Chapter One:

"I am you from the future and I wanted you to change your future." Seryosong saad nya sa akin.

Napanganga ako. Ano raw?

"Teka, teka," iniling-iling ko pa ang ulo ko baka sakaling mali lang pagkakadinig ko. "Anong sabi mo?"

Napabuntong-hininga sya. Wow?

"I am YOU from the future." Pagdidiin nya.

At sa ikalawang pagkakataon, tinignan ko ang kabuuan nya. Pa-paano? She looks younger than me. At parang hindi ko ma-imagine sarili ko na maging katulad nya. At tsaka, ang seryoso nya. Talaga bang ako ito? From the future?

Iling-iling. Ba't ako nagpapaniwala sa taong 'to?

"Miss, please hwag ako lokohin mo." Sabi ko. "Sabihin mo nalang na anak ka ni Mama or Papa, na half-sister kita.. Or pinsan ba o ano."

"Papa at Mama?" Tila nanlambot ang boses nya pagkasabi nya nun. Pero di ko nalang pinansin.

"Atsaka pa, kung ako ikaw galing sa future, why do I looked so young?" Tanong ko.

At sa muli, napabuntong-hininga sya. Pero this time, isa nang napaka-lalim na buntong-hininga. Para syang kumukuha ng lakas na loob. 

"Alam mo girl, uso kasi retoke sa future. Madami na dapat talaga akong wrinkles, at black na sana ako ngayon. Pero nilaklak ko kasi lahat ng pwede laklakin, kaya look at me," she then presented herself to me. " I looked so young at the age of 36."

Ha? 36?

"Yups yups. I know what you're thinking. Im 36." At parang narinig nya pa talaga ang tanong ko na tanong ko lang sa utak ko.

And I just cant image myself remaking my face. Really???

Lumapit sya sa akin at inakbayan ako. "You know what, maniwala ka nalang. See this necklace?" Humarap sya sa akin kahit na nakaakbay pa rin sya sa akin. "You familiar with this, right?"

Nanlaki ang mata ko sa kwentas na suot-suot nya. Kwentas yun na kagaya lang ng suot-suot ko ngayon. Necklace yun na silver na may pangalan ko. Pinagawa yun mismo ni Papa para sa akin.

"Imposible."

"No, it is so posible to happen. Because me is you. From the future. Maniwala ka na." At may patapik-tapik pa sya sa balikat ko.

"Nagbago ba talaga ugali ko?" That was supposed to be a question just for myself to myself but I say it out loud.

"Yes, girl. Alam mo yung term na millenials? Millenials na kayo ngayon pero mas may ikaka-millenials pa iyan in the future." Inalis nya na ang pagkaka-akbay sa akin. Pumunta sya sa isang bench dito sa rooftop at umakyat dun at tumayo. 

She spread her both arms at parang dinama-dama ang hangin. Napapikit pa sya ng mata.

"I never imagined that I really did make it here." She said.

As I was looking at her, she seems exhausted from something that I cannot tell. 

"Bakit ka bumalik?" I asked.

She opened her eyes, then she looked at me. "Just what I've said, I wanted you to change your future. OUR future."

"Bakit?" I asked once again. Medyo nagtagal pa ang tingin nya sa akin, hindi ko mawari kung anong klaseng tingin iyon. 

"We really do looked alike." She said then looked away. "What's the reason? Simple lang, I wanted you to be happy in the future."

Bigla akong kinabahan. Am I not happy in the future? Bakit? Nabuntis ba ako ng maaga? Na-rape ba? Bagsak sa exam? Nagkasakit?

"Grabe. Malala ba future ko?" I asked.

Okay lang ba ito? Diba kagaya sa mga movies, bawal dapat malaman ang future kasi maraming pwede magbago? Well, this girl wanted me to change my future. I mean, this woman (cause she's 36 already). So, pwede lang ba na malaman ko mga bagay-bagay sa future kasi yun din naman gusto nya?

Ewan ko nalang!

"Full of regrets, sacrifices, and other things," bumaba sya sa bench at lumakad papunta sa direksyon ko. "You're so depressed in the future, that you just wanted to d-die." Medyo nanginig pa ang boses nya sa huling sinabi nya. And that is just when I realized, she was talking to herself. She is me from the future. Sya ang nakakaranas ng pagsisisi at sakripisyo ngayon.

But I never imagined that I could be this strong in the future. She told that the future me is a depressed woman, but she managed to tell me those things with chin high and straight face.

Hindi ako masyadong nakaka-relate sa pinagsasabi nya, parang diko pa kayang i-function sa utak ko na, "ako ay sya". And I can never really imagine that I would become a depressed woman in the future.

"J-just.." napatingin ako sa kanya. She cleared her throat before continuing. "Just believe in me. You dont want your future to get messed up, right? You dreamt of a happy family? You can achieve that if you gonna change the faith. Trust me, alam ko." Sa pagtingin ko sa mga mata nya, nakikita ko na parang may bumubuo na luha sa mga mata nya. 

She holds my hand and put it on her heart side. "You cannot take the struggle in the future," ramdam ko ang paghigpit ng hawak nya sa kamay ko habang nadadama ko sa kamay ko ang malakas na pintig ng puso nya. Then, I just felt pain. "Kasi ang sakit, sobra. Sana maramdaman mo ang sincerety ng sinasabi ko. This is for your good." At tuluyan na ngang tumulo ang isang butil ng luha nya.

Ginamit ko ang isang libre kong kamay upang punasan iyon. "Wow ang lakas mo naman. You know.. you can always cry the pain." Nahahalata kong kanina nya pa gustong ipakawala ang luha na iyon.

I never really feel any kind of pain for myself right now. The pain that I am feeling for now was for her; my future self.

"Ano ba ang nangyari bakit ka nagkaganyan?" Nakatingin lang ako sa kanya na may pag-alala. She was about to answer but she choose to shut her mouth. Iniwas nya na din ang mukha nya sa kamay kong pinupunas ang luha nya. 

"Y-you acted that you're older than me when in fact, I am 18 years older than you." 

I dont know why pero parang pareho nyang pinapaalalahanan ang sarili nya at ako sa lahat ng mga pinagsasabi nya. It was like it meant not just for me, but for her also.

"Ano ba dapat gawin ko para magbago ang hinaharap ko?" May part talaga sa akin na nagsasabing baliw na ata ako dahil naniniwala akong galing sa future ang babaeng ito. But I guess the necklace was already enough for me to believe that this girl came from the future. And the way she explained to me how rough my life would be in the future.

"There's only one thing for you to do." She said. Inayos nya na rin ang postura nya. She calmed herself then talk, "You must find your Mr. Right."

"Ano?" Teka love life? Ito ba dahilan bakit magkakandeleche-leche ang buhay ko in the future because of a guy?

"Yes yes, you heard it right. You must follow everything that I am going to say to you." Saad nya pa. "Always remember I am  here for you to change your future. That is why I time leaped to meet you."