Prologue

​I couldn’t believe what I just read.
 
Tinitigan ko ang sulat na dumating kaninang umaga at nararamdaman kong nagma-malfunction ang ilang brain cells ko dahil sa nakasulat. I immediately ran into my room and dialed Mom’s number.
 
“Hello Sav? Why are you—”
“Mom!” I yelled. “Anong ibig sabihin ng letter na ‘to? Why do you have to do this?”
 
She couldn’t answer immediately but I heard her heave a sigh. I was hoping she wouldn’t say those words again but I was wrong.
 
“It’s for your own good,” she said. The same reason. Again.
“No! I don’t want to go to another stupid school. Alam mo naman ang nangyayari—”
“This one’s different, Sav. I promise. It’s a special class.”
“No, Mom,” matigas kong sagot. “I’m staying here.”
“Sav, may pupunta na riyan mamayang gabi para sunduin ka.”
 
Hindi naman ako makapaniwala sa sinabi niya. Did she really make all the arrangements without even consulting me?
 
“God, Mom!”
“May dorm sa school na ‘yon and you’re going to stay there—”
“Bakit ba kasi nagdesisyon ka nang wala man lang pasabi?!”
 
I ended the call without waiting for her response. Napaupo na lang ako sa kama ko pagkatapos no’n at nilukot ko ang sulat na hawak ko. Now I have to go to another school because of Mom. Masaya na ako rito, eh. Masaya na ako sa bahay at sa laboratory namin. Bakit kailangan ko pang makihalubilo sa ibang tao? I hate socializing. I hate adjusting just to fit to other people’s ideals.
 
Tumayo ako at naglakad papunta sa lab na nasa basement namin. I went to my sanctuary.
 
Sinuot ko agad ang labgown, lab shoes, goggles at latex gloves at tinuloy ko na lang ang project na ginagawa ko. In-assay1 ko ang extracts na nakuha ko from different marine algae. Habang ongoing ‘yong assay ay tiningnan ko ang data sa excel at in-input ko rin ‘yong ibang details. After four hours, I finished everything and stored the remaining extracts in the ultra-low refrigerator. I was about to get some snacks when I noticed the bulb above the door was switched on. A visitor, huh?
 
Umakyat agad ako sa taas at pagtingin ko, may kotse at lalaki sa labas ng bahay. Sigurado akong ito na ‘yong sinabi ni Mommy kanina sa phone. Nakakainis talaga! Naalala ko na naman ang nangyari kanina.
 
“Excuse me, Miss Savannah Solomon?” tanong agad ng lalaking naka-tux pa.
“Yes. Bakit po?”
“Nandito po ako para sunduin kayo sabi ni Dr. Solomon.”
 
Gusto kong magreklamo at paalisin dito sa bahay ang lalaki pero ayoko namang ipahiya ang pangalan ni Mommy. She’s one of the top scientist in the country and I don’t want to tarnish her reputation. Saka na lang ako magwawala kapag kaming dalawa na lang ni Mommy ang magkaharap.
 
Pinaghintay ko ang lalaki sa sala habang kinuha ko ang mga gamit ko sa kwarto. I needed a breathing space after he informed me about the situation. Hindi ko naman alam na ngayon na pala ang deadline ng paglipat sa dorm. Mom really planned all of this to make sure I would have no choice but to follow her.
 
Kinalma ko na lang ang sarili ko dahil wala na rin naman akong magagawa. My mother’s decisions would always push through.
 
I packed a few clothes since according to that guy, I could still return here after a week; several books including Biology: Concepts and Connections, Advanced Structural Inorganic Chemistry and University Physics; and two of my laptops which contain all my researches and journals.
 
Pagbaba ko ay tinulungan ako ng lalaki na isakay sa kotse ang mga gamit at sumakay na rin ako sa likuran. Tahimik lang ako ro’n at nagsagot na lang ng exercises sa isang Calculus manual na inuwi sa akin ni Dad last week.
 
Nasa number 43 na ako nang biglang huminto ang kotse. Sabi ng lalaki ay nandito na raw kami kaya agad akong bumaba. Pagtingin ko, nasa isang university kami na kilala rito sa lugar namin. However, instead of going to the direction of the university, we went to the other side. We walked for almost five minutes and I saw a dormitory-type compound. So this is where I’ll live?
 
“You are assigned to Room 7. Your roommate, Ms. Hernan, is already inside.”
“Wait. May ka-share ako ng kwarto?”
“Yes, Miss,” he said and bowed to me after. Nagpaalam naman siya pagkatapos no’n at ilang minuto akong nakatayo lang sa labas.
 
I swear, marami talaga akong sasabihin kay Mommy kapag nagkita kami. Alam naman niyang hindi ako sanay sa mga tao. I was home-schooled since I was young tapos biglang magkakaroon ako ng roommate?
 
I was still preparing myself when the door suddenly opened.
 
“Hi!” bati ng isang babae sa loob. “Sabi na nga ba may tao sa labas, eh. You must be Savannah Solomon. I’m Elsie Hernan nga pala. Tara pasok ka,” sabay ngiti niya sa akin at binuhat niya ‘yong isa kong bag.
 
Dahil bitbit niya ang bag ko ay wala akong nagawa kundi sumunod sa loob. Pagpasok ko, bumungad agad ang dalawang kama sa bandang dulo at malaki naman ang space pero nagulat ako nang may nakita akong mahabang table sa may gitna ng room.
 
“Oh, sorry. That’s mine. May experiments kasi akong tinatapos kaya nagset-up na ako rito sa room natin,” she explained.
“Ilang taon ka na?” tanong ko kaagad. Bigla akong naging interesado sa kanya dahil doon sa lab table.
“Uhm, seventeen.” Same as me, huh? “Ikaw ba?”
“Seventeen din. Nice meeting you,” I hastily said then walked towards my bed.
 
Binaba ko kaagad ang gamit ko ro’n at sobrang bumilis ang tibok ng puso ko. Geez! Bakit ko ba siya kinausap? Nakakahiya.
 
Hindi ko alam kung bakit ako pinadala ni Mommy rito but one thing is for sure—I wouldn’t last here . . . just like the first and last time I went to school.
 
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1 Assay - an analytic procedure in science laboratories for qualitatively assessing or quantitatively measuring the presence or amount or the functional activity of a target entity or analyte (Boston, 2006).

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