1 The Start of Everything

"AHHHHH! .............."

"I HAD ENOUGH! ..............."

"FUCK THIS BULLSHIT LIFE!"

"WHY IS THIS HAPPENING ???? WHY OF ALL PEOPLE? WHY SHOULD IT BE ME??????"

She shouted loudly wishing her cry can reach the galaxy.

She could barely see because of the tears covering her eyes. Her sniffle is also loud. She rubbed the back of her hand on her nose that her colds made a bridge from her nose to her hand. She rubbed her hand on the hem of her dress and then lifted it to sneeze out the mucus from her nose. It's disgusting to think but she doesn't care anymore. She hang the neck of her shirt and wiped the tears that filled her face.

Tired of shouting, she decided to sit beside a wall but the moment she took a step, a littered plastic bottle was there that made her fell flat on the hard pavement. Fortunately, her head is safe.

"MOMMY........" She shouted loudly. Who is she calling Mommy? She does not know. She began crying again. She kept lying and looked at the stars above her.

She is on the rooftop of a hospital. She woke up in hospital bed not knowing who brought her here. When she woke up, even though her whole body was sore and limp, she removed the dextrose attached and climbed to the top of the building. Fortunately, no nurse noticed her.

She raised her hands and acted as if picking the stars. Her gaze went to her limbs that's full of bruises. There, the tears are building up again until she can't hold it anymore. She lowered her hands and looked at the sky.

"How I wish I'm just a star like you. So I won't be hurting. So I won't care. I wish I am just like you that the only job is to give light in the dark." Her eyes just kept on crying.

She got up and walked to the far end of the rooftop. She climbed the concrete railing.

She looked up at the sky then below the building. She saw the cars and thought they were so small like a toy.

'If I fall, will they be crushed?' She thought.

They are too small in her eyes not to be crushed. She focused her hand on the passing vehicle and measured how big it was. Just a size of a palm.

This hospital is up to the 15th floor and she is on the rooftop. She will definitely not feel the pain when she jumps on it.

"Why do you want to jump, kid?"

She is surprised at the baritone voice she heard. It is an old man who she think is about sixty years old. He was wearing a white t-shirt, black slacks, black shoes and a Panama hat. He's got a trimmed hair, he looks clean and does not look like a bad person. He stood like her at the concrete railing of the rooftop.

She hasn't answered so he asked again.

"What is your problem that you want to commit suicide?" Asked by the old man in serious tone.

"I-I'm tired of living!" She answered sadly bowing her head.

"Why don't you rest and resume your life again tomorrow?"

She shook her head slowly. "No matter how many times I rest, it's still the same. I'm always hurting. My life is a mess! I'm tired!" She wiped her tears again.

"In that case, won't you just prove that your life is a waste? You'll die without even changing your fate?"

She lowered her head. 'He's right, I can't just die like this.' She thought.

"Do you want to be brave?" The old man said after a few seconds of silence.

She turned to the old man curiously. "What do you mean?"

"You said you were tired of life. Do you want to be brave to face those who oppress you? So that they won't hurt you more? So that you can protect yourself? So that you can do whatever you want?" He said and faced her. A little smile is evident in his face.

She was stunned by what he said. 'Is that possible? Can I really do that?' she thought.

"so kid? Do you like that?" He's now holding her on both shoulders.

"Y-yes! I want to!" she replied dumbfounded.

He smiled.

"Then come and let's go down first."

She nodded as response.

"Ahhh ...." She shouted. Instead of getting off the rooftop she will fall off the building because she lost her balance.

"Are you okay kid?" The old man asked. Fortunately, he grabbed her left hand and pulled her towards the rooftop.

"T-thank you Grandpa!" she replied tremblingly. Earlier she was ready to commit suicide but when it almost happen she felt frightened.

"Here! Name and address of the person who can help you on how to get to a mysterious well that fulfills a wish." He gave her a paper with a name and address written on it. "Now, it is up to you whether you believe me or not.

She looked carefully at what was written on the paper.

"Name: Tunduay Remilton

Address: San Lorenzo Guimaras " She read in the paper.

"A wish? Is this even true grand---" She raised her head to ask the old man but he was gone.

"Where did he go?" She wondered. "Grandpa?" she shouted. She looked around but he was really gone. She turned her attention back to the paper. Should she really believe it? She thought.

She suddenly remembered her pasts.

*** FLASHBACK ***

* 10-year-old Aviore *

"Wimpy Aviore!"

"Wimpy Aviore!"

"Wimpy Aviore!"

Her classmates mocked in unison as they surrounded her while she's crying because she fell again.

"I'm not wimpy!" She shouted at them. She stood up and was supposed to push a classmate but one of her feet hit the other leg so she fell again with her face kissing the ground.

"Ahahahaha .... Wimpy Aviore!"

"Wimpy Aviore" and they laughed again.

* 15-year-old Aviore *

She was carrying books from the library when while walking down the hallway someone blocked her foot. Shoot! Her face fell to the floor. Those who saw it laughed.

"Watch where you're stepping wimpy girl!" Said the one who blocked her and they laughed even more.

She picked up the books that were scattered on the floor. "Sorry! I didn't mean to." She apologized and gathered all the books. She ran immediately but a few steps later she stumbled again but at that time, the books did not loose from her grip. Those who saw it laughed again. She stood up again and just walked instead of running because she might fall again. Her knee hurts already.

*** 18-year-old Aviore ***

"Oh my! Aviore are you okay?" Her worried co-worker asked. The people who saw it laughed too.

"What?! You saw that she tripped and yet you laugh? If you're the one who tripped, would you laugh like that too?" Her companion shouted angrily at the people.

She stumbled on the foot of the chair so she fell with her face directly to her food. She's an encoder at night and a student in the morning taking Computer Science course. It was their break time at work and there she is looking like a mess.

Her co-worker helped her stand-up and pick the pasta off her face.

* 19-year-old Alviore *

"You're really a useless child!" Her drunkard father continued to kick her.

"That's enough Daddy" She cried pleading as she accepted every kick given to her.

"What? You won't give? Where's your money?"

"I don't have any more money Dad!" She said while crying.

"Nothing? I'm only asking for a little yet you can't give me?" She received a kick again.

"Dad I'm telling you, there's nothing I can give you!" She plead while sobbing relentlessly.

"Nothing? Because you have a job you feel so proud now? You should be thankful that we brought you to life." He searched all her belongings. He did not miss anything until he found her hidden piggy bank.

"Dad! Please don't take that, please! It's for my tuition." Because she can no longer stand, she can no longer chase her father from leaving the house. She groaned at the thought that her father would only use it for drinking. She can't stop crying.

She just stayed lying because her body could not stand yet. Her body is aching all over from beating.

Awhile later, someone entered their house.

"Aviore !!!" Her mother shouted loudly. "Where's the food? You haven't cooked yet? It's six o'clock in the evening! Aviore???"

She heard the footsteps of her mother entering her room. Her mother never helped her whenever her father laid hands or beat her. In fact her mother was also one of those who hurt her.

She closed her eyes.

"Why are you just lying there? Don't you know I'm really hungry? Huh?" She approached her and squeezed her two cheeks with right hand.

"Mom! I-it hurts!" She cried.

"If you don't want us to lay hands on you, you should have followed us!" She released her jaw hard that made her cheek a cut from her nail. She felt the pain from the cut.

"Because if you were just like this and we couldn't use you, we shouldn't had pick you up there next to the trashcan. You're a wimp! Oh my goodness!" Her mother said frustrated and angrily.

She was surprised by what her mother said. She burst into tears. That's it! she could not feel loved by them because she was not their child? She thought that they were not just showing their love for her but they were not her real parents?

'I'm an orphan? Oh my Gosh!' she thought.

The pain she's feeling is overwhelming. She can hardly feel the physical pain because the pain from her heart is taking over.

She felt her mother leave the house.

She was holding her chest. She cried out in pain. She feels she can no longer take it. She thought they no longer needed her. She had to leave.

She forced herself to stand even though her body is aching. She took the ATM card she had taped under the drawer. This is all that she have now. She took and shoved it to her jeans pocket and leave.

She left the house carrying only the ATM and herself. She looks like a zombie who does not know where to go. She'd been walking for almost half an hour and she was still crying until someone blew his horn. It is approaching. The brightness of its light is blinding her. She looked where she was and she was in the pedestrian lane. She was going to cross the road. She looked at the light again. It's really close. That's right! In her mind it was even better to just die but before she was hit her vision darkened.

*** End of Flashback ***

She was still holding the paper given by the old man. Should she believe it? But she had nowhere to go.

Why didn't she die from the collision before? Was she really hit? She did not know either. She no longer remembers.

She slipped the paper into her pocket.

"Oh well, good luck to me!"