Chapter 1

It’s not easy to clean a mess, especially when the clutter has been accumulated for nearly six months, as in the case of Cornelia’s room. She has been cleaning for almost an hour and she’d finished only half of the place. Although Cornelia has more distinct biceps than other ladies at her age, she works extremely slow, judging by the size of her room which is only three meters in width and length, enough for a small lady like her.

After several minutes, she started cleaning her cabinet which is the only one left untidy. She opened the first chest and instantly found empty bottles of cosmetic stuffs. After putting out all the unnecessary objects, only a half-filled bottle of perfumes was left. The second chest was quite heavy which made her more excited.

“This is more like opening gifts.” She thought.

When she was finally able to open it, she sighed dryly.

“Oh, books!”

She never liked books, especially the ones in her drawer. Science books. High-school stuffs. She hates single thought of it. It was only then that she realized she hadn’t been emptying her cabinet since high-school days.

“It’s time to get rid of these,” she uttered. When everything was gone, she let out a big sigh of relief when the drawer became lighter and a lot easier to open.

She pushed the pile of books and empty bottles to give way, for the third drawer. The third chest was also heavy. When she opened it, she found another heap of books. This time, it wasn’t about science but of martial arts. She took one which reads: Muay Thai: The Basics.

“I think I have to put you to another place.” She uttered to her self. She took out all her martial arts books and carefully placed it in her study table. She leaned closer at the opened drawer and found a yellow-green, hard cover publication. It was her high-school yearbook.

“I almost forgot I had this.” She thought.

She sat on the floor and opted to skim a little through the pages. She instantly opened the half part of the book and her eyes landed on a semi-beautiful female student: McCAULARY, BELLADONNA. She remembers this American girl. Bella’s one of the richest, if not the richest, student in her batch. She turns unto another next page and a very familiar huge-smiling face greeted her.

“Yan. William. Will… Oh, how can I forget?”

She remembers how she dislikes Will. She doesn’t like the way he shows how cool he is. He wears trendy clothes and always has the latest gadgets. He even speaks about how he maintains high grades without becoming a dork who reads loads of books. Moreover, he was a big bully. Together with his best friend Lucas, they keep bullying other kids in the school. Cornelia, on the other hand was never bullied a lot. She was way too serious and it’s very rare that somebody plays prank on her, probably thinking that she isn’t fun to be played upon.

“Well, where’s mine?”

She skimmed backwards and finally found hers. DIAZ, CORNELIA. She scanned thoroughly. She looks exactly just the same as in the picture.

“Nothing’s changed. Look at this… my hairs just the same. Maybe, it’s high time to change my hairstyle.” She said as she slowly closed the book and returned it to the drawer.

She continued dusting off the drawer and she was relieved to see only one drawer’s left.

The last drawer, however, is very light. It appears empty, as she looked inside.

“Didn’t I put anything here?” She asked her self.

She leaned closer and something metallic caught her eyes.

She reached out her right hand to grab the thing. She took it out. It was a bullet. A semi-golden bullet coated in dust. She let out a what-is-this-thing-doing-here look. She wiped it with her shirt and closely looked at it. A grin flashed in her face as if she had just made a love potion.

“Funny how little things change.” She muttered.

Chapter 2

Tok! Tok! Tok! Somebody’s knocking in the door.

“Are you done cleaning?” It was her mother’s voice.

“Not yet.” She cautiously placed the bullet in her closet. “I still have to…” she closed the closet, “finish cleaning the drawer.”

“Okay, and what’s taking you so long?” her mother patiently asked, “Well excuse me…can you please open the door first?”

Oh! Stupid! She thought, blaming her self for being so blundery.

“I’m sorry,” she said as she hurriedly opened the door, “it’s the trash…They’re blocking the door.”

“Yeah, that’s what you get for not letting me clean your room. You really thought you’re a grown-up lady, aren’t you?” her mom muttered making some gestures. She admits she doesn’t want seeing Cornelia grow-up yet.

“No, of course not. It’s just that…you throw everything away. Everything you find unnecessary.” Cornelia said sluggishly.

“Okay, okay, fine. By the way, Mrs. Park invited us tonight at her birthday so you better get ready.” Her mom spoke rapidly. “I hear she throws good parties.”

“Fine. Okay. I’ll go.” She answered. “So is that all?”

“Why do you want me to go away?” Mrs. Diaz asked roughly. “Don’t you want to see me? When you were younger, you always want me to go with you. Things have changed a lot…”

“No. it’s just that I’m cleaning the room,” she said soulfully. “and I don’t want to be late tonight.”

“Okay.” her mother said comfortly. “I’ll go now.” She walked away. “And don’t forget…8 o’clock!”

“8 o’clock. Okay!” she shouted back. She slammed the door.

She let out a sigh of relief as she heard her mother’s footsteps fading away. Her mother, being a single parent has been a very busy mother. She is working in an insurance company and has been so close with her past and present clients. She is a gregarious woman. She loves going to big events and meet different kinds of people. That’s one thing Cornelia hasn’t acquired from her mother. Her mother is also a very lenient person. She even respected her decision not to go to college. Her mother trusts her so much which give her a queer feeling

They arrived at the venue at exactly 8. It is a grandiose place and is elegantly decorated. Some details are in crystal white which suits for the Madame’s 75th birthday. But the background is principally white. White tables. White chairs. White flowers. White theme for the guests’ suits. Almost everybody is in white. Cornelia looked at herself.

She’s wearing pink.

“Fine.” She sighed. She has only two casual dress which she wore during her Junior and Senior Prom nights; the one she’s wearing and the second which is a yellow dress. Good thing she hasn’t changed a lot physically. It still fits.

After a short while, the birthday celebrant came out. She’s an elegant looking Caucasian woman wearing a white dress embroidered in silver and black crystals with ends almost touching the floor. She walked straight into the middle.

The crowd became silent.

“Ladies and gentlemen, nice to see you all here!” she began. “As the more respective of you has probably realized by now, this is my birthday.” The crowd burst in to modest laughter. “And I am 75 years old.” She whispered her age. The crowd continued to giggle. “So I’m not making this long and I want you all to enjoy my party tonight!” she ended. And the people applauded loudly as the musicians started to play their melody and the whole place was filled with sumptuous music.

Cornelia was enjoying herself with the party. Drinks were offered which she gladly took. She’s not into meeting other people and making new acquaintances. She enjoys being alone. She looked at her mother and found her talking with the birthday celebrant. It looks like Mrs. Diaz is enjoying the party very much.

“Hello, Diaz. How are you?”

She turned to see where the voice came from. A man wearing a broad smile greeted her. He was holding a drink while staring at her, smiling. She smiled back.

Do I know you? She thought playfully. She doesn’t recognize him but she kept on smiling.

The man is wearing white spacious long-sleeves paired with black pants. She can tell that the man has a foreign blood but she can’t identify specifically. He’s tan-skinned of about 5’10 in height and has a good posture. He is a bit untidy compared to other guys inside the place but his aura is quite masculine.

“Hi.” She said timidly as she continues to display her almost-fading smile. “Ahm…um…uh.” She doesn’t know what to say. She glanced around trying to find anything that she can talk about.

“Uh, well.” The man broke the silence. “ probably you don’t remember me Cornelia, but I remember you too well. By the way…It’s Park, Lucas Park.” He said as he stretched his arm for a handshake.

She took his hand but she kept on thinking. Park? Lucas Park? She tried to remember her childhood memories, her playmates and classmates, but she can’t remember of any Park.

“I’m Lucas. William Yan’s cousin.” The man pointed out probably noticing her bewildered face.

Her face lightened up. “Yeah, yeah…I remember you.” She uttered delightedly. She remembers William and his cousin Lucas. Funny, she even thought of them this morning. The big bullies in school. Lucas, however, is two years ahead of them that’s why she has a hard time recognizing him. And besides, he has changed a lot,. He was lighter-skinned and way way clean and fresh-looking during their high-school days. Anyhow, he’s as handsome as before, but in a different phase, this time, he has turned to be a real man.

“So, why are you here?” she asked.

Lucas smiled. “Well, it's my mother's birthday.”

“Oh!” she laughed as if trying to say how foolish she is. She remembers that Will has an aunt who cannot have a baby and had tried almost every way to become pregnant. It must be Lucas' mother, she thought. His mother is 75 and Lucas is only about 27. It is indeed a big gap.

“Well, you've changed a lot, you know.” Cornelia continued.

“Did I?” Lucas smiled as he gulped finish his drink. “I guess I'm totally different from you, you see, you haven't changed a lot since high-school.”

“That's why you noticed me so easily.” Cornelia finished.

“Actually, I noticed you because you're wearing something different from the crowd.” And he laughed heartily.

Cornelia smiled. Is that supposed to be a joke? She wanted to ask him.

“Yeah, actually I haven't changed a lot. What about you? Are you married? Do you have kids?” she curiously asked.

“No, no...” he laughed. “I'm a bachelor. I don't have kids.”

“Well you look like you already have,” she said as she laughed, very delighted of what she'd just cracked.

He just stood there, staring at her, half-smiling.

Cornelia stopped laughing. Well, that's supposed to be a joke, she thought.

“Where's your mother?” Lucas asked breaking the silence.

“She's in there.” She pointed into some direction. Lucas seems to care not. He kept on staring at her which is actually a good thing because she's not really looking at her mother's direction. She cannot find her mother.

“Actually, we...we're leaving. It's almost eleven and I think she's drunk.” she hurriedly went away from Lucas. She cannot being with him anymore. His stares and half-smiles make her uncomfortable. Their conversation is going nowhere.

She looked for her mother. She found her talking at some guests and sure enough Mrs. Diaz is not at all drunk. She doesn't drink. Cornelia approached her.

“Mom, we have to go.”

“But why? The party isn't over yet.” Mrs. Diaz asked.

“I...I think I overeat. I need to use the toilet.” Cornelia insisted.

“But there are a lot of toilets in the place, dear.” Mrs. Diaz pointed out.

“I think this is beyond ordinary. I think I have a diarrhea,” she lied. She wants to escape the place as soon as possible.

“You sure, dear?” Mrs. Diaz asked thoughtfully. “Wait a minute. I have to say goodbye to them first.” She immediately went away. Cornelia kept looking at different directions. She doesn't want Lucas to see her.. when Mrs. Diaz returned, they immediately went out from the building to catch a taxi.


“What did I do?” she asked herself when they were on the cab. “Am I too paranoid?” Lucas is giving her the feeling of being studied. She doesn't like it. She is thinking on boy's motives. Is he interested on her? Foolish, she thought. The man is handsome, he might have a girlfriend.

“Are you okay, dear? Can you still make it?” her mother asked when she noticed her murmuring something.

“I'm okay. I'm better off here away from that place. I just need to rest.” she answered sincerely.

Mrs. Diaz's face was bewildered.


When they reached home, Cornelia has to stay in the bathroom fro two hours just to prove her fabricated situation.

“So, how are you feeling?” Mrs. Diaz asked.

“I'm feeling better. I just need to sleep.” Cornelia went directly to her room. She's so tired but she cannot sleep. She's pondering on what had happened in the party. She has been so silly! So cowardly silly! She cannot fight Lucas' stares back. She so conscious of herself. Damn! She's like a teenager who meets her crush for the first time. What would Lucas think for that walkout? That she's fallen in love at first sight? Yuck!

“Stupid!” she scolded herself.


It was 9:45 when she was finally able to lift her body up. She had been awake several times but she always gets back to sleep. She has no alarm clock so she decides when to get up. Her body feels lighter this morning. She looked for cellular phone and found out that she has nine messages and five missed calls. She opened the first message. It said 'Good Morning'. She opened the one. It bore the same greeting and so with the third. It was all the same number. The number isn't on her list. She deleted them all. The same number has had miscalled her, too. She ignored it laid her cellphone back. She went outside and headed to their kitchen. She found a note in the table, 'FOOD ON THE FRIDGE' she read. It was Mrs. Diaz's note. Her mother had went to work before Cornelia could wake up. She was about to open the refrigerator when the phone rang. She picked up the receiver.

“Hello.” She began.

“Uh...hi, Cornelia! Good morning!” It was a deep broad voice of a man like a criminal on a suspense thriller movie except that it speaks of 'Hi' and 'Good Morning'.

“Ahuh...and who's this?” she inquired.

“It's Lucas.”

She calmed herself.

“I just wanna make sure if you received my messages this morning. I texted and called you many times but you don't respond so I thought I had the wrong number.” Lucas continued.

“No, no...I received them all. It's just that, I woke up very late...and I didn't know it was you.” Cornelia explained. “By the way, how did you get my number?”

“I got from Mom. She had your number.”

“Okay...and is that all?” Cornelia asked trying to end the conversation right away.

“Wait a minute. Can I ask a favor?” Lucas went on.

So here's the reason for all the teeny-weeny flirts, Cornelia thought.

“What?” she asked.

“Can I..call you with your mobile number to make sure it's really right?”

She gave a shrug. So this is not yet the revelation point.

“Okay, so...I'm putting this down, alright?”

“Yeah...okay.”

She put down the receiver, just then her cellphone rang. She went to her room and picked it up.

“Hello, Lucas?”

“Yes. Your voice is sweeter on the mobile phone. I'm relieved now, to know that I'll be hearing it from time to time.” She can almost see him smiling on the other end.

It annoyed her. What's this? A guy's first move on a woman? She mulled over.

“Hello, Cornelia? Are you still there?”

Lucas voice almost made her jump. “Yes, but...can I end this call? I'm so hungry. I haven't eaten my breakfast yet, you know. I want to eat.” she said without hesitation.

“Oh, I'm sorry. I didn't know. Go, take your breakfast first.” Lucas apologized.

“Okay. Bye.” She ended.

She put her cellphone down. She was nearing the door when her cellphone rang once again. She picked it up.

“Hello?”

“Hey! It's me.” It's Lucas. “I just wanna make sure I can always call you from now on. Well, don't bother to say anything! I'm ending this now. Bye.”

She put down her phone but before she could get any farther, it rang once more. She picked it up quickly. This time, she was really pissed off.

“I don't know how to say this but you're really getting into my nerves!” she yelled. She doesn't care what will he say.

“So, is that why you're not answering our calls, Ms. Diaz? We've called you twice but you don't answer.”

She was startled. It isn't Lucas.

“Who is this, please?” she asked modestly.

“And now, you're starting to forget us! What do you think you're playing at?” She identified the voice. It was Mr. Cheng.

“Oh, I'm sorry, sir! I thought you're...uh...never mind. Well, what is wrong, sir?”

“Well, we just need you in the office right now! I don't care what you've been busy with. I need you to be here now!” the man on the line uttered firmly.

“Okay, Sir!” She put down the phone, she felt like a fool for that.

“Oh, no!” she muttered to herself knowing that she cannot take her breakfast that morning. She hasn't even taken a bath.

She washed her face and put on clean clothes. She readied a bag to put all the things she'll need. She opened her closet to start packing up things: extra clothes, jacket, cap, set of stiletto, and her cellphone. She closed her closet. She looked at herself.

“Wait a minute! Where's my ID?”

She opened her closet again and searched for it. She found it under the heap of her undergarments.

“Oh! Here it is.” Castro, Digna: EIO.

“At last, I'm ready!” And she went out of the room.

Chapter 3

Cornelia arrived at the EIO building at 10:45. It should have been less than a 30-minute drive from her home but because she drives slow, it took her almost 45 minutes. The EIO building is located at the heart of Pasay but it is not well-visited and only few cars and people pass by it. It was an abandoned building before the organization bought and took it as the EIO headquarters in the Philippines. The building is not quite large but it has a huge courtyard. Cornelia parked her car in the huge parking space. There were only few cars parked in the lot. It was Sunday morning and she’s not expecting too much people today. She went immediately into the boss’ office.

“Good morning, Sir! I’m so sorry! I really thought it was somebody else who’s calling me.” She talked rapidly. For 6 years of working with EIO, she has been so comfortable with talking to Mr. Cheng.

“I’m glad you’ve made an effort to apologize, Ms. Diaz,” he snorted out. Mr. Cheng is a Chinese man, tall and very neat. He met Cornelia in a Taekwondo Competition in Manila. She was the representative of their school. She was only 17 at that time but Cheng saw a special ability within Cornelia. Although she finished only third, it was her whom Cheng decided to train and give a place in EIO after 2 years.

“By the way,” he continued, “I called you because I want you on the case.”

She looked puzzled. “What case?”

“The kidnapping case. I want you to accompany the team and rescue the girl. The kidnappers are in Manila. The team will arrive in less than an hour and I need you on the field this time.”

“Wait…wait a minute!” Cornelia interfered. “You want me on the big kidnapping case?”

He nodded.

“And you mean I’ll be working on the field this time?”

He nodded half-smiling. “You will make the drop. They want a Filipino to do it.” He was referring to the kidnappers. “I want you to be very careful on that. Mr. Watkins is very eager to see his daughter. She’s been gone for almost two weeks and every passing day means so much to him.” He explain the situation like it is just a small business.

“Well, I’d be very much willing to help, Sir!” she assured.

“Yeah, I’ve been expecting that.” He laughed. “You can go now!”

Cornelia walked out of the room. Finally, after 6 years, she’ll be working on the field. Although she was the most oriented with martial arts, she wasn’t allowed to work on the field. She understands it was because she is a weakling in guns. She hadn’t passed her lessons on it. She stays on the car in every operation and helps guide the team.


The first to arrive is Johny Chan. He is kind of the leader of the group since he is the most mature. He is a Chinese guy and lives in Hong Kong. Most of the members of the organization are Chinese. In fact, Cornelia's the only Filipino the organization has taken. She was hired when the bosses decided to transfer the headquarters from Hong Kong to the Philippines.

In a short while, Michelle Yuen, another Chinese, came with her usual fashionable look. She towers at 5'8 yet she wears shoes with five-inch heels which made her look like the tallest in the group. She is a black-belter in Karate and is an expert in guns. She's one of the best shooters in the whole organization that's why she's been taken as part of the operations team. The only girl on the team working on the field. The third to arrive is Henry Barnes, the half-British, half-Chinese guy from London. He is exceptionally handsome. He is fair-skinned and is 5'10 in height . He is as serious as Johnny Chan and is expert in sword fighting.

Colin Freeman, the American nerd. Arrived seconds after Henry Barnes. He's wearing glasses which makes him look obviously the smartest among the five. He's a real weirdo but is also an expert in Karate and guns.

After a long while, Gabe Wu, the Taiwanese Wushu expert arrived late as ever. He is the tallest st 5'11 and the biggest among them all yet he moves swiftly. He completes the five members of the operations team which works in EIO's big cases.

They tackled about their plan in the conference room. The drop will be made that night at Luneta Park and Cornelia is tasked to make the drop. They discussed about their integration, the process of the drop, their exit and how will they rescue the girl successfully. After the discussion, they readied themselves. They took out the P50 million ransom which was given by Mr. Watkins. They put on proper attires and readied all the equipments they will need including the armaments if circumstances will push. Cornelia put on plain clothes. She's going to make the drop as an ordinary citizen.


They were already at the venue before nine. There are a lot of people in the park. Most are lovers wandering around. Some children and adults were sleeping in some corners of the place. For others, Luneta serves as their home. People from different places fill it everyday. And this time, it will be used in a rather different transaction.

At 10:30, Cornelia positioned herself in a bench. It was the only set which nobody was occupying although someone was sleeping at the back. She looked like she came from the church judging by her green dress. The kidnappers wanted a Filipino woman to make the drop. Mr. Cheng didn't know why. Maybe they want a little talk with the agent.

Henry and Michelle disguised themselves as lovers. They were at the leftmost corner of the park. Johnny was inside his own car parked at the building outside the site. Cornelia couldn't see him. Colin was with JC ad Gabe was infront of the pub facing Luneta.

“Hello, Castro!” It was the voice of JC Lo from her earpiece. JC is the operator at the control cab. He and the entire organization except Mr. Cheng knew her in the name of Digna Castro. You enter and exit EIO without your real persona being involved.

“Yes,” she answered.

“He's coming. They called a while ago and we told them your location. He's on your left side.”

She looked at her left side without tilting her head. She saw a man walking briskly into her direction. “I see him,”she told JC. The man is slender but very tall. He's wearing dark jacket and cap. She readied herself.

“Cornelia!” She almost jumped of fright. She looked at her right side and saw somebody approaching her. The last person she wants to see.

“Lucas!” She was both confused and frightened. “What are you doing here?”

“Ain't I the one who should ask you that?” he asked sternly. He moved closer. He looks extremely handsome in the beam of streetlights and with his sharp look. He's wearing brown leather jacket which made him look chunkier and dangerous.

She remained motionless for a few seconds. “Digna! What do you think you're doing? Get that Lucas out of your way!” It was JC already pissed off. The team was watching her from the cab. Cornelia remembered her task. She looked at the man. It stopped walking toward her and remained in the shade of a tree.

“Cornelia, are you listening to me?” Lucas asked as he noticed her not paying attention to him. She kept looking at some direction.

“Digna, are you listening to me?”

“YES, I SAID!” she yelled. He man sleeping at the back got up and after realizing the source of the voice, murmured something and went back to sleep. She looked sharply at Lucas.

“Okay! You don't have to get mad,” Lucas calmed her. “I was just asking you.” He hadn't seen Cornelia get enraged before.

“You don't have to shout Dig. I can hear you clearly. Now do your task. The man's about to go.” JC pointed out. He was shocked to hear Digna yell at him.

Cornelia was so confused. She looked at the man again. The man was turning his back. He's about to go! Cornelia was startled. She rose up from her seat. She took the money-filled briefcases along with her and was about to follow the man but Lucas held her arm.

“You're not going anywhere!” he uttered firmly. What is wrong with this guy? She thought.

She gave him a rigorous look. “Excuse me Luke, but I have a very important business to do.” She struggled to loosen his grip. Finally, Lucas freed her arm.

Cornelia went quickly into the man's direction. The man's walks faster than her. She tried to catch up with him but he had gone out from her view. She looked around.

“No, no, no Digna! Don't follow him. They might corner you and get the money. Okay...Now, just come back in the car and let the team follow him.” JC tried to calm his voice.

She went back into the cab scolding herself. She thought it will be her first and last assignment.

“Who's that man?” Colin asked referring to Lucas.

“He's a...a family friend,” Cornelia answered without looking at him. She handed the cases to Nicole, JC's assistant. “I'm sorry. I messed it all.”

They remained silent. Nobody said a word. They didn't even dare look at her. Cornelia stepped into the cab sluggishly. She knew she'd just messes up a big case. And it should have been a big catch for all of them. They all get paid out of the cases they solve and from some financial assistance from outside the country. She wanted to ask JC what had happened to the man and if the team continued to follow him, but she doesn't have the guts to ask. She didn't even want to go back to EIO office yet. She wants to go home and rest, but she didn't think that will lessen the trouble she'd made.

“I'm...sorry?” she whisper-muttered to Mr. Cheng as soon as she entered his office.

“Are you asking for an apology, or you're asking yet another question?” Mr. Cheng narrowed his face.

“I...I'm sorry Sir.” She didn't look Mr. Cheng in the eye.

“Well there's nothing we can do with that. I guess you don't get well on the field. That's the trouble when we hire a citizen of the country. There's always a family,s a friend, a colleague...” She lowered her face. Cheng went back to face his computer. “You can go.” And Cornelia went out of the room. She is thankful Mr. Cheng didn't yell at her. He composed himself.

Cornelia went home directly. She didn't do much but she feels so tired. She should have felt much better if she was able to do her job. It was all ruined.


“What do you mean the police took him?” Mr. Cheng asked furiously. He got up from his seat and tried to control his temper but the idea that the whole case can be ruined forced him to raise his voice.

“We followed him, but before we could get near, the police arrived and picked him up. “It was Johnny explaining as if trying to convince somebody that it is not his fault.

“It's not the police. It's the NBI.” Michelle stepped in.

Mr. Cheng tried to calm himself. Whether it's the police or the NBI, I don't care. Now, what I'm trying to point out is how did any one of them figure out the drop?” He looked at each one of them gradually. Nobody said a word.

“What do you mean? That somebody's disloyal to EIO?” Colin snarled breaking the silence.

Cheng just gave a shrug and went back to his seat. He wants his men to answer the question themselves.

They looked at each other as if speaking without any words. Finally, Johnny grunted, “I guess that would be impossible Sir. You see, this is the first time a case turned out like this. And besides, we're all working here for quite a long time.”

“So what are you trying to point out?” Cheng asked. “That these are all coincidence?”

“No,” Johnny muttered without looking at his boss' face. “I think the FBI has finally found us here. They already know we're doing our business here.” He looked each one of the guys in the eye.

“I believe we've overstayed in the Philippines.”

Impressum

Texte: Cover Illustration by Lavish Sarael
Tag der Veröffentlichung: 10.12.2010

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To those who've encouraged and supported me, God and Lyresa.