Chapter 2: Chapter 2

“What are you doing here?” Jade asked, scornfully. Her excitement vanished in thin air when she saw a familiar face, sitting on the off-road, ten seater vehicle used by the research team. She wasn’t expecting to see Rachelle, her estranged older, half-sister. If only she knew that she would be a part of the research project, she wouldn’t apply in the first place.

“I work for Bridge research,” Rachelle replied as if she needed to hear it. It was more than obvious because of the shirt Rachelle was wearing that displayed the institute’s logo. She shouldn’t have asked and be disappointed twice.

“I’m out of here,” Jade decided and turned her back from the team who were perplexed by her attitude.

“Jade...” Rachelle sighed and tried to stop her.

She was about to leave when Dave, the head of the research team and the one who interviewed her for the junior researcher position arrived.

“Get in...” he told her. He threw his bag across where another guy caught it and put it together with the rest of the team’s luggage.

“Come on,” Dave once again asked her to enter the van, “It’s getting late. We need to go.”

“I’m going home,” Jade informed him.

Dave stared at her but didn’t look surprised, as if he was aware of the tension between her and Rachelle.

“There’s only one bus passing in this area, and it will arrive tomorrow,” Dave said, grinning. “If you could wait till tomorrow, then we’ll leave you here.”

Jade looked around. They were literally in the middle of nowhere. There were no lodging houses nearby and the closest city was miles away. It took almost the whole day to reach the Sierra Madre region.

“But I wouldn’t leave the team if I were you,” Dave added. “Aside from you’re in a dangerous place, you have already signed the contract. I don’t think quitting on your first day will leave a good impression on your career. It’s a small world, Jade, considering that only few are interested in studying volcanoes. We’ll meet again in the future, trust me. I’ve been working in this field long enough.”

Jade wanted to curse.

He was right. It would be a bad record for her and would show how incapable she was compared to Rachelle. Besides, she worked too hard to be a part of the research project.

She remembered her conversation with her mother before she left.

“I got accepted!”

Mary, who was busy cooking dinner, glanced at her daughter. She smiled as she saw her, frantically waving the envelope which she assumed was the result of her job application.

She almost dropped the ladle when Jade ran towards her and enveloped her in a tight hug.

“Mom, look,” she shoved the piece of paper to her face. Mary took it from her and narrowed her eyes in order to look closely.

Jade indeed got accepted in the research project that she had been dreaming to be a part of.

“I’m so proud of you,” Mary said, sincerely. “I know you’ve been working hard for this.”

“We’ve been working hard for this. You and me,” she corrected her. Jade’s happy disposition changed. She looked at her mother, sadly, “And dad. Do you think he will be proud of me?”

“He will be more than proud of you. Do you remember how he supported you with your decision to study Geology instead of Nursing?

“Rachelle ranked first in the national exam,” Jade replied, almost whispering but enough for her mother to hear.

“Jade, you shouldn’t compete with your sister,” Mary said, firmly. “Are you really interested in volcanoes, or you just took the course because of her?”

“Of course not!” Jade quickly said. “I love volcanoes. I just don’t want her or her mother to think that she’s superior in any way and that she’s the only daughter that dad should be proud of. I’m not going to let them insult us.”

Mary got quiet.

“Don’t worry, mom,” Jade hugged her mom, “I’ll work hard during the research project, and I’ll show Rachelle that getting the highest place in the national exam doesn’t mean she will be the best vulcanologist. And when dad comes back, he will be happy and proud of me.”

“Jade...”

“He will never regret choosing us over his other family.”

“I won’t let you down, mom,” Jade whispered to herself. “Promise.”

She faced Dave, “Fine. Since I don’t want to be stuck here till morning, I might as well go with you and think of it as a survival challenge.”

“Good girl,” Dave smiled. “Now, get in. We need to be at Mt. Aria before the sun sets.”

She was about to get it when Dave blocked her way with his arm.

“By the way, I just want to remind you that as a part of the team, you should be professional and respectful of the other members and that includes Rachelle, who by the way is the assistant team leader.”

“Thank you for reminding me,” Jade smiled. Her sarcasm didn’t escape Dave.

“Jade,” his face became serious. “This is a very important project and I’m not going to risk my career and the career of everyone here just to be a referee between you and

Rachelle. During the duration of this research, she’s your superior and not your sister.”

“Understood,” she said. “I never considered her as my sister anyway.”

Dave looked as if he lost all the patience he had. Rachelle gave him a look, apparently telling him to just let it go and he was pacified.

He sighed before asking Jade again to get in the ride.

Jade climbed in the big vehicle that could fit in ten people. The van was almost full. There were twelve people in the team including the driver.

She sat beside the nearest person. A girl, who was probably about her age, nineteen, and wore a thick eyeglass with her hair tied in a messy bun.

“Hi,” she greeted. “I’m Kitty.”

“Jade,” she replied, and they shook hands.

“Are you a fresh graduate?”

“Yeah,” Jade mumbled. She wasn’t in the mood to make friends.

“Me too.”

Jade gave her a fake smile.

“You look tired,” Kitty said, sympathetically. “I should probably let you rest. It will take two hours to reach Mt. Aria.”

“Thanks,” she said before closing her eyes.

She felt exhausted not only because of the long ride but because of the thought that she would be seeing the person she considered as her mortal enemy for two months.

She was already tired from the six hours bus trip from the city to Sierra Madre and couldn’t imagine another two hours on the road. She might as well try to get some sleep instead of chatting with the group. And hopefully, everything was just a dream, and she would be home when she wakes up.

It was already late in the afternoon when the team arrived at the research centre, a few kilometres away from the volcano.

Jade was awakened by Kitty’s gentle shove. Thanks to her short nap, although she was disappointed that it wasn’t a dream, she was well-rested and was back to her good mood. She was hoping it would last till night which she doubted. Seeing Rachelle is enough to make her blood boil like a hot lava.

Dave gave them time to unpack and get settled. She decided to share a tent with Kitty, who she thought would become her closest ally in the team. Aside from being a book lover like her, Kitty doesn’t ask too many personal questions.

After half an hour, Dave called them to go to the meeting point, which was a big rock, shaped like a small mountain. He decided since it was their first day, they would spend the rest of the night touring the area.

Thick fog was surrounding the region and they could hardly see the volcano. While they walked, Dave served as their tour guide.

Jade barely paid him any attention. She was busy catching mosquitos, trying to bite her.

Across the forest, she saw a light coming from what seemed to be from a group of people camping. A blurred figure of a man stood up followed by another.

Jade was stunned.

Are those soldiers?

“Dave.”

Dave stopped in the middle of one of his trivia and turned to her. Everyone was quiet, surprised by her sudden interruption.

“Are there other people here aside from us?” she asked, curiously.

“Native tribes,” Dave continued walking and the rest followed. “We’re actually close to the village of Sirit. They are friendly and hospitable people. I always make sure to visit this side of the area. They make the best pumpkin soup.”

“I saw some soldiers.”

“Soldiers?” even Rachelle was surprised.

Dave shook his head, “You must be mistaken. No military group has ever been here since the ethnic tribes were granted sole authority of the land.”

Jade got quiet. She was sure it was a military camp.

“But...”

“Move along,” Dave snapped. “You’ve been delaying us since the beginning of this trip.”

Jade unwillingly dropped the subject, but she couldn’t help not noticing how Dave’s tone suddenly changed.

She caught Rachelle looking at her and she quickly looked away.

Dave was right. The tribe of Sirit were very hospitable and the food that was served to them were to die for.

She forgot about the soldiers when they started their dinner. For the first time since she joined the team, she was genuinely enjoying herself.

“Coconut juice?” a boy, about her age approached their table. He gave them a wide grin and Jade saw Rachelle returned it with a smile.

“Sure,” Rachelle replied.

“I want one too,” Dave butt in.

Jade couldn’t help not to stare at the boy. His skin is olive tan and has a tiny scar on his forehead. He has one of the warmest smile Jade has ever seen that would make everyone at ease.

She didn’t notice when he finished taking everyone’s order except for her. “How about you?” he finally asked.

Fortunately, she got back to her senses quickly, “One for me.”

“Perfect.”

He left to pick up their orders in a kitchen that was separated from the small dining room by a weaved Abaca wall.

“That’s Theo,” Dave said. “Son of the restaurant’s owner. A nice gentleman. If you need any help or someone to show you around, you know where to find him.”

A couple of minutes later, their fresh coconuts arrived with the top removed.

Jade could barely drink her juice. She was busy watching Theo, still unaware while talking to Dereck, one of the senior members of the research team.

It was already nine in the evening when the team decided to depart.

“See you, guys, around,” Theo waved as they left one by one.

Jade could feel her heartbeat going wild when Theo winked as she exited the door.

Kitty was fast asleep, but Jade was still up, wide awake. She wasn’t bothered by Kitty’s snoring at all. She just couldn’t sleep whenever she’s in a new place and it might take a few nights to get used to it.

She decided to go out of the tent and read her book outside, afraid that her movements might wake Kitty up. She could also hear light footsteps. She thought that maybe, some members were still awake, and she could try to get to know them.

She saw a light passing by. After taking her flashlight and her favourite romance novel, she stepped outside.

She couldn’t believe it.

“Go back to your tent!” Dave’s face was red with embarrassment. He was livid and obviously wanted to yell but was afraid to wake up everyone.

Rachelle quickly moved away from Dave.

She just caught him and Rachelle in an intimate position.

Well, they were only kissing.

But if you’re kissing your senior then it’s definitely a big deal and a very unprofessional thing to do.

“I’m very sorry for disturbing you, guys,” Jade apologized, trying her best to look sincere. “I’m going back to my tent. Please, continue.”

“Dave, just...forget it,” Rachelle tried to stop Dave as he was getting ready for a confrontation.

“I can’t take it anymore. I need to talk to her. It’s my job as her senior.” Dave approached Jade with a stern look.

“Yes, I’m dating your sister. There’s nothing wrong with that,” Dave admitted. “Still, I’m the head of this research team and you have to respect me and Rachelle. I’m not going to tolerate anyone disrespecting any member of the team and if you continue with an attitude like that...”

“How did my accidentally catching you kissing have anything to do with my attitude? I already apologized for going out of my tent unannounced. Besides, as you said, there’s nothing wrong with dating or kissing in the woods.”

“Be nice to your sister, Jade,” Dave warned. “I don’t want you causing trouble again like what you did in the van. I don’t want to mention this, but I think you should know why I hired you out of other more deserving candidates.”

“Stop it,” Rachelle tried to intervene, but Dave didn’t listen.

“It’s because of Rachelle. She asked me to hire you because she wanted to be a god damn good sister and make everything easy for you. Don’t waste her effort. Prove to me that I didn’t make a mistake hiring you and you deserve it.”

Jade could feel the tears stung her eyes. She thought she was chosen based on her good credentials. She was proud to be able to make it in the highly recognized research team. Finally, she wouldn’t just be the daughter of a mistress anymore and the average version of her perfect older sister.

She was wrong.

She tried to stay composed and control her emotion. There was no way she would let these two see her crying.

“Well, I guess I’ve been celebrating prematurely. I really thought I got accepted fair and square. It turns out someone influential pulled the strings,” Jade smiled, bitterly.

“Well, at least, I didn’t get this position because I was secretly banging the head of the research team.”

Jade left before Dave and Rachelle could reply.

She was glad nobody followed her. She quickly wrapped herself with a thick blanket and let her tears fell freely. She shouldn’t have come. She should have waited for the bus and went home.

She didn’t know how many hours she spent crying or what time she finally fell asleep but when she opened her eyes, it was already morning, and the sun was shining brightly.