The following morning, when the sun had barely peeked through the horizon, the whole camp woke up and started to disband. Most of the high-powered weapons were carefully wrapped in a laminated sack or plastic and then buried a short distance away from the camp. The people assigned to do this task were careful not to leave any traces behind, they did their task quickly and effectively – evidence that this was not the first time they did it.

The people did not leave all at once but instead in batches of two or three and with a ten to fifteen minutes interval; with their knowledge of the area, they would choose a direction and would start heading down the mountain. They were also careful not to choose the route where they came from after clashing with the government soldiers. Ka Ricky and the two new recruits were the last to leave the mountain, they waited a good thirty minutes before they too, started to head down. The sun had already shown most of its majestic face when the three left the camp.

Looking down at their new ID, Ellie and Layla observed and tried to absorb as much of the information indicated on their IDs. They were also told some few things by Ka Ricky, such that if any of them were asked, they were to answer that Layla is his daughter as they have a little bit of resemblance and Ellie is his niece, and they are travelling to Bukidnon to visit a relative. As for the rest of the story, Ka Ricky would be the one to do the talking.

On their ID, Ellie and Layla were given the names “Ella” and “Kayla” respectively, and as for the surname they were given “Ponce”. Ka Ricky’s ID reflects this name as well so that they can really show anyone that they are indeed related to each other.

The sun was already high up in the sky when they made it down the mountain from their camp. Not that their camp is located so high up, but because they took a long route down the mountain in order to avoid any checkpoints set up by soldiers following their clash with them yesterday. After walking a few kilometers down the road, they arrived at a certain place where buses to Cagayan de Oro would frequently stop to allow its passengers to have a quick meal, or to pick up passengers if there is still enough space on it.

The trio, after eating their first full meal of the day, were able to easily ride the bus going to Cagayan de Oro. The trip would take around eight more hours, so Ka Ricky and Kayla slept, Ella however, did not sleep, but was looking around the bus, seemingly in awe of the vehicle. She was like a child that was excited on her very first trip, and every scenery she saw was new to her. She was even amazed at how fast the bus was travelling when it was on the high-way and how it expertly navigated through the many curves and sharp turns on its way to Cagayan de Oro. In Ella's eyes, there was a child-like delight, and an innocent excitement. Her behavior and mood are a clear opposite of what she was last night.

It was already night when the bus arrived at Cagayan de Oro, a coastal city located on the Northeastern part of Mindanao. It was a bustling city, a mixture of modern urban landscape with a touch of provincial life. In one part of the city, in its downtown and center, the traffic is heavy during the rush hours, even with a flyover that is supposed to alleviate their vehicle-congestion problems. In these parts, mid-rise office buildings decorated the area that housed most of the city’s business process outsourcing companies. Malls are almost all located beside each other, and many other shops, ranging from small, family owned to corporate and industrial, can be found here. If there is anything that is in short supply here that will be space.

On other parts of the city, away from its busy downtown, a peaceful picture can be painted, no heavy traffic congestion, but is still alive with people bustling about. Many stalls of roasted chicken and barbecue stalls decorated both sides of the road and the appetite-inducing aroma of roasting meat filled the air. There were also many restaurants and small eateries, both full of people.

Ella, seeing all these things is astounded, the sheer number of cars, the bright lights, and the multitudes of people coming and going, is a sight to behold – at least for her.