Prologue

In fifteen years of my life, I've already experienced countless misfortunes but I remained strong because my loving father was always at my side. Pero sa ikalabing anim na kaarawan ko, nangyari ang isang hindi inaasahan at matuturing na pinakamatinding trahedya sa aking buhay.

My father and I met a very tragic vehicular accident. My injuries just fully healed several weeks after the incident and my father... well, he didn't make it. He passed away after being comatose in the hospital for almost a month.

What's more devastating was that Mr. Tragedy didn't stop bothering me at that point because right after the burial of my father, a group of unidentified men robbed our place and burned down our whole house when they left.

Mabuti na lang at wala pa ako sa bahay noon kaya hindi ako kasamang nasunog, pero grabe, walang natira sa gamit namin kahit na isa.

I literally lost everything. I lost my only immediate family, our only house, and all of our things. Except of course the clothes I was wearing at that time and the birthday gift my father gave me before the accident.

He gave me this odd glass-like marble with a size of a pingpong ball. It has a glittering fluid inside that changes its color from time to time.

Mukha siyang laruan o kaya ay souvenir na nabibili kung saan lang pero sabi ni Papa ito raw ang babago ng pananaw ko sa aking kapalaran. Ito raw ang magbibigay ng pag-asa sa akin sa tuwing gusto ko nang sumuko.

Hindi ko maintindihan kung paano niya nasabi 'yon dahil wala naman akong nakikitang pwedeng gawin o itulong ng isang malaking holen sa magulo at malas kong buhay.

Wala akong nakita na kakaiba sa holen na ito hanggang dumating ang araw na bibiyahe na ako papunta sa bahay ng isa naming malayong kamag-anak na kukopkop sa akin pansamantala habang ako ay nag-aaral.

I remember sitting silently at the back seat of Tita Celia's car when I took this glass-like marble from my pocket and started staring at it.

"How can you change my perception of fate?" I asked in a hush tone, as if I'm talking to something that could understand what I am saying. Siyempre hindi ako sinagot ng holen.

I took a deep breath and heaved with a loud sigh. "I wish Papa is still here to tell me how this works," I sadly said.

Idinikit ko sa aking dibdib ang aking kamay na nakahawak sa holen, sa may bandang kinaroroonan ng aking puso at maluha-luhang sinabi, "I miss you so much, Papa." Pagkatapos ay tumingin ako sa bintanang nasa gilid ko lamang.

Nagulat ako nang mapagtanto kong iba na ang itsura ng paligid at napansin kong wala na rin ako sa loob ng kotse. Lalo akong nagulat nang may biglang lumapit sa akin na lalaki at lumuhod sa aking harapan.

Hindi naman gaanong malayo ang pagitan ng aming mga mukha sa isa't isa, dahil nakaupo pa rin ako, kaya kitang kita ko ang kanyang itsura.  In fairness, he's a very handsome guy. Mukhang nasa twenties na siya at ilang taon ang tanda sa akin.

He was wearing a royal blue formal suit and there's a gold crown on top of his head. Nakakapanghina ang kanyang pagngiti at titig sa akin. He looked sincere and I felt like he adors me so much.

Napalunok ako at ramdam ko ang napakabilis na pagtibok ng aking puso. Pakiramdam ko ay... in love na ako sa kanya. Oo, in love agad.

This is insane! I know. But this was really how I felt when I was looking at his deep brown eyes. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ganito ang naramdaman ko para sa kanya, samantalang ni hindi ko nga siya kilala at ito ang unang pagkakataon na nakita ko siya.