Chapter 2 - Freedom

July 15, 2020


“Are you reading that book about werewolves, again?
Come on, Quin, why don’t you read books about how to get a boyfriend? I believe you need one.


Quin’s focus shifted to Monique, her best friend, and modeling manager, who was standing in front of her with arms crossed.


“ Why would I waste my time reading books like that?
I mean, handsome werewolves with great bodies are way better than real men who only want a one night stand,” she rolled her eyes as she flipped a page of the book. “ I’m okay with these characters for now. I don’t need someone, and I have no plan on going out for a date.


“ Quin, you are now twenty-five years old.
You are not getting younger. What if the world will end in three days and you still haven’t experienced sex or being with a guy,” Monique strolled around the room like critically thinking something. “ Why don’t you let Jake have a date with you. He’s hot. He is rich. He is popular.


“ I don’t love him, Monique.
If you keep pushing me to someone I don’t love, it will only end up in a complicated relationship. I don’t care about his money. I care for my welfare.” Quin closed her book and placed it beside her.


Despite being a popular supermodel, Quintessa never experienced having a boyfriend – not once.
She’s afraid of giving chances to the men who courted her. They might only want to pursue her because of her body and her popularity. She needs more than that. She needs genuine affection. Living in New York for five years already, away from her family in the Philippines, made her more independent than she was before. She survived being with her own company, and she probably will without a guy.


“ So, what do you want Jake to do?
Sing you a love song using a guitar in front of the window, just like what gentlemen do in the Philippines? Quin, that is so ancient. We are in New York.


“ What’s wrong with that?
I prefer that more than guys who bring girls to the clubs and let them drink until they pass out.


“ I just want you to be happy, Quin.
I noticed you’re sad these days, and I know how difficult it is to live alone. I’ve been there, and I don’t want to see you sad again.


Silence filled the room.
Quin’s sight dropped to the floor, and her heart was slowly drowned in sadness and doubts. She doesn’t know how to tell Monique the truth – that she wanted to quit modeling and start a new life in the countryside. Seeing Monique’s worried face sent her reeling back to a time when she was eliminated from the modeling audition, but Monique saw her potential and made her part of the biggest modeling agency in New York.


Quin closed her eyes as she pressed her palms against her face and prepared herself to tell Monique what has been bothering her these days.
She let a heavy sigh and glanced at Monique.


“ That’s not what caused my sadness.
I’ve been thinking of quitting modeling and start a new life in the countryside, alone,” relief suffused her heart for finally letting out the truth. “ I know I shouldn’t be doing this, but I want to give myself a chance to find my happiness – to live my life the way I want it to be.


Monique’s jaw dropped, and her face contorted in confusion.
“ Wait, what? Please tell me you’re just kidding.” She sauntered with heavy steps to her desk, pinning her finger on the calendar. “ You have a photoshoot with Natalia’s Secret on the next Wednesday, and Charles Herming wants you to be the model for his Avant guard couture. We can’t just let these opportunities slip out from our grip, Quin. We’ve worked hard for this for a long time.


“ Why don't we just cancel the contract and find someone who can replace me?
I mean, there are a lot of models who are way better than me.


“ They want you, Quin.
They want you to carry their brands. This is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity that many girls wished for.


“ I know, but I don’t want to lose my chance of finding my happiness because of living somebody else’s dream.
This is not my dream, Monique. This is my mom’s dream. She wanted me to follow her footsteps, and I feel like I am living my life away from what I am supposed to be,” Quin followed to Monique’s desk and leaned towards her.


Monique sighed, “ I understand you, Quin, but please do this after the photoshoot.
This is a multi-million offer. The brand doubled the fee to hire you as their brand endorser.” She looked at Quin sincerely, hoping she would agree. “ You can do whatever you want after this, please. If you refuse their offer at this point, it will affect the reputation of our team.


Quin ambled to the window while forcing her tears not to fall.
She sighed when she realized all of Monique’s efforts to help her. Now she’s torn between her choices,  to prioritize her happiness or to do modeling for the last time.


She tightened her grip on the lower frame of the window, then rubbed her forehead to ease herself.
She thought of the times how she valued the demands of others more than her dreams. She is tired of living in the will of others. She wants to live with her own now – no standards to meet, no schedules to finish, and no eyes watching her every move. She knew she would be happier when that happened.

But she did not want to hurt Monique. She does not want to waste Monique’s hard work just to help her achieve what she is now.


“Okay.
I’ll do it. But after the photo shoot and the endorsement, I want to have my freedom. I want to do the things I want,” Quin said. A weight settled on her heart as she saw the sadness in Monique’s eyes. “It’s not that you are not a good manager. You are the best of the bests, but I just want to be free for now.


Monique sighed, and her tears dripped to her black skirt.
She stood up and went to hug Quin.

“I just can’t believe that you’re leaving me now. You are my best friend, so I will miss you when you leave,” she sobbed.


Quin tapped Monique’s back and forced a smile when she heard Monique’s crying like a baby.
“I just want to live alone in the countryside, but that doesn’t mean I’m going to die.


“If you want to settle now, why don’t you go back to the Philippines?
You’ll be safer there.” Monique loosened her hug.


“If I’ll go back to the Philippines, my mom will again control my life.
I am not a kid anymore and it seems so hard for her to understand that.


“...
But you are a supermodel, Quin. You are famous. If people will see you in the streets alone they will probably do something not good to you,” Monique’s face shifted from sad to worried.


“I can handle myself.
Trust me. Nothing will happen to me.


“You are a strong woman.
I am so proud of you.


Quin smiled and hugged Monique back.
For the first time in her life, she felt how fulfilling it is to have someone proud of her, but unfortunately, it’s not her mom. She unfastened her hug and went back to the couch to get her book and her bag. The feeling of finally having her freedom gave her hopes of becoming someone she wanted to be for a long time.


“I will be back on Tuesday,” she said as she looked back to Monique, who was standing near the window.


Monique nodded when Quin gave her a goodbye-smile.
The look on her eyes was showing hints of worry and sadness. Quin was the best model she ever has, but now she wanted to have her own life away from the cameras.


Joy filled Quin like sunshine.
She has never been so free like this before. Finally, she can spend more time with herself without anybody controlling her. The times she received awards entered her mind. She was indeed happy to receive those prestigious awards, but she knows that she will be happier now that she has the freedom to live according to her rules. And for her, this was the best award she ever has.


It was already nine o’clock in the evening when she reached Patchogue.
The sweet and salty sea breeze touched her cheeks and swayed her hair as she got out of her car. She missed this – the freezing air, the fine sand, and the sound of the waves kissing the shore. It has been a month already since she bought this house in Patchogue.


Fine sand penetrated her shoes as she walked into the house.
It took her almost ten minutes to completely take off the disguise she was wearing. A cold breeze promptly touched her body as soon as she took off her thick shirt, making her shiver a bit.


She paused when she saw the old painting hanged in front of the brown door.
It was obscurely painted, and the colors were almost faded because of the dust covering it. She went closer to see it clearly, wiped it with the shirt she was holding, and vivid colors were revealed.


“This is...
beautiful,” she whispered to herself.


Her fingers ran across the figure of a werewolf to the people with spears and bows.
She was mesmerized, and her imagination awoken. The books she read came alive while her fingers slowly ran across the whole painting, indulging her in a fantastical pleasure. The details were intricate, but she understood what the painting was all about.


She was drawn to it.
She was hypnotized by staring straight at the wolf’s eyes. It seemed to be asking for help.


“He seemed hurt.
I wish I could...touch his body and heal his wounds,” she said unconsciously.


She came back to her senses when the wind slammed the door, shaking her off slightly.
She went to her room and changed her clothes. After a few minutes, she spent some time strolling on the shore.


Her eyes were pinned on the waning crescent moon.
She cherished the moment and sat on a log, watching how the waves raced like horses. Her memories in the Philippines came across her mind – her moments in the white-sand beaches and her moments with her Filipino friends. Her life in the Philippines was good, but not with a mom who wants to control almost everything she wants to do. She has no hatred over her mom, but knowing that she’s already a grown-up woman, it is not right anymore to be treated like a kid who doesn’t know a single thing about life.


She’s tired of it.


She was about to stand up to return to his new home when a sphere of light shone before her eyes, blinding her shortly, and spitted a creature – a severely wounded creature.
She was stiffened and can’t move a single muscle. Fear gnawed her, and she screamed as loud as she could, but her voice was taken away by the strong wind, making people in the place unable to hear it.


When the scene finally sunk in her mind, her trembling knees were electrocuted, and she ran away from the body lying on the sand, but she stopped when she heard the man’s voice.


“Help...
me.


She picked a stick from her left side and carefully poked the man in the head, exposing his face slightly.
She could see the perfect shape of his lips, and his eyes were beautiful even though they’re closed.


“What...
what are you?” she stuttered while trying to act brave. “Are you an alien?


She continuously poked the man, but he wasn’t moving anymore.
She decided to come closer and saw the wounds in his body. Seeing those bleeding wounds made her panic, and she almost kneeled in great fear. She wanted to bring the man inside her house to clean his wounds, but he seemed heavy.


She ran to a small warehouse at the side of the house to find a cartwheel, and she did.
She doesn't know what she’s doing anymore. All she knew was she must save the man before he dies. She wanted to call for help, but it might make things complicated when people saw a supermodel on the beach with a dying man – or an alien – or whatever.


She grunted when she carried the man and transferred him to the cartwheel.
Her strength was drained, but she managed to pull the cartwheel and brought the man inside the house. Her eyes widened when she saw the man’s naked body – exposing his abs and his penis.


It was her first time helping a mysterious man, and probably, seeing a penis personally.
Her sight diverted from the man’s private parts to his wounds. She wanted to know what happened to the man, and why he got all those wounds.


She stood up to get the first aid kit, but the painting on the wall caught her attention again.
The fire on the painting seemed to be moving, and screams and howls came playing to her ears. Her fingers were moving by themselves, touching the painting. Scenes of werewolves running and people carrying bows and flaming arrows came alive to her mind, making her feel like she was in the actual happenings. Her eyes opened when an arrow flew straight to her, waking her up back to her consciousness.


She looked back to the wounded man lying on the floor with perplexing thoughts.


“Who is this man?

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