Impending Disaster

"Dana, aren't you going to take a rest? You weren't feeling well a while ago and now you're keeping me awake with all that shrieking." she admonished her.

"Jess is now at the airport, her flight is at two in the morning, I'll keep her company," she explained.

Joy just stared at her and shakes her head giving up.

"Lower your voice," she said gritting her teeth as she closed the connecting door between their rooms, for she knew Dana with Jess together will never be quiet.

"Well, where am I with my story? Ah!.. Yes!, we took Miss E back to their club or whatever, by the way, that's what she is called now, by her gamer's name. What happened prior to that, I will tell you in person, because it needs deeper discussion. It was the reason why I forgot the idea that I might meet the guy there!! Oh my! I probably look like a potato, but… he's so handsome!! Agghhhh!!!" she said screaming on her pillow not to make a sound to disturb her aunt next door.

"By the way, enough of me for now," she said giggling again. "Who will pick you up at the airport? Did aunt Joy arrange something for you?"

"Yaya Bebot, who will pick us up from the airport?" she heard Jess asking someone.

"Yaya Bebot said, someone named Ting will pick us up."

"Oh, I know him. He's Ellise driver and bodyguard here," she told Jess.

"We're boarding now, I'll see you after what...four hours?"

"Probably after five or six hours, with the clearance from immigration, waiting for luggage and travel from the airport to hotel"

"Okay, see you! Make sure to sleep!"

"Yeah, yeah. Safe flight, I love you!"

"I love you too!" she replied.

---

"Why do I need to play the piano again and sit in the rehearsal for your musical play?" Dana hissed at her aunt on the breakfast table.

"Can you help out at least? The pianist isn't available today. You will probably be there for two to three hours only."

"I want to spend time with Jess," she said, still resisting the idea of suddenly given a job to do when her plan was to play around.

"Jess needs to take a rest." ".."

"And I don't?" she cut her aunt for what she's about to say.

"Dana! I'm warning you!" her aunt said glaring at her.

"Jess…., say something please." She turned to Jess for help.

"I also need to sleep," Jess said, looking at her, silently warning her that she already pushed their aunt far enough.

She scowled at her aunt and ate her breakfast in silence.

And she went back to her sulking and giving her aunt the silent treatment all the way to the rehearsal venue when she learned that she'll be staying there for five hours!! Like, three hours aren't long enough?

She only had three hours of uninterrupted sleep since her body released too much adrenaline after meeting Grand last night. Her concealer has no use in hiding her dark circles and eye bags.

Good thing Jess is a makeup junkie and her obsession as of the moment are those Korean innocent looks, where instead of putting dark colors as eye shadow, they put this light orange-pink eyeshadow looks like the perfect alternative for something a little more flirtatious yet innocent. And to complement THE look, she forced her to wear a white ruffle sleeve off-shoulder dress with retro center buttons and to tone down the girliness of the outfit she wore her off white high top Converse.

"You're not going down?" a petulant Dana asked Jess and her aunt, refusing to get out of the car.

"Stop with your nonsense Dana, you're not a child. Get off!" her aunt said in exasperation.

"Ting will pick you later to bring you to the hotel where you'll have your birthday photoshoot, so you could check if it's with your liking. Now, scram!" her aunt yelled at her.

When Dana finally got out of the car, Joy asked Jess, "Where do you want to talk?"

"Coffee shops are fine."

"Ting dropped us off the coffee shop near the office."

---

After ordering a flat white for Jess and hot americano for her, they sat down at a table near the window.

"What it is that you want to discuss personally with me without Dana," she asked the girl, blowing her hot cup of coffee.

"I want to study Microbiology and Immunology at Stanford. I need help with my referral letter," she said.

She studies the young girl in front of her with pride, "I could ask some people." she said.

"But why don't you want Dana to know?" she asked.

"I'll just be processing my application, I'm not even sure if I'll get accepted, and during the time of my application I don't want Dana to try to convince me not to go, just for the reason that we will be far from each other," she said shrugging off her shoulders.

"I understand. I mean, sending her on her own in a rehearsal for a few hours was difficult enough, what more the idea of you in a different continent and timezone."

"She always has attachment issues but it seems like it's been worse since last year." Jess gave her a puzzled look.

Joy looked outside the window and sighed. "I think I pampered Dana too much." a tad of guilt can be heard from her voice. "You're the same age, yet Dana is still acting like a temperamental kid most of the time."

"She and Ellise have a lot of things in common," Jess said in a joking manner.

The remarks made Joy laugh. "Between the two of them, I gained enough wrinkles, thank you for being matured."

Jess snorted, "With a father who thinks he's still in his puberty years, I have to be matured. Did you know I'm going to have another sibling, from yet another mother." she added like having siblings from different women is just a normal occurrence, which in reality it is. She has three younger half-siblings from different mothers!

But with how well-rounded this young lady turned up, Joy smiled with satisfaction. " If your mother is still alive, she would be so darn proud of you."

She smiled and asked, "Are you going to work now? Should I go back to the hotel on my own?"

"No, come with me to the office, I'll just pick up some documents and we'll go back to the hotel together, I also need sleep. Dana was squealing in her room till wee hours of the morning."

Jess guiltily grinned at her aunt.

---

4:00 PM

"I'm so tired!" Dana declared as soon as she entered the room.

"You don't like you're tired, you looked like you had a good time." her aunt said, she and Jess are having tea.

"Would you like some tea?" Jess asked her.

"No, I'll just freshen up then we'll go to the hotel. We'll pick up Ms. E." she said with a sly smile.

Jess and Joy just looked at each other. Joy shakes her head and tells Jess to go ahead and change so they could head out.

"Are you really in a hurry for you not to change clothes?" Jess asked in the car.

"It's okay!" she dismissively answered. "Uhm, excuse me, Ting, this doesn't look like the way to WIZ club?"

"Miss Ellise sent a message that she's already waiting at the hotel." Ting answer.

"WHAT??!"

Jess tapped her leg when she suddenly raised her voice.

"I mean, the message I sent, I clearly stated that we'll pick her up. Why would she go directly to the meeting place."

"What's wrong with going there ahead of time. Aren't you in a hurry?" confused, Jess asked.

With a sour face, she crossed her arms and said, "That's not what we agreed on!"

"What did she say?" Jess asked patiently.

"Well, she didn't really reply to my message,..

Jess gave her a - I don't see where's the problem, look.

"She didn't reply so I thought..., her voice trailing with disappointment.

"You thought what?" Jess probing.

"If we go pick her up in the club, we can see Grand," she whispered the name while blushing.

Jess looked at her in incredulity, which left her speechless.

Dana sighed in her frustration, and said "Forget about it!"

With a sullen mood they arrived at the hotel and were greeted by Nancy, and ushered to the hotel courtyard that in order for you to reach, you have to go down in a winding marble staircase, and when you make it to the foot of the steps, you'll be welcomed with a statue of a young naked boy pouring a jar of water on a fountain.

"The photographer already did trial shots, and said the best time to take photos is at noontime to take advantage of the natural light," Nancy explained.

But Dana is no longer listening. Behind the naked boy fountain, is a man laughing merrily with Ellise and two other boys, as from what she remembered last night were members of the team where Ellise belongs.