Episode 1

..."It's not Easy"...

Serina's POV

Here I am.. living in a small humble village.

Near the coast, houses are built on stilts with bridges for us to cross.

"Mama! I'm going to school now okay?" I called her out as I wear my backpack and ready to go out of our wooden house at 5 in the morning.

"Wait! Take your little brother with you, he doesn't know how to go there!" She said while helping him wear his uniform.

"Mama! I'm going to be late!" I complained to her.

"Stop with that attitude or I will twist your ear!" She growled.

I pouted like a child and sat on the raised up doorway.

After a few minutes, me and my little brother are ready to go.

"You two better come home early or the manananggal will get you and eat your organs."

"She's just saying that to scare us" I said shrugging at her words.

We headed to our school which is further in land, away from our village. We needed walk through the forest and cross the river.

Which should take a while considering my brother is always taking up my time.

I sighed as we were about to walk through the forest, my frightened brother immediately went closer to me.

"D-does the manananggal really exist?" He said looking around the trees.

"Oscar, mama is just using that to scare us so we could go home early." I said as I keep on walking.

"I-I don't know about that, the elders in our village claims that they have seen her." He said with a frightened tone.

"Oh shut up, it's impossible for a person to just cut themselves in half then grow wings and fly."

"What's your basis then?" He said giving me more space.

"It's basic science, if science cannot explain it then it's just a myth." I shrugged until we've reached the river.

"I hope Uncle Rick is still here." I looked around at the shoreline of the river and spotted a boat.

"Yes!" Happily, we walked towards his nipa hut and noticed him putting salt on his windowsill.

"Goodmorning Uncle Rick!" I cheerfully greeted him, smiling.

He didn't quite hear me at first, focused on what he was doing due to his old age.

"A-Ah! Serina!" He said with a startled tone.

"You're going to help us cross the river right? I said leaning closer to him.

"Right, let me just go get my oars." He went inside his hut as I waited for him outside.

"Oscar, do you have any idea why Uncle Rick is placing salt in his windows?" I looked at him with crossed arms.

"Seems like a waste!" I glanced at them once again.

"They say salt repels the manananggals." Oscar said glancing at them too.

"Oh really? What a waste." I rolled my eyes.

Uncle Rick finally got his oars and invited us to his humble boat.

It's a good thing that our school is by the riverside so we should only be a few minutes late.

"Um, Uncle Rick do you really think those flying half corpses really exists?" I said looking at him, paddling through the river.

"**My mother was killed by one, even though I haven't seen it personally It's better be safe than sorry."

"Specially, living by the forest. Sometimes I hear a thing pound loudly on my roof**."

Oscar looked intrigued at Uncle Rick's "stories"

"It's probably just big cats." I said crossing my arms.

"Don't you just use them to scare us so we could go home early?" I glanced back at Uncle Rick.

Uncle Rick shook his head.

"No, not this time." His statement brought chills all over my body. I shook those sense of fear away, I mean who does believe on those ridiculous things.

We've arrived at school, five minutes late. I gave Uncle Rick our fare as me and Oscar rushed to our respective classrooms since the flag ceremony has already ended.

Going inside my classroom.

Annoying voices greeted me..

"Hey look it's Ms. White Hair!"

"Eww she uses bleach on hair!"

Until my teacher shushed the group of girls in the back.

"You girls! Shut it!" My female teacher glanced at me.

"Please go to your respective seat now."

I nodded at her, and proceeded to study the whole day. I decided to stay close by my teacher the whole day so those girls won't even try to touch me.

It was 3 PM, Oscar went by in the school garden where I was studying.

"Ate Serina, we should go Uncle Rick will come pick us up."

[Ate means "big sister"]

"Tell him that I'll come by later." I said without glancing at him focused on my book.

"But Ate! Mama reminded us to go home early!" Oscar insisted.

I groaned and rolled my eyes.

"Just go! Ate can fight by herself sheesh!"

Left with no choice Oscar left me with his head down.

"He's probably afraid that he will get scolded by mother." I smiled to myself as I continued reading.

"Oh look who's here, Serina the old woman."

"Studying now are we?"

The two girls that were insulting me earlier came to the garden and sat on the bench surrounding me.

I closed the book angrily and was about to head off. They grabbed my arm and pulled me back.

"What the heck is your problem!?" I glared at the one with long hair.

"Oh nothing, we just need to find someone we can pick on." She laughed softly but in an insulting manner.

"Well, you're picking on the wrong person." I glared at her.

"Really?" She raised an eyebrow.

"Would you like me to show you?" I said cracking my fingers.

Shortly, both of them grabbed my hair and pulled it intensely.

"A-a-ahh! Hey stop that!" I said trying to hit their hands off my head.

Until I managed to punch the one who kept picking on me. I punched her cheek which left her stunned.

"How dare you!!!" She said gritting her teeth and was about to grab my hair again.

"Would you like another one!?" I said showing my fist to her, while making an aggressive face.

Leaving them stunned I left the area.

"You will pay for this Serina.." The one with long hair mumbled but I dismissed it, shrugging.

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