Tashia was staring at her phone, seemingly pondering what she had just seen; she had secretly taken a photo of their grandmother's old notebook that had names written in it.
She started to think; she sighed.
"Tashia," someone called her name.
She just stared at her companion.
"Are you okay?" her companion asked her.
Tashia just blinked as if processing her companion's question.
She only took a deep breath before answering. Tashia simply nodded.
"Come on, let's head to our destination." Her classmate urged her.
"I'll follow right away." That was her response.
The person who called her walked ahead, so she immediately followed.
Focus on that first, Tashia. She could only say it in her mind. Her companion is also waiting for her.
They started walking towards their next destination. While they were walking, Tashia scanned her surroundings. Here she was born to her parents, grew up, and matured before they moved to the city to seek their fortune.
She couldn't remember it clearly because she was still very young back then; she only heard about it from his sister, Vivianne.
Indeed, the province is so spacious and refreshing. Comment in her mind as she quietly observed and followed her group.
"We're here."
Tashia gazed at the building that was now their home; it had endured the passage of time, transforming into a piece of history, the house they were about to visit.
"Is it really okay for us to stay there?" one of her companions asked.
"We are already asking for permission here. And besides, our teacher said it was approved for educational purposes, right? The other person responds to her companion's question.
"I know; what I'm trying to say is, is it safe there?" asked one of them.
Tashia was just listening to her colleagues. She swallowed nervously.
The mansion belongs to the Santiago family. She could only say it in her mind.
She noticed that his colleagues had already entered. She couldn't understand why she was sweating profusely now. She wonders what she will discover here.
Someone greeted them, saying they were the caretaker of keeping the entire house clean and looking spacious.
"Do not enter the restricted areas inside; do not touch the items there. The items there are old." They were reminded of the presence of an elderly man in front of them.
"If there's a problem, just call me." After that long reminder, the elderly man walked away from them, limping.
They entered the mansion, and Tashia felt an inexplicable sensation at that moment. The mansion allowed them to wander around, with some of her companions prioritizing exploring the outside.
Only two of them were left.
"Tashia, you go around upstairs." Her companion spoke up.
She just nodded. She left her companion downstairs.
Tashia was cautious in her movements as she climbed. She must not touch anything, lest she see something from the past.
She only took his phone; they could also make a documentary. She pointed her phone at the subject she was about to photograph. She was suddenly shocked to see a woman covered in blood.
Because of her shock, her ballpoint pen fell. Tashia quickly picked it up, feeling that someone was watching her. She swallowed hard, trying to calm her fear now, not wanting to scare her companion with what she was seeing.
The bloody woman was just staring at her; she noticed that she had many bruises on her body, many welts.
Help. Its mention was weak.
She was about to turn away when she held her hand. The event happened so quickly that it didn't immediately register in her mind. Suddenly, it took her back to the past.
The woman was accompanied by a man; he was carrying a child who was about three or four years old. Their movements were quick, as if the two were escaping from something.
"Let's save Ellena first." Said a man who was carrying the little girl.
Her companion nodded and stopped at the abandoned warehouse.
"How did my father find us?" the woman asked, puzzled.
The man was deep in thought, while the young girl just looked at her parent.
"We need to ask my brother for help." He ended up saying.
"B—But how?" The woman asked her companion.
They heard footsteps. They both gasped and exchanged glances.
They moved slowly to avoid detection at that moment.
"Let's hide Ellena in a safe place for now." The man said in a whisper.
The woman nodded in response. They put it in a box.
The child stared at them.
"Don't you worry, we'll be back right away, okay? Don't make a fuss, alright?" They instructed the child.
The child nodded—nodded in agreement.
Tears welled up in its eyes as it gazed at its child. After a while, she hugged her tightly.
"Mom and Dad will be back right away. Stay still here, Ellena."
They were about to return to their path when they encountered someone chasing them.
"Arrest those two!" The man ordered.
They were about to run when someone was already waiting at the exit where they would escape.
"Please, Dad, please, don't involve our family; we are living peacefully." The woman's voice was pleading, trying to resist the grip on her arm.
A middle-aged man approached her, grabbed her face, and slapped her.
"I don't have a rebellious child; I spat you out before!"
"If you had already rejected me, you wouldn't be disturbing my family! My husband!" Even though the woman's voice was filled with tears, it was full of anger.
Suddenly, she received a strong slap.
"You poor woman! I will kill both of you to clear the Santiago name, and besides, you married your father's enemy." Tashia notices a man staring intently at her daughter.
"The clan has no place here. We agreed with your child that we should leave our clan behind and stay away to avoid any trouble. Could you please allow us some space?" This was Tashia heard asking the man.
"You are the ones who will tarnish the name we have upheld!"
"Take them away!"
Tashia even saw how the two people were dragged; she saw how they were tortured, their faces rubbed with muriatic acid or bathed in boiling water, and whipped. Tashia could no longer bear what she was seeing.
"Sir." Tashia sees that someone is carrying a child; it is the same child they hid earlier.
"Don't take my child! Don't!" Even though he was writhing in pain, he shouted to avoid hurting the child.
The father of the woman just smiled and took the child away from them.
Ellena, Ellena. The woman whispered her last words. This was the last thing she would utter before she passed away.
Tashia gasped at what she witnessed back then, and the woman suddenly disappeared from in front of her.
She sat down, her breath catching, and scanned her surroundings. Tashia saw the woman punished during her journey.
Is she Manuel's sister? Tashia wondered in his mind.
"Tashia, are you okay?" someone of her groupmates asked her.
She was just taken aback at that moment.
She just nodded—nodded. She was trying to suppress the trembling of her hand, took the tumbler from her bag, and suddenly her throat went dry.
"I—I'll just go downstairs." She said it solely to her groupmate.
Tashia's companion looked at her with curiosity. As soon as she got off, she immediately looked at the picture of the notebook. He read it.
Carmela Geraldine Santiago–Gonzalez? Her thoughts informed her actions. Tashia's mind became even more chaotic now.
She simply shook her head, surveyed her surroundings once more, caught sight of the woman, and then abruptly lost her sight.