All Chapters of The Fall of a Guardian: Chapter 11 - Chapter 20

YNNAH "So, what exactly should be our topic?" I asked him, crossing both my arms and legs while sitting comfortably across from him. My notepad and pen were already placed neatly on top of the table, ready to jot down any idea we would agree on. We were currently sitting in the school canteen, trying to discuss and finalize the subject for the case study that we would be working on together for the rest of the semester. "I personally prefer cases involving murders and various criminal issues," he started saying while his eyes were fixed on the screen of his cellphone, scrolling through articles. "But I realized those topics aren't educational or relevant enough for our course requirements. We need to think of recent issues or topics that are closely related to human rights and laws. How about the human rights crisis in the Philippines? Does that sound fine to you?" Goodness! This man was truly very strange! Does he seriously like reading and studying about murder cases? Just thinki

YNNAH "Francine! Francine, wake up!" I jolted upright immediately when someone grabbed my arm and shook me vigorously, pulling me out of the deep darkness of sleep. The moment I forced my eyes open, the first thing that came into my line of sight was my older brother’s face, looking down at me with pure panic and worry etched all over his features. I could clearly see the fear written in his eyes, which made my own heart race even faster. I quickly sat up properly, my breath coming in short, fast gasps, and frantically scanning every corner of my room, looking for anything that might still be there, while my whole body trembled from the lingering terror. It was just a dream. Thank goodness… it was all just a nightmare. "Hey… hey, look at me. Are you okay now? You’re safe," I shifted my gaze towards my older brother, who was now sitting right next to me on the edge of the bed. He was gently stroking my back in slow, soothing circles, trying to calm me down and bring me back to real

YNNAH "So, you’re the transferee, huh?" the girl with her hair styled to one side spoke up, looking me up and down with obvious judgment written all over her face. "Yeah, that would be me," I replied dryly, my voice dripping with sarcasm. Looking at the three of them—from the way they held themselves to the expensive accessories dangling from their necks and wrists—they clearly came from wealthy families and had everything they wanted. But honestly? I absolutely hated how they wore their makeup, especially their lipstick. It was applied so thickly and so messily, spreading way past their natural lip lines, that they looked exactly like people who had just eaten a whole plate of spicy chili squid and didn’t bother wiping their mouths. That bright red color was practically exploding all over their lips, making them look ridiculous rather than intimidating. "You look cheap and trashy just by the way you carry yourself," said the girl who seemed to be their leader. She tilted her head

Ynnah I woke up much earlier than usual that morning, feeling restless and wide awake, so I decided to head to school earlier than I normally would. When I arrived at the classroom, our instructor wasn't there yet, which wasn’t surprising since there were still thirty minutes left before our first period officially began. With some extra time on my hands, I took out my laptop and decided to open our case study file to review it thoroughly one more time. I wanted to make sure there were absolutely no typos, no grammatical errors, or awkward phrasing that might embarrass us during the presentation later. I also wanted to check if there were any missing details we should have included or explanations that were too excessive and unnecessary, so we wouldn't have a hard time explaining our points or answering questions from the panel. It was always better to be certain and prepared than to regret being careless later on. "Ynnah, are you done working on your part of the case study yet?" ask

YNNAH I slowly regained consciousness, dragged out of the darkness by a sharp, throbbing pain that radiated from my stomach and spread through my entire body. The moment I forced my eyes open, the first thing that came into view was a plain, white ceiling stretching endlessly above me. I blinked a few times to clear my blurry vision and slowly roamed my eyes around the room, taking in the clinical white walls, the IV stand beside me, and the faint smell of antiseptic hanging in the air. It didn’t take long for me to realize exactly where I was. A hospital… I am in a hospital room. And the instant that realization sank in, the memories of what happened just a while ago came rushing back into my mind all at once—the parking lot, the strange sensation of danger, the car rushing toward me at full speed, the blinding headlights, and the terrifying moment when I thought I was going to die. My eyes widened in pure shock and panic. Before I could even think properly, I slightly lifted the