"This is the best game ever!" I said as I played the game on my cellphone. I never knew that playing mobile games is fun.
"I can able to spent some money to buy crystals-"
"NORTHBRIGHT!" The booming voice of my daddy shouted while banging on the door. "You ungrateful brat! Open this door RIGHT now!"
I snorted while continued playing. I ignored the voices outside.
"Yaya (Nanny)! Give me the spare keys to North's room right now!" daddy ordered our yaya on the other side of the door.
"Yes, sir." Our yaya answered and I can hear her footsteps fading away.
"Dear, what's wrong?" I can hear mommy's worried voice, asking daddy.
"Our ungrateful son here is splunging our money!" daddy answered. "The bank called me this morning and they said that the credit card has been maxed out!"
"WHAT?" Then mommy suddenly banged on the door. "Northbright, open this door now! We have some things to discuss!"
Irritated, I paused the game, putting down my smartphone, stand up and went to open the door.
"What is it, mommy-" as I said while opening the door, mommy and daddy barged in.
"North, explain this to us right now!" Daddy demanded as he took out his phone and showed to me all the bank transactions thru his email.
Shit. I've been caught.
"Um, dad. I can explain-" but mom took my phone and was shocked at what she saw.
"What is this, North?" Mom demanded in her calm but angry voice. "How many times do I have to tell you that NO video or mobile games in this family?"
"And based on this transactions, you are wasting OUR money on THIS!" Dad bellowed and snatch the phone from Mom.
"Daddy, please don't do this-" I was panicked as Dad closed the app, click the playstore and uninstall it. Then went to the Playgames app and delete all my progress.
NOOO!!! MY HARD EARNED GAME PROGRESS!!
"You are not touching any mobile, video OR PC games ever again!" Dad concluded. "As punishment, you will be sent to the province by next summer to live with your uncle!"
"NOOOO!!!!" I wailed as I fell on my knees.
*
"Daddy, I'm sorry!" I woke up in a jolt. I was sweating bullets and breathing heavily. "Just a nightmare." I said as I try to compose myself. I looked at the alarm clock beside my bed.
3:00 A.M. 4 hours before 7:00 A.M. Just great. "Sheesh, I should blame Anton for this." I said as I tried to get back to sleep.
*
Breakfast is the first meal of the day. Nothing beats the freshly homemade pandesal (bread) made by our yaya, some sunny side up eggs, hotdogs, butter and steaming hot sinanag (garlic rice) with some hot coffee and choco drinks.
We ate together at a long table, our servants are placing our food on the table while Daddy is busy reading the newspaper. Beside me is my little brother Westly (or West who is four years older than me and now in Grade 7) getting a portion of the rice while I get a pandesal from the basket, slice it with the knife and spread some butter on it. In front of me is my two years younger sister South (real name Sumeria who is now in Grade 10) gets some hotdog with a fork and beside her and in front of West is my five years younger that me (but one year younger than West) East (or Esther who is in Grade 6) is playing her egg with a fork.
Mom is also checking on her tablet while setting aside her fork, probably checking on her work emails. West and I seat at the left side of the table while my sisters are sitting on the right. Mom and dad are facing each other on the center side of each table.
"I have a dinner meeting with the clients on Monday so I will be home late." Dad announced as he set aside the newspaper and sip his coffee. His food was kept untouched. "Some big project is coming up. What about you, dear?" He ask Mom.
Mom turned her attention to him and replied. "I was invited to the business conference on Monday as well. This is related to the crytocurrency and bitcoin trading."
"Business meetings again?" South complained. She angrily put down her spoon and fork. "When will you have time to spend with us?"
"South, watch your tone!" Dad scolded her. "We are in front of the table and I don't want an argument in the morning!"
"Seriously, this is so irritating. You always spent time with your business even on weekends and you didn't have the time to spend with us even for one hour?!"
"South!" Mommy scolded her as well.
"I going to my room. I have lost my appetite eating this 'business discussion' breakfast." She stands up and walked out on the dining room.
"South, come back here!" Dad shouted, ordering her to come back. I could hear her footsteps fading away.
"I'll be on my room too." I stand up. In fact, I already done with my food. "Need to continue to study for the exams."
"Pass by to your sister's room and tell her to come back here and ate her breakfast. Don't want to waste food here." Dad said as I went out of the dining room.
*
"South?"
"Go away!" Was the reply before I knock the door. I turned on the handle and I was sighed in relief that the door was unlocked. "I'm coming in." I announced myself.
"What?" South said, sounding panicked. "Don't you ever dare enter the room, Kuya (big brother) or I'll-" too late. I entered her room and looked at her with a poker face. Her hand is placed on her pillow while the other was underneath it. I raised my brow in suspicion and lunged at her to get what's underneath the pillow. I get her smartphone under the pillow and look at it.
On the screen, is a title of the app that I thought that I was getting rid of my mind.
The game that my otaku friend played.
'GLIDED HEROES CHRONICLES'
"WHAT THE HELLLLLL???!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, in my mind anyways. "HOW ON EARTH IS MY SISTER PLAYING THIS GAME?!" with a shock look on my face.
"Kuya," South is now panicking that her secret is out. "Please don't tell daddy! I swear that I did good in my studies-"
"How on earth did you know about this?" I ask her, cutting her pleas. You see, Daddy has our email accounts used in our respective playstores being monitored thanks to an app that let you supervise your child's email account and what app did they install. There is a category which app is safe for the children so in short, Dad put the 'Gaming Apps' (except for a certain few, which I cannot elaborate further) under the ban category. "Did you use your email account to play the game? Also-" I looked around and decide to close and lock the door. I sat next to her and leaned at her. "Did daddy found out about this?" I continued, this time in a lower voice so that our yayas will not overhear our conversation.
"I created another email address, duh!" was her response. She snatched the phone from my hands and dished out another smartphone. Wait, where did she - "This smarthphone is the one with the account that Daddy has the control of." She explained, reffering to Smartphone #2 that she dished out. "And this-" she shows the smartphone #1 which she snatched from my hand earlier. "is the phone that I recently bought using my savings from my school allowance. I created an account that is separate from the account that daddy monitored so that I can play games freely."
Okay, I admit. South is a closeted gamer. Yes, you heard it right dear readers. She is a closeted gamer meaning behind the persona of the smartest girl in school is that she is a gamer at heart. You see, she likes video games when she was only 10 thanks to our cousin who invite her to their house to play video games. Since then, she was hooked on video games and she was excited everytime we went to our tita's (auntie's) house. Unfortunately, tita and her kids was migrated to somewhere in Europe after she found out that her husband had an affair with his Sexytary (short for Sexy Secretary) behind her back. Of course, they argued a lot which she ended up filing an annullment of their marriage when they realize that their marriage cannot be saved. (And mommy blamed this on tito (uncle) for his womanizing ways)
Back to South, I remember one time that she begged daddy to buy her a video game console (that was after tita and her kids migrated) but daddy bought her a monopoly board game instead, saying that playing video games will be harmful to her eyes and it will affect her studies. Since then, she went out to the mall after school to play arcade games until mall closing hours, which daddy found out later and she was being picked up by our driver after school up until now.
But how on earth she bought a phone and play freely? Which leads to our current situation. "Okay, first: how do you know that game and second: I know from Anton that is that game pays real money. Did you use your bank account to pay?" We have our very own bank account and this time, mommy was in charge of monitoring it.
"For your first question kuya." She answered. "I know this game through advertisements that I see on social media. And for your second question: no. I didn't use my bank account to pay for the game. In fact, you can play without paying anything."
Wait? So you can play the game without paying? Most of the news that I read or watch that most children splunged thousands of money buying the 'resources' in the games they playing using their parents' credit card, to the point that the bank is calling to them saying that their card is being maxed out and found out that their children using the card to buy in game purchases. That's why some parents didn't give their credit cards to their children so that they will not spend it on video games.
"Is that possible?" She nodded.
I sighed. "Okay. I won't tell mommy and daddy."
"Thank you!" She squeeled in happiness but she suddenly smirked at me. "But in exchange..."
I gulped in horror. I don't like this when her expression is like that. "I want you to play this game so that I'm not alone in breaking the family rules."
WHAT KIND OF MESS DID I ENTER???!!!!