Chapter 1: The Del Valle Siblings

“ Hey Celine, let’s go to the bar “ A cold aura and demeanor suprised Marceline. She sighed annoyingly, clearly irritated to her older sister for inviting her to go to the bar again.

“ Again, ate? We just went there yesterday! Maawa ka sa mga bituka ko, please! “ Marceline’s pleading tone, asking for some mercy for her intestines. Mikhson chuckled st her little sister’s pleading tone and Marceline’s bent knees.

“ No, come with me. You said you will always stick with me and my bullshit doings. “ She smirked at Marceline, pissing her sister off. Marceline couldn’t do anything and just went to the bar with her sister.

As they entered the bar, loud noises, music, people’s partying, drinking and lights that are roaming around suprised them. Marceline covered her face with her left hand, she might be enjoying and drinking nonstop but she’s sometimes afraid of the lights. Marceline seeing lights once traumatized her a long time ago.

“ Sobrang ingay naman dito! “ Marceline said and her sister just chuckled at her.

“ It’s a bar, Celine. What did you expected? Of course it will be always noisy. “ She chuckled once more before leaving her to find a table. While Marceline ordered 2 whiskey bottles jn the counter. Mikhson called Marceline in their table, she did not expected that Mikhson’s friends are also here. She brought the bottles with her carefully—avoiding the peoples who are partying and dancing.

As she reached their table, she gently placed the bottles. Clyndon laughed at her but Marceline just gave her ate Clyndon a disgusted look. Jhian was the first one who poured the whiskey in her glass and drinks it.

“ Hoy Jhian, dahan-dahan lang naman oh! “ Clyndon exclaimed, not wanting her to drink all the liquid inside the whiskey bottle. Jhian chuckles and continued drinking, Geyden also started to drink, while Mikhson is just staring at her phone. Marceline noticed her and offered her a drink.

The four are drinking while Marceline is just roaming her eyes around the bar. She’s not enjoying this, more like she just wanted to go home. Because she knows that she knows that she will be the one who will carry them once they get drunked.

“ Why aren’t you drinking tonight, Celine? Come on, join us! “ Geyden asked her as she noticed that she was just roaming her eyes around and not minding the four of them drinking.

“ No thanks, ayoko malasing. Tsaka walang magbubuhat sa inyo, kakahiya naman. “ Marceline said with a full of sarcasm in her voice. She lets out a sigh. The four of them laughed, but they’re grateful for having her by their side.

Marceline is also like their little sister because they knew from the start that Marceline nevser felt love from her and Mikhson’s parents. Ever since Marceline is still a kid, she already have her four sisters. Her ate Mikhson, Clyndon, Geyden, and her kabardagulan, Jhian.

But Marceline’s the most grateful among the five of them for always saving her. She never experienced childhood and ended up getting a traumatic experience in lights.

That’s her secret that no one she wants to know. She doesn’t want them to know about her, about her childhood. She doesn’t want them to know that she failed to save herself. That she failed to save the young her.

“ Come on, Celine. Hindi ka ba talaga iinom? It js so fun to drink! I mean, sayang naman ’yong binili mo. “ Clyndon kept forcing Marceline to drink. She couldn’t do anything anymore so she just accepted the drink that Clyndon offered her. I mean, at least Clyndon aren’t forcing her now. The alcohol is bitter as like what lives the Del Valle siblings have. But their lives are just a little bit much bitter than the alcohol.

But sometimes, it’s not bitter as it can be. I mean who wouldn’t enjoy this kind of life? You can buy everything you want, get what you want, and you can do everything you want freely. But no matter how much money they have, those things are nothing. All they want and need is the love from their parents.

They continued to drink, after a few minutes they have already finished the 2 bottles. The four of them were already drunked except Marceline. Of course, it’s the same cycle that is repeating again. Marceline carried them one by one all the way to the car.

She drove away as they are already completed. She took the three of them to their respective homes one by one and went home with her sister.

She’s driving slowly, not wanting their parents to catch them that they went to the bar again. She made sure that their mom and dad are already sleeping. Because once their parents catch them awake at this late hour, and wearing some casual clothes—they will just get yelled at.

Marceline carried her sister all the way to the living room carefully even if the whole house is dark. Not until someone opened the lights. Marceline’s knees weakened and she dropped Mikhson. Their dad and mom appears with an inexplicable look at them. Marceline stops in her tracks.

“ Where were you two at this late hour? “ Normal but deadly tone of their dad said. Marceline got nervous.

“ Uh we just went somewhere, dad. Ate Mikhson had a chance to drink because her friends also bought a whiskey bottle. I couldn’t stop her dad. “ Marceline nervously lied from their dad but he didn’t got convinced.

Mr. Del Valle took Mikhson away from her sister. He knows that her daughter is fully drunked, but he still slapped her. Mikhson woken up at the sudden pain she felt on her right cheek. Marceline catches her sister as she was about to fall from the slap, she tried not to cry in front of her dad and mom.

“ Hindi na talaga kayong dalawa nagtino! Puro kayo inom at gastos! “ Their dad yelled at them. Their mom is just staring at them, doesn’t care about what’s happening. Mr. Del Valle also slapped Marceline, making her stepped back. Mikhson pushed her dad away from her sister, and then she caress Marceline’s cheek, right where their dad slapped her.

“ Bunso, are you okay? “ Mikhson softly asked her sister. Marceline nodded at her. She continued to caress Marceline’s cheek even if she’s drunked—she still know what to do if it’s her sister. Mrs. Del Valle helped her husband to stand up. Anger shown on her face as Mikhson pushed Mr. Del Valle. Their mom walked to them and she slapped Mikhson side by side again. Marceline cried as Mikhson felt weakened. And then their parents just left them in the living room.

“ Ate... “ Marceline said while crying, she hugged her older sister for her to seek comfort. Mikhson pulled her little sister closer into a tight embrace. They both cried and hugging each other. Marceline kept apologizing to Mikhson for not protecting her.

Mikhson caress her sister’s cheek once again and kissed her forehead, signaling that it’s okay.

“ It’s okay, bunso. Ate’s here to protect you, I am not gonna leave and I will stay here by your side. “ Mikhson said trying to keep her voice to speak steady. Marceline cried even more to her sister’s arm when she heard those words that came out of Mikhson’s mouth.

Even if she’s drunked, she still have time to protect her sister. To Mikhson, if someone tried to hurt Marceline, she will do anything and everything to get revenge. If she’s already selfish to others, her sister is an exception.

Marceline carried Mikhson again all the way to her sister’s room. She also brought a wet towel with her, she lay her sister down in the bed and she wiped the towel on Mikhson’s body. She also changed her sister’s clothes for her to feel comfortable while resting. So much things happened today, yet she can dtill manage to take care of Mikhson.

For Marceline, she knew that Mikhson had enough. Her sister already suffered enough. She wants for Mikhson to be the old her again, but this time—she will put herself first. That’s the only thing she wants for her older sister. For her to feel happiness again, for her to feel like she’s free.

She looks like she’s free, but Mikhson is living and locked up in a cage under their parents’ hand. She can do everything she want, but she’s not fully free. She’s not fully free, from their parents.

Her ate Mikhson is her one and only protector. If she failed to save the young her, well—her ate Mikhson chose to save her. In the world full of noise, messy and pain—she have her protector. She have her saviour. She have her sister. She have Mikhson. She might be quiet to everyone, but she’s noisy and jolly when it comes to her sister. Her ate is also her only exception.

She wrapped a blanket all over Mikhson’s body. After she did the work, she went to her own room. Looking for a warm and cozy t-shirt and pajama shorts before going to the shower room.

After a tough day, she just wants to shower. She wants to feel calm, safe and comfortable. After showering, a warm feeling in the sheet suprised her body.

She just wants to go to sleep and never wake up. She just wants to forget about what happened earlier. She touched her cheek where their dad slapped her. There are so many things inside her head but she still chose to stay calm.

She wants to leave this house, to leave all the traumatic experience she felt in this house. Because she’s scared. If she failed to save the young her, she’s scared she might even failed to save the old her.

But that’s impossible, because after all. She have someone, she have someone to protect her. Mikhson, her sister.

“ I am the youngest, and I am the strongest. But it doesn’t mean, I don’t and I can’t feel any pain anymore. “ She closed her eyes after praying to the God. Hoping that tomorrow is a good day. Hoping that if she wakes up, there’s no problem to suprise her.

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