HER TRAGIC PAST

DISCLAIMER:

•This novel is a work of fiction. 

Any references to historical events, real people, or real places are used fictitiously. Other names, characters, or any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental. It may contain a huge number of grammatical errors, spelling errors, etc. because the author of this novel wasn't fluent in English and she's not professional. So kindly read this novel at your own risk.

COPYRIGHT © 2022 by SWEETY AUTUMN.

•All rights reserved. 

No part of this book may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

PLAGIARISM IS A CRIME.

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/THIRD PERSON'S POV/

(BATAAN-1945)

No one in this world wants a bloody war that will only harm innocent civilians and destroy the infrastructure of a country but no one can avoid what is set to happen. 

It has also been four years since Japanese soldiers occupied the Philippines after they bombed Pearl Harbor in Hawaii. During the Japanese occupation of the Philippines, they immediately tortured and killed many lives, whether they were old, disabled, women, or children, they did not miss anything. 

Other civilians have done nothing but seek refuge to save themselves against the foreign invaders. Many of them are hiding in their homes or have just left the province to survive. 

Odessa Soriano's family was one of the affected by the invasion and could not escape the province because they were near the Japanese camp, so they decided to stay at their home even though they knew the risk.

“Mother, why is Dad taking so long to come back? I'm afraid he might be arrested by those invaders.” the eighteen-year-old girl feels intense concern for her father. 

It has been a few hours since her father left them to find food but until now they don't know what happened to him for taking so long and the girl fears that her father may have been captured by the Japanese soldiers. 

Odessa's mother knew how her daughter was so worried. The caring mother slowly approached her daughter and touched her hair gently to partially remove the worries in her daughter's mind.

“Let's just trust God that nothing will happen to your father, I know these trials will end as well.” she touched softly the girl's face. 

Odessa felt a little relieved but the apprehension she felt still didn't go away. “I trust God, Mom, but I don't trust a conqueror...Mom, I know you are also worried about Dad so I want you to let me go out to look after him.” Odessa's said. 

Odessa was aware of the dangers that could befall her if she insisted on leaving because her boyfriend, a soldier, had warned her about it. 

“But Odessa, you can be in danger—” BOOOM !!! 

“Mommm!, there's a fire !!!” bewildered cry of his brother Sebastian. 

The mother and daughter hurried to the kitchen where they heard Sebastian shouting and were shocked when a blazing fire immediately burst into them. Odessa’s mother tried to remove her brother near the fire but unfortunately, the wood supporting their roof was removed so it fell over her poor mother and brother. 

“Mom!!” shocked the maiden. Odessa was devastated to see how the fire was slowly burning her mother. She quickly tried to remove the heavy, hot wood that had fallen over her mother but she had enough strength to do so.

“My Odessa...go away...try to live and find your—” were the last words from Odessa's mother.

“No..No...Mommm!!!” Odessa roared in tears as she called to it. 

Her mother and brother died because they couldn't stand the extreme heat anymore. Just seconds after her mother died, another part of their kitchen suddenly collapsed, covering its dead body. 

Everything she witnessed was very painful for her and she had no choice but to go out of their burning house to save herself. 

When Odessa went out of their burning house, she immediately saw other Japanese soldiers not far from their burning home laughing and the girl's world was suddenly destroyed when she finally realized that it was the Japanese who set fire to their house. 

“Hora, koko ni utsukushī on'nanoko ga imasu! (YOU SEE, THERE'S A BEAUTIFUL WOMAN HERE!) ” said Tsuki Akane, a Japanese general. 

The poor girl could not understand what the Japanese had said to her and she was very nervous as the soldier approached her. The girl slowly stepped away as she forced herself to be brave to stop her nervousness. 

“H-How cruel you are? After you inavaded our country and killed innocent people, now you have even killed my family...you're all evil!!” Odessa spoke loudly as she held back her tears. 

The Japanese soldier did not even see pity in the eyes but stopped walking to order her men to arrest the girl. 

“Kare o tsukamaeru! (CATCH HER!) ” the general ordered. 

Other Japanese soldiers quickly approached Odessa.

“Dare ga anata ni kare ni fureru kenri o ataemashita ka?! (WHO GAVE YOU THE RIGHT TO HOLD HER?!)” a man's voice from behind the Japanese. 

The girl couldn't believe that the arrival of her boyfriend Antonio was appropriate. Antonio could speak Japanese because he lived in Japan for three years before the outbreak of the Second World War. 

“Kanojo wa anatanokanojodesu ka? (IS SHE YOUR GIRLFRIEND?) ”Akane shouted. 

Instead of answering the Japanese's tease, Antonio decided to order Odessa to run away while the occupiers' attention was focused on him. “Run! I ordered you to run!” Antonio orders the girl. 

Hesitantly, Odessa quickly obeyed Antonio's command. She quickly ran away from the Japanese, but it was immediately noticed by one soldier who was fleeing tried to chase the young woman but fortunately, Antonio shot him immediately. 

“Don't look back! Just run away because you don't have the right to die now! ” Antonio commanded loudly. 

At this point, Odessa finds it difficult to obey the young soldier's orders to her, but she doesn't want to witness how her boyfriend's life will end, so she just continues to run while crying and doesn't look back at her boyfriend's whereabouts. 

Although Odessa could not see what was happening where Antonio was, she could hear the loud shouts that pinched her heart hard. Odessa knew it was a shout of the heroism of her beloved. 

Suddenly, the rain fell down from the angry clouds as sympathy for the poor girl and was accompanied by sharp lightning bolts while she running. 

——— 

During the long run of Odessa, she did not even realize the arrival of the total eclipse because the rain had just ended, so the sky was still gloomy and at the same time, the tireless soldiers still found her.

While Odessa was running, she was suddenly shot by a soldier which hit her right shoulder, causing her to weaken. When the girl became weak, she stopped at the side of a bridge and was about to surrender herself, but the soldiers didn't think that she would jump there, especially since the water under the bridge was too high.

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 /ODESSA'S POV/ 

Forgive me, my dear mother, because I will never be able to fulfill your last will to me...forgive me Antonio for my audacity to disobey you. I will die without the suffering experienced in my body from the foreign invaders, however, I will also die full of suffering in my heart because I never helped anyone of you. I beg your forgiveness. 

Forgive me, Dad...Forgive me too my mom... Forgive me, Antonio...Please forgive me for everything. 

(MANILA-2018) 

I slowly woke up on a dirty beach caused of the strange noises I heard. The surroundings are very noisy and there is also a foul smell. As I stood up even though I was weak I saw a strange place where my vision seemed to be gradually blurring. 

Even though I was wet and writhing in pain from my right shoulder I still patiently went down the road to find out where I was. It seemed like I was in a nightmare because I thought earlier that I was in the afterlife but my brain was suddenly enlightened when I saw things around me that were very strange compared to what they say ‘afterlife’. 

“What place is this?” I faintly whispered to myself. 

I don't see a single soldier around, I don't even see their tank on this road, but I only see the different kinds of vehicles running. As I was walking I could hear whispers from people looking at me. Because of my curiosity, I didn't realize that I was in the middle of the road. 

BEEP-BEEP-BEEP !!! 

Loud car horns shook my ears causing me to feel myself lying in the middle of the road until I lost my consciousness completely. 

———

“Where am I?”  I was surprised when I woke up in a beautiful and airy room. I also noticed that there was a cover on the wound on my right shoulder when I accidentally touched it. 

I quickly got up from the beautiful bed and groped my whole body. I just sighed when nothing else happened to my body except the white tape that stuck to my wounds. 

I slowly approached the door and opened it. When I came out of the room, I was overwhelmed by the beauty and size of this house. I was even more confused as to why I came here. 

Out of my curiosity, I slowly walked down the stairs. When I got down I stopped because I was more amazed at the beauty and modernity of the whole house. The things I see here are a hundred times more modern compared to where I come from. 

“Where am I? I don't think the country of the foreign invaders is as modern as this...not so— ” My astonishment was interrupted when I heard a strange voice from behind me. 

“What are you doing there?” I suddenly turned to look behind and a handsome man immediately came into view. Time seemed to stop when I saw his face. In stature, handsomeness, and speech I can say that he is probably a foreigner. 

He also has white skin that I can compare to Americans.

 “I'm sorry, Sir, but I just want to know where I am.” I hesitate to respond. 

He seemed irritated by what I said to him but I felt that there wasn't wrong with it. 

“I said, what are you doing there? Don't change the topic and kindly answer my question first.” his sarcastic answer. 

I quietly smiled at him even though I was irritated with him too.

“Nothing, but I want to know where I am and how I got here.” I calmly ask.

“If you're hungry, there are slices of bacon and some food in a refrigerator that you can get as my apology to you.” his cold answer that too far from my question.

I guess, I was wrong in judging him by his looks, I thought that at the same time he had a perfect appearance, he even had a perfect heart but, that's the opposite of my thought. 

“Later, your doctor will come here to check you up and after that, you can leave my house.” he will be sarcastic at me again. 

I just nodded in response because I didn't want to be intrusive again. Just a few seconds after he spoke to me, he left to go upstairs. If I hadn't been indebted to him for treating my wound on my right shoulder, I might have beaten him for his annoying attitude. 

I briefly toured the inside of his huge house after he left and I saw much more strange equipment inside. As I wandered around and marveled at the strange and modern equipment I noticed an old music box behind the rows of photos. 

“What does this sound like?” I tried to enable the old music box but I just failed because it didn't work. 

I just remember my father through an old music box because my father gave me a music box like this when I was celebrating my tenth birthday. 

Sadly, my music box was indeed in our burning house. 

“I miss you, Dad,” I whispered to myself and I didn’t realize the tears were dripping from my eyes.

I really miss them all. I never thought that this hard situation could happen to me. At a young age, I suddenly became an orphan.

“Why did all this mess happen to me? Why do I have to be an orphan? What's wrong with me? Why do I have to suffer like this? Tell me, why?!” I questioned myself with tears.

I want to wake up from this nightmare! Please wake me up!

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