Yapak Island

The rays of the sun wakes me up.

The first thing that I notice is upon opening my eyes is that I am in the unfamiliar place.

I roamed my eyes around. From what I see I am currently inside a makeshift tent. The tent’s roof is made up of banana leaves. And the bed where I lie is a made of bamboo.

"Good thing you're already awake."

I turn my gaze to the person who speaks. She has a brown bob cut hair, or should I say more likely a greyish brown bob cut hair. She's wearing a tattered shorts and an oversized shirt. She has a fair complexion and her eyes were pitch black in color. Some wrinkles are visible on her eyes.

"Uh.. Who are you? where am I? How do I get here? Ahh!"

"I'm Caroline, Oh..careful dear, you're not yet healed.,"

Upon saying those words, I just realise that my right leg has a cast and my arms and legs are full of scratches and there were leaves that being put in my wounds.

"You're now safe, my nephew saw you on the shore near the cave after his work on search and rescue operation after the typhoon's attack. You were barely breathing according to him but he applied some first aid at you. And brought you here." She explained.

I roam my eyes around we're in the middle of the forest base on the trees that I see. Some are still standing sturdily with few branches and leaves left, while the other trees are being snap in half and some are already fallen on the ground.

"Here,"

She handed me a bowl of soup which I accepted it.

"Thanks..uh..err..how many days ugh.. I was unconscious?"

"You're been unconscious for almost three days my dear,"

After I finish eating a soup she give me a darkish green kind of drink.

"Drink it up, it helps to heal your wound faster."

"Uh.. Caroline?"

"Yes Miss?"

"Just call me Sam."

"Okay.. Do you need anything Sam?"

"It's just that how do I get back in the city?"

"Which city dear?"

"Uh..in Western Visayas? You know in Roxas?"

"Oh.. you can't go back in there for now."

"Why?"

"There's still no available buses at the moment because of the typhoon. They're still making some clearing operations. You know there are so many debris that blocking the whole roads. That's why it's hard for a vehicle to travel. And besides it's diffucult to reach the mainland because there's no available boat that transports people to the mainland. Most of the boats got wrecked by the typhoon."

Upon hearing the word mainland I just realized that I'm in a sort of an island.

"Uh.. where exactly am I?"

"You're in Yapak.. or should I say your in municipality of Malay, Aklan."

"Uh.. are we near Boracay?"

"Yes dear just a few rides and you'll reach the beach."

"So can I go there?"

"For now no, since it's still chaotic because of some debris and you're not yet totally healed."

I just heaved a sigh after knowing that, I was just a few miles away from my dream destination. But I can't go there because of my condition and it's still a bit chaotic outside. It's still a mystery to me on how I get here. Is the storm surge that strong? Why I was being wash away to the next island? And there are some questions that keeps on lingering in my head like: Are my friends okay? Did my family look for me? Are they even concerned about my welfare?

The following day I was still lying on my bed but I was feeling a lot better than the other day. My wounds somehow starts to heal. My bruises are already fading. Thanks to Caroline because she keeps on treating my wounds. I'm able to move my legs a bit. I walk outside the house while enduring a little bit of pain that coming from my right leg. I sat on the big rock near the shore. I look at how calm the sea is. It is glistening perfectly as the rays of the sun hits the crystal clear water. And watch the waves that touches my feet.

Suddenly I just remember a fragment of my memory, just like this I was sitting on the shore while enjoying myself watching the waves that touches my feet. Then my dad will seat beside me and then when we got bored we would picked some rare shells that we found on the shore. And after that my mom together with my sister will call us to eat our snacks or lunch. But all of it suddenly fades when my dad got sick. My mom treat me coldly and at such a young age I face the biggest disaster in my life. Few days after my dad died the news erupted in our whole family that I am not his child. That I was a product of a mistake.

Someone lifted my chin and wipes the tears that keeps on falling in my eyes. I didn't know that I am shedding some tears if not for the person who's in front of me. The person who I waited for years to comeback.

"Ryxe?"

"You must be mistaken me for someone else, I am Aeonne."

No I'm not mistaken it's him. Those heterochromia eyes. I am not mistaken at all.

"Lunch is ready, Caroline told me to fetch you. And stop crying I really hate those person who'm I see crying."

After he said those words he left without sparing another glance at me.

We eat our lunch peacefully until Clarette, Caroline's neice spokes up.

"It's not safe here anymore."

I look at Caroline with a puzzled look.

She laugh nervously. "What she meant is that... we're no longer safe because there are some people who robs at night. You know many of them losses their resources because of typhoon and they don't have any money to buy their primary needs that's why."

"Didn't the government provide any assistance?"

"They have but still it's not enough to those who have a big family. And besides, the only assistance that we received is from the municipality. I heard the president provides some assistance but the province hold it for now."

I just laugh at my head for what I heard. Really just wow! Cheers to those corrupt officials. They didn't change at all. They still didn't care at all when or where they would commit such fraud as long as they steal some government funds that is alloted to the citizens.

"You shouldn't be surprised by that. What do you expect from our government officials? Nothing's new...they would corrupt all the funds they want. That's why our nation didn't improve at all." Aeon said.

We finish our lunch while discussing how poor the system of our country because of the corrupt government officials.