Callisto paused right in front of her table, eyes fixated on the mask, examining it. And then, her dominant left arm began to move, fingers gripping the edges of the molded plastic as she took it off her desk.
She looked at it one more time. Now that it was in her hand, she could see the mask's details more closely, could feel the texture of the molded plastic—sleek, unbending.
Before she knew it, Callisto was comparing the white cat mask to herself. The mask was made to conceal a person's face, whether as part of a performer's costume or simply just a kid's plaything. Callisto, ever since she got out of the hospital, has had to conceal the truth of her appearance lest things become problematic for her and her family.
The white cat mask had nothing else to do besides serve its sole purpose. On the other hand, Callisto had to hide the truth, go with the flow, and feel the burden of it all.
A chuckle came out of her lips, the look of defeat clear on her face despite the dim bedroom. "You win," she said to the mask, her voice barely above a whisper.
* * *
Just a moment later, Callisto found herself under her white and blue hoodie, a pair of short shorts, and rubber shoes. She looked at herself in the mirror, noting how she looked exactly like she did when she set foot in Silangan. Only this time, her cat tail was out and free.
Callisto looked toward the reception desk, hoping to let Oner know she was going out for a bit. But the owner of the building was nowhere to be found.
"Uncle Oner's gone."
The girl looked around until her gaze landed on the pen on the counter, an idea formed in her mind.
* * *
Later, Oner came walking back to the reception desk and saw a sticky note next to the pen holder.
"I'm going out for a bit. I'll be back soon," he read and saw the name "Callisto" on the corner of the note below.
The note had Oner scratching the back of his head. He didn't know whether to feel concerned that the girl was out and about at night or at least feel a sense of security about the note she left.
He pulled his smartphone out, his fingers making work on the screen.
* * *
Finally, the moon came out of hiding—round, big, and bright—highlighting the few scattered clouds visible above the night sky. The trees in the nature park swayed gently through the cold breeze; the sound of rustling leaves dared not let the crickets begging to be heard feel alone.
Standing on top of one of the big trees was Callisto; the sight of the moon was reflected in the pair of golden eyes peeking behind her white cat mask as she looked at the celestial body with awe. Her hood was down, letting the wind blow through the long strands of her silver hair. And her silver tail, the thing she had to keep hidden from everyone all this time, was out in its full glory.
Not far from where she stood atop the tree was the grass field at the heart of the nature park. In there, she could see a small orange light—a fire lit by one of many visitors camping in the park.
Callisto felt no concern. She didn't care even if the people down there were able to catch sight of her from such a distance, no matter how impossible that sounded. They would never know who she was, not unless they got a closer look. Not unless she decided to take the mask off.
Surrounded by the utterly breathtaking beauty of the world, for the first time in a long time, Callisto didn't feel the burden of hiding the truth. She felt liberated. Free.
Callisto took in the fresh air, a smile tugging at her lips as she thought about what Hinata told her back then.
"Hinata's right. Going out at night isn't so bad at all. It feels great."
From one tree to another, Callisto leaped into the sky as if it were the most natural thing to do. She had a thrilled look on her face the entire time, enjoying every moment, including the taste of fresh air as she sliced through it with her body.
And then, just as she landed on another tree, Callisto felt her smartphone vibrate inside her hoodie's pocket. She took the smartphone out to find a message from Oner.
"I hope you mean what you said, Kid. Curfew is soon," said Oner via his message, drawing Callisto's golden eyes toward the time on the upper corner of the phone's screen.
Time was indeed close to curfew. And all Callisto could do was let out a deflated sigh, knowing she had to head home now. However, she decided to look forward to the next time she would go out in the evening instead of moping about today.
"This is only the first. I've got all the time in the world," Callisto told herself reassuringly, turning in the direction where she came from, preparing to make a jump to another tree.
And then...
Pomf!
Callisto took off, leaving the last tree she was on rustling in surprise.
* * *
Earlier, in a certain part of barangay Silangan, there was a small house standing alongside other houses in a row, all of which were made mostly of plywood.
Inside the house, a little boy and his sister were playing with their toys scattered across the corner of the living room, just minding their own business. The father just came home from his work as a jeepney driver, sitting on a chair while the television is on ahead of him and counting the money he's earned for today. The mother was on the other side of the room, cooking dinner, the mouthwatering aroma of the adobo wafting through the air, drawing the little boy's attention toward the source.
"It smells so good," the boy exclaimed, drawing a knowing smirk from his mother. "Is dinner ready yet?"
"Yes," the mother announced. "Put your toys back in the box and wash your hands, you two."
Obediently following what their mother said, the boy excitedly stood up and tried to run to get the box where he and his little sister store their toys together. However, his sprint didn't last very long.
Right in his path was a small toy piece. It didn't look very harmless even with its dull edges, but if one were to accidentally step and press on it hard enough, even an adult would put a sour look on their face.
Step!
"Ah!"
Bam!
The boy's pained scream bounced around the living room as he fell forward with a loud thud, alarming his sister, his father, and his mother, who was in the middle of turning the stove off.
The mother quickly turned to find her son on the floor, who had just started crying.
"What happened?" she asked frantically.
The father swiftly picked up the boy, comforting him. "Are you all right, boy?"
"I fell," the boy cried, his tears soaking his father's shirt in the process.
"It's all right. You're fine," the father assured with a gentle smile, turning to his wife. "He's all right. It's just an accident. Come on, let's clean up your toys so we can eat, okay?"
The father carried his son to get the storage box with his daughter following suit.
A sigh of relief escaped the mother's lips. She turned back to the kitchen and picked the skillet off the stove to prepare dinner for the family, thinking she had turned the stove off.
Well, she did. But she failed to do so entirely, leaving the gas to leak and slowly permeate the air, hidden under the dinner's aroma.