The teenager named Natasha Ice Raven dragged a hard breath and once again looked at her mother whose silently crying while hugging her. The heaviness and the tension in the air is an understatement at the moment.  

"Mum." She mutter in woe holding onto her mother while having a hard time to control her tears from falling in her dark hazel eyes. She has a mesomorph physique with ash brown locks. 

"Natasha, always remember to take care of yourself okay?  I love you so much. Maiingat ka don, don't be reckless."  Her mother said - Georgina Parks.

"I will mom. You do the same too." Natasha responded and sigh heavily at the thought of leaving her mother who always care and love her as a true daughter of her own.

She treasure Georgina even it's not her true mother. She love her and believes she doesn't need to be her birth mother to love her. This goodbye isn't for the end but for beginning as she'll now embark in her journey to attend school -Agaphecate Academy

It was her responsibility after all. She needs to do what needs to be done.

"Basta! I may not have taught you everything but that place will teach you more than what I could. I'm sure you'll manage." Georgina looked at her straight in the eyes, a mixture of encouragement and trust is all she could see in her mother's gaze. 

"Tatandaan ko lahat ng mga turo mo. 'Di ko bibiguin ang tiwala mo at gagawin ko lahat para mapagbayad natin ang lahat ng may sala." Puno ng determinasyon na sambit ni Natasha

"Come here. Mamimiss kita." Malambing na sabi ni Georgina dito na hindi maiwasan na gumuhit ng isang ngiti sa mga labi ni Natasha.

"I'll miss you too mum. If I have a chance to pay you a visit, I'll swing by. I guess it's goodbye for now. I love you." Paalam na sambit niya pagkatapos ay humalik sa pisngi ng ina bago sumampa pasakay ng isang bus na siyang tanging paraan upang makapunta Akademya.

Natasha roamed her eyes on the bus finding a vacant seat to settle herself but leaped into the sides of the seats as the bus started moving. She clutched each sides to support herself and walked further to the vacant seat besides the window at the middle row. The bus fell into a quiet silence every minute passing by only to  found out that everyone on the bus stared at her. Who won't? The big trolley and bag she carry bumped to those she pass by in the faces yet she paid no attention nor apologize. 

Walang imik siyang naglakad at walang kahirap-hirap na binuhat paitaas ang kaniyang mga gamit sa kompartment. Walang emosyong naupo at humarap sa bintana. 

As the bus runs and the different buildings they passed on like a blur, she can't help but think about the inevitable. What lies ahead of her new life at the Academy, she doesn't know but how she wish she can. She doesn't want to admit but she feels nervous and scared. Will she succeed? So many questions raced into her mind as the once silent bus started to lit up of shushed tone of voices of the students who quickly done back to their own world.  

Napailing nalamang siya sa naiisip at naglagay ng earpods sa tenga upang mawala ang mga bagay na nakakapagbagabag sa kaniya. Isang mahinhin na tapik sa balikat ang nagpalingon sa kaniya, isang babaeng nakayuko na tila nahihiya at sa isang mahinang boses na nagsalita.

"U-uh. Miss. Is this seat vacant? Wala na kasing ibang bakante. Ayoko kasing sa itaas." 

Ilang segundo siyang tumitig sa babae at 'di tumugon. Nahihiyang nagbigay ng isang maliit na ngiti ang babae at yumuko tila uupo sa tabing upuan. Tumaas naman ang kilay niya sa ikinilos nito at nagpasyang tanggalin ang kaniyang earpods. 

"Yes?" She said plainly. The young lady whose probably around her age turned red in embarrassment and quickly straighten herself before muttering a;

"Sorry miss. Is this seat vacant? Wala na kasing ibang bakante."

Pulang-pula ang babae na 'di niya alam kung sasagutin niya ba ang tanong nito o babaliwain na lamang. Sa huli'y, walang imik siyang tumango at bumaling nalamang ulit sa bintana. 

A rustling of movements were heard as the girl besides her settled her stuffs above the compartment when her trolley slipped into her hands and landed onto her. A bolt of lightning were like shot in Natasha's veins that she accidentally freeze the trolley in time. The girl gasps in shock and pulled her trolley in the ground. 

"I'm sorry!" Nervousness and shock were still laced in to the girl's voice as she apologize. Natasha cleared her throat and nodded crotchety. She feel tired all of a sudden that she just want to lay in her bed and never get up. Her eyes found the window's view again, this time they were passing what seems like the infamous London streets. 

"Wow." The girl beside her let out a sound of appreciation and excitement that she scoffed. How come they are in London when it wasn't an hour ago that she left in their home at the Philippines? 

"It's amazing, isn't it? I've always wanted to go here in London. I think the ambiance are just so surreal." 

Sambit ng katabi niya. Tahimik siyang tumingin sa mga dinaanan niya ng huminto ang bus sa isang victorian house. Ilang minuto lamang ay may lumabas na isang lalaking may dala-dala na bag.

"Mukhang magtatravel around the world muna pala tayo bago makarating sa paaralan. Ako nga pala si Lucy." 

Tipid siyang tumango at pinikit nalamang ang mga mata upang matulog. 'Di bale na, umiikot ang kaniyang paningin resulta na siguro ng halos isang linggong walang matinong tulog dahil sa matinding training. 

A slight tap and a soft voice woke her up from her peaceful sleep. Natasha turned and looked with her deathly stares. The girl earlier flinch with her stares and gulp. She spoke after a second,

"The driver said that we can go down and buy food for an hour. Bababa ka ba? I think we're in Greece." Lucy politely said and rubbed her neck in shy. Natasha roamed her eyes around the bus and have seen that most of the students have gone down leaving only a couple of them. 

"No." She shortly replied and pursed her phone, a message was there from her mother saying she packed her a lunch in her carry bag. 

"Oh. I have packed food way too much, you should get some." Lucy said while stucking her hand on her bag that rested in her lap. Her face distorted in some reason and pulled her hand deeper that the only thing you could see is her shoulder. 

"It's okay. I have mine." Natasha declined and pulled her lunch from her bag. She gripped a handle from her side and there revealed a small table to eat on. When she turned to open her lunch, it is a club house tuna sandwich with a deep fried sausages paired in rice. There's also a pasta with a lot of white sauces and an Coke in Can.  

Natasha put on her earpods and ate in silence. She can't just stand the girl beside her talking to her like they're old friends. She preferred to be alone and in peace with herself.  After lunch, she decided to sleep on the rest of the time when a raspy old voice boomed in the whole bus much more loudly than the music resounding in her earpods. 

"Hold on tight on your seatbelts students! We're fast approaching the Potaru.  Again, I repeat, Hold on tight on your seatbelts, we're fast approaching the Potaru!." 

The buzzing chatter of the students dead down and they strengthen the straps of their seat belts. Natasha followed and lean back down on her seat when a huge force of gravity are pulling them in to the big black dark hole. The hole is so huge that the bus looks like a tiny ant compared to its size. Stars, there's stars twinkling on the hole and a shade of purple was evident also.  

Napawala ng isang malalim na buntong hininga si Natasha sa nakikita. This is it! Ito na ang  pinakahihintay niya sa buong buhay niya. Ang makapasok sa Agaphecate Academy, upang mahasa pa ng todo ang kaniyang abilidad. The training she have done through are not enough she knows that.  She needs more, she have so much more to learn that this decision she made to study in the most finest academy there is in their world, Agaphecate Academy is a right call. 

Finally! She's just one step away to the world she truly belongs. Dread and excitement clench in her stomach as the bus drove all the way and passed through the Potaru.