----Sanus POV----
" Sanus! Can you get the marinated meat skewers at the top of the table? It's in a blue tupperware! "
December 31 of the Lunar Calendar at 11:55 pm: the lights are still on despite the hour.
" Kay! "
I ran to the table and carried a blue tupperware outside where my family are huddled together around a grill stove.
There are five of us: me, my father, my mother and my 2 sisters. Diane is my 2nd sister and Ave is my 3rd sister.
On my way, the family dog named Spot kept wagging his tail as he followed me.
" Sanus, hurry up! I'm hungry. "
Diane complained while holding a sugarcane leaf towards the fire.
*pop! pop!....pop pop pop!*
The leaf exploded in succession due to the heat, startling Ave who was sitting beside her. As siblings, the ones closer in age are the ones who get along better.
This is true with me and my 1st sister who is the 2nd child of our family but was adopted by my father's sister.
Whenever this topic was discussed, things become really awkward and we could only divert the topic.
" Okay, settle down now. The countdown is about to begin. "
My father reminded us as everyone looked at my mother's keypad cellular phone, reading 11:59 pm.
Diane and Ave rushed to where I put the marinated meat which is already good for grilling. Ave took a stick of skewers but when she saw Diane carrying 2 sticks of skewered meat, she took another 2 sticks before rushing to the grill stove.
" I'm going to grill first! "
" Hey! you nearly bumped into me. Be careful, will you?! "
Diane catched up to her before lining the meat skewers neatly on the grill stove, wanting to occupy the best place.
I took two meat skewers and handed them to my father and mother who were talking in private a meter away from the grill stove.
When I was about to grill my own meat skewer, I noticed Spot patiently waiting for me by my side.
" Don't worry, I didn't forget you either. Just wait, okay? "
" Arf! "
Spot stretched out his paw, scratching my knee and then laid down where he was sitting.
In a second, there was a long whistle and then a distant boom!
When the fireworks exploded in the sky, the light illuminated Spot and I saw his white fur dotted with black spots as big as a bottle cap.
" Boo! "
Clara's face appeared in my line of sight, making my heart knock on my ribcage repeatedly.
" I scared you, didn't I?! "
Clara stood before me, holding a platter of hotdog. She giggled and put it on a table near the grill stove.
" Happy New Year, Sanus! "
I was startled by her actions but I didn't want to show her my weakness so I restrained my expressions and body language.
" Ok, Happy New Year. "
" Come on, let's go to the community playground. Everyone is waiting for us to play hide and seek. "
Clara took my hand, intending to drag me away.
" Wait! I still didn't get to eat yet and Spot is very expectant. I can't let him down. "
Clara heard my protest so she looked at me and then at my grilling meat skewers.
" Oh, sorry about that. I didn't know. "
" It's alright. Let go first. "
Clara let go as I took another meat skewer and added it to the grilling meat skewers.
Hearing of Clara's invitation, my sisters are also excited.
" Mother, can we go? " Ave asked.
" Please, " Diane begged.
" No. After grilling, you still need to sleep. Otherwise, how can you grow taller? "
Between our parents, mother is more strict than father and father always told us to consult mother when we ask for permission or when we want something.
The only time we go to our father is when our mother forbids us in playing toys for the boys as most people say.
In such times, we tell our grievances to father and then the next day, he had already crafted the said toy and he would give it to us: boasting about his craftsmanship or his childhood experiences.
" Mother, you are too partial to Sanus! " Ave complained.
" It's like this everytime! " Diane added.
Mother put on a stern face while father can only chuckle at the side.
" Sanus will not go either. She's staying here because she's still a minor. "
" Lies, Sanus is already gone! "
" And she took a plate of skewers as well! "
Clara and I suppressed our laughter as I saw from the distance, mother calling for me to confirm if I really left without permission. I also saw Spot happily eating the pieces of grilled meat I put on a plate before offering it to him.
Clara and I also had one each as we finished it quickly in one eating before running away so as not to be called back again.
" Let's go, let's go! " I urged Clara.
We went to Clara's house first to grill hotdogs and we were holding a skewered hotdog each when I accidentally bumped into someone.
The moon is specially bright this night and I don't have any flashlight as it is bright enough to light our path.
" Who's that?! "
" It's me, Sanus. " I said, not knowing who I bumped into.
" Aren't you that new kid... what was your name again? " Clara asked curiously, pushing me aside.
" Ziana, " she whispered.
" Come again? "
" Ziana, "
[ Ziana, what an odd name. It sounds like a Lowlander's name. ]
I appraised the new kid who is taller and looked older than me. She is wearing a mitten, a bonet, a red wool sweater, a pair of shoes and a long pant.
[ Definitely from the Lowlands. My mother said that the temperature at that place is higher than the Highlands so when people from the Lowlands visit the highlands, they experience how vicious the coldness is. ]
I compared her attire to mine which is in all red. I am wearing a red t-shirt with SANUS embroidered at the back and red shorts reaching below my knee. I also only wear slippers no matter where I go except when I go to school.
[ We are really different from each other. ]
" Oh, what are you doing here alone. " Clara inquired, looking left and right in search of people.
" We are playing hide and seek. I'm the IT. "
" We want to join you. Don't worry, I will be the IT. You just have to tell me how many of you are out there. " Clara assured her.
Ziana thought for a while before replying,
" the players are Lauren, Andrew, Jimmer, Oliver, Cassio and Arianee. "
I was about to protest, wanting to volunteer myself but Clara didn't let me continue. Ziana is also hesitant but ended up not saying anything in the end.
" At the count of 10 ..9 ..8 ..7 "
I grabbed Ziana's hand, " let's go! "
While running, I saw a silhouette at the top of the stairs of the Barangay Hall, one under the stairs and then some behind the banana trees.
At the distance behind us, I can hear Clara's loud voice.
" 3, 2, 1! No one is allowed to hide behind me, no one is allowed to hide in front of me. The 3rd that I find will be the next IT! "
As a result, I dove at the sweet potato field, hoping that I would not be spotted. Ziana on the other hand, was dumbfounded for a while. It is a moment later that she lowered herself beside me and whispered,
" She won't see us here, right? What if there's dog poop and we just lay here? "
" Sh! Clara is coming. " I said, covering her mouth and accidentally touching her soft lips.
Thinking that I might have been rude, I retracted my hands as though burned by fire.
" Sorry. " I whispered in an attempt to apologize.
Ziana kept quiet, making me nervous, thinking that I might really have done something I should not have.
" Bang! Arianee, you're out. " Clara yelled, clasping her hands like a gun towards the stairs.
" At least, I'm not third. " Arianee sat on the stairs, looking our way.
[ Hey! Don't look here, this idiot. You're gonna compromise our location! ] I scolded in my mind.
" Bang! Cassio, come out. I still recognize your haircut. "
I tried to focus my sight on a figure behind a banana tree.
Sure enough, although nothing can be seen of his head, his feet had long been compromised.
" I'm not Cassio, you got it wrong. "
Cassio tried to lie by changing his voice but Clara isn't someone just anybody can fool.
As such, she began to cross the sweet potato field in an attempt to prove the liar wrong.
" Cassio, you dare! Don't think I can't recognize your feet. Only you use shoes while everyone else use slippers. "
I clapped my hand above my head, making it appear as though I was praying.
[ Just great. If you can't afford to lose, don't join the game. How annoying! ]
I nearly forgot that someone is beside me. That's why, when I turned my head to see what she was doing.
I bumped into her face as she had been looking at me.
*Thud!*
" Ow!! What the heck! " I groaned, praying that Clara who stepped on me didn't step on some dog or chicken dung.
I can even imagine myself walking so stinkilly while everyone is covering their nose, accusing me of pooping on my pants.
" Hmmph!! " Ziana gasped from the impact as she hurriedly got up.
I was stepped on for the first time of my life. The new kid isn't any better but I hope she isn't hurt too much.
" I'm sorry! I didn't know someone was hiding here- wait- is that you Sanus?! "
Clara helped me stand up as Arianee came to our location, dusting Ziana's clothes and confirming whether she was hurt somewhere.
" No big deal. " I assured her. Anyway, it's that loser's fault for refusing to admit defeat.
" Huff! It's all Cassio's fault! What a coward. I quit. Let's go Sanus, before auntie starts shouting your name again. "
" Wait, I have an idea. " I gathered Arianee, Ziana and Clara before whispering to them.
The four of us nodded in agreement, went home without informing the others while giggling and bumping into each other.
That's right, even if the others were implicated, we also wanted to take revenge.