Have You . . . ?

. . . seen yourself?

Ganun na lang ang gulat ni Ana nang makitang nakabukas ang pinto ng bahay nila. Sa pagkakatanda niya ay iniwan niya 'yong sarado at nauna umalis ang mga magulang niya kaysa sa kanya, imposible namang nakabalik na ang mga it-

"Jean! Aalis na kami," sigaw ng Mama niya na biglang hininaan ang volume ng speaker.

Mula sa computer, at sa matingkad na orange background ng kinahuhumalingang site, nilingon ni Jean ang ina at ngumiti. "Opo, opo. Ingats!"

Dumukot ito ng isang daan sa pitaka at iniabot sa kanya. "Budget mo yan, kumain ka na lang ah? Baka gabi na kami makauwi." Bilin pa nito na tinanguan lang niya.

Matapos ang ilan pang mga bilin, hinila na ng Papa niya ang ina para makaalis na sila. Natawa pa siya dahil sa kalokohan ng ama na nagkukunyaring late na sila sa kasal. Wala namang kasal na magaganap, sa bahay lang naman ng Tito niya ang punta ng mga ito.

Sinave niya muna ang ginagawa bago tumayo, inihatid ng tingin ang mga magulang at isinara ang pinto.

Orayt, she thought, the house is mine and mine alone!

Itinodo niya ang volume ng speaker as the song Drown by Bring Me The Horizon blasted through it.

♪ What doesn't kill you makes you wish you were dead.
Got a hole in my soul, growing deeper and deeper.
And I can't take one more moment of this silence ♪

"The loneliness is haunting meee," Jean sang at the top of her lungs while preparing her coffee at 10 A.M.

After taking a sip, she made her way to her favorite place in the world-sa harap ng computer nila, tabi ng speakers.

She's writing a new chapter of her latest story before her mother interrupted her.

While her head is banging with the song, her hands are flying at the keyboard as the scenario continuously plays in her head. Loud, banging, music helps her write continuously as it efficiently silences other thoughts that may interrupt her writing phase.

A sudden pop made her looked at the lower part of her computer. An email.

Saving her work, she clicked the email and smiled at what she saw.

An avid reader's letter, says the subject of the email.

Jean's smile grew wider, she loves receiving letters from her readers. It made her feel as if her words, sentences, paragraphs and stories has reached someone in a level that only a reader and a writer could understand.

From the looks of the subject, alam na ni Jean na may kinalaman ito sa huling pinublish niya-An Apology Letter.

She took a deep breath as Secondhand Serenade's A Twist In My Story started playing in her background.

♪ Slow down, the world isn't watching us
Break down, it's safe to say we are alone now
We're alone now ♪

Clicking the email, she readied herself for a rant or maybe a confused reader's questions.

Dear Ms. J,

I am a huge fan of yours. Siguro ilang beses mo na nabasa ang mga salitang yun pero totoo, I am a huge fan.