" But I'm okay, I'll be okay. Tomorrow, I'd be okay....huh!" She suddenly turned her head after hearing the creaking sound of the small door in her place.

" Sorry...uhm...can I get inside or I'll just stay here outside." George breathlessly had spoken.

" Ah, come, settle yourself here." She smiled blankly and cannot even spare an eye to eye contact.

" I don't know how to start but i'm sorry for what you've witnessed. Hmm...it might be too intense but it's a way of defense."

" That's why...you have to teach me with self-defense."

" What..."

" Yes, I wanted to die fighting just like what you did, regardless of what could happen, although the basic goal here is just survival."

" Are you not afraid?"

" Yes, I am. I may not be as brave as you, with your energy, determination and strength but I could be able to support my country in such a way that I can still partake even a little. Unlike what had happened tonight that I just collected stones and wanting to throw those to the enemies, it isn't funny but it's how I reacted while I was looking at you fighting."

" Oh my...you should have thrown some of those stones to them, at least." He uncontrollably smiled at her.

" See that, just because I'm helpless and you're now trying to bully me."

" Hmm...no, not, it's just that I'm making you smile despite how intense things had shown to us tonight."

" But George, modesty aside, I was shocked seeing you fought so determined. You lost your enemies within a minute or two and I knew it's how fast you were. But even then, you're afraid I might be distracted to it, no! I will adapt and if it's my first psywar experience, I'll immune my mind to fit in. I promised that to myself even before you approached me. I don't like to be a psychologically lame Filipino on this war. If this is also helping me to fight for my country then I must do everything that I need to learn within, so teach me." She felt relieved while expressing her thoughts and for also rea.s.suring him to calm down from worrying.

" Thanks. Your remarks would make me sleep better tonight. Just call me if you still can see those scenes in your mind, please. Albrecht and I will find ways to ease your fears. We are responsible to it. When it comes to your request of learning the physical defense. I have to decide for - yes. But in one condition, you have to increase your weight a little, okay?" He smiled to her.

She smilingly drew closer to him and attempted to embrace him as a sign of thanking him too much but George surprisingly stood up and was looking outside.

" No, no, it's okay. I have already received your thanks, bye for now, sleep tight, sweet dreams. Tomorrow's Monday so wake up early, we'll have our flag ceremony." He was waiving his hand at her while having some complicated thoughts.

He went back to his place still smiling and fell slowly to a very tight sleep.

In the morning, Amado and Narciso were holding the Philippine flag hanged at the end of a bamboo pole while Baldur and Albrecht were holding the American flag. While they sang the two national anthem simultaneously they were teary eyed. Likewise, there's no amount of wisdom comparable to the lyrics of the Philippine national anthem that energized the Filipinos who are fighting for freedom. Our land was first occupied in 1500 to 1800 then in the beginning of the 19th up to 1940 following the most painful was in 1941 where the WWII barged for Philippines where succ.u.mb an in-depth story. But why do they want this land more while they have theirs? It's just how exasperating a war is - killing each other just to prove who's powerful over a clannish defense where in the end, it is more of deaths and pains. Injustice to the tyrants of their own land, bloods over innocent illiterate bodies, cries of ancestors who were punished inhumanely and the stain of being a Filipino itself made each inhabitant somewhat a coin in one's pocket. Not much to that, but still the lyrics of the last few line of the national anthem states how a Filipino prepares himself / herself to die for his/her country.

" I wanted to see her smile again." Magee was still teary eyed after the ceremony.

" Who?" Albrecht heard her murmured it.

" My country, this land." Then she carefully brought the flag and silently returned to her place. When she felt she's alone, Magee started to press the folded flag with her tiny hands and cried.

Albrecht went to her running but shook his head upon seeing her sobbing over the flag that winnowed her tears. Out of pity he just left unnoticed for her to pent up for a while andeprepared some bamboo mug filled with water. After an hour of being silent, he slowly handed it to her.

" Take this."

" I wanted to be trained. He said he will." Magee insisted.

" But he's out nowhere without even telling us."

" How about me? I might be able to train you better than him." He jokily grinned.

" Really? Are you serious?"

" What do you think of me, I'm a soldier, I'm Dad's favorite ranger."

" But your kitchen, who'll prepare for meals if you train me?"

" Come on, it would be an advantage if the soldier - chef cook attends to a newbie. Throughout training, I can calculate more the amount of food I need to serve so my trainee would have a stable and balanced diet, what do you think? Will you still enroll in my academy?"

" Haha, cool! I'm enrolling now, how much would I pay?" She suddenly burst into laughter.

" Ah, convert your payments for maximizing the sayote leaves, boiled, law-uy and paksiw would be the options, hey, Narciso is smiling over there."

" I can't breath from being tickled seeing you kidding your sister. That's too much now. Magee, katingon da kaw, sinG.o.d gyud siya saan. Mad'yaw man isab yaan ngani, matigam yaan, na!" ("Magee, just relax and trust, its how joker he is. But actually, he's good and knows it, really!")

" Language please!" Albrecht was staring to Narciso.

" That's something you have to learn too. Look at your sister, we did not even know that she can speak English fluently, you're also Getnan and a half-blooded Filipino, oh boy! But anyway, I'll be your backup. Once the chef will retire for meals, I'll get in." He offered himself as a supporting trainer.

" I'm in!" Magee agreed.

" So what do you want to learn first? Your preference is based on how comfortable you are at it. Tell me." Albrecht was staring at her.

" Hmm...escrima! likewise, I wanted judo, but I'm too skinny." She sighed.

" That's why the sayote leaves paksiw is the ration for lunch, do you know that? You'll get a VIP double serving which the rest could not, that's your first a.s.signment. You have to increase your food intake."

" Haha...sure, I will. But by the way, where are the others? Amado's left with us, hey, come, I've learned your name from eavesdropping during the orientation."

" They're in the tunnel and he Mabolo's almost done." Narciso said.

" Thanks. But you looked great with fencing. I saw your footworks and your graceful moves, they're amazing. Hmm...but escrima is great as well by fighting not too close to the enemy and I guess you can learn that easily since its fighting principle is quite similar with fencing." Amado's opinion showed logic and they smiled.

" Interesting!" Albrecht and Barciso nodded.

" I can volunteer to be your escrima coach." Amado humbly spoke.

(...to be continued)