"WAKE up, Cleo!" I was awakened by a loud gasp coming from me and I immediately hugged the person who woke me up. "You're alright, Honey. I'm just here. Your Dad and I are here."

Mom continued to hush me up. Halos mugtong mugto na ang mata ko dahil sa pag-iyak. Ang kaba na nararamdaman ko ay hindi iyon mapapantayan ng kung anuman. No one will ever dare to see what I have seen. I thought it's already happening. I thought I lost them already.

"C'mon, Honey. Tell us what's your nightmare. Dad is acting up as a meanie jerk right now. Ayaw mo namang mapagalitan no'n 'di ba?" Mom tried to push me to share what's my dream.

No, it's not a dream. It's definitely a nightmare.

"Cleo, I have a lot of things that I need to do in Malacañang. So, kung hindi mo sasabihin sa amin iyang iniiyakan mo..." Dad blurted out but was interrupted by Mom.

"What, Crisostomo? What are you going to do with her?" Mom piercing eyes made my Dad stammered. Naging maamo rin ang mga mata nito sa harap ni Mom.

Dad is a short-tempered type of a father and a man, I must say. Pero kapag si Mom na ang nagagalit, he's becoming soft and couldn't speak anything in front of her. As much as I want to be happy because I have parents who are really in love with each other, I just can't. The nightmare that I have witnessed, whenever it lingers in my mind, I can't stop shaking and feel the fear it brought me.

Mom faced me again matapos nitong pagalitan si Dad na ngayo'y naupo na rin sa tabi ko at maamo ang mukha ngayon.

"Honey, what kind of dream is it this time? Is it a Lion who ate a lovable lamb? Or a big spider ate a big mantis while you can hear it crunching?"

Parehas kaming napangiwi ni Dad sa tanong ni Mom.

"Love, did you watch too much gore movies again?" Dad asked but immediately stood up when Mom tried to hit him with her classical hand fan.

Muli akong napaiyak when I remembered it again.

Mom tried to hush me again. My cries are becoming loud and for sure they don't know what to do with me now.

Dad was about to console me when his phone rang. Nakakabulahaw ang tunog ng ringtone ni Dad kaya sinamaan muli siya ni Mom ng tingin. Alam niyang ayaw ni Mom na naririnig iyang ringtone na iyan.

"Crisostomo? 'Pag hindi mo iyan sinagot, sisiguraduhin ko talagang sa parking area ka matutulog!" Mom warned.

Mabilis naman na tumalilis ng tayo si Dad at sinagot iyon. I'm sure na it's one of his assistant na naman from his government office.

Hindi pa tuluyang nakakalabas ng kwarto ko si Dad nang bigla itong sumigaw sa kausap nito. "What did you just say?! You need to contact the Primeval Union, they told us they're still going to operate the Primus City!"

Hindi ko alam kung ano ang pinag-uusapan nila but my attention has been caught when Mom caressed my hair. "Kung anuman 'yang napaginipan mo, it's just a dream okay? Kung masama man 'yan, most likely kabaligtaran kung minsan ang mangyayari. So, don't be bothered by it. Okay?"

"I've seen you both died."

Mom stilled from what I have told her. I know she saw something on my eyes. Something moved on it. Napatungo kaagad ako sa sahig dahil sa hindi malamang dahilan.

Napatingin lang ako uli ako kay Mom when she raised my chin and smiled sadly at me.

"You may not be our own child but I want you to know that your father and I love you so much. Okay?"

That's the saddest truth of my life.

They are not family. I don't know who's my family before I became like this. Nevertheless, they treated me nothing but the same of what parents should do with their kids.

"You are the best humanoid that we ever built... Cleopatra Selene Arguelles." Napagawi ang paningin ko sa isang larawan sa tabi ng kama ko.

It was my parents with a beautiful kid. They're all smiling. I don't know but I felt myself being sad again.

"I know what are you thinking, Cleo. Hindi man ikaw ang tunay na Cleo, you exude all expectation that we need to achieve as an engineer and scientist. You're not just an Android to us. You are more than that. Talo mo pa nga ang tao kung minsan. You know what's wrong and what's right." Napanguso ako sa sinabi ni Dad.

"Because you programmed me that way. That's why."

Dad grinned and then he looked at me with his serious face. "But there's no Android who can see the future. We never programmed you like that and that's how it makes you special, honey."

"S-So, I-It w-will really happen?" nakadama kaagad ako ng kaba dahil sa pagpapaalala ni Dad kung bakit ko nakikita ang hindi dapat makita.

They both sadly smiled at me. Then Mom put something on my left arm. It's a golden bangle. It's a relic from her clan. Sunud-sunod bigla ang naging pag-iling ko.

No! They will never leave me!

"You will know your past through this. You're still a human, Cleo. We just made some modification on your human body for you to live and that's what makes you very special. They're after you. You need to live. Live for us, darling." Mom said.

Then Dad made me face him. "You need to find the Kings. They can help to protect you. They can help you to know who you really are. Just tell them that you are the Code of Vortex." Wika naman ni Dad.

Wala na akong naiintindihan sa mga sinasabi nila. Pero hindi ko inaasahan ang sunod na nangyari. They both hugged me tightly and a massive explosion happened. Isang pagsabog na s'yang magpapasimula ng lahat.

I am Cleopatra Selene Arguelles... I woke up in a body of an upgraded body of a humanoid. I woke up knowing that I'm a project that they need to chase for. Dad told me that I should look for those Kings who will help to protect me. And tell them that I'm the... Code of Vortex.

• • •

Author's Note:

Any similarities that you will encounter is purely coincidental. Never read or watched before I plotted this. Let's refrain commenting other stories or movies on the comment box.

Respect. That's all I'm asking.

Updates will be twice a week, (I hope so...)

Let's support the Kings this time.