Alice woke from the noise outside the house, there’s the sound of a rooster giving everyone a warning that it was already dawn. She sat up on the bed and felt a slight headache. She realizes that she is sitting on a bunk bed made of bamboo wood and beside her is Odette still sleeping. Johnson is also sleeping on the other side of the room lying on a single bed also made of bamboo wood. “What the…!” she looked at herself and saw that she was wearing an old printed skirt reaching her mid-calf and a cotton blouse with a round neck design. She looked at Odette and she was wearing the same design as her outfit. When she saw Johnson, he was wearing a shirt that looked like a polo shirt without a collar and old trousers. She looked around and instead of her room, she found that they were in a different room and it was made of wood as well. She heard people talking outside the room. “I am afraid that the Japanese will occupy the whole country and the Americans can’t do anything about it.” a
Once the family stepped outside, Odette and Johnson started bombarding her with questions. They asked a lot of questions at the same time, one after another. Alice didn’t know what question to answer first and who to answer so she raised both of her hands in surrender. “Wait, wait. I will ask you first. What is the last thing that you remembered before both of you woke up?” She looked at Odette first. “We were in your room and you are about to tell us something about the secret that you are saying.” She answered. “Yeah, you said that you will share ‘your’ secret but then you suddenly looked so shocked and started to cry. That’s the last thing that I remembered.” Johnson added. “Right, I will now tell you what really happened because it has something to do with this.” She felt ashamed of herself for not telling them before about her ‘powers’. “I’m sorry to both of you, it’s not that I don’t want to share my secret but I don’t want you to think that I am a freak, it is necessary for
“Supper is ready!” Rosa shouted from the kitchen. “Is it going to be rice again?” Odette asked the young men. “Of course, there will be rice every meal.” Pedro answered. “It is the main food here in the Philippines, either rice or corn and sometimes potatoes or sweet potatoes.” Isagani informed them. “It’s all carbs, I don’t want to get fat!” Odette looked horrified while imagining herself eating all these carbohydrate magnet foods. “Carbs? What is it?” Pedro asked her. “Uhm…I mean, isn’t all that food going to make you fat?” She said embarrassedly. “We balanced our food with fruits and vegetables, and with a lot of things going on right now, it’s impossible for us to get fat! Hahaha!” Pedro laughed at her reddened face. “Besides, you are not fat. Anyone who said that you are fat must be blind!” he added while stealing a glance at Odette’s body from head to toe. Odette’s face became as red upon hearing those flattering words from this young man. “I know, right!” she laughed an
Miraculously, Alice woke up very early. She was sandwiched between her two friends. Odette’s feet are on top of her lower legs and Johnson’s arm is wrapped around her waist. She got up and her friends stirred so she walked quietly outside and found Ramon sitting on the wooden bench in the living room. “Good morning.” She greeted Ramon. “Good morning, Alice. If you will take a bath, you can do so after Rosa comes out of the bathroom.” He said to her. “Yes, where is the bathroom please?” she asked. “It is outside the house in the backyard, Isagani and Pedro are also outside.” He answered. She went outside and found Isagani and Pedro taking a bath by the artesian well. “Good morning guys.” She said while looking at the two young men. She noticed that they have a great physique. “Good morning!” they answered in unison. “Where is the bathroom?” Alice asked them. They pointed at a small cabin beside the house. It is just like a square box made of bamboo wood about five square meters
Johnson looked helplessly at Alice while the females were surrounding him. Alice shook her head and smiled at the males around him. “We need to continue with the training.” She told them. Alice clapped her hands to get everyone’s attention. “Let us continue everybody!” she said loudly. “Go back to your places!” Johnson jogged to Alice’s side with a relieved expression on his face. “Thank God, you saved me from being harassed.” He whispered to Alice. Everybody went back to their places including Odette and Fernando. “Make sure that your arms and hands are firm while punching your opponent!” Alice told the group. She noticed that the people who are training have strong bodies and they learn the techniques quickly so she decided to start training them on how to throw a powerful kick. “Let us add the kicking technique today, Johnson here will show you how to balance your body and keep the proper posture while kicking.” She gestured to Johnson to give a demonstration. “Let’s do some s
“Oh my, this is a beautiful place!” Alice exclaimed when they arrived at the lake located in a secluded spot. “This is like a paradise!” Odette said loudly and looked at Fernando. “I love it!” she said. Pedro and the other men ran to the lake and jumped after removing their shirts while the girls hesitantly walked to the side of the lake and tested the temperature of the water. Some of the men climbed up to reach the top of the waterfalls and jumped to the lake below. “Hmph! Show-offs!” one of the girls said while laughing at the two men who jumped from the top. Alice looked around and saw that there was a path upward going to the falls, she went to the pathway and decided to join the others in jumping but she saw a row of trees with fruits that looked so delicious. ‘I wonder what those fruits are, they looked tasteful.’ Alice said to herself and went near to the tree. This tree is the rambutan tree with a fruit that is similar to a lychee but the outside of the fruit is kind of
Johnson caught Alice before she went underneath the water. He wondered what she saw but he knew that she saw something again. He carried her in his arms as if he was just carrying nothing. The people around them looked at Alice and were shocked to find her unconscious. Pedro and Isagani came forward and helped Johnson. “What happened to her?” Pedro asked. “This is nothing, she just spent too much time under the water and she lost consciousness but she will be fine.” Johnson answered. “Are you sure she is okay?” Isagani asked. “I’m sure. You can go back there and have fun first. I will bring her home.” Johnson told the two men.” He continued carrying Alice and went in the direction of Ramon’s house. Pedro and Isagani scratched their heads and looked at each other. “I guess she is alright if he said so.” Pedro said. “I hope so.” Isagani muttered. They went back to the lake and their friends asked them a lot of questions. The two men assured the group that Alice was fine and would
There is blood everywhere and a lot of people are screaming and running. The Japanese soldiers are gaining the upper hand. “Quick, we need to hide!” Apolonia grabbed her hands and started pulling her in the direction of the woods. “No! I need to find my friends first!” Alice tried to break free but Rosa held her arms to help Apolonia in dragging her. “You help the wounded first, I will meet you in the woods.” She pointed at a few people lying on the ground but still alive. She heard gunshots and clanging of metal to metal when some of the soldiers ran out of ammunition and used their short swords to fight some of the guerillas. “Alice! Watch out!” Isagani shouted in front of her. She instinctively ducked and Isagani had the chance to stab the Japanese soldier who is about to stab her. She realized that the troop of soldiers must have discovered their hideout and Ramon and the others were caught unprepared. She grabbed the rifle of the dead Japanese beside her and started calming