"Hi?" I say. I barely hold my posture together.
Thirty-five of my relatives watch me with their judging eyes. It makes my cheeks burn like hell. Why must they be like this all the time?
"Get in your seat," my mom hisses.
I nod and walk toward the empty seat next to her. My father is not here because he has been long gone since I was twelve.
"Now we shall pray," my grandmother Lucy says.
I stare at her. She raises her palms and bows as my relatives link their hands together. It is my turn so I touch my palm to my mother's and to my aunt next to me.
My grandmother starts chanting the prayer words like she is casting a spell. I really feel something heavy in my chest because the way they stared at me earlier makes me feel nauseous. A tear threatens to escape from my eyes, but I force myself to stop it.
As soon as the praying is done, my grandmother looks up. "Now we shall eat our food."
There are a lot of varieties of food to pick from. The first thing I notice is the big lechon. I can smell the savory spices and the delicious aroma through my nose. I have no idea that I have been gazing at it for thirty seconds.
"Hannah, take a plate and pick the food you like because you know how your relatives are. They are fast eaters," Mom whispers into my ear. I nod because I know exactly what to do.
I start to wonder which food to choose. The first thing I pluck with my fork is the lechon skin because it has been my favorite since elementary school. I can remember the taste of it melting in my mouth with the savory flavor and the crispiness of the skin. I get about three pieces of lechon on my plate. Next is the rice. I take the spoon and scoop about two scoops. That is enough for me because I plan on dieting even though I have a curvy body.
The last thing I want to get is the delicious beef steak. Lechon is delicious, but nothing beats my precious beef steak. I have been dying to eat it since the food arrived earlier. I reach for the beef steak while it is still smoking hot.
"Hannah, apologize to your grandparents," Aunt Jenny says.
I turn my head around. I thought she had forgotten about the scenario earlier. I feel my blood boil.
"As you wish, Aunt Jenny," I say in a quirky tone.
I turn around to my Grandmother Lucy and Grandfather Jose which is the bench table is really long.
"Sorry, Grandma. Sorry, Grandpa," I say like it is my fault and like it is the end of the world.
They simply nod.
"Well, somebody just apologized," another voice says.
It is Uncle Pal. I turn around to face him. His head is bald, his mustache is thick, his nose is flattened, and his eyes stare at me like a creep. If this old man has the nerve to say those rude words to me then I am not holding back. I have not even done anything to him yet.
"Well, Uncle Pal, that is why you do not have a wife. It is because of your attitude," I say. I lower my gaze to my plate and start eating my food.
I hear Uncle Pal gasp. Aunt Jenny and Aunt Holly gasp too. I can feel their eyes on me as I spot all my cousins turning their faces away. They know the argument has taken a new shape.
"Hannah, turn your face around. Look at us," Aunt Holly says.
I look up at them. Her eyebrows are thick, and her sharp nose and blue eyes stare at me.
"You are so ungrateful and a spoiled brat," she says.
My eyes widen because I am shocked by the words. All of those things she says to me are untrue.
"No, I am not a spoiled brat," I say back.
"Well, you are," Uncle Pal retorts.
"How could you say that I am a spoiled brat? I did not even do anything to the three of you," I say. I am stunned. For real, I did not do anything to make them mad at me or say those rude words to me.
"Well stop! You three stop arguing!" my mother snaps as she stands up.
I can feel the anger running through her veins.
"You three stop saying those rude things to my daughter. My daughter has done nothing to embarrass all of you," she yells.
Their faces go pale. They stop staring at me and turn their gaze to their own plates.
Maybe I should just walk away from here because I am just causing trouble. I stand up slowly and run away from them. I exit the room and find the elevator. I click the rooftop button. The elevator climbs its way to the top and opens to the balcony.
I step out. The air is different here. It blows through the strands of my hair. I fix them and walk toward the end of the balcony. I place both of my hands on the fence. It is metal and hard.
I stare into the radiating lights of Cagayan de Oro City. I spot a building with a massive holographic advertisement glowing in neon blue. The date on the display reads 2050.
A tear escapes from my eye as I remember the rude words that came from my Aunt Jenny, Aunt Holly, and Uncle Pal. I feel my heart shrinking.
"Why are they so rude to me? I haven't done anything," I whisper to myself.
You see, my Aunt Jenny, Aunt Holly, and Uncle Pal have been rude to me since I was born. My mother told me that they hate me because my grandmother and grandfather love me the most. I have always been the favorite. It is not even my fault that I am the favorite grandchild. Luckily my grandmother had twelve children so the hate is spread out, but it was still a total shock for me and my cousins. We just got used to it.
"Why are you crying, dear?" a deep voice speaks behind me.
I turn around to see who the person is. To my surprise, it is a man in a sharp-looking, expensive suit. He is tapping his foot and making a rhythmic sound.
Tap, tap, tap.
He is wearing a plain white mask. A laugh escapes from my mouth.
"What are you? Are you in a costume or something?" I say while wiping the tear from my cheek.
"No, but your life will change," he says.
His expression is hidden, but his voice is deep and dreamy.
"What do you mean?" I ask. I put a smirk on my face because I have no idea what he just said. What does he mean by change?
Then he moves without any hesitation. He pushes me.
I lose my balance on the balcony and fall off. I feel the skyscraper rushing past me and the air tearing at my skin. Everything goes slow. This must be it. I am going to die.
Then everything starts to fade into blackness.