Chapter 1 – To the village
Xerah was a 12-year-old girl, who was famous in school for her beautiful and long nails. Her nails were strong and straight, and they never broke. This made her stand out among other girls in the school who also had long nails, but none of them were as beautiful and strong as hers.
Despite her love for her nails, Xerah was not thrilled about her summer vacation. Her mother had come to pick her up from school to take her to her grandmother’s house for the summer. This was a temporary arrangement, and Xerah was not happy about it. She loved living with her parents and did not want to spend the summer with her grandmother.
As they stepped out of the house and into the street, Xerah couldn’t help but feel self-conscious about her nails. People were staring at them, and she could hear whispers from passers-by. Some of them were admiring her nails, while others were making negative comments about their length.
Despite all of this, Xerah held her head up high and walked with her mother to the jeepney. Her mother had warned her to be careful with her nails, but Xerah was not going to let anyone get in the way of her love for them. She was determined to keep them as long as she could, no matter what anyone else said.
The jeepney ride was long and tiring. There were several stops along the way, and the roads were congested with traffic. Xerah tried her best to ignore the comments from other passengers about her nails, but it was not easy.
Finally, they arrived at the village where her grandmother lived. Xerah could see that it was a small, quiet place, surrounded by lush green trees and fields. As they stepped out of the jeepney, Xerah could feel the heat of the sun on her skin and the mud squishing between her toes. She was wearing thick sandals to protect her nails, but she still felt the water from the ground staining her white nails.
Despite her reluctance, Xerah followed her mother along the muddy path to her grandmother’s house. She was determined to make the best of her summer vacation and to keep her beautiful nails as long as she could, no matter what anyone else said.
After a long journey, Xerah and her mother finally arrived at her grandmother’s house. Xerah was very reluctant to be there, but her mother told her that they would only stay there temporarily, just for this summer vacation. As they arrived, they were greeted by Xerah’s grandmother, who was not very happy to see Xerah’s long nails. She thought that such long nails were not suitable for a young girl like Xerah.
Passersby on the way to her grandmother’s house had also commented on Xerah’s long nails, but she was proud of them. She had a pair of slender hands and healthy nails, which were strong and wouldn’t break easily. Xerah’s nails were also very straight, so even when they grew long, they wouldn’t look too curved and look like animal claws. Xerah was famous at her school for her long nails, and both her teachers and classmates praised her for her beautiful and strong nails.
However, Xerah’s grandmother didn’t see it that way. After they arrived at her house, she immediately asked Xerah to trim her nails. Xerah didn’t answer, but went to her room to clean her 20 nails. In her luggage, she had a small box that contained dozens of nails that she had to cut off. These nails were 2-3 cm long and represented Xerah’s previous glory. However, because of her studies, Xerah couldn’t grow her nails longer than 3 cm.
Grandma didn’t understand the significance of these nails for Xerah and hated her having such long nails. Nevertheless, Xerah had made up her mind not to trim them anymore. Inside the small box, Xerah gazed at the dozens of long nails and promised herself to keep them as long as she could. Despite her grandmother’s objections, Xerah was determined to maintain her long nails, which were a symbol of her beauty and strength.
As the days went by, Xerah’s life in her grandmother’s house became increasingly monotonous. She would spend most of her time inside the house, either reading, doing homework, or playing video games. But the one thing that she never neglected was her nails. To her, they were a source of pride, a symbol of her individuality and creativity.
However, her grandmother didn’t quite understand Xerah’s fascination with her nails. Every day, the old woman would go to the market to sell vegetables and earn some money to support them both. She would come back home to cook lunch and dinner for Xerah, but her hard work was often met with frustration and anger.
One day, after yet another heated argument over Xerah’s nails, the young girl exploded in anger. “No one can make me cut off my beloved nails!” she yelled, before storming back to her room and crying herself to sleep.
The next day, things took a turn for the worse. On her way to the market, Xerah’s grandmother was accosted by the notorious gang known as the Hive Five. They pushed her around, trampled her vegetables, and took all of her hard-earned money. When she finally returned home, she was covered in mud and exhausted from the ordeal.
Xerah was shocked and upset when she saw her grandmother’s condition. Despite her initial anger at her grandma for asking her to cut her nails, she felt a deep sense of empathy for the old woman and wanted to help in any way she could. She knew that something had to be done, and that she had to be the one to do it.
To Be Continued …
