The Girl in the Bubble

One: How Life Began to Her

It was late on October, and the blazing heat added to the ear piercing scream of the woman.

She was sweating buckets while the caregiver avidly supported her. An old woman stood not from far away, it was her house and as she looked at the woman screaming, she couldn't help but look for her son, the husband of that woman.

"Where is he?"

"He said he'll arrive soon."

Moments later, a shrill cry broke in. It was small but utterly loud. Some neighbors had already gathered due to the cacophony, since it was a small village. With vast trees extending as far as the eye can see. Small houses are built closely, but also faraway. There are only few – 2 to 3 houses which looks antique and obviously the ones who owned the properties and land.
The old woman named Felipa and her husband, Teo, had governed the area for many years. With her 6 children, which some already married and her third son's wife is currently giving birth to their third child also.

"It's a girl–"
"Oh my, look at those curls !"

They looked at Felipa whose short hair naturally possessed curls, and she smiled.

"It looks like the child takes on our side again."

Unlike the beautiful woman in the mattress whose long straight hair messily sprawl around her face. She had a dignified look despite of everything and held the baby on her arms.

"By the way, what will be her name?"
"Hmm.. I've been thinking of 'Samantha Nichole'  it's pretty right? It's the name of the child I also nursed back then –"

The child seemed to never stop crying despite it's fragile body.

Then someone came, he oddly turned to look at the mother and child, then quickly ran away. Literally.

The reason being is, he later said he was afraid of the child's sound.

As she was their first daughter.

***

"Mom, am I a girl?"

Big round eyes stared at her mother who was busily cooking. The girl was around 7 years old and she was curious than ever. She wanted to ask her mother thousands of question.

"Of course, you are my sweet girl."
"But why does my hair don't look like yours?"
She wanted to look like her mother too and be as pretty as her. She couldn't even tell if what she's feeling is pure curiousity or envy.

"It's alright, we all have unique differences. And that what makes us beautiful." Rowena smiled at her inquisitive daughter like a ray of sunshine, and the girl did the same. Her prescence and smile was always full of affection.

After that day, the little girl paid no heed to her short curly hair like her grandmother. It was always trimmed short for no reason. She only found herself sometimes being called at her grandmother's house, where she was born, to let her cut locks of her hair.
Sometimes it was cut too short, that in one look it's hard to distinguish what she is.  Specially since all she does is play with her brothers and cousins.
Apparently, she did not even realize if they were all boys or not. Or if she is a girl or not. At the end, it didn't matter to her.

Her brothers; the first one is Louise who's 4 years older, and Kent, in 3 years.
While her little brother, John,  for whose existence she knew 2 years after her.

Then they came.

"From today, they are gonna live together with you guys."  Suddenly, the girl's mother brought her sister who has two male boys with her. Ginalyn, her auntie is softhearted and hardworking, that even if she was left by her cheating husband, she did not gave up and raised them until one day she was asked to lived with her married sister's house.

The two young boys quickly adapted, and along with the cousins they were full of energy and wandered on their big playground – in which the blue river, the huge ponds, and the stretching evergreen forest.

The girl played day by day till her skin got tanned by the summer heat.
She occasionally wear dresses or play dolls. What she always did is to bask in the summer heat, swim and frolic with her only friends– her family.
When school arrived, she drastically became sullen and quiet. She didn't know how to approach her classmates, but she liked listening to her teacher because she thought most of them act like her mother. Preaching, and kindly understands her, thus she worked hard that whenever she go home, she would straight away show off her 5 starred scores and A's. Her mother was beaming proud.

"Joan ! Be careful playing or you might get hurt again."
"Okay mom!"

Yes, her name is Joan , not Samantha like her mother originally thought so. Because her father refused and deliberately erased the name on the registration paper and wrote the simple name instead.

His reason being; is he cared too much about his child.

"I don't want our daughter to struggle writing her name at school."

Thus the next beginnings started as fate playfully spun it's wheel on this girl named Joan.