Chapter 2: Episode 1 – The Game Will Begin (1)

It was early November, and the strong wind roused the trees, causing leaves from branches to fall and sway. During the rainy season, the city of Quezon was flooded with heavy rain, making the temperature drop.

The tar-black sky followed by raindrops made it hard to see the glimmering stars.

Because of the cold weather and intense rain, schools were out for the safety of students. Floods and typhoons were quite common throughout the country since its prone to tropical cyclones because of its geographical location.  

Inside a small café, many people could be seen drinking warm coffee to withstand the cold temperature. The pattering sound of raindrops made the atmosphere of the café relaxing. The café was spacious and people were now leaving with umbrellas in their hands. A young woman stood behind a counter while managing the last customer.

After giving the last customer their order, the barista looked at the time on her phone and sighed, taking off her apron as she entered the staff room. She changed out of her uniform and was now packing up her bag when one of her colleagues came in.

"Maria, you're leaving already?" A man with purple-dyed hair asked. "Isn't it a bit too early?"

"It's already past 6. My shift already ended and you know who's in charge for tonight," Maria replied. 

The man with dyed hair groaned and leaned his back against the wall. He was the youngest worker among the other baristas and was currently working the night shift.

"It's a Friday night though!" He exclaimed. "There's a new movie I wanted to see! Heck, I even brought tickets!"

The young man, Reyo, had only started working this year and was planning to quit once he graduated from university and earned enough money to rent an apartment for himself.

Maria picked up her bag and asked, "Couldn't you just use a legal streaming site to watch the movie?"

Reyo tilted his head and said, "Too many ads for me to deal with. Isn't there a way for me to leave without the boss noticing?"

"You know you can't do that even if you wanted to," Maria warned him. "Even if you did, your salary will be cut down. Trust me, I experienced it beforehand."

"Ahhh, were you a troublemaker? Did you also try skipping work back in your youthful years?" Reyo said with a mischievous smile.

"Everyone had at least tried skipping or escaping work once."

Just as he was about to speak again, Maria lifted her hand to quiet him. She didn't have time to listen to Reyo's complaints and was more focused on buying gifts for her relatives.

Christmas was one month away and she had only brought two gifts for her younger siblings. She wanted to prepare in advance so that she had time on her hands for next month.

Once Maria had sorted out her things, she turned to leave when Reyo stopped her. He pulled out a note from his apron and said, "I've been meaning to give this to you the whole day, but the café was so busy that I could only give it to you now."

Maria looked closely at the small piece of paper and saw there were numbers written on it. A dull expression quickly spread across her face.

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested..."

"It's not from me!" Reyo shouted, looking both embarrassed and shocked.

"Then..?"

"One of the customers from earlier gave it to me. He said to give it to the 'cute barista behind the counter.'" Reyo nearly gagged after he phrased the last words.

Maria, "..."

Reyo shoved the paper in her hands and grumbled, still red after she assumed it was from him. Maria looked down at the piece of paper in her hands before ripping it apart and throwing it near a trash bin.

"Ouch, that's cold."

"You know me enough to know I'm not interested in dating anyone."

"But throwing it, I suddenly felt a prick in my heart seeing it."

Maria just laughed and waved goodbye, walking out of the staff room and leaving through the front door. She opened her umbrella and lifted it up to shield herself from the pouring rain.

She walked calmly into the city with her phone in her hands. Christmas was one month away and she needed to buy gifts she was going to give to her family and relatives.

As she walked through the busy streets of Quezon, her phone suddenly rang. She stopped in front of a less crowded shop that had an open eave overhanging from it. Maria stood under the roof's eave and answered the call.

"Hello?"

She was then greeted by a loud, cheerful voice from the end of her phone.

"Ate!" It was her younger brother.

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"Ervin? What is it?"

How long had it been since she was able to receive a call from her family? It might've been a few months. Even so, Maria smiled hearing the loud background noises coming from the call.

"Mom asked how you were doing in the city. In two weeks, we'll visit you."

"Two weeks? Then do you want me to download some Christmas movies?"

"Horror Christmas movies!"

Maria remembered how much her siblings loved Christmas movies, especially horror ones.

"Okay, tell Mom I'm doing fine. The weather is cold, but I can manage."

"Will Ate Amelie be there?"

"Yeah! Will she?" This time, the voice came from her youngest brother, Dylan.

She could even hear the sound of groaning and fighting between her two brothers over the phone.

"Haha, of course. She's always here."

They sure like her.

"Anyway, don't bring any food, I'm going to cook and there'll be food delivery."

The night was still and the cold wind rustled the leaves of trees. Screeching tires and mechanical engines resonated the roads. The lights from tall buildings and stores brightened Quezon city. Their call lasted for 20 minutes before her brother had to hang up.

Maria was able to keep in touch with her family after moving from a different city. She had been living in Quezon City for only three years, but it felt like a decade since she moved.

After graduating, she decided to leave her family's home to live independently in the city of Quezon. She went out of her way to buy a house in a newly built neighborhood and applied for a job as a high school teacher.

Maria earned a living by teaching high school students biology. Her status in her department was quite average, but she was still well-known and liked among her students.

It was still unclear to her why she decided to become a teacher. She originally wanted to be a doctor, but an unknown feeling occupied her when she was finally deciding what career to choose. Like it wasn't a job suitable for her.

There was a bit of conflict when Maria started picking out her choices. She didn't know why she ended up with her third option of being a teacher. Although looking back at it, teaching students about the beauty of life somewhat gave Maria a pleasant feeling. It wasn't what she hoped for, but she had no regrets.

With her hardworking performance, she was able to catch the principal's attention and was given the opportunity to teach at a large university. It was a great offer that no one wanted to refuse, let alone a great opportunity to earn more money.

For some unknown reason, she had to decline the offer. Soon after that, she resigned from her job and left the department to work at a small café.

Her family and relatives often visited her during the holidays when they had free time. Most of her relatives still couldn't accept the fact that Maria had refused the offer and bickered about making the right decision. It was the only reason why Maria really didn't enjoy family events.

This Christmas wouldn't be any different.

Maria arrived home at around 7 P.M. and was tired. She took off her coat and wet shoes, throwing them aside to lie down on the couch.

One of her close friends, Angela, came walking out of the bathroom and saw Maria lying down on the couch with her stomach facing down.

"You're home," She said. "Amelie texted me and she should be home by now. I heated some water so you should take a bath now."

Maria nodded lightly with her eyes half-closed. She wasn't surprised to see Angela inside since she gave spare keys to some of her close friends.

The house she owned was a two-story traditional Filipino house that had three guest rooms and one master bedroom. Her father brought her to the house when she turned 20.

"I have an essay due tomorrow and Kuya Nick asked if I could stay here for tonight."

Maria yawned and nodded. She looked up at the young college girl with droopy eyes and asked, "Do you need anything else?"

Angela tilted her head and turned to enter her room. Maria lay silently on the couch before sitting up. Then she stood up and began heading her way to the kitchen. The stove had a pot filled with boiling water, with steam rising out of the lid.

What makes going home the best for Maria was taking a long, warm bath.

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