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

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

"So you were twins," Tanong ni Pen kay Yong at Vani. Nakapalibot kami lahat sa isang apoy na lumalagablab. Gabi na at panahon na para magpahinga ngunit napagdesisyunan naming mag-usap muna. At kung mayroong killers dito sa grupo namin ay hindi kami magpapatayan.   "What do you think?" Yong asked back. Nagluluto siya ng isang hippo. Tumango na lamang si Pen kasi halata naman sa mukha nila. Mariin naman siyang humiga at tumingin sa kalangitan.  Pinaghalo ng hanging malamig at init ng apoy ang aming paligid. We can hear the crickets, pati ang uwang ng mga lobo, we can hear the cascading waterfall nearby. Napalilibutan kami ng kadiliman ngunit kapag tumingin sa taas ay makikita ang mga bituing nagniningning ngunit mapula ang buong kalangitan na para bang nagbabadya. I smiled when I heard people singing blocks away. I am glad they're alive. Those jinglers who love music. Always joyful. Nang biglang umiyak ang dalawang sanggol ay bigla na lang

Only energy in its purest form. Heat and power and connection. In a world where letters are the indicators—of our death. Sa buong buhay ko, I've been afraid it would overwhelm me. That the feelings are too big, the people too many, the pain too great. I spent every minute of every hour of every day understanding the definitions of everything from having to feel all the life there that is around me. I always taught myself that I am not alone. Because even the words have synonyms. Even the words have creators. May ibat-ibang lengguwahe. The words can be deceiving. May kani-kaniyang pinagmulan. Kagaya nila, namin, nating lahat. It's the freedom. We lost our vocabulary, our knowledge. What we have lost, we have lost together. To say that the government deliberately adopted the Machiavellian policy of mastering the revolution by setting race against race, shatters those who shattered, reaped on the 2nd Maharlika Spelling Twistbee—would be to pay too high a compliment to i

We eradicated the chaos. Our ability to reach unity in diversity will be the beauty and the test of our civilization.  Ang bulalakaw na pumukaw sa natutulog na paraiso ang dahilan ng pagkabuklod-buklod. Bawat letra ay katumbas ng bawat tao, sa bawat distrito, na may kani-kaniyang pamumuhay.  Our world is arranged in Alphabetical order—as well our life. Natutunan kong 'di lahat ng sinasabing maayos ay nakaayos.  I am not a word but I have my origin, my definition, my purpose, my own example. Regardless of how short and long—how easy and difficult, how complicated.  Young people have this almost romantic attachment to civil rights, liberties, emancipating people from oppression, from being controlled. The idea that such oppression exists in this nation offends me, but it's able to be pushed and sold because education in this nation is so woefully incompetent and inept—but it's not too late. This is who we are and