The Girl From Nowhere

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“Two souls being bound”, what does it truly mean?

Is it to live happily ever after?

Or is it like chains that make one of you the other one’s prisoner... forever?

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Year 2000s – Present

“What does it feel like? To fall in love?”

Tom frowned and looked up at her 25 years old sister, Georgia, sitting on the couch and looking rather dreamily outside the big windows.

He blinked twice. “What?” He asked.

His sister remained staring outside, and even though she’s 5 years older than him, he often contemplates who’s really the older one between the two of them. Specially, when he looks at her black stilettos scattered clumsily on his carpeted floor.

He noticed her slowly frowning and then she sighed. “Why did I ever bother asking you?”

“What does that even mean?” Tom retorted.

Georgia stood up from where she was sitting and went to the table in the corner of the room. “Nothing,” she says as she pours a drink into another glass until it’s half-full.

“How many drinks have you had?” Tom worriedly asked.

Her sister didn’t answer him, instead she gulped down her drink in one shot. Tom’s eyes went wide and he immediately left his lecture notes that he’s been reading to grab the two bottles from her sister. One’s already empty and the other almost.

“Hey!” She protested.

“Enough already. You’re drunk.” He placed the empty bottle at another table and poured the remaining champagne outside his windows. The cold night breeze seeping through his not-so-thick clothes bothered him a bit. That made him realize that her sister’s visit is really a bad idea. He should be concentrating and studying for his exams instead of pouring liquor outside in the middle of the night.

He closed the windows with a slightly harder force. He’s not mad at her sister for being drunk. That’s her. Still, he can’t be not irritated by it.

Placing the now empty bottle on a table, he sighed. ”Ate?" He called Georgia. “I have exams tomorrow,” he continued. (Ate=Older Sister)

Her sister’s eyebrows went up. “Really? Good luck!”

Tom sighed again. “I need to study tonight.”

She stopped playing with her glass when his message finally got to her. “Oh,” she muttered and her face fell.

For the third time, Tom sighed again. He walked towards the sofa and sat down. Her sister looked at him and he patted the empty space beside him, urging her to sit there. She obliged.

“When you said you wanted to visit me, it’s not just drinking, right?” He asked.

“Oh it is. You just don’t want to join me.”

“I told you, I have exams tomorr—”

“Yeah, yeah. Right,” she interrupted, crossing her arms and sighed.

“What is it, ate? What do you want to talk about?” He asked solemnly.

She hesitated for a couple of seconds before slowly saying, “Am I being a good sister?”

Tom frowned. He didn’t understand why she was asking that, and he was kind of shocked by it. Georgia Hansey is as carefree as a bird freed from its cage. She gets drunk, goes to a lot of parties, hooks up with men, goes to work sometimes but it doesn’t matter because she doesn’t have a family to feed. The Hansey family feeds her. She doesn’t have anything to worry about... not even if she’s being a good sister.

“Of course you are,” he tells her and it’s not a lie. She may not be a successful sister, but she’s still not a bad sister. Though, if you’d ask Tom specifically if she’s being a good older sister... he needs to double think before answering.

Georgia’s expression didn’t change. “Am I being a good daughter?”

She changed the question, and he suddenly don’t know the answer. What should he tell her? That it’s obvious, their parents are disappointed with her? That they’re disappointed because, after their hard work of making sure that she got proper education and finish a degree in Accountancy, she just gave up. She didn’t even want to take the CPA Board exam anymore. Instead, she worked at one of their parents’ friends’ companies as a clerk. Worse, she doesn’t usually show up at work because of her many hangovers every morning.

Is Georgia a bad daughter? Or she just doesn’t live up to their parents’ expectations?

Tom doesn’t know what to say, or he just doesn’t want to hurt her with the truth. His thoughts came to a halt when Georgia chuckled and swung her arms around his shoulders. “You don’t have to answer that. I should ask Mom and Dad,” she said with a hint of playfulness.

He can smell the reek of alcohol from her and he somehow felt bad. He wants to help, but he doesn’t know how exactly. All this time, he’s doing everything that he can in order for him to not end up like her sister. He wants to live up to their parent’s expectations. That’s why he’s always studying. Someday, he wants to be able to take care of everything that he’ll inherit from their parents.

Tom looked down. “I’m just sure that you’re not a bad person,” he quietly said. He can feel her sister’s eyes on him. “And that’s what matters, right?” He turned his gaze to Georgia’s glistening eyes. He frowned and was about to say something when Georgia closed her eyes and breathed deeply.

She smiled warmly at him. “Thank you, little brother,” she said before she stood up and went to pick up her stilettos from the floor. Before she opens the door, she turned to face Tom again. “I’m proud of you, Tom,” she said and there was a genuine shock on Tom’s face after hearing that. “And I know that Mom and Dad are proud of you, too.”

Tom nodded, appreciating what his sister is saying. Still, he can’t say anything. He can’t form any words. So, Georgia continued, “But I hope that this is what you really want.”

This time, Tom finally knows what to say, “It is.”

There’s a pause before she smiled and says, “Good.”

Tom watched as the door closes and her sister’s figure disappears behind.

′ ′ ′ * ′ ′ ′

One bloody exam has just ended but Tom survived unscathed. It’s not news to everyone. He likes studying entrepreneurship and his ambitions are more powerful than any temptation of slacking.

“Tom!” Someone shouted and he was startled because of it, he almost dropped his phone. He turned around to see his friends sitting down around a circular table.

While joining them, one of his friends asked, “How was the exam?” It was Tina. The only girl in their group. She looked at Tom with curious brown eyes, the light reflecting on his dark brown hair that stops only at her shoulders.

“Do we really have to ask? Isn’t the answer obvious?” Russ interrupted while eating chips. Tom grinned and watch as Russ scratched his shaved head. They all know how he takes all his exams. Fully prepared and confident.

Tina grabbed some of the chips to eat and shook her head at him. “It’s really confusing how you got all of that motivation to study.”

“Don’t be upset, Tin. You’re doing good, you know,” Bryan said, with his glasses perched at the top of his nose and his big round eyes focused on Tina. She’s the only one it seems to be focusing on but the girl doesn’t seem to notice, ever. A torpe and a dense girl? They’re both like the positive sides of a magnet, they’ll never touch. (Torpe=A boy who can’t confess his romantic feelings to someone)

Tina shrugged. “I’m not denying that and pretend to be humble,” she chuckled. “But I’m not like Tom. He’s... he’s on a different level, dude.” She looked pointedly at Tom who’s also now eating some of the chips from Russ. “I’ve never left a classroom with a smile on my face and you know—fully knowing that I’d pass? He’s the only one who does that.”

They all laughed, even Tom.

“Uh—guys?”

Everyone looked at Dylan, who’s been silent up until now. His thick eyebrows are a bit raised while he’s focused on his phone. “We might have to attend a gathering tomorrow.”

Tom frowned at him, while the others groaned. “What is it?” He asked.

Dylan slowly looked at them and smiled, showing his perfect set of teeth. ”Kuya’s coming back here in the Philippines.” (Kuya=Older Brother)

They were all shocked. But when it finally sinks in, they all made happy noises. Dylan’s older brother, Andrew, who’s been like their brother as well, is coming home after several years of staying in America. Now this calls for a big gathering because the glorious Harvard student of the Rodriguez family is now coming home. He certainly needs to be welcomed and surely, their parents would prepare a marvelous party. Everyone in their village would be invited.

“Tina! Can you ask your mom to cook some kinilaw?” Russ said. (Kinilaw=A Filipino raw seafood dish)

“But doesn’t Aunt Erica hate that?” They all looked at Dylan because they were talking about his mom. Also, the mother of the person who’s the party’s going to be for.

Dylan looked up from his phone, then waved his hand dismissively. “Don’t worry about it. Aunt Lory has the best kinilaw, right?” Dylan raised his eyebrows at Tina.

“Of course,” Tina smiled.

“Alright!” Russ exclaimed. “Damn, I’m getting hungry.”

“What time is it?” Bryan asked.

Dylan answered because he was on his phone again. “10:50 am.”

“Sh*t,” Russ gasped. “We have a class at eleven.” He’s pertaining to himself, Bryan, and Dylan, who all have the same course which is Psychology.

“So?” Dylan asked. “We still have ten minutes.”

Bryan is already standing up. “The building’s far from here, you know.”

Russ stood up, as well. “Let’s go.”

Irritated, Dylan scratched up his perfectly pointed nose and followed the two boys. He really hates moments like this, where you need to stand up and go to your next class. This is the reason why his biggest dream is not to be a Psychometrician... He wants to be able to teleport. If he could discover the way how to teleport, he’ll be the happiest and most satisfied person in the world. But unfortunately, he’s not that much of a genius ′and that’s why life sucks!′ he thought.

The three boys bid farewell to Tom and Tina who remained at the table.

“You don’t have any classes now?” Tom asked her.

“Nope,” she says as she brings out her phone. “The next one’s still gonna be at 1:00 pm.” She then started to open Facebook and scrolled through her newsfeed, searching for memes.

Tom also turned to his phone but something caught his attention. It’s standing on the other side of the road.

No—she. She’s standing on the other side of the road and is staring at him.

He can’t help but stare at her, too.

He wasn’t aware how long they were looking at each other but it ended when they heard a van blow its horn near the girl. She almost got hit by the van! Tom noticed that from where she stood earlier, it seems that she slowly walked forward until she was in the middle of the road. And she was staring at him the whole time!

Because of the loud noise, Tina was startled. “Oh, sh*t!” She retorted. Tom turned his eyes towards his friend. She dropped her iPhone to the ground and when she picked it up, the screen’s broken.

She cursed under her breath. “I am so dead.”

Tom made a sympathetic face because of the damage. That needs to be replaced, he thought.

He returned his gaze towards the road and he noticed that the van is now rolling away. No sight of the girl. He frowned, feeling a bit down.

He heard Tina sigh loudly. “Oh, for Pete’s sake. No one’s supposed to blow their horn that loud! This is a school zone, you dimwits.” She looked around, trying to find where the noise came from.

Tom also looked around, but he was looking for the girl. The only girl who seems to get his attention. He didn’t even get to see her face clearly, but for some reason, it seems like that mysterious girl is pulling him toward her.

Or is it him pulling her?

After all, it wasn’t Tom who walked towards the middle of the road, was he?