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Giselle always felt different, her parents wanted her to go to a school, ace her exams, top her classes, go to a university, graduate with a science degree. They wanted her to be successful,

but she couldn't do it. 

Kahit anong hiling pa ng mga magulang niya na mamuhay siya gaya ng normal na teenager, hindi mangyayari yun.

It would feel like she was cheating. 

She's 19 years old, not one bit of actual outdoor school experience. She just studies on her own, in her room with walls painted black and white looked so much of a library for all the books she read in the past 15 years. Her parents just supported her anyway. She just really can't go to school.

Hindi talaga.. 

In 1st grade, she didn't even last 2 hours with her classmates. She got so annoyed that they've been acting like new-borns. One of them even cried when Giselle didn't share her food. 

A normal first grader would cry with them pero hindi si Giselle.

The next day, she tried her best to get along with the babies, and the fact that her teacher is asking her what 3+3 is. Three plus three lang? Giselle thought her teacher is playing fool with her, it felt like a downgrade for her that the teacher gave her a star for answering that simple question. Anyway, okay naman after, until her temper reached its limit when a kid sat on her seat and drew weird shapes on her notebook full of notes about human muscles. 

Giselle hated it so bad. 

The next thing that happened was Giselle had to wait outside the principal's office as her mom tries to convince the school board to not expel her for hitting her classmate's hand. 

Giselle didn't know it would break the kid's hand. Ang hina-hina lang ng ginawa niya, umiyak na agad yung bata.

Now, she's stuck in her room every school hours. Her parents don't need to tell her to study, she does it on her own. It just became a hobby and there's always this itch inside her that she wants to know more about science. 

Her parents hadn't been strict on her about the usual stuff parents would care about after years of trying. They're okay with her and her obsession on staying in her room and reading, watching documentaries. They're okay if she wants to go out and buy the food she wants to eat as long as she'll come back home. The only thing her parents have always been scared about was Giselle's routine before and during sleeping time.

Every night, she would check all the doors if they're locked, and will lock her own room. It's what her parents taught her ever since she was young. They’ve always been weird about locking Giselle sa kwarto niya sa pagtulog. For that reason, she thinks that it's a must to do. It was always the same routine for her

until one night.

It's the after dawn of January 11th. She was the last one to go to sleep as she was finishing a miniature model of human body—much like those figurine collectibles of Iron Man, and such. 

She headed downstairs, the lights were already dimmed on the staircase. She can still hear the slight noise of the television from her parents' room. It wasn't that loud but she wished they'd just sleep. 

Giselle locked the main door like she always does. 

It's pretty weird though, she felt like someone is watching her. Through the blinds of the window, she peeked if there was someone outside but none, really. Just some dog passing by. 

Maybe she was tired. Nag-aral na naman kasi siya maghapon.

Sighing in relief, she closed the blinds and placed the keys on the small bowl at the center table. She was going to bend back up and turn around when she saw a reflection of a person behind her from the screen of the television on their living room.

Giselle saw the lights from the street glistening through the glass of the shades that the person was wearing. 

That person wasn't her mom, or her dad. It was definitely someone else. 

And then she out. 

💙

Traffic, once again, like it never ends. Everyday  taking forever to ease the amount of vehicles on the main road of the city. Karina scratches her head then brushed her palm on her sleepy face. She didn't have enough sleep last night. 

She's driving her new car given by her father on her 19th birthday 8 months ago. Don't get Karina started about cars—yes, she’s not much of a good decent driver, but she loves it. She has twenty of it, different models, all from her father. Unlike her mom who seems to have disowned her, her father has always given her the things she wants and wish for.

Karina didn't know why she felt different than all of her friends. Although it was tolerable, she just couldn't find the answer why she doesn't like the way her friends lived. In fact, she has too many friends for her father owning too much fortune for just the two of them. 

But then, she knew that if she wasn't rich, these people won't even glance at her. 

If people at her age are obsessed with usual teenager hobbies, Karina is into watching how vehicles move. If her dad would let her, she'd even live in a moving car forever. 

It feels like.. like something would go wrong if she stops moving. Karina loves moving. And the reason she loves driving cars—in her own ‘safe’ way, is because she is addicted to that feeling she gets when she first began to marvel at different places in fast pace, her first time driving a car. 

Eh ano naman kung kaskasera siya? Her father told her that as long as she’s not hurting anyone, then she’ll be fine.

After two long hours of traffic, Karina finally got to breathe and calm herself. She felt suffocated. She pressed her foot on the accelerator, the excitement building up in her again that she didn't notice the girl walking and crossing the pedestrian lane. But, Karina was fast. She managed to brake before her car could even touch the girl.

"Hoy! Naka-red light ah!" The girl, with blonde wolfcut hair and small face, looked pretty mad. 

From how she's dressed, Karina could tell that she's a student, maybe college. Naka-tokong, black and white plaid shirt, may dalang mga libro. The girl was wearing simple and thin glasses but the fiery look in her eyes didn't fail to scare Karina for a moment. 

Inirapan siya nung babae bago magpatuloy sa pagtawid.

Karina didn't say anything. Mabilis ang tibok ng puso niya. Her fingers trembled against her skirt sa lap niya. She could have apologized but she was stuck, no one has ever made her stop like that before. When the green light flashed, Karina used the opportunity to shake off her thoughts by hovering through the road back home.

"Nandito na si Miss Karina!" One of the caretakers of her dad's mansion announced. Karina didn't mind them coming to her asking what they could offer to her. 

Tinanggal niya ang coat niya at ibinigay sa manang na bagong hire yata ng tatay niya. She continued walking upstairs, to her room while pulling and loosenin