"Pa, I- we have something to tell you about..." I overheard Papa and my Ate's conversation outside my room.
"About Achan?"
"Why only him?" My sister's voice shattered.
"Achan?"
"Achan?"
"Achan, are you listening?" Miss Montelmo waived her hand at me, tucking her tablet on between her arm and chest.
"Ye- Yes?" I sat properly and looked at her.
"As I was saying, your main assignment for now is to train your power, you must be able to help the Young Master regain his health within three months- or else..." She paused, reading whatever's on her tablet.
"How can I possibly do that, do they actually thought I have a Gift?" I whispered to myself.
After not hearing her continue her explanation, I chose to stare at the papers in front of me, drinking a tea.
Contract
I, *blank*, *blank* years old, from *blank*. Accept the position/tittle of Private Health Physician-
I spat out my drink in shock.
"Achan?" Miss Montelmo came back to her senses and started rushing to me.
"Thi- *Cough* This!" I picked up the now wet piece of paper.
"Is the salary too low?" She immediately tried to counter whatever she thought I thought.
"LOW? 2 million monthly salary?" This is like my 8 years of total salary.
"The thing is, we still don't have enough evidence that it's your gift that healed the Young Master two nights ago- if only we haven't interfered with you back then, you could have done it..." She explained while showing me a footage of what happened that night.
I can see myself standing on the railings of my room's balcony, but when I was about to jump into the other one, the footage suddenly turned completely black.
"This is why we can only offer you two million per month- but if you could heal Young Master right now, we could give you 20 million immediately!" She said that made me lose my mind.
Did I just hear that?
"You thought I could miraculously get rid of people's illness? Miss Montelmo, I am flattered, but I am not a God, nor is anyone who claims to be able to do that!" I exclaimed.
I can't seem to reason with these people, how can they believe in such idiocy when they should be relying on real doctors!
"But you can, we know your father, we have been researching everything about his legacy-"
"Fuck that man, he's nothing but a big fat load of crap! The Great Babaylan Rachan Allare is not real people, he's a con artist!" I snapped.
I was wrong, I thought I was here to pay for my father's sins, but it seems like it was the complete opposite. Who knew there are still people out there who believe in this shit?
"Then let's see if you're not lying. Stay here for a week and let me test you, if you say that your bloodline's Gift is indeed a sham, we can compensate for all the trouble and you can go back to your life. But if you possess the Gift, you have to sell your soul to the Moralez family, do you agree? Or are you afraid?" Manager suddenly entered the private room where we're in and sat next to me.
"I mean, I have no other choice, do I?" I smiled back and stared at his hazel eyes.
Little did I know, I was falling right into their trap!
"Fuck!" I screamed upon the realization of the situation I'm in.
Cold water, early in the morning, straight into my face!
"Test number one, a Gifted one is under their God's protection, keeping them safe especially when their vessel's unaware of the danger around them. Which you failed!" Manager explained as he check something on his clipboard.
"What can I say, I'm a normal human fudging being!" I censored myself after seeing who's in my room.
"Or maybe, you haven't entered a contract to any God as of this moment!" He smiled, drinking the remaining cold water on his mug.
Frustrated, I got out of the bed and ran to the bathroom.
"Faster!" Manager yelled after passing through me.
"I don't have long legs like you!" I screamed, panting.
We have been running around the isle for an hour now, did he think I could run for forever?
"A Shaman's body is riddled with vast amount of lifeforce, making them physically superior." He grabbed the clipboard tucked behind his shorts.
"Is it done now? Can I take a break?"
"No, you still need one more lap!" He said after writing something on it.
"Frick you!" I said then continued to run.
"Careful, nice, good one Young Master!" I heard miss Montelmo's voice near the driveway.
I snuck a peak after I saw Manager walking inside the house.
"Is this really necessary?" He scoffed after throwing throwing his cane.
"You have been stuck in your bed for days, it's best to take a little walk from time to time. Besides, your healer's also-"
"Don't even dare call him that! And he's not mine! He's nothing more than a leech, trying to fool my dad!" He yelled.
Oh fuck that man!
"It's as if I ever wanted this!" I couldn't stop myself, I just found myself charging at him and grabbing his collar.
"Achan!" Miss Montelmo's eyes grew wide, shock by my sudden attack.
"Now look what we have here, you're not just a leech are you? Are you also a bat? Tss, what a freak!" He snapped back, flicking my arm away with a heavy blow.
I thought he's weak? My arm's aching just from that!
"Achan! Apologize now! Don't make Young Master's health worse!" Miss Montelmo reached for my hands and pleaded.
She's right, I can't possibly be the reason for his death, I wouldn't be able to get out of this island alive!
"I- I'm sorry..." I said while looking away.
"You- Are you really that desperate?!" He screamed.
Me? I have never been yelled like this before, I have never felt so little in my life, does he really think of me that way?
"Tsk, rich people and their view against poor people... You're unsalvageable!" I said then ran away.
As much as I wanted to run further, I could only take myself around the island.
"Why are these people so crazy?!" I screamed as the ocean wave smashes through a giant rock where I sat.
I am underneath the villa, screaming my anger out. It's good that underneath the cliff has this little cave, it kinda suits my mood right now so I just sat here and bawled my eyes out.
"I miss my home." I told myself as I stare at the incoming wave.
A splash got through my eyes that sting me a little.
"What the?"
I tried to wipe my wet face but a bigger wave got my entire body wet.
"Is the water getting higher?" I stood up and saw myself stuck in the middle of the cave filled with water.
Don't tell me the tide's getting higher?
*Thunderclap*
Then there I realized, a storm is coming!
"Fuck!" I shouted.
I tried to get down from the rock and run back around but the water's too high for me, I might get snatched by the waves.
"I- I can't swim!" I told myself as if I don't know it yet.
I had no other choice but to run inside the cave, where I found a little platform, just enough to get me out of the salty water.
"What time is it?"
Defeated by the sight of the dimming light from the entrance of the cave, I just sat in silence, cursing at myself for being carried out by my emotion.
"What a fucking loser, always nothing but a failure!" A slap from my left hand struck my face.
"Are you done sulking? Because that's all you could do, nothing but a fucking bitch!" Another slap from my other hand hit me.
"Is this what you want? To die in a foreign land, with a bunch of idiots?" The thunder began to roar.
As a pair of hands hit both sides of my face.
"I got this!" With a teary eye, I jumped into the water.
Only for it to push me back into the platform.
"FUCK!" I screamed then ran further away from the entrance.
Even the platform where I'm has been filled with water.
It's now raising into my knees.
"Help! HELP!" I pleaded, but nothing.
Is this it?
"Please help us, my sister, she's gone- did you see her?"
"Achan? Didn't the Babaylan forbid you to go out?" A man suddenly blocked my way.
"Excuse me, I need to find my sister!" I pleaded.
"This kid, you cannot get out of the house while the tide's high, your emotion's too high in this time of day!" The guy picked me up.
"Get off of me! Let me go! I wanna see my sister!" I struggled, but my small body can't possible do anything against a grown man.
"Ate Rech!" I couldn't do anything but cry out my sister's name.
Why do you have to leave me that day? You didn't even tell me, and yet, I couldn't help myself but to understand you, the same reason why you kept staying with that wretched man...
"Achan?" In the dark, cold cave, a sudden light filled my world.
"Ricco?!" A warm relief filled my cold and wet body.
"I'm here, I got you!" His voice got louder as the light began to lit up the entire place.
"Are you good? Did you got hurt?" Manager tried to ask me for the third time now.
"I- I'm okay, thank you for saving me!" I smiled at him, hugging the towel that covers me.
"Go take a shower, I need to do the same." He said then left me on my room.
"Achan, are you alright? Did you got hurt?" Miss Montelmo suddenly entered my room as I was drying off my hair.
"I'm fine, I just got wet from the rain..." I avoided her gaze and went back to blow drying my hair.
"Are you sure? I thought Manager found you nesled inside that cave?"
"Oh that? I was just stuck inside since I can't swim." I tried to laugh it off.
"Okay then, next time, please don't run off on your own. You still have no awareness on your Spiritual Gift!" She sighed and gave me a paper bag.
"What's this?" I dropped the blower and faced her.
"An emergency alarm bracelet, it sends distress signal to headquarters, that way, you can be safer!" She explained while I open a box with a silver bracelet.
"Tha- Thanks?" I said as she help me wear it.
"Triple press the pendant and the signal would go off, if you take it off, it would send the last location it was taken off, tug it, it would buzz a semi alarm- pretty cool, right?" She cackled.
"Miss Montelmo? You didn't have to, I'm only here for a few days!"
"Can you just call me Irene? And no, I really don't have to, but the Young Master insisted-"
"Your beast of a boss?!" I exclaimed, almost tried to take off the bracelet.
"You don't believe me-"
"Ms. Montelmo, let him rest!" Manager suddenly entered my room.
"Okay, but Achan? You must listen to this, the Young Master's really not that bad, he's just warry of scammers that tried to take advantage of the family from the past... But don't worry, he'll grow warm on you soon!" She smiled before running out of the room.
"Why would he do that?" I asked myself.
As if that man would realize my intention, he doesn't even listen to what I have to say, he already set his judgement before I even got the chance to defend myse-
"Are you okay? Should I ask the cook to make you a hot soup?" Manager sat next to me on the bed.
"No thank you, I'm fine now, I'm not that weak!" I laughed which made him smirk.
"Who knew a big boy like you can't swim?" He teased me.
"I just have my reasons okay? It's not that I never wanted to try to learn..." I couldn't help myself but to lose my smile after hearing myself try to explain the reason.
"I know, sir Rachan must have a lot of things he can't let you do!" He patted my head and smiled.
"You're seriously doing this to me?" I asked, clutching my chest.
"What?" He laughed.
"Thank you, for being there!" I hugged him, yes I did.
I can't believe it, what can I say, I'm just a human. There's no way I wouldn't fall for such a gentleman.
"I- I gotta go." I was stunned when he suddenly pulled away from me.
"What- What did I say wrong?" I asked, confused by the looks of his face.
He's pissed at me?
"No- Nothing." He stuttered.
"I'm sorry, I was just thanking you for saving me?" I stood up.
"Don't thank me, I was just ordered to find you..." He said before walking out of the room.
Ordered? He could have just said welcome, what did I do wrong?