangga kita or maybe.. dahil 'di kita tinulungan sa history assignment mo! Is this how you repay me from saving you? From paying your hospital bills?"

"What the heck, old lady? That's a very shallow reason! And do you think kaya ko 'yung gawin?! I'm a kid for Rizal's sake! And please, ikaw ang rason kung ba't ako naospital"

"Don't call me old! And yes, you can do something like that, you're a rich kid. A damn rich kid! Kids have shallow reasons and that's a given!" I argued emphasizing the words "Rich Kid".

He looked like he's rich. He's skin is fair and looked like it was milky smooth. His chocolate brown hair looked like it was overdosed with hair treatments at mukha rin siyang half-american. At halata sa pananamit niya ang pagiging mayaman. And look at that golden watch on his wrist. 'Di 'yan rich kid? Heh. This kid can't fool me.

And yes, there's a possibility na binayaran niya ang mga matatandang 'yun to kidnap me. But those old couple are too kind that instead of torturing me, they treated me nicely. Hah! Looks like your plan failed, you sneaky little brat.

He glared at me, "Seriously? Wow, I didn't know you're this irrational," he stepped back. "Pa'no ko naman ii-explain sa'yo ang tunay na nangyayari kung ngayon pa lang may pointless na konklusyon ka na d'yan sa utak mo?"

I crossed my arms and throw a mocking grin at the kid, "'Di mo ako madadaan sa mga explanations mo, li'l boy. Now, how about setting me free at sa korte na tayo magharap."

Napasapo siya ng mukha, "You're freaking stubborn, old freak! Napakachildish mo! Pumapatalo ka talaga sa bata? God!"

This kid! How dare he call me old?! I'm not old. I'm 18 for everyone's sake.And I'm not being immature. Ako talaga 'yung tipo ng tao na hindi tumatanggap ng pagkatalo. In every argument, I always win. And in this argument, I'll win.

I was about to have another speech when the boy suddenly float.

Float.

He's floating!

Napaatras ako, "M-maligno!"

Tinignan niya ako ng masama, "You believe in those stuff? Old freak, 'di ako maligno!"

"E ano ka?!"

I'm seriously seeing things. That's it, I'm dreaming! I'm freaking dreaming! I'm in a dream wherein I am kidnapped by a kid who turned out to be a laman-lupa!

I closed my eyes and breathed inwardly. I'm definitely dreaming and I seriously need yo wake up! Wait, am I suffering SUNDS? Crap! I'm going to be burried six feet deep under if I don't get my ass out of this dream.

I inhaled again as I punch my stomach. If pinching won't do then punching might do the trick. I felt an unbearable pain. I punched too hard! But that's good. I'm feeling pain, I must be awake. I opened my right eye then my left eye.

"Why'd you punched yourself?"

Napaatras ako. "Waah! You're still here!" He's now sitting in front of me. I looked at the whole place. "I'm still here!"

"This is not a dream, Kristin." he sighed. The tone of his voice suddenly changed. It became serious. "You traveled back through time."

My heart beat faster.

"You're in the year 1896. Ang taon kung saan nadiskubre ng mga kastila ang sekretong organisasyon ni Bonifacio," he paused and looked at me seriously, "ang Kataas-taasang Kagalang-galangang Katipunan ng mga anak ng bayan."

-

Short update. Please forgive Kristin. She's being irrational. ︶︿︶

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