Since Nine Book 3: Shattered

Trials

CHAPTER 1

RAMCEL

Ramcel’s dream was threatened, the day she had lunch with Victoria at the restaurant beside the lake. Nakita nya kung paano nagliwanag ang mga mata nito nang makita si Hector. Pakiramdam nya may parte ng puso nya ang unti-unting nagkalamat nang makita nyang masayang nagtatawanan at pinaglalaruan ng dalawa ang mga pintura sa classroom. Her heart almost shattered when she saw them kissed in the garden. The pain she felt, when she saw them naked, nearly made her heart stopped beating. It was as if life was being sucked out of her.

The taste of forever was luscious but it suddenly got bland, even bitter. She had control whenever she write stories. She could kill one character and let the other lived. She could decide whether it was a happy ending or a tragic one. It was like playing god.

Now that her happiness was about to be snatched away from her, she couldn’t help thinking if her characters cursed her. Parusa ba ito sa kanya dahil pinaglalaruan nya ang buhay ng mga tauhan sa kanyang kwento? Or was it life itself reminding her that nothing was constant?

Bata pa lang sya si Victoria na ang iniibig nya. Alam nyang imposibleng mahalin rin sya nito kaya pinili nyang itago ang damdamin at nakuntento na lang syang maging kaibigan nito. Akala nya wala nang pag-asang magkaayos sila nito nang  iwasan sya nito dahil hindi nito matanggap ang pagkatao nya.

Sobrang kaligayahan nya nang muli silang naging magkaibigan ni Victoria kahit malapit na silang magkahiwalay noon. Nalungkot sya nang malamang aalis na ito patungong Amerika kaya lalong tumindi ang paniniwala nyang wala nang pag-asang matutunan syang mahalin ni Victoria higit pa sa isang kaibigan.

The night before their graduation, naglakas-loob syang puntahan si Victoria para ibigay ang souvenir na matagal na nyang binili. Hindi nya sinabi ritong aalis na sya nang gabi ring iyon paluwas ng Philippine Academy of Arts and Music. She hated goodbyes. She even promised to get in touch with Victoria even if she intended to break it.

She didn’t know where she got her confidence that night. She kissed Victoria. It was wonderful. She never forgot that kiss. She never forgot that moment when Victoria kissed her back; that revelation that she might have feelings for her.

Kahit alam nyang baka may pagtingin rin sa kanya si Victoria, she had to be realistic. They were young at that time. They were on their way to forge their own path towards their dreams. She didn’t communicate with Victoria. She tried to forget her. She tried to focus more on honing her writing and directing skills but most of the time she failed.

Si Victoria ang laging laman ng isipan, maging ng mga panaginip. Sinubukan nyang ibaling ang tingin sa iba. Maraming interesado. She could even bend straight girls but it was always Victoria. She took Lauren’s advice. Ramcel smiled more and she conquered many girl’s heart, but her own heart remained Victoria’s captive.

Instead of a distraction, she made Victoria her inspiration. Every stories, every project she created, Victoria became her motivation. Bawat papel, bawat script, bawat idea na nireject at itinapon ng mga professors nya sa basurahan, nilunok nya. Every hurtful comments and criticisms that her storylines were garbage, she took it all and turned it into an opportunity to improve herself until she achieved excellence.

When she wasn’t writing, she was spending her free time with her friends. When she wasn’t busy, she was wasting her free time with her flings. She had a lot of them. But everytime she tried kissing them, or took them to bed, she could only see Victoria’s face. She could only utter Victoria’s name. Most of the time, her flings left frustrated.

She finished her degree in Screenwriting & Directing and joined Studio 11 officially. Determined to prove herself na hindi lang nya nakuha ang unang project sa network dahil sa koneksyon nya kay Olivia, she concentrated on her work and she was able to produce a beautiful storyline na naging patok sa masa kaya naman mataas ang rating mula umpisa hanggang matapos ang teleserye.