A piece of the past...

"Okay, that's good enough," her mother said after taking a good look at her from head to foot. She motioned with her head and added, "We can't be late. Get your feet moving."

Dannie felt like the ocean wave. Her mother was the wind, taking her wherever she wanted.

And this time, it was an intimidating, five-star hotel.

She could feel her limbs were getting numb and shaking at the same time. She didn't realize she had stood frozen outside the elevator doors.

"What the hell are you waiting for? Get in!" her mother hissed at her.

She didn't feel like she belonged there at all. So was her mother. Her dress was new, but it was not befitting to the place they were in right that moment. It was a wonder the guards did not stop them from entering wearing drab clothes.

But then, if she was right, it was her third time in the last two months. The guards must have an idea or maybe they were just plain ignorant.

"Just remember what I told you. And don't repeat what you did the last time. Understand?" her mother instructed as the elevator took them upstairs to their desired floor. "Just think about your sister."

She wasn't listening. She was actually thinking what would happen if she just ran away. Would things be better? Would Tessa be alright?

Before she knew it, her mother was already pulling her toward a familiar door.

She looked at her mother, her eyes begging—pleading.

"Stop looking at me like that. This is your fault in the first place. If you didn't do that to your father, this would not be—"

But the door opened before her mother could finish her speech. The man's gaze immediately went to Dannie with recognition. He was just like every other normal man one would bump into the streets. He looked harmless, kind even.

"I'll pick her up in two hours," her mother said to the man, her voice serious and business-like. She pushed Dannie toward the guy and left without another glance at her.

"It's nice to see you again," the man said as greeting, pulling her gently inside the room. He closed and locked the door behind them.

All her thoughts went out the window and the only thing that lingered was the intense hatred toward her mother.

PRESENT DAY

Dannie slowly opened her eyes. It wasn't a dream. It was a memory. And she was used to it by now.

She had long stopped hoping they would stop coming. For a time, they did, but they all came back when her mother dropped by for a visit one year ago.

Slowly, she got out of bed. The noise outside told her George and Jackie were with the guys who, apparently, did not go home after last night's events.

Her hand went to her cheeks and she discovered that she had been silently crying in her sleep.

Walking to the mirror across her bed, she squared her shoulders. She had overcome that fateful day and she would overcome today as well. She spent some time to pray and thank God for another day. When she opened her bedroom door, the memories of her past were back in the darkest part of her mind, just somewhere in between the conscious and subconscious. Ready to disappear and ready to resurface.

"Good, you're up," George said when she saw Dannie close the door behind her. Jordan, Dean and Troy were scattered on the carpeted floor of the living room, their head bent over their tablets. Their coffees were sitting beside them, all half-empty.

Jackie was toasting some bread while muttering about men who never had the chance to grow up.

"Have some coffee before we go," George ordered like a mother.

Dannie obliged, taking an empty seat around their small dining table.

"Hey, you big guys with minds of three-year-olds, don't get me started with counting from one to three!" Jackie shouted at the three guys in the living room. "Dean!"

"Coming," Dean said, blindly standing up, his gaze not leaving the tablet.

"Are we going somewhere?" asked Dannie as guys slowly made their way to the table.

"We're on shift at the HQ today," explained George, pointing at Jordan who was already wearing his Red Cross shirt. "But we are going to have dinner together after Jackie and Dean get off work."

"What am I going to do the whole day then? Are there any tasks left for the wedding?"

"Almost everything is covered now," Jackie said, "except the prenuptial shoot." She threw Troy a look before placing the plate of toasts on the table.

"I already told you I have one scheduled today," Troy uttered, finally letting go of his tab. "It's a lost battle, guys. Let's do it again later," he said to Jordan and Dean who collectively sighed their defeat in response. "You wanna come with me?" Troy asked Dannie.

She thought about it for a while and nodded. "Sure."

"Then better get ready after breakfast. We have to go by my house to get my equipment and then we'll be on the road."

"Where's the shoot?"

"The couple had reserved a place in Sipalay for the shoot so it's going to be a long drive. Don't say you're not coming," he added hastily, "you already said yes."

"You're not kidnapping her again, are you?" Jackie asked.

"Let's not talk about that again, please," Dean said dryly.

"It's old news," Jordan added. "Get over it."

"Like we can forget how he drove Dannie to the other side of the province," George snapped at him. "I'll go get ready. Ready Toto."

"We're not taking my car?" Jordan asked with disappointment.

"No, we're taking Toto."

*****

I was feeling ambivalent about the driving arrangement.

Part of my engine wanted to jumpstart with joy when they said I would be staying in the city where it was safe for my tires, but another part wanted to whine and whirr with the thought of Dannie baby and Troy going out of town again without me. The guy was prone to taking her somewhere unplanned and I didn't want to stay here and worry over them.

But then the owners had the final say. Now, it was Tata, my friend, who would have to endure the drama to Sipalay.

Anyway, I hadn't seen Dee, my ambulance friend, for quite some time now.

The men were already waiting outside for my boys to come out and they were talking. And when the men talked, I listened with my supersonic metallic ears.

"You think you still have a chance?" Dean asked Troy as they leaned against me. On the side note, I barely withstood the weight of them three together! My tires were screaming for help!

"I don't know. I just know Dannie has deeper issues than what all of us know and I think it's only between them boys. Whatever she went through in the past, I don't think I'll ever find out. I just know that it's worse than what I think. I just get this feeling, you know."

"I just asked if you think you still have a chance. I don't think we want to talk about her past as we all know it is not something nice, what with George and Jackie's overprotective nature over Dannie," Dean said.

"What I mean is that I am no longer trying to gauge whether or not I have a chance with her. I just...I don't know. As much as I want it, I want for her to be the one to get the chance to experience a lot of things she never got to experience because of her past. Do I want her to go back in that convent? No, of course not. But that's not my decision to make. It is hers. And whether I have a chance or not is not up to me so you are asking the wrong person, man. And don't dare ask her. She doesn't even know what she wants at the moment. Let's just let her be. Let her do random things without expecting a lot from her. That will only put a lot of pressure on her and she has this tendency to panic whenever she's under pressure."

Jordan snickered. "I never thought you're capable of saying such deep words." Troy made a motion of kicking the man. "But haven't you thought of you know...going away alone, give her space and let her realize what she's missing? It might just work."

Troy was silent for a while. He must be considering Jordan's suggestion, the idiot! "Isn't that manipulation in a way?"

Yes, my boy...it is! Jordan, you manipulative bitch of a man! Stop giving Troy some crazy ideas!

Dean and Jordan slowly shook their heads, their expression telling me that they were also doubtful.

"I don't want to manipulate Danica in any way. And I don't want to go away. She's here, outside of the convent, and it might be the last time I'll see her again after many years. And being absent from someone else's life does not reassure good results. Most would agree that presence is more effective."

"Stop with the philosophy. I cringe hearing it from you," Dean said in jest, pushing away from me.

"You have to be ready, man," Jordan told him, "the wedding's coming up and there will surely be a lot of cringe-worthy moments." He followed it with a laugh when Dean almost puked.

"Not going to happen," Troy uttered with a smile.

"Definitely not going to happen," Dean agreed.

Though they were laughing at the humor, I couldn't help but notice the distant look on Troy's face.

Ah...poor boy!

*****

"Ever since I came back, I've been doing a lot of random things with you," Dannie commented as they made their way out of town. They had dropped by Troy's house for a short time to get his equipment for the shoot and now they were on the road to Sipalay, one of the best beach destinations in the province.

"You need some randomness in your life," he pointed out, grabbing his wallet from his pocket as he drove. "Can you find the piece of paper with an address written on it? It's just there somewhere."

"You wrote the address in a piece of paper?"

"No, the groom did. Apparently, he doesn't believe in the power of smartphones. I think I placed it in one of the smaller compartments."

Dannie searched his wallet and found the paper. And the photo. "I can't believe you've been keeping it all this time."

His head turned to see what she meant and he immediately grabbed his wallet from her. "You can't take it back. It's antique and precious." He laughed at his own remark and Dannie could only shake her head.

"I don't like how I look in that photo," she said.

"You look okay, Danica. This photo actually saved our house from pests for years," Troy said, avoiding Dannie's slap. "Hey, stop it. I'm driving."

"By the way, have you talked with Miguel and Lee yet? You should fix things with them."

"They do not even remember what happened last night."

"Are you serious?"

"Come on, you know us. We fix things easier than girls can. What happened is in the past. They cannot remember what they said so I just let them have their suffering in not knowing," he said with a smile. "You should rest. It's going to be a long drive."

Dannie did not want to rest. She wanted to see everything they passed by—each town and the different sceneries they offered. Sipalay was at least four hours away from Bacolod, could be less if you drove faster. But Troy seemed to not mind the time. He said they were aiming for the sunset and it would be hours before they did the shoot proper. The couple, though, was already waiting for him at Tinagong Dagat, one of the resorts in the place.

She found a sense of calmness as Troy drove past the different towns. She saw the traces of urban life slowly disappear as Sipalay neared. At one point, they decided to open the windows and let the fresh wind give them relief from the artificial coolness of the air condition. It was fascinating to witness the wonder of the sea when they traveled through the side of the mountain.

They arrived in Sipalay just after lunch.

Tinagong Dagat didn't offer the seaside experience. What it offered was a fantastic lagoon-like view. The resort consisted of three or four small hill-like islands people could visit. There were a series of bamboo bridges that led to the little islets of the place. The sea was just under them, but there were no dry sand. The tide had fallen back and Dannie could see the corrals through the crystal clear waters. Troy led her through three more long bridges to reach the resort's restaurant. As they walked, Dannie noticed the different cottages built in each islet, each with their own small swimming pools. It wasn't a perfect beach experience, but the view was just fantastic. She could easily imagine what it would look like during sunset.

The couple, Fretzel and Oozie, was already waiting for them with food. The two were obviously excited and did not question Dannie's presence for the shoot. Fretzel started gushing about the different outfits she brought with her and how she'd let Troy decide which would best suit the atmosphere of the shoot.

Fretzel wanted to shoot at a nearby resort where there was an actual beach with white sands. Troy was cool with it. He even suggested they went island hopping so he could take shots of the couple on a boat.

They ate their late lunch and as they did, Dannie was amazed at how Troy was taking his job seriously. She had never seen him at an actual work kind of photo shoot. In the past, she had always thought he was just a rich kid who liked playing around with his cameras. She knew his website was famous in its own way, but she never expected he actually had a job doing what he loved. And that he was serious about it.

"Are you staying here or are you coming with us?" They were planning to go to a nearby resort for some shots and island hopping.

She liked it that he was giving her an option. "I think I'll stay here. I'll see you when you get back."

"You sure? Do you have your phone with you? You call me when you need anything."

"I'll be fine, Troy."

He hesitated for a while before he nodded and left with the couple.

Dannie was left alone to roam the place. She climbed to the peak of one of the islets and spent a long time just watching the color of the sky slowly change before her eyes.

She felt calm and contented. Happy? She didn't know. She just knew that she felt safe, not worried about anything at the moment. She knew Troy was just one call away. And she knew he'd be coming back soon.

*****

Okay, so I was actually having a normal day, away from all the Dannie and Troy drama and I was fine with it. I was slightly worried that Dannie would either break down there or something, but not really. I had decided to trust Troy Brady again, despite what he did back in Siquijor because for one, I didn't have any freaking other choice!

What I thought to be a normal day actually turned out to be one of the most dreadful one I ever had to endure after a long time. It almost made my engines burst with panic and thoughts of dying and seeing my makers.

Wonder what happened to me while my boys were away?

It was nothing, really.

I just got freaking CARnapped!!!