You know that you need to do this. The last thing sinabi to her rang in her ears. She growled softly as she tread through the mountains. A faint line of smoke directed her to the destination. Before getting too close, she transformed to her cat form and then moved closer. The soft, deep voices of two scouts hushed upon her arrival. She mewed softly as they let her into the secret base. She glanced around before heading through, the map they had drilled in her head helping her ilipat through the compound. She stopped suddenly, her puso aching. Shaking her head, she pushed past the painful memory of a boy with white hair and hurried to controls. She changed inside the hidden safe. She gasped as the kwelyo around her dug into her neck and sent electricity through her body. She grabbed what she needed and the kwelyo stopped. She gasped and choked before she ran out, rushing for the exit. She couldn’t remember the susunod few minutos that passed by, but she remembered the tears in her eyes as the mountain exploded, her watching from a distance…

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A knock sounded at her door and she unlocked it. She glared at the dashing man who stood in her doorway before turning away. Her dress swished behind her as she moved to the elegant vanity. He grabbed one of her hands and pulled her close.
“Let go of me!”
“Don’t be so rude; I wouldn’t want you to be punished.”
She glared at him again, but kept silent as he kissed her hand. She looked at him as he gave her that smile that made her skin crawl. She slipped away to put the finishing touches on to her outfit before she accompanied him down the massive, elegant ballroom full of people. They headed down the spiral staircase and her puso betrayed her. The scenery was breathtakingly beautiful. Even the man on her arm did little to damper the scene. Until he pulled her close and upon the dance floor.
“You’ll have to stop glaring; it doesn’t suit you.”
“Why do you care?”
“Look, I know you’re angry. But you’ll learn to pag-ibig me. After all, I’m the only one here for you now. And I’ll be the only one here forever.”
“That’s your fault!”
“Hush, kitten! You’re meant to be my petsa this evening.”
She pushed back the glare and scowl that threatened to appear.
“Let’s get one thing straight. You are not my boyfriend. I do not like you. So don’t think I’ll let you get away with anything.”
“I think you will. You know the price of your disobedience.”
She looked away from him, moving to head outside. She clutched her hands together and bolted deep into the hedge maze that was the garden. She gasped as a breath of air filled her lungs; clean, free air. She stopped when she came to a bench and sat down. She waited silently, but when several minutos passed she let out a sigh of relief and let her tears flow. She ached for the familiar warm arms and the lingering kisses to her head. Her puso ached for him so much and she only cried harder. It felt like hours when her tears subsided and she fell into sleep, dreaming of him and freedom.