"First, do you need anything? Water? Food? Something that would make you feel comfortable. I know this is too much for you to take in so I'm giving you enough moment to think about it."

Umiling si Therrie. Tila ba walang gusto sa kung ano mang sinabi ni Bianca. "N-No... I'm ready to listen and hear all the truth from you. How aren't you dead? You killed yourself, right? You hanged yourself. Nakita ko 'yon. Nakita ng alawang mata ko 'yon. Nando'n din si Benji at kitang-kita niya kung paano ka ibinaba ng mga staff mula ro'n. You're lifeless. You're not breathing. You're absolutely dead, I can confirm that Bianca. Your family was there. They were sad and crying about what happened. So... you fake your own death?"

Sa sunod-sunod na tanong ni Therrie, Bianca understood the panic in her voice. Kalmado naman si Bianca at tila wala itong pangambang ipinapakita kay Therrie. She knew what she get into and obviously know how to deal with Therrie. She already had done this so she can do it again.

"I think you need some water first," Bianca pointed out.

May lumapit naman sa kanila at inabutan ng baso ng tubig si Therrie. Kinuha naman ng dalaga ang baso at tinitigan ito. She just noticed when she looked at her hand, she was shaking. She still got all these questions in her head and the fact that seeing a dead friend alive talking like someone else shocked her to the core.

Therrie sipped some from the glass and looked back at Bianca.

"How are you feeling now?"

"Hindi ko alam..." aniya.

Bianca nodded. "Yes, I know you're still confused and I understand that. But have you gotten a grasp of what did I just say earlier?"

"No... and how come that this is all happened in my mind? I felt everything. I know everything that happened happens in reality and I'm totally a hundred percent sure about that. Kasabwat mo ba rito si Doctor Carmona, Bianca?"

Bahagyang natawa si Bianca. "She's not, Therrie. And to tell you the truth, she's not a real doctor. When you came in, she was just our intern who assisted you. But she knows she was a doctor in your head. She's now working as a PR officer in the company and quite had a good relationship with others. Althea Carmona is lovely and a kind person."

Sa mga pinagsasabi ni Bianca, hindi maintindihan ni Therrie iyon. Gulong-gulo pa rin siya. Kahit gusto niyang intindihin, hindi niya makuhang maintindihan dahil sa dami ng bagay na pumapasok sa isip niya, hindi agad nasasagot ang mga katanungan niya.

Natulala na lamang si Therrie sa kawalan. Nang tumayo si Bianca mula sa silya niya at lumipat sa kung nasaan si Therrie ay inabot nito ang balikat ng dalaga. Therrie freaked out and was about to get up from her seat when she remembered her legs are incapable of doing anything right now.

"So, do you understand that everything you know now and all that you felt was all done on your head alone?"

"Huh?" She was still left confused. "Do I have a life before? How come all of this happened? How can I still remember everything like it was yesterday? Naguguluhan pa rin ako. And you're not even explaining all of it to me. It feels like you're just telling me what you wanted to tell me. Ang unfair no'n. I don't even remember being in here before."

Napabitaw nang malalim na buntonghininga si Bianca. "It's hard to understand it all now. Naiintindihan ko iyon that's why I'm not giving it all at once so you can have time to think about it. But I just wanna say, yes, you have a life before this, but it's the life you never wanted to be in again, Therrie..."

Napasinghal si Therrie. "I feel like my head's gonna explode."

"Okay, okay... I'll give you a few minutes upang makapagpahinga muna. If you're ready, call me so we can continue what we are talking about. I'll tell you about it from the very start, alright?"

Therrie's response was only a nod.

She let Bianca leave her spot for a moment. Habang iniisip ni Therrie kung paano niya ipo-process ang lahat ng impormasyon na nakuha niya, parang hindi niya kakayanin. While Bianca left to talk to some of the doctors. Hindi naririnig ni Therrie kung anong pinag-uusapan nila.

A moment later, they heard loud grunting from Therrie. Nang makita nila ang dalaga na hawak-hawak ang binti. They checked her condition and Therrie just muttered the tingling sensation she felt on her legs. When the doctors said that she's getting to feel her legs again. Wala naman dapat ikabahala si Therrie ro'n kaya unti-unti itong bumalik sa pagiging kalmado.

Muling sinamahan ni Bianca ang dalaga.

"Are you ready to hear it, dear?" Tumango na lamang ang dalaga sa tanong. "Okay, first of all, my name is Bianca Cook, you know that already because that's what you know, but I'm not a 22-year-old girl with a mental disorder who died of killing herself. It's all part of the plan. But everyone inside your head is a real person—it's just that, they weren't the same person who you thought they were."

"Pati si Chona?"

Bianca giggled, nodding her head. "Including Chona. Here, may ipakikita lang ako sa 'yo."

May kinuha si Bianca na papel sa loob ng patong-patong na folder na inabot niya ito kay Therrie. Kinuha naman agad ito ng dalaga at mabilis na ineksamina.

"Ano 'to?"

"That was your identification form," sagot ni Bianca. "At sa likod niyan ay ang agreement form kung saan pumapayag ka sa proseso ng aming kumpanya. And gladly you did. You may read it first kung gusto mo..."

*Full name: Therrie Alonso Tenorio 

*Nickname: Therrie

*Age: 21 *Birthday: February 6, 2001

*Civil Status: Single

*Ethnicity: Filipino 

*Eyes Color: Hazel

*City: Quezon City 

*Work: Unemployed

*Favorite Food: Steak 

*Drink: Apple Juice

*Book: It's Kind of a Funny Story 

*Favorite Actor/Actress: Hernan Guanson

*Things you like to do: Making friends... but not all wanted to be friend with me.

*Things you hated about: Basically my life.

Assisted and Verified by: Arkin Webb

"Arkin..." Therrie muttered.

"Oh, you remembered his name?" Bianca asked and she nodded. "Well, Arkin also worked in our recruitment department. I'm not sure if you know about it, but he's the first person you met before you meet all of us. He was the one who guided you and helped you to be part of this amazing project. So, yeah, he's not a stranger at all. But I must clear this one out, Hernan Guanson doesn't work in our company. He's a celebrity, that's a fact, but he's not your real boyfriend. He was just a figment of your imagination to make your experience be the best as it should be."

"But if I don't know all these people personally, what about all the things that happened? How about my case? Doctor Carmona—shit. No. That fake doctor said I have a unique mental problem. Totoo rin ba 'yon?"

"The only thing I could say, you've been dealing with anxiety and stress when you came into us. You thought a medication could help you and when Arkin proposed what we could provide, you went for it so..."

"I still don't understand..." ani Therrie saka ito umiling.

"Let's just say, you're losing the sense of reality now—for real. You're confused dahil ngayon ka lang ulit nagising at naninibago ka pa."

"Teka. Teka... how long have I been out? Kaya ba gano'n na lang na hindi ko maramdaman ang legs ko?"

Tumango si Bianca. "Yes... it's been a year since you came to us, Therrie."

"So, after all this time, you manipulated me?"

Umiling si Bianca sa akusasyon ni Therrie. "No. Hindi namin iyon ginawa. You gave us consent to do whatever we want to do. We're helping you, Therrie. Hindi ka namin nilalagay sa panganib. We're keeping your body healthy and if we succeed at the end of the day, you'll be able to get out of here and have a new life! This company can support you for the rest of your life so we are thankful for all the things you've done for us. For being our subject."

"Oh... you mentioned that I'm part of this project? What kind of project this is, Bianca?"

"Let me explain this in a very short way," Bianca said. "We're examining if a person can lose an emotion, personality, or senses in one whole day, and then the next day, the thing that was lost would be back and another thing would lose... so it's a cycle and we plan to repeat the same thing for thirty days. You were doing great in the first few months. You're losing different emotions, senses, and personalities every single day. We thought it works, but then it happens again. When we're about to get the data we wanted, we're losing control of you. You've been fighting it. And we thought we'll have to start it all over again... and we will."

"Huh? You'll start the project all over again?"

She nodded. "Yes, Therrie. Clearly, we failed the project."

Nagsalubong ang kilay ni Therrie. "So... may papalit na ulit sa akin?"

But the doctor only smiled at her. At that moment, hindi pa naiintindihan ni Therrie kung anong sunod na mangyayari, pero bigla na lang bang may pumitik sa isip ni Therrie at doon lamang niya na-realize na siya pa rin ang isasalang sa proyektong ito.

Tinitigan ni Therrie si Bianca diretsyo sa mata at saka ito umiling. "No... I'm not going back there."

"I'm sorry, Therrie..."

Therrie knew she could run out of this place as she could feel her legs. But before she could even get up, a staff get onto her side and injected the serum into her neck which immediately brought Therrie to pass out. She doesn't feel sorry about it, but this is her job.

"Doc Benjamin, prepare your team. We'll start another cycle."