Overview:

Three years have passed, and life appears to have returned to normal. Mr. and Mrs. Argente welcome a new child into their family. Benjamin steps up as student council president, embracing his newfound responsibilities. James navigates the challenges of senior high, faces dilemmas in love, and encounters a dorky florist at a local flower shop. Michael finds himself in trouble once again, while Sophie gathers the courage to finally join the Art Club. As her parents argue over whether she should pursue an early acting career, Allison has her sights set on something else—becoming a rising influencer on TikTok.

Yet, unbeknownst to them all, aboard the falcon-shaped spaceship Peregrine, two robotic crew members have been silently watching. For years, they have monitored the children in secret, awaiting the moment when their dormant powers will finally awaken.

THREE YEARS LATER

Night had fallen over an open field, where a massive spaceship, shaped like a falcon, sat silently. Its exterior was a mix of cobalt blue and exposed titanium, giving it a sleek, metallic sheen. Inside, two robots stood before a large screen. One was tall and humanoid in form, while the other was shorter, resembling a TV on arms with a thin, flat base. Both gleamed in an overwhelming, polished white.

The room was dim, lit only by the soft glow of the large screen in front of them.

“It’s been three years, and still, nothing has happened,” the small robot said, seated atop a desk chair.

“Patience is key,” the tall robot replied calmly. “We must continue observing.”

The screen displayed rectangular profiles of James, Michael, Sophie, Topher, Allison, Roanne, and Benjamin, arranged from left to right. Each profile showed only a head-and-shoulders photo of the children, with no text other than the word “DORMANT” in bold, capital letters at the bottom. The profiles were all gray, a stark reflection of the neutrality—the absence of any outcome—that the two robots had been hoping for.

In the dining room, Ronald sat in front of a laptop on the dining table.

“Itay and Inay are both fine, no need to worry,” Ronald reassured Selena over Skype.

“I’ve already picked up the remittance you and Bill sent through Western Union for the household expenses,” he added.

“That’s good to hear,” Selena responded warmly. “But how are you, my brother? Really?”

“I’m okay, still the same old me,” Ronald replied with a smile. “Hanging out with the guys—my fellow tricycle drivers—while waiting for passengers in line. The more passengers, the better. But, you know, sometimes there are none at all. Life’s like the weather—sometimes it’s sunny, other times it rains.” He chuckled softly.

Morning at the Argente Residence

“Aaaaahhh!!!” Ellie screamed in pain, clutching her swollen belly as her water broke, soaking the hem of her long maternity dress. Her legs were drenched in streams of fluid.

“I’m here, my love,” Ansel said urgently, rushing to her side. “The car’s ready. I’ll take you to the hospital.”

Ansel gently held Ellie in his arms, guiding her out of the house. He opened the car door and carefully helped her into the backseat. Ellie, gripped by the intense pain, tried to find a more comfortable position as Ansel hurried back into the house to grab the essentials.

After locking the door, Ansel returned to the car, pausing briefly to check on Ellie through the window. He then climbed into the driver’s seat, started the engine, and they sped off onto the road.

“Vroom, vroom, vroom!” The loud engine roared—then came a sputter and a puff of smoke as a trail of exhaust followed the car.

In the operating room, Dr. Galves, the OB-GYN, took charge of her team as Ellie lay on the operating table.

“Ellie, I need you to follow my lead, alright?” Dr. Galves instructed firmly.

“Okay, Doc,” Ellie replied weakly.

“Now, I need you to push—PUSH, Ellie!” Dr. Galves urged, her voice commanding.

“Eeeeehhh!!!” Ellie cried out, her face contorted in pain.

“PUUUSH!” Dr. Galves repeated, her voice filled with conviction.

Ellie gripped Ansel’s hand tightly, summoning every ounce of strength she had.

“You can do this, Mahal,” Ansel whispered softly, brushing a strand of hair from her forehead. “I’m right here with you.”

“Aaaaahhh!!!” Ellie screamed again, her voice echoing through the room.

Suddenly, the tension broke as Dr. Galves beamed. “You did it, Ellie!” she said brightly, holding up the newborn baby girl in her arms.

The operating team cheered quietly in relief and joy. Ellie managed a brief, exhausted glance at her baby before her consciousness faded. Ansel’s face lit up with a proud grin as he gazed at their newborn daughter.

In the quiet, softly lit hospital ward, Grandpa Al, Grandma Emily, and Uncle Ronald visited the Argentes. Ellie and Ansel couldn’t stop admiring their newborn baby girl. Al and Emily sat comfortably on the couch, their eyes filled with joy as they watched the young family. Ellie, nestled in the hospital bed, cradled her baby daughter in her arms, while Ansel sat beside her, his gaze fixed tenderly on his wife and child. Across from the grandparents, Ronald stood by the window, his hands in his pockets as he quietly observed the scene.

“My granddaughter is so beautiful,” Emily said with a voice full of warmth.

“When she grows up, she could join Miss Universe,” Al added with a proud grin.

Ellie looked down at her baby, still in disbelief. “I still can’t believe you’re here,” she murmured, her voice soft and filled with wonder. After battling PCOS, the arrival of her daughter seemed nothing short of a miracle.

“Mahal, our daughter is as real as she can get,” Ansel reassured her gently.

Ronald, leaning casually against the window frame, chimed in. “Have you folks decided on a name for her?”

Ansel met Ellie’s gaze, silently giving her the cue. Ellie smiled down at their baby before speaking. “Felicity Lilibeth Pangilinan Argente,” she announced softly, her voice full of emotion.

“Felicity means ‘intense happiness’ in the dictionary,” Ansel added, ever the one to share trivia.

Ellie glanced lovingly at him, her smile growing. “Yes, you’re right, Pa. Because that’s what you’ve brought me and your Papa Ansel—immense joy, Baby Lily.” She looked around at the gathered family, her eyes glistening with tears of gratitude and happiness.

Benjamin stood tall before the student body on the campus grounds, adjusting the microphone.

“Mic test, mic test,” he said, tapping the mic a few times before clearing his throat.

“The janitors and maintenance staff have reported that we, the students, have been shamelessly littering around the campus and in the school halls. As the president of the student council, I’m leading our newest initiative—‘Clean Overdrive.’ Every lunchtime, when you hear a special jingle, you’ll be expected to throw away your trash and pick up any litter around you, bringing it to the nearest trashcan.”

A student groaned loudly from the crowd. “What kind of project is that?”

Benjamin didn’t skip a beat. Instead, he leaned in with a grin and said, “Knock, knock.”

The student body responded in unison, “Who’s there?”

Benjamin smiled and delivered his punchline: “A wise old man once said, ‘Cleanliness is next to godliness.’”

A heavy silence followed, the wind whistling through the campus louder than the crowd’s response. A crumpled piece of paper rolled across the ground like a tumbleweed in a desert.

Suddenly, a short, brown-skinned student let out a loud laugh, shaking his finger playfully. “Yeah, I get it!”

Benjamin allowed a small, satisfied smile to surface. That single laugh was all he needed to keep his spirits high.

“Thank you, Mr. Pangilinan. I fully agree with that saying,” Mr. Dela Peña, the tenth-grade chair and Trigonometry teacher, said as he stepped forward. “It’s a mantra every student should strive to live by.”

Though Mr. Dela Peña didn’t wear glasses, he had the classic look of a nerd—dorky face and all—right down to his slightly unruly hair.

In the quiet student council room, with classes in session outside, Benjamin sat at the head of the table, leading the meeting. His officers were gathered around, their attention focused on him.

“Any ideas?” Benjamin asked, glancing around the table at his fellow officers.

“I like a superhero theme,” the vice president chimed in with enthusiasm.

“What about fairy tales and princesses?” the secretary suggested, her voice thoughtful.

“Sci-fi would be awesome,” the treasurer added confidently.

Benjamin nodded and then turned his attention to the representatives of the different grade levels. “How about you, representatives? Any ideas for SMILE Week?”

The councilors hesitated, looking at each other and then back at Benjamin, unsure of what to suggest.

Breaking the silence, the muse, Gwendolyn, spoke up. “SMILE Week is all about storytelling, right? And we present the stories during an event, like a fair.”

“Yes, exactly,” Benjamin agreed, pleased with her input. “Each section creates a story—complete with characters, settings, and a plot. Then, during the event, each section is given a space on the open campus grounds to showcase their tale. They do this through acting, narration, dialogue, costumes, props, and set design.”

Benjamin paused, looking around the room to make sure everyone was following. “And it’s our job as the student council to choose the theme for this year and make sure it all comes together.”

After dismissal, James stood in front of the bulletin board, staring intently at the notices when his bandmates from Kaleidoscope found him.

“What are you looking at?” Ezra, the band’s guitarist, asked, curious.

“Oh, it’s the senior high school academic tracks,” Apollo, the other guitarist, chimed in after glancing at the board.

“What’s going on, bro? Are you having second thoughts about the GAS (General Academic Strand) we all decided on?” Apollo asked, starting to pick up on James’s mood.

James sighed. “Yeah, I mean, it’s been great having the same classes as you guys. But sometimes I feel like GAS is too broad. I keep thinking… what if I had chosen HUMSS (Humanities and Social Sciences)? I could have focused more on improving my English skills.”

“Dude, we’re not in college yet. You can’t just switch tracks like that. Besides, it’s already October—we’re more than halfway through the first trimester,” Rowan, the drummer, pointed out, making it clear it was too late to change.

Kai, the keyboard player, jumped in. “I get it, man. I was torn between ABM (Accountancy, Business, and Management) and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) strands, too.”

Ezra chuckled. “But, Kai, in the end, you joined us in GAS because you’d have been lonely in ABM or STEM. The band has to stick together, no matter what.”

James shrugged, a smile returning to his face. “You’re right. We can figure it all out in college—choose courses that actually match our future careers. But for now, while we’re still in high school, we should just focus on spending time together.”

The next day, just after dismissal time.

“Manong, one sorbetes, please,” James politely asked the street ice cream vendor.

The vendor scooped three rounds of different flavors into the cone, much to James’ delight—he could never choose just one. As the vendor handed over the cone, Our Lady of Lourdes School was still visible nearby.

Suddenly, a fangirl approached from behind, catching James off guard. “Oppa, I didn’t expect to run into the lead vocalist of Kaleidoscope, the most popular band at our school,” she said with a playful smile.

James grinned. “Oh, thank you. But no need for too much flattery. Manong, get the lovely lady beside me a sorbetes too. It’s on me.” Known for his friendly nature, James couldn’t help but treat his fans with kindness.

Did he just call me lovely? And now he’s treating me to dessert, the fangirl thought, blushing as she received her ice cream.

“Thanks,” she said, before quickly tiptoeing and aiming for a kiss on James’ cheek. But in his usual absent-minded way, James turned his head at the last second, and their lips brushed for the briefest of moments.

“I’m so sorry! I didn’t mean to,” the fangirl stammered, mortified.

“It’s fine, it’s on me—I turned in your direction by mistake,” James replied, brushing it off with a smile.

Giggling, the fangirl ran off, gushing to herself. But the moment didn’t go unnoticed.

“What was that all about?” came a sharp voice from behind. James turned to find his girlfriend, Caitlyn, glaring at him with anger in her eyes.

“It’s nothing, babe. You’re misunderstanding the situation,” James said, trying to calm her down.

“Nothing? I saw it with my own eyes! And today, of all days—you forgot our anniversary and now I catch you kissing another girl? I’m done. We’re through,” Caitlyn cried, her voice breaking as tears streamed down her face. Before James could say anything more, she slapped him hard across the face and stormed off.

James stood there, stunned, as his bandmates—Ezra, Apollo, Kai, and Rowan—stepped out from where they had been watching the whole scene unfold.

“That was rough, bro,” Ezra said, shaking his head.

“That slap must’ve hurt,” Apollo added with a wince.

James sighed but then managed a small, optimistic smile. “It’s fine, guys. Cupid never runs out of arrows. My Miss Perfect is out there somewhere. She’ll come along at the right time.”

Kai looked skeptical. “And what if ‘the one’ never shows up?”

“Yeah, dude,” Rowan chimed in. “You might end up growing old as a bachelor.”

James just chuckled, brushing off their comments. “I’ll take my chances.”

In a quaint flower shop, blooms of every kind filled the room: roses, peonies, tulips, chrysanthemums, carnations, lilies, hydrangeas, and sunflowers. Alongside the flowers were various Chinese items—golden figurines of the Chinese Zodiac, each animal symbolizing fortune. The ever-present golden cat, the beckoning Maneki-neko, waved its paw endlessly.

Beside the cat sat a family photo in a frame—a Filipino-Chinese family dressed in red: a father, mother, big sister, and little brother, all smiling together.

The door opened with a soft chime. “Cling, clang, cling.” James stepped inside.

A girl in her mid-teens turned from her work, arranging flowers in a vase. She smiled warmly at him. “Welcome to Lotus Jade,” she greeted. “I’m Lia—short for Diana. Weird, right?” She extended her hand, which James shook without hesitation.