The downpour started in the early morning and continued through the night, a heavy pelting of water thundered against the rooftops and drowned out the sound of all else.
"Grabe, ang sarap mo palang mag-hilot Ulap. Nakare-relax." Patalon-talon pa si Token habang naglalakad kami sa hallway. Muntik na siyang matapilol at buti ay naka-balance siya.
"O-oo n-nga d-dude. O-okay na a-ang m-mga b-binti k-ko. T-thank y-you U-ulap. T-tanggapin m-mo ito, p-para sa-sa 'yo 'yan." May ibinigay si Keithwarth kay Ulap na siyang ikinalaki ng mga mata nito.
"What's that dodong Keithwa...Oh, seryoso? That's for me? Kumindat ka nga kung para sa akin ito." At kumindat naman si Keithwarth sabay turo nito sa kaniya. "O sige naniniwala na ako. OMG, ang ganda naman nitong...Oy, bat
Grand staircases, glass atriums, spectacular artwork – there are endless ways in which a venue can achieve this. The venue was decorated with iconic pieces such as velvet curtains, massive chandeliers– which I think, a five brightly lit lavish Strauss-crystal– dangled at even distances across the ceiling and was hung from thick glass rafters. There are luxurious flower arrangements. Banquet tables are laiden with goblets and martini glasses. Some vintage diners have a wide range of cocktails. I noticed that other lad tributes got a dangerous amount of pomade on their hair just to look attractive. Samu't saring mga pagkain ang nakahilera, na para bang may pista, ang daming mga beverage, mga iba't-ibang potahe ng karneng baka, kambing, manok at...baboy. A pig.
"Ang sarap pala malasing!" sigaw ni Ulap kinaumagahan. Siya ang unang bumangon sa amin at agad naman kaming nagising dahil naiingayan kami sa kaniya. Pagtingin ko sa kaniya ay naninibago ako sa mukha niya. Pilit kong pinagmasdan nang mabuti kung anong mali pero alam ko naman na medyo blurry ang paningin ko so I rubbed my eyes to make it clear. Nasisilawan din kasi ako sa araw na nakatutok sa mukha niya at dagdag pa ang maputi niyang balat.Hindi ko sana malalaman kung hindi tumayo si Token sabay padabog na nagsalita, "Hey, hey, hey! That's my glasses! Don't use that, pagagalitan ako ng dad ko if there's a gasgas. Akin na nga 'yan." Hinablot ni Token ang suot-suot na eyeglass ni Ulap at pinunasan ito gamit ang kaniyang...ay teka, bakit walang damit itong si Token? Ito na nga ba ang sinasabi ko."Hey Arc, wear your shirt, they're watching us. Maaga duty nila. I'll not be surprise if some watchers zoomed the camera on your cute pink little tits," punto ko naman at bahagya
"I love your District's grain outfit, sweety. It's very—well, I will not use the word cheap but instead, everybody can look super chic in inexpensive clothes, diba?" Miss. Ahaha lauged in a high-pitched voice, as always. Parang may whistle ang lalamunan niya o kaya torotot o kaya lyre at pwede ring tambol. Ewan ko ba, parang naririnig ko parati ang boses niya sa isipan ko. Kulang na lang sumayaw siya upang maging totoong banda na talaga. "Thank you for setting up your mind happy Tita, because if you do, you'd be surprise how expensive this cost to look this cheap." She stopped then continued walking faster with tiny steps. That's when I noticed something. "Ang ganda," I complimented as I looked down. "Ko? Thank y—" "Ng...stiletto niyo po. I love stiletto, " pakaklaro ko sa kan'ya. "You mean stiletto daggers?" she asked, mga mata'y mapupusok na parang nanunusok at umuusok. Natigilan ako. Kumurap ako ng tatlong beses. "Stiletto h
One word is for everyone! Everyone in each district thought this is just an ordinary spelling bee competition that is usually done on top but this is a competition of a lifetime in which life will be the price and the prize. We need to spell... and kill! As our hearts beat fast, a countdown started to take over. 60 Seconds, at nagtinginan kami sa isa't- isa. I want to go out of the disk but it will just open after the countdown. We started to shout like we have different ideas on what to do, nagpanick kami at alam kong tumatawa ngayong si Ambassador Hugo Cassidy. As soon as the countdown stops, Mikey's voice engulfs the vast Word Arena. "The word of the day is WELTANSCHAUUNG, It is a German word that literally means "world view"; it combines Welt ("world") with Anschauung ("view"), which ultimately derives from the Middle High German verb schouwen "to look at" or "to see". It can be various belief systems, religions, ideologies, and science. Example s
It was not an ordinary day. I miss looking outside our window. I miss that simple day when I just sit at the corner—off the coast of the sprawling metropolis known as Mahar. As I open my eyes, I see a light above. It gleams under the harsh lighting and for a moment, the jagged scars of the hole looks like a halo. It's like the time I fell down the well. But I'm glad I see no Manjies looking at me. I won't be a captor anymore. Not even in my wildest dream. "The word is Cywydd. Probably, first used in the 14th century. It's a form of meter in Welsh poetry consisting of rhyming couplets, each line having seven syllables," dinig namin ang boses ni Token na natutulog sa gilid at nakita kong nakapikit pa ito. Halatang masarap pa ang tulog nito at parang nananaginip siya. I wonder if paano siya pinipressure ng papa niya kasi kahit sa pagtulog ay malalim na bokabolaryo pa rin ang bukambibig. Pero hindi, naalala kong nagising ako kanina kasi narini
Another three days have come. Parang hinahanap-hanap na ng tenga ko ang boses ni Mikey. Gising ang mga senses ko. I don't want to miss any word. Kung ang lahat ng ito ay pawang mga laro lamang at nasa mga kamay ng bidders ang buhay namik, ay dapat makalusot kamo rito. Hindi pwedeng hindi. Hindi na kami nagkita-kita ng mga kasama ko simula kahapon. Hindi ko gustong lamunin ako ng takot lalong-lalo nang may kasama akong buntis. "Dito ka lang, Yana," sabi ko sa kaniya nang makarating kami sa isang liblib na lugar kung saan pinalilibutan kami ng dalawang tapampas. "Saan ka pupunta? Huwag mo akong iwan dito." "Look. Mikey haven't pronounce any word yet. I'll go to Patag again. I will get some bag supplies for us. I know you are safe here. Babalikan kita rito. Hahanapin ko ang ang mga kasama ko at mga kasama mo," paliwanag ko sa kaniya at bakas sa mukha ang pag-aalala niya. "Sama na lang ako, Synec, natatakot ako."s? She was paralyze
Kinabukasan, muli kaming nagtipon. "I'm glad you came back here, Synecdoche at kasama mo si Yong," Sabi ni Yana habang nakahiga siya sa isang katre na kahoy nangawa naming lima. Ginawan namin siya ng mahihigaan dahil hindi namin alam kung kailan siya manganganak. "Yana, ilang ulit ba naming sasabihin sa iyo na hindi Yong ang pangalan niya. Siya si Vani. GiovanninRoan Cornetto, Taga district G, laki sa putikan, anak ng magsasaka," hinawi ko ang buhok niya, "ilang beses na naming pinatingin sa iyo ang tattoo niya sa braso," pagtatapos ko. Nung dumating kami nung isang araw kahit na sumasakit ang tiyan niya ay pilit niyang niyakap si Vani na siyang ipinigtaka namin. Akala namin may relasyon silang dalawa. Buti naman wala. Sabi ni Vani. Alam kong totoo ang sinabi ni Vani. Hindi dapat maging totoo ang nasa isip ko. I trust him. I have learned to trust him. After all that happens... since the beginning. Since the day the bee started to spell words.
After the third word, we haven't killed by the other tributes. Although, pinalibutan nila kami sa disyerto, hindi pa rin nila kami nadakip at napatay kasi nagtulong-tulong kami. Keithwarth has swords. I don't know where did he get those. Pero wala kaming napatay, kasi spells kami nung huling araw. Nasugatan lang sila. I think there is no rule na bawal sugatan ng mga spells ang mga killers. It's a form of self defense. We're just seven, they're more than a hundred. What would they expect us to do? Nothing? "I'm f*cking sorry, Yana. You ain't know how many propitiatory sacrifices I've done just to find you! 'Yung tatlong kasama natin tigok na. And I'm thinking about you and your... damn baby!" Nakaluhod ang isa nitong paa habang kinakausap si Yana. "Here," may iniabot si Yong kay Yana, "Naiwan mo," sabi nito sabay tingin sa gilid. "Bakit na sa iyo ito? Buti nahanap mo. Akala ko..." "Alam kong malapit ka nang manganak. I should effin blame the