WITHER (In Anya's perspective)

A review on “WITHER” by Lauren DeStefano

I found “Wither” in my bookshelves this morning. Since I have nothing much to do, I decided to read the book. I love to admit that I’ve been hearing good reviews about it. I was actually encoding the ninth chapter of my story when Wither came to my mind. So, before anything else, I must post the gist of the story. I haven’t read the 2^nd book yet so please bear with me in this review. 

WHAT IF YOU KNEW EXACTLY WHEN YOU WOULD DIE?

Thanks to modern science, every newborn has become a ticking genetic bomb-males only live to age twenty five, and females only live to age twenty. In this bleak landscape, young girls are kidnapped and forced into polygamous marriages to keep the population from dying out.

When sixteen-year old Rhine Ellery is taken by the Gatherers to become a bride, she enters a world of wealth and privileges.

So, I decided to make a review about it. But I made a distinction in my work. I pretended to be a character in the story; that’s what I planned to do. BUT NO! I MADE A CHARACTER OUT OF THE STORY. AND HERE’S HOW IT GOES.

I heard that three girls from the Gatherer’s dungeon have been married to the House Governor  Linden Ashby. I never liked to be picked so it favored me. I am lucky that I managed to escape the bullets that night. They thought I was dead. I pretended to be dead. Then, I jumped on the back of the truck that hauled on the street that night. I was bloody dead. I thought I was dead. I’m going to die anyway. Two years from now, I’ll die just like everybody else. I have the virus in me. The fault in the experiment they conducted should have been resolved by now. But they cannot. This is the compensation of their hunger for power and selfishness.

 And I saw the Governor and his first wife on television last time, attending a party. I can see the vulnerability on her eyes as she faked a smile on every first generation she met. But she’s in love with him. I can tell by the look in her eyes. My eyes seem to have a strange scanner that I can see how people feel. She has incredibly green eyes and I wonder if they are genuine. I heard stories of their deceitful marriage. And I can’t bear to see myself marrying someone with two or more other wives. Just thinking about it makes me wanna puke.  Her name is Lady Rhine, if I’m not mistaking. She replaced the deceased Lady Rose who was the apple of the eyes of the Governor. But she is more beautiful than anybody else in the planet. But she is lonely, and happy and lonely at the same time.

Sometimes, I wandered about the streets of Florida. It was those times before I came here to Manhattan. I stopped on the Ashby’s mansion, not fearing the wrath of the Gatherers. I don’t care. They won’t recognize me anyway. I am one of the orphans kidnapped and sold. They can’t daunt me anymore. As I was saying, my fearless feet dragged me to the old mansion. The family’s goods arrived that day. I was so desperate, so hungry that I was able to trick the truck driver. I think we are on the same age. He dragged me to inside the truck. I knew that it went inside the endless backyard of the mansion. He gave me food but there was something in return. I don’t want to go to the details; it was painful.   

Then, one of the attendants saw me, saw us. I was struggling and begging him to stop. Before he could do thing that I am afraid of, she stopped him. She has lovely cheekbones. She is young and small and has dark brown eyes. She helped me. She gave me a plain white dress that has been used by the former first wife. Her name begins with D, I can’t remember. Deirdre? Maybe. Deirdre hid me on the basement, making sure that no one can see me. She told me that the Housemaster is really really not hospitable. The head in the kitchen knows about my stay there but she never tells on me. I walked around the mansion like one of the servants, like one of them. I love my job there; I was like a spy on the movies. Then, I saw her. I saw the girl with beautiful eyes. There was a term for her irregularity but I can’t say what. I am not smart at all. Deirdre told me that the House Governor favored her among the three wives. Yes, she is stunning but there’s something wrong about her. She is sneaking out with a boy, one of the attendants. It isn’t right; nothing’s going right in this world anyway. That’s when I gained interest on the girl. When she and the Governor Linden took a walk on the orange groves, I was sneaking out, eavesdropping. I’ve done that many times. I realized one thing; they’re in love with each other. But she denies it. She keeps denying it to herself because she’s attracted to the attendant. She doesn’t know what she feels about him. It’s the most stupid thing people do; blinded by infatuation for a moment, forgetting about the people they really love.

I felt like revolting, stepping out of the shadows. One morning, I was assisting the head of the kitchen and did some work for her. I was walking at the ground floor. I saw Governor Linden. He was thinking deeply, I guess. I pity him for falling in love with a girl who can’t even realize his love for her. My tongue was itchy. I wanted to tell him that I heard the attendant and her first wife talking about escaping, but he doesn’t know me. I used to hide whenever the Housemaster was there. I wanted to tell him that his wife tried to escape. I wanted to tell him even if he already knew about it. But he loves her. And cannot hurt her. He can’t hurt her feelings. I’ve been so updated with the news around the mansion. Deirdre is so loquacious. She told me everything. I just found out that the youngest wife was pregnant. I was too late to that news because I cannot go to the wives’ rooms. The pregnancy is absurd for me. She is so young. Why would a twenty-one year old man mate a thirteen-year old young girl? It gives me the creeps. He could just consummate with the eldest first, not her. She is young, innocent and… but that’s reality. We all tend to rush things because we are practically running out of time.

When one of the wives died, the nineteen-year old scrawny girl, I decided to leave the mansion. I thanked Deirdre for keeping me in. but I know that there would be worse things to happen inside the big mansion. They are all trapped; there’s no escaping it. It’s not the virus that makes everyone vulnerable. It’s how we decide on things and let our emotions take control of us.

I ran outside. I missed the air of the world, real air. I ran. I ran. I ran. My feet took me to a building where there are loads of frozen foods and shattered bones. I waited until there’s one delivery truck preparing to disembark. I rode for miles. I begged for their sympathy and they let me. They allowed me to ride and the truck took me here, in Manhattan.

I searched for a place to stay, one that can shelter me from the rain and from the Gatherers, again. I’ve always been haunted. I walked around and found a home. It looks far too different from the mansion but I feel safe inside it.

I see someone; a boy. But he looks dreary and restless. I hide in the bushes outside and wait for him every morning. He goes back to his house almost once a week. Sometimes, I follow him but he fades away. He’s too smart that he notices someone following him. and when he comes back, he keeps pushing me away.

“Get outta here! Or you’re dead,” he shouts. But I never walk away. I just hide. I know there’s something in his eyes that makes me want to be with him. He is lonely. But his face is familiar. He is too familiar that I can’t recognize him.

At night, I curl myself into a ball in the corner of his house, smelling ivy everywhere. I always do that. I thought it might conceal me from the Gatherer but it didn’t.

I scream. I cry. I shout. I cry for help but no one comes. The Gatherer with big dark eyes knocks me on the spleen and I fall to the ground. They will take me to the dungeons again. And I hate darkness. I hate the smell of the vile foam form the other girls. I hate how they scream, how they think of death. I know I was falling before I knew I am in another place.

The place is kinda dark; there is only one dim light hanging in the ceiling. I taste rust in my throat and I long for water. “Good, you’re awake now. Leave,” he says. His voice is measured but his face is blank. He saved me. The boy saved me. I thank him for saving my life but all he does is to look at me, then, look away.

“You can’t stay here,” he says. I want to stay here. It’s the safest place on earth.

I don’t understand why but he let me stay anyway. His name is Rowan Ellery. When I ask questions, he doesn’t answer. Oftentimes, I always get a nod, a shrug, and always a no. I’ve been here for a month and he gets used with my stories. Stories about the world outside and the world beyond the seas and mountains thousand miles away from Manhattan. He said that his twin sister likes geography and science and many things about the planet. When he talks, I never dare interrupt him because our worlds seem to unite when he’s the one telling stories. He talks about his sister mostly. He misses her and he hates himself for being weak when the Gatherer kidnapped her.

“What’s your sister’s name?” I ask.

“Rhine,” he answers. I am stunned. I am a stiff. I am so dumb I never noticed it before. Of course, he looks familiar because he is Lady Rhine’s twin brother. I am about to tell him about it but he gaits away, saying that he has work to do. I missed my chance.

I am left alone in the basement for three days and three nights. Rowan hasn’t back yet and I’m starving to death. I wonder when he’s coming back. I try to entertain myself and found an old picture inside an old box at the basement where we always stay. Her eyes are different from the others. Her eyes were green on television. Her eyes were different from the time I saw her. But she’s beautiful. She looks like Rowan, her twin brother. I wipe the dust from the glass plate and stare at the photograph. I realize that I’ve been staring for so long and I thought Rowan is standing behind me, telling how stupid I am again. But he’s not. And I have this feeling that he will never come back.

            No matter how we all try, we cannot escape death. Nobody understands it. This incurable disease seems not to be an abnormality at all. It has been a standard of living. Boys are going to die on the twenty-fifth year; we die five years ahead. That is the norm. Living more than that might give us guilt as the human race dies.

“THIS IS THE WAY THE WORLD ENDS, NOT WITH A BANG, BUT WITH A WHIMPER”

--THE HOLLOW MEN.

A NEED FOR MORALITY

For the biggest problem in morality of society today is the lack of spiritual life.

            As human persons, we are social beings, relational by nature. We live in society together with many other people, our very lives and sustenance are in some way dependent on other people. If we do not grow our own food, we depend on others to till the soil. We depend on others to supply us with cloth for our clothing, with clean water for drinking, with construction materials so that we can build our homes. And life goes on and on … in the same way our spiritual life development is almost entirely dependent on others as we grow from childhood to maturity. We learn about God from the family, the community, the church and the state. People must come together in community to strengthen and nourish our morality.

            According to Nancy Russel Catan and Pascuale Giordano in “Living the Moral Life Today”,

“there can be no “moral life” without a companion “spiritual life” and vice versa”. Therefore, one nurtures the other. Authentic spiritual development must occur at the same time as one’s moral development.

            Living a moral life demands living and growing in prayer, being strong and courageous enough to directly confront the sins in our life and overcome it. In this sense, morality is a call, a vocation, rather than a law, a vocation to be concerned with life as part of Divine nature, a calling to be responsive in making the world a friendlier and more caring place in which to live.

            As clearly stated, approximately two thousand years before the Westerners discovered “philosophy”, us, Easterners already developed our own definition of the word itself. The process is all about morality alone that deals with religion and as a system by problems in religion and God. Therefore, looking in spiritual sense is the biggest problem in morality today. In order to achieve our goals as beings, we must subject ourselves to four kinds of laws: Natural law, Divine Law, Canon Law and Civil Law. Natural law is the Eternal law of God written in our hearts. This is perceived by our human reason. Divine law refers to those laws given us by God through Revelation, the Ten Commandments and the New Testament Commandments of love. Canon law is the governing law of church while Civil law is the governing law of society.

            Man’s relation to God is the most basic factor in his moral life. To further aid mankind in its search for the good and the truth, God inspired many men over hundreds of years to put his words and actions into readable form.

            Moral living is not simply following a set of “do’s” and don’ts”. It is a way of life, a way of living out our faith and walking with God throughout our journey of life. Living a moral life is allowing us to grow in love and holiness, to throw away our masks and become authentic believers.  Living a moral life commits us to the ongoing process of liberating and transforming men and women. With our moral attitudes, decisions, words and acts, we influence those around us to live in love, justice and peace, bringing about authentic social transformation.

            The process of moral education and development of virtue involves three steps; discipline, personal progress/development and maturity. The more we develop our natural inclinations and nourish the seeds of virtue that the creator has planted in our hearts, the more we grow in freedom and in truth.

ava marie guinto

THE "WALLED CITY"

You don’t need to sail away to China to see the grandiose Great Wall. Not far from where we all live, there is a district of historic attractions. It is in the very heart of the Pearl of the Orient situated within the Pasig River and in close proximity to the Manila Bay. History and mystery are built into the two and three-quarter miles of walls that surround the old capital of the Philippines.
Just an hour of stomach-turning ride can make your travel worthwhile. With few pennies in your pocket, you could tour around the heart of Manila for just a day.

If you want to see well-maintained park where visitors can enjoy the nostalgic legacy of the bygone Spanish Colonial Era within its gardens, Intramuros is the perfect place to be, to be there where the heavens opened and hell broke loose. To watch great lives, small lives, dirty lives, fascinating lives, beautiful lives, incredible lives rise and fall, bloom, break into a thousand pieces or become whole again.

It is necessary to tell the story of the Spanish city in the heart of a foreign country. The Walled City was built about five hundred years ago, enclosed by thick high walls with moats and fortresses. Through the leadership of Miguel Lopez de Legazpi, the oldest city and historic core of Manila had been established, founding the Spanish Cultural Heritage in the Philippines. Intramuros suffered devastation as time goes by. It has been reconstructed many times before the government declared it as historical monument in 1951. The district was declared as a historical monument and Fort Santiago, a national shrine with Republic Act 597, with the policy of restoring, reconstructing, and urban planning of Intramuros. Several laws and decrees also followed but results were deemed unsatisfactory due to limited funds.
It is the only district of Manila where old Spanish-era influences are still plentiful. Newer buildings are built in the style of the era. As in the Spanish Colonial period, Intramuros still houses some of the higher education institutions in the Philippines. One of the great things to look forward to during the travel is seeing and discovering the city of Manila.


The Manila City hall, located just outside the walled city is one of the distinct landmarks in the capital of the city. With its hexagonal tower with three red-faced clock on three of its facets, received unfavorable reviews in its initial years because of its sober architectural design, lack of entrances and the placement of the clock tower. The building's floor plan had been dismissed as similar in shape to a coffin or, in the other end, like the shield of Knights Templar. This building is also known for being haunted by spirits than what human can imagine. But these stories remain fictitious especially when critics praise the design of the said hall. It is located in the center of tourism area where major government buildings and landmarks, are located.

At night, the tower is illuminated with its details highlighted by beautiful lighting. Every hour, the bell is rung three times followed by a melody. It is recognized as the largest clock tower in the Philippines.

The post office building was built in neoclassical architecture in 1926. It was severely damaged in World War II, and rebuilt in 1946 preserving most of its original design.
It will take you fifty steps approximately from the unique-styled post office building to the walled city. If you have spent all day striding around Intramuros and your feet are tired, not so far from it is the Luneta Park. The park has been a favorite spot for unwinding, socializing, an urban oasis for family picnics on Sundays and holidays. It is one of the major tourist attractions of Manila.

The city at the time boasted hospitals, military barracks, schools, churches, domestic accommodation and a Governor's Palace. Some of these buildings over the years were preserved as ancient artifacts.
Today, Intramuros is a tourist hub that attracts scores of people from all walks of life. The district however is the only area in Manila that is influenced by the Spanish. Alongside the walls of Intramuros is where modernized constructions took place.

FIRST DRAFT "TRAP"

I was trying to find a good title for my novel and i came out with "TRAP".
it is a trilogy so don't expect that you would know everything in the first book. But i guarantee you, it'll be worth it. :) it is a dystopian novel.


THE CRIMSON SPARKS TRILOGY
TRAP (1st Book)


Here's an excerpt. Actually,this is the prologue but just the first draft :)

PROLOGUE

I’ve seen worse in this world. My heart is tired from running away. Yet tired of being a prisoner too. The sound of the whispering wind slides down inside my body.


This house is different from the others, even from the one that I used to live in, neither from where the officials sent me to. This is what one can call “home”. My eyes rocket through the four gigantic walls, one crystal clear flooring and numbers of glass windows that I couldn’t count. Everything about it tells a story of the endless life that encircles the world. The walls… ceilings… the floors… they are all foreign to me but I feel homed. The strangest thing about the huge walls and the hundred stories the house shares, there are no locks on every door. Yes, there is none; not even the front door. The owner trusts all the people around him. And I want to negate and to contradict his belief but I know he is a man of his words. Besides, I am new here and I can’t even kiss the thousand ideas in my head and form them into words. It’s better to keep my silence than to speak of worthless words.
I have this feeling that I don’t want to leave this solemn house anymore. But I must. Sooner…


It feels like home even if I am not a member of this family. I am a lost little cat who ran away from home. No, I didn’t run away. I have no place to live in. Home is a word that circumstances took away in my life a hundred times. I wandered around without an exact place in my mind. I am an orphan for days that I cannot count. I traveled from place to place without certainty that somebody would find me.
But they found me. It’s been thousand hours ago when a father and his son found me freezing on the ice cold winter night. I remember collapsing under an old oak tree, miles away from this place. I have nowhere to shelter me from the heavy and drastic falling of the snow. I stayed there so no one would notice me. I was ready to face my grim. Nobody’s looking for me anyway. Sometimes, I think I want to disappear… but what I really want is to be found.
After Sofia’s death, my mother, I entirely detached myself from the planet. Liberation and death are two likely things for me. But I know I was wrong.
When Sofia died, the soldiers came crashing our door, hauling mom’s body. I was crying over her death but they took her away from me the moment her soul departed. But it never ended there. I was locked away, along with the other girls of my age, helping the officials. They told me that I should be serving the government instead of brooding over her death. Service is the work of every citizen of Dicentra but not mine.


There were hundreds of them who chased me. I was sent to a building far away from the suburbs. I remember it was the detention center. I was locked for a week but I managed to escape while having lessons on discipline. I ran away. I went to places where I can hide. I run. I hide. I run and I hide. They were chasing me. The soldiers are hunting me. There’s uncertainty if they would ever give up. But the only way to survive is to run away. I am not sure until when. I will run whenever I have to.



THIS IS NOT THE ENTIRE PROLOGUE, ALRIGHT? JUST AN EXCERPT. :)


HAPPY READING!

OKAY, THIS IS MY PROPERTY. PLEASE DO RESPECT.
GOD BLESS!

FASHION SHOW!

Here's our avp in our fashion show last night. glad that i could share. ")