THE UNTAMED

A FAMILY

"Ma… my father?”

The words slipped from my lips in a broken whisper, trembling like a weak flame fighting the wind.

My body froze, in shocking waves!

It felt like an invisible claws had stuck on my throat, dragging a painful truth out from the past.

The warmth in the room vanished, replaced by a cold that crept beneath my skin. Time slowed...

My mother looked at me, and whatever she had been holding together in her eyes? was finally shattered.

Tears streamed down my face before I even realized I was crying.

My mother spoke then, her soft voices were like a hush before a storm broke. "I had just found out I was pregnant… the day before,” she said. “We were planning to tell Jolina and her husband that night. We were so happy. But then… the fire happened.”

Her voice wavered.

“I never got the chance. After that… I couldn’t stay. I couldn’t even breathe in that house without seeing him everywhere. I knew running away was cowardly. But I wasn’t strong enough to stay.”

She stared down at her hands, clenched tightly in her lap, as if she were holding the shattered remains of her past together.

“I had to go home,” she whispered. “Back to my parents. Back to something familiar. Anything that didn’t hurt so much.”

The silence was heavy enough to suffocate us.

Then Jolina spoke, her voice cutting through it like a blade. "I tried to find you, Solidad. I really did. I went to your dorm, but you were already gone. I called again and again. Your number no longer existed. I even tried your parents.”

Her voice broke.

“There was nothing. You vanished.”

Mom’s shoulders trembled. When she spoke again, her words were soaked in regret.

“I know. I was a terrible friend. I should never have left. But I was drowning, Jolina. I felt like I was dying from the inside out. Every second felt like I was bleeding, and no one could see it.”

Her hand both pressed together.

“The only thing that kept me alive was my unborn child that time, now I have Abby Jezz. My daughter. She saved me when I couldn’t save myself.”

She finally looked at me... with red-rimmed eyes filled with years of loss.

Jolina stepped forward, her voice thick but steady.

"Solidad, I never blamed you. Never. I just wish you had let me be there—for you, for Jezz. Robert was like a brother to me. I loved him too. And I would have loved your daughter.”

Her lips trembled.

“We always said we’d raise our children together, remember?”

Mom turned away, shame is heavy in her posture.

“I know. I shut everyone out. Most days, I couldn’t even get out of bed. It wasn’t just grief, it felt like part of my soul was torn away. And I didn’t know how to explain that pain. I didn’t think anyone would understand.”

The silence returned.

Then Marvin stepped forward.

When he spoke, his voice was gentle, but it carried authority, depth, something ancient beneath his calmness.

“Solidad… I remember you.”

Everyone turned to him.

“That night, the fire... it’s burned into my memory. You carried me out when my mother couldn’t. You and Robert saved us. You risked everything.”

He knelt before her, taking her trembling hand in his.

“We never forgot. Every year, we light candles for you both. You are part of our family. You always were.”

His gaze shifted to me.

“And Jezz… Jezz is part of us too.”

Mom gasped, her composure finally breaking. Tears fell freely as she cupped Marvin’s cheek with shaking fingers.

“Marvin… you were just a boy. So sweet. So innocent. I loved you like my own. I would’ve died to protect you that night.”

Her voice cracked.

“For years, I thought you’d hate me for leaving. I thought I lost everything.”

Marvin pulled her into his arms, holding her like a son who had finally found his way home.

“You never lost us,” he said softly. “And in the next room, there’s a book. Photos of you and Robert. Of happier times. We kept them safe... for Jezz. For when she was ready. For when you were.”

Mom sobbed against his shoulder, decades of sorrow finally finding release.

I stood there, silent, tears sliding down my cheeks, watching two broken souls slowly begin to heal.

For the first time in my life, I felt the weight of the past.

But I felt something else too.

Hope.

Later that night, Jolina smiled gently. "There’s more we want to tell you,” she said. “But for now, let’s just eat together. Let’s be a family tonight.”

We followed her into the kitchen. Laughter slowly returned as pots were checked and dishes prepared. Dad sat at the table, quiet, unsure of his place, but when I hugged him, he hugged me back tightly.

“Thank you, princess,” he whispered.

At dinner, Jade broke the silence. "So it’s true. We always knew Abby Jezz was special.”

“Yes,” Jolina said, smiling at me. “She truly is.”

As the night went on, glances were exchanged, especially when Marvin admitted he was my English teacher. Something unspoken passed between the adults. Something big.

Later, when I was back home, exhaustion crashed over me all at once. My body felt… wrong. My skin itched beneath my clothes, my muscles ached, and an unfamiliar restlessness crawled through my veins, refusing to let me sleep.

I stepped onto the balcony, desperate for air.

I inhaled deeply, as if the cold night air was being pulled straight into my lungs, filling me, burning me. My breath came out in slow clouds as I lifted my head... and in my eyes, I found the moon.

It glowed unnaturally bright, calling to me.

And for the first time, I realized something terrifying…

I wasn’t just looking at it.

I was responding to it.

Its bright stirred something deep inside me, something ancient, familiar. For a moment, I saw a place.. it was a big palace, with a golden throne bathed in moonlight. A place that felt like home.

A whisper brushed my ear.

I raised my hands, covering my eyes from that light, even my heart beat racing.

But when I looked again? It was gone..

So I chose silence. Not because I didn’t want answers, but because I didn’t want fear reflected in my parents’ eyes. Whatever was happening to me was not normal. I could feel that much in my bones. If anyone else knew, they would call it strange… unnatural.

So I buried it. Every sensation, every unexplained moment, I locked away and claimed as my own secret. For now, it doesn’t hurt me. But deep down, I can’t shake the feeling that this silence is only temporary, like the calm before something inevitably awakens.

On that the same night, I dreamed.

I was standing on the edge of a cliff, the wind whispering against my skin as silver moonlight poured over the land below. The moon was impossibly bright, close enough to touch, like it was watching me in return.

I didn't hear Marvin’s approach, but I felt him.

“What are you thinking about?” he asked softly, stopping just behind me.

I kept my eyes on the moon. “I wonder if it has a power of its own,” I said. “Not just to light the night… but to bless everything living in this world.”

He was quiet for a moment before answering.

“Most of the elders believe the moon is the dwelling place of the heavenly goddess,” he said. “If that’s true, then yes… it has always been watching over us.”

I swallowed, my chest tightening.

“The truth is,” I admitted, “ever since we came here in Zamboanga City, strange things have been happening to me, things I’ve never felt before.” A small nervous breath escaped my lips. “If I were to die someday… I think I’d want to live there. In that place.. under the moon.”

Marvin stepped closer and wrapped his arms around me from behind.

The warmth of his embrace erased the cold air instantly. I leaned into him, feeling safe and protected. My cheek rested against his chest, and beneath my ear, I felt it… the deep, steady rumble of his heartbeat, powerful and alive, as if something ancient stirred within him.

He tightened his hold just slightly and lowered his voice. "I need you.”

The words echoed through me long after... then the dream began to fade.