The Incident

January, London

She put down her leathered diary to look over at the woman in the front seat. Rather than being excited, she was rather disappointed in every word she heard.

"We are going to go to the Philippines for a family gathering and you will marry him," Mrs. Foster said unsympathetically.

"You are going to get us killed and I will not do as you say," she retorted, unbiased by way of being persuasive. She needed to stand the amount of their conversation to the steamship port.

Her Mother had gone livid in deciding a marriage with an unknown husband matched for her –Zina Foster. Well, she must … forget that fact for even an instant? Yet, Mrs. Myra Foster, the thorned flower of the Philippines was her mother and was always there to remind her. Noting that the daunting mother of Zina sat in the front seat of their Austin cab, her arms folded crossways on her upper body, her legs crisscrossed as she keeps tapping her toes against the floor, and her sighs were slowly getting heavier over time making Zina's impression off and on— sore and beyond annoyed. It just meant she can not do anything about her mother's decision.

Mrs. Foster did reject paying attention to her own daughters' reasons, there was no doubt that she will be going to go live in a 'prison lifetime' instead of living a 'free natural life'. She might as well choose to be sick for five days of travel on the steamship. And because she was thinking more about 'her stranger marriage' she did not remember that she places her diary on her lap. So, when she slightly moved her diary almost fell. Fortunately, her sister Sabi who sat beside her catches it just in time.

"Here is your private belonging,"

Of the two of them, Zina was the one who felt worse.

She stared down at the view of engraved roses on some walls, stems growing on the gates, from outside the window of the car as they passed by. "Thanks, Sabi." She mumbled but it was enough for her sister to hear it.

Without Zina noticing that the cab turned left, Sabi was calling out her name. She was busy with her world—not until she saw a left arrow sign that was being placed on the left side of the street. 'Oh, the cab turned left huh?' Even though it can go straight because the road was smooth and there was no doubtful obstacle in their way. She raised her sight a little higher, she was like a child peeking inside the car. Blankly gazing at the sky.

Her only choice was to listen to what her mother wanted to do to her daughter's life. The Marriage opinion for her mother was an easy choice, but Zina does not want her life to be tainted by some stranger! For crying out loud, she only agreed to it just because her mother said so. She was the key to saving them from being poor.

But even so, she just cannot let her mother be. She just can't. And since she wants to protest, she let herself squeeze more determinedly into the corner, lowering her head just like a kid feeling cold—as the ice. She bet there was something that her mother did not want to tell them willingly.

And escaping or jumping out of the cab at the moment would not do good for her and them.

"Sister," Sabi called for the fourth time however, Zina continued to ignore her sister. She does not want another talk related to marriage and what was written inside her diary. And that ignorance was a part of Zina's change as she closes her eyes, the horns from their cab ranged into her ear endlessly.

"Mother! Sabi!" She screamed as the world around her flipped over. Window shards fly while reflecting the sunray, making her eyes go blind for seconds as she attempted to open them. She could not speak a word since to some degree there was a problem in her throat and gradually her awareness vanished.

"Dear child, you must not fail us."

"Mother?" Zina said not knowing she was inside her dream.

Meanwhile, a physician in her reality declared that she has been in shock. Zina could not even see the situation as it was because she was still stuck in her dream. She had no intention of waking up even if she slips away through her clouded thoughts.

"General—"

"I prefer you calling me Julius," The physician did not bother to listen and continued talking, respectfully.

"General Julius, this lady is in a critical state."

"Write all the method of medication that is needed for her to survive. She can not marry him if she is unwilling to wake up and stay by his side." General Julius instructed the physician. The physician quickly listed down the things that were needed for Zina to properly heal some scars on her body.

While the physician was in the middle of writing, a knock on the door got their attention.

"General Julius, Sultan Jaar wants to see you. He is waiting for you in your study room." A male slave announced the report outside of the room. Julius who does not have a choice bowed his head swiftly at the physician before heading towards the door. But he stops and looks at Zina and then at the physician.

"If she dies, I will cut off your head and make it a satisfying head collection at the camp."

"Gen—" Julius slammed the door closed to shut the physician's talkative mouth off.

The physician had not thought twice about helping. General Julius had been active in reading textbooks at the camp as of late, believing that the love of his country would make him a dashing General. To make the matter less achieving, the young general Julius had not been able to attend any gathering related to their royalty's birthday, being newly posted to Fort Pampanga.