Ink of Foresight (Black Tint Trilogy #1)

Ink of Foresight Prologue "It's a pleasure, Ms. Geller. We are looking forward to your upcoming novels," Mrs. Marao formally told me with a huge grin plastered on her lips. Ibinaba ko ang ballpen nang matapos sa pagpirma ng kontrata. I then stood up and took the hand she offered—I shook it gently as I gave her my gratitude. "Thank you so much, Mrs. Marao. It's nice working with you." Iilang tango at purihan pa bago ako nagdesisyong tumulak na upang makaalis ng kompanya. A satisfied and grateful smile slipped out on my lips the moment I reached the lobby of the building. Pumara ako ng taxi at agad na pumasok doon nang huminto ang sasakyan. "Sa Drink2Read po, Manong," I mentioned my destination to the driver. Tumango si Manong at agad na pinaandar ang sasakyan at nagsimulang magmaneho. Isinandal ko ang aking batok sa upuan at marahang tumingala. With still my genuine smile and light emotion, I let out a relieved sigh and silently thanked the heavens. I just got to the Wriction Publishing Company to sign a contract. Isa sa aking mga nobela ay muli na namang magkakaroon ng pisikal na kopya sa parehong kompanya. It was entitled "Sketches of Words" with fifty chapters in total, excluding the prelude and the postlude. Ang aking plano ay magdagdag ng higit sa limang kabanata para sa special chapter. Overall, I already wrote seven completed novels and two upcoming series. Though I just downloaded the popular writing and reading app, I already gained a hundred thousand followers with my works reached almost a million reads. Iyong iba ay nakaabot na rin ng higit sa isang milyong mambabasa—which I am thankful for since writing is my passion and hobby. Hindi matagal ang biyahe lalo pa at malapit lang din naman ang Coffee Shop na aking pinagtatrabahuhan sa branch ng WPC dito sa probinsiya. I went out of the taxi after I handed in my pay. Malayo pa lamang ay tanaw ko na mula sa salaming dingding ng Coffeeshop ang karamihan sa mga customer para sa araw na ito. Most of them are college students from the universities outside. Kung mayroong mga businessmen at propesyunal na ay kaunti pa lamang ang makikita sa loob. "Aristeia!" Ang boses agad ni Hariah ang aking narinig nang tuluyan akong makapasok sa loob ng coffeeshop. Her naturally wavy hair bounced as she ran towards me. Hingal pa dahil sa kaniyang pagtakbo at dahil sa maraming bilang ng mga customer ay lumapit siya sa akin sa isang hinihingal na paraan. "Ang daming customer ngayon, ah! Kumusta?" I asked when she finally reached my direction. "Ito nga, nakakapagod. Sa sobrang dami ay nagpa-panic na rin ang mga tauhan natin!" She wiped the sweat on her forehead with her arms while her hand is already pulling me towards the staff room. "Natagalan ako sa pagpirma ng kontrata. Pero sige, magbibihis lang ako saglit at tutulong," I told her as I put my bag on my locker. "Sorry, ha. Pero okay lang ba? Alam mo na, pagod ka pa mula sa byahe kanina." She even bit her lip as she asked me those words. Natatawa akong tumango. "Ayos lang, ano ka ba! Parang 'di naman tayo parehong pinagkatiwalaan ng pinsan mo rito." Hariah always has this shy and soft side. Simula noong magkakilala kami noong unang limang taon ko rito ay wala pa ring pagbabago sa kaniyang pag-uugali. She's still always so tender and cautious about her surroundings. "Ibabalita ko agad kay Samisha 'to. Matutuwa 'yon dahil ang daming customer ngayon. Anyway, I'll gotta go and work. Sumunod ka na lang pag okay ka na!" She waved her hands before she left the staff room. Hindi ko makakalimutan iyong pinsan ni Hariah na si Samisha. She is the owner of this coffee shop that offers free books to read. Isang dahilan kung bakit dinadayo at karamihan sa mga customer ay kabataan dahil libre silang makapagbabasa ng mga pocketbook at ibang libro na sasakto sa nauuso at sikat ngayon. Hariah and I are both assisting this coffeeshop. Ipinamahala sa amin noon ni Samisha nang kinailangan niyang lumipat sa ibang bansa at doon magtrabaho. We were both managing this shop for about five years now. Kadalasan ay mas pinipili naming tumulong sa mga kahera at tauhan kapag ganitong pila at punuan. From a white-formal long sleeve dress, I changed my clothes into jeans and a yellow polo shirt—ito ang uniporme ng mga trabahador. The polo shirt was colored bright yellow with brown lining on the sleeves and the collar. Ipinusod ko ang aking buhok at saka naglagay ng hair net bago nilisan ang staff room. I went to the cashier and switched with the in-charge. Sanay na sa gagawin ay dumiretso ang tauhan sa kusina upang asikasuhin ang order ng mga customer. "Two cups of espresso and a slice of strawberry cheesecake," I repeated the order of the customer. Inilahad ng babae ang kaniyang pera na agad kong sinuklian. For those whole hours that I've been assisting the customers, I felt someone poked my shoulder that caught my attention. Nang nilingon ko ay si Hariah na iyon na nakanguso sa iisang direksiyon. "Nandoon ulit 'yong guwapong lalaki," she whispered as she pointed the direction on my left side. Sinundan ko ng tingin ang kaniyang itinuro at namataan doon ang isa sa regular na customer ng aming shop. Wearing a gray button-down long sleeve, tucked inside black slacks, the same man I've always seen here lifts his head to glance in my direction. Umiwas kaagad ako ng tingin hindi pa man tuluyang nasasalubong ang kaniyang mga mata. Though I already tore my eyes off him, I could still see his image on my mind. The perfectly-built of his body with the sleeves of his clothes folded till his forearm. Tanda ko pa na bukas ang unang tatlong butones niyon na palaging nagpapakita sa kaniyang maskuladong dibdib—katulad ng nakasanayan at kaniyang palagiang istilo sa pagdadamit. "Maybe he still hasn't finished the book he was reading," tanging naisagot ko kay Hariah at bumalik sa pagtatrabaho. I always noticed him reading a book with a cup of latte macchiato—his usual order. "Lagi siyang nandito 'no? Mabuti at hindi siya masyadong busy sa trabaho," Hariah murmured beside me. I pursed my lips and shrugged. I only saw him once with other professional people. Isang beses ko lang yata siyang nakita rito na may ka-meeting at hindi na iyon naulit pang muli. "Ewan ko, huwag na lang nating usisain." Even with her shy and soft attitude, I never forget the part of Hariah's traits where she easily gets attracted to someone. Ang dami niyang napapansin at nakikitang guwapo sa paligid! "Kami na rito, Ma'am," lumapit ang dalawang tauhan na nagpatigil sa amin ni Hariah sa pagkukuwentuhan. Inilibot kong muli ang tingin sa buong paligid at nang kumalma na ang bilang ng mga customer ay tumango ako at lumisan na ng counter. Hariah followed me to the staff room. Sabay kaming nagpalit ng damit doon at sabay din na lumabas. I got a slice of ube halaya and a cup of cappucino. Nilapitan ko ang aking puwesto sa dulo at gilid na bahagi ng shop at agad na humatak ng upuan nang mapansing bakante naman iyon kahit pa halos punuan at walang maupuan ang iba. The other customers decided to just go upstairs—on the second floor of the shop. Inilabas ko ang aking itim na notepad kasama ang ballpen. I scooped a spoonful of my dessert then sipped on my coffee. Paulit-ulit kong itinambol sa lamesa ang dulo ng aking ballpen habang nakapangalumbaba. I kept on scribbling inside my head while numerous and different scenes came into my mind. Halos lahat ng senaryo na pumapalibot sa aking isipan ay nagmumula sa aking panaginip at sariling karanasan. Though I had a hard time connecting those scenarios, I still tried to scribble vague plots in my notepad. I skimmed and wrote the scenes I have dreamed of and started connecting them all. Iyon nga lang, nang maramdaman ang pares ng mata na nakatitig sa aking gawi ay natigilan ako sa pagsusulat. I felt conscious for a moment that disturbed my earned focus. Inangat ko ang aking tingin sa aking harapan kung saan ko nararamdaman ang init at tindi ng mga titig na tumatama sa akin. A tiny but tickling object hit my chest the moment I saw the same man and the usual customer of our shop. Napakurap-kurap ako nang magtama ang aming tingin. Light-alluring brown eyes almost fascinated my own chinky and dark pair. The perfectly sculpted nose of him defined more when he tilted his head for a side view. Isang tipid na ngiti ang kumawala sa kaniyang mapula at perpektong hugis ng labi. Even his sharp and prominent jaw moved when his lips stretched for a small smile. Pasimple niyang ginulo ang kaniyang buhok at bahagyang bumagsak ang iilang hibla. His hair slightly got messy even though it was styled in a brushed-up. Tumikhim ako at umiwas ng tingin. Binalingan kong muli ang aking notepad at nakita ang kakarampot na mga letra doon. Mga nasa animnapu lamang ang bilang ng salita kung itatantiya. Bumaba ang aking balikat para sa isang buntong-hininga. Kalaunang umangat muli ang aking tingin doon sa lalaki. I've always seen his gray tumbler every time he's inside this coffee shop. Katulad ng nakasanayan ay mayroong letrang nakapinta roon sa manipis at maliit na paraan. Letter K below two small letters A was designed in a calligraphy way. Nakapinta iyon gamit ang itim na kulay. That symbolism is familiar to me—a part of my career. "Good evening," the man greeted me with his cold-baritone voice. A bit startled by his sudden action, I plastered a smile on my face even with my obvious palpitating lips. "Good evening, uh..." umiwas ako ng tingin nang hindi na malaman ang kasunod na sasabihin. Truthfully, I already managed to face the crowd and communicate with them. I just learned that socializing is a part of living. Parte ng buhay ang pakikipag halubilo kaya kahit na labag sa aking loob dahil sa likas sa akin ang maging tahimik at seryoso ay unti-unti ko na ring sinasanay ang aking sarili sa panibagong buhay na ito. Hindi na nagsalita ang lalaki ngunit nagtagal ang kaniyang titig sa akin. Tuluyan kong iniwas ang aking tingin sa kaniya at itinuloy na lamang ang pagsusulat. However, I couldn't focus anymore since I got distracted by his looks. He's our regular customer but until now, we still couldn't get his name and know him like our other customers. Unknown Gray—it suits him. Walang pangalan para sa akin, ngunit dahil sa kaniyang inuminan na kulay abo ay mukha iyong babagay sa kaniya. Aside from that, he's also wearing gray formal clothes right now. "Ah!" I groaned softly and hit my head using the pen I am holding. "Maybe I can just portray his features? Or..." I uttered to myself. "Bahala na nga!" Sa nanginginig pa na kamay dahil sa pagmamadali ay sinimulan ko ang pagguhit ng linya para sa mga letra na aking isinusulat. Golden-brown eyes shaped with deep and hooded style. Messy and wavy dark hair up in the mid-nape length with neat sideburn hair beside the ear. Muscular and perfect built of the tanned-skin body with tall height and long legs. I write down the features of my first lead. Hobbies are sketching, painting, and playing football. Smoking cigarettes sometimes if he's not in the mood and on a bad day. Has two brothers and living a simple life with an abusive father—that's his profile. "Name..." I whispered and looked up to the ceiling while hitting the pen towards the table. Since he likes to sketch and paint, I would name him... Based on colors—no, connected with a type of brushes—no. How about... "Art! Ayon!" I exclaimed all of a sudden. My cheeks were immediately conquered by hit when I realized that I made a scene. Even that unknown gray glanced in my direction with obvious amusement in his eyes. Umiwas ako ng tingin at tumikhim. I feel like my cheeks are already red! Ipinilig ko ang ulo at saka muling binalingan ang aking notepad. Since I already completed the profile of my main lead, I could now focus on the plot and the title. I already have my protagonists. I named the woman "Hope" since that was the name I used when I first stepped into this province. I chose to define and characterized her based on my own quality and traits. Upang hindi na mahirapan ay ibabase ko na lamang din sa aking sarili ang buhay ng aking bidang babae. Nagsimula akong pagkonektahin ang mga senaryo. For long hours, I finally finished the plot and my new ongoing novel that I'll be going to write on the WriFic App. Even with the dark night sky and surrounding scenery outside, I still remained sitting here and continued to complete my plans for my new novel. Kakaunti na lamang ang tao sa loob ng coffee shop at nagsi-alisan na rin ang iilang kostumer. Even unknown gray is still here. Katulad kanina ay ganoon pa rin ang kaniyang puwesto at nasa aking harapan. Only two chairs and our tables as the barrier. Magkaharap kami kaya madaling makita ang kaniyang ginagawa. He's busy with his MacBook and he's already wearing clear eyeglasses. Tila seryoso sa kaniyang ginagawa dahil sa pagsasalubong ng kaniyang mga kilay. I saw how he flinched at the sudden sound of the ringing phone—even me who almost jumped on my seat due to the quiet atmosphere. Inilabas niya ang kaniyang cellphone at agad kong napag-alaman na sa kaniya nanggagaling ang ingay. Someone's calling him over the phone. "Baby," I heard him whispered as he stood up. Ngumuso ako sa narinig. He is already stepping out of the coffee shop for privacy. Ang kaniyang gamit ay nanatili sa kaniyang lamesa at naiwanan doon. I am focusing on my career, alright. I'm not seeking true love yet because I want to focus on my passion. Pero kahit ganoon... Sana all, Mr. Unknown Gray! "Baliw!" I hissed myself and focused on my novel instead. A smile of satisfaction immediately slipped out my lips as light entered my mind. The Fate in Hues—that would be the title of my new and eighth novel.