Jesse ’s POV:

"Mama, my birthday is tomorrow. You two will be gone for a week tomorrow. It's your trick, you won't come with me on my birthday. No one will cook for me, sing a happy birthday song, hug me after I made a wish, and there's no one to guide me. Just rest, mama, I love you so much. I'm going back inside to eat breakfast. Good morning, mama," I happily spoke to the grave. mom's

I smiled and wiped my tears. Hey, I miss Mom so much. Being sad, I neglected our crops. Some of them are withered because I haven't left the house for a few days. I almost forgot to eat during the first three days without Mom. As time went by, it slowly dawned on me that he was gone. It still hurts but I'm slowly getting over it. But if I could only wish he was here by my side, I would.

I cooked a fried egg and I just ate mashed potatoes that I stewed. I still haven't harvested rice and I still need to turn it into rice. Hey, it's still a long process. I still don't have the strength and I want to lock myself in the room.

After I ate I was stunned for a while. The bullets about Project Melos caught my eye. I just remembered Mom's advice about what I need to learn and know. Mama knows it's my right to know all that and discover the truth.

I was encouraged, I still had a reason to fight. Mom wants me to take risks and find out what's out there. I know he doesn't want me to get hurt but the decision to come out is up to me. I will try to do everything so that I can have freedom when I get there. And if I can change their perception of others as a member of 'The Perfect Children' I will.

After I put away what I ate, I arranged the center table in our living room. I put Mom's letter there as well as the CD I watched about the Project Melos documentary. I took a quick shower so I was fresh. I've also taken off what I was wearing like these jean shorts and a white long-sleeved polo shirt. I'm also wearing boots because this is what my mom and I wear in the garden or outside. When my appearance was fine, I went down to the basement with a flashlight. Maybe Mom has important things left outside the island. I'm also well-dressed when I go out.

When I got down I was still sneezing. It's been quite a while since Mom and I last cleaned here because she always reminds me to clean. Now that he is gone, I have really lost my mind about keeping our house tidy.

I looked for what Mom was saying about what I should learn. I took out the letter and looked for the part where he said it was.

I know there are many questions running through your mind. I have uploaded the ammunition that I requested from your father before so that I can study it. Those are the bullets about Project Melos and the Melos Syndrome, everything will be explained to you. I also have a video tape left in the basement so put that on and watch it. I told them what happened to me then, son. I'm sorry if I lied to you before, son. I am a scientist whose specialty is Biology. I am one of the team leaders of one of the Biology Field teams in Project Melos. I have been involved in that project since I was pregnant with you for almost a few months.

When I read it again, I looked for the videotape that Mom was talking about. I just got stressed again because when it comes to directions and searching, I'm not good at it. This is where my mother always scolded me when I was young, sometimes she even spanked me, especially when I said it over and over but I was slow. It was right in front of me and I still didn't notice it. He said he was going to attack me. It's true that I'm on edge, I don't even know why every time like that I feel nervous and alert. Nervous because of mom's beating and alertness to where she is teaching.

When I saw the box with the video tapes I looked at it. There are so many, I think it's over fifty. These are the ones that Mom hid because it was just stuffy upstairs. Don't let him say that he put the ones I'm looking for here.

I looked around again hoping to see the videotape. Make sure there is a note on it or it's just placed in one place so it's easy to see.

When I stepped on a portion of our floor that was slippery, I accidentally slipped. I hit the floor and hit the stairs on the side. That's when my eyes widened, the videotape was at the top of the stairs!

The videotape fell out of the box of videotapes as well. But my shoulder collapsed as the ladder also knocked over the box and the contents spilled onto the floor. Shit, this is a mess! There is still no sign of the others there. How do I take it apart now!?

I went there for the umpteenth time to look at the videotapes because my hip was still sore from the slip I had earlier. Fortunately, not a single videotape was damaged. This is because you are playing in the video player. There is only film inside.

I put all the videotapes in the box. It's all mixed up, it's a mess. When I put everything in, I started to cry because my stool was dirty, I was still white. I will change my clothes again later. Annoying, my waste of clothes.

I read the letter again to see if Mom had ordered anything else. I might miss something, it's hard.

To be honest, my son, I don't have any news from the outside either, I don't know what the event is. There is a radio in our basement that is connected to your father, call there and ask him for help. You can trust your father but he can only give you so far. Also, I don't even know at this time if Robert is still alive.

When I read that I felt nervous. I immediately saw the radio that Mom was talking about and took it upstairs. Can I leave this island? Can I leave Mom here? I couldn't make up my mind yet, so I took the radio and the box of video tapes up first. I'll look at it one by one later because it's already mixed up.

I went upstairs again. I'm still coughing because I'm so wet and dirty, I should have taken a shower later. I will take a shower and change my clothes later.

The first thing I did was clean the things because they were dirty. I also swept. After I cleaned up I put the videotapes in one by one.
I just sighed and deleted Rihanna's music video again. When I looked closely at the videotape, my eyes widened. It turns out there is a title written on the side! It can be seen inside if you look closely. I was a fool today and also very unlucky. If I had seen that, I would have finished and found what I was looking for.



I put the videotapes on the floor and watched them one by one. I really read carefully because if I don't find it I will definitely look again.
I finally saw it. I immediately put the box full of music videos to one side. Next, I gave birth to a videotape from mom. I even plugged in the radio first, I guess it was lowbat so I let it go.

I got ready to watch the video about Mom. It was still loading before the mother appeared. It appears to be recent. He is now thin and has dark under-eyes due to his illness and also due to stress.

"My Daughter, I know if you're watching this I'm gone. I've kept a lot of secrets from you but I did all that to protect you. I was afraid you might run away then because you were so curious about what there was outside. I'm afraid you'll be separated from me and it's too dangerous for you. Now that you're big, you have the right to know this. Advance happy 18th birthday, Jesse. Mama loves you so much. I hope you don't get mad because I've kept a lot of secrets even the true story of why we ended up on this island. Listen carefully to what I have to say, Jesse. Also keep the information I gave you about Project Melos because you might still use it. You're very smart, my daughter. Maybe you can even discover the characteristics of Melos Syndrome himself. I don't have any news from the outside about the progress of their studies. You will know that too," said Mom with a smile and coughed.

"Mama, I am not angry with you. I will never be angry, nor can I be angry. I love you too, mama. I know that you only want the best for me and you don't want me sorry. I appreciate everything, Mom. Thank you so much because you were able to sacrifice your beautiful life outside in exchange for raising me here on the island, we are the only two people. I love you so much," I whispered.

I took a sip again. I don't know but I feel like I'm facing my mother right now. We still stared at each other after he wiped away his tears.

"Your name is Jesse Villanueva, your name is real. My full name is Annie Villanueva while your father is Roberto Gucedelli, I call him Robert. My love story with that father is not good so I will not tell it anymore. Let's go to the very place where I will tell you about everything," said Mom and got a taste.

"My child, the reason I kept you outside is that you are one of the six 'The Perfect Children'. The six of you were born at the same time after the explosion of the electrical system at the Project Melos research facility. That's why you are called 'The Perfect Children' ' is because your babies' immune systems are naturally strong and you are also the only six born after so many years of Melos Syndrome. That's why I kept you away because I know what can happen to you with experimentation. You will be experimented on they, son. There is so much they can do to you that you can almost die. Son, people are crazy in science these days. Even if there is a law, it is not obeyed, especially when the holder of the research. I hope you understand why we moved away, son. I don't want you to be alive, they are already opening your body," Mom added crying.

That's when I was shocked and started crying. Can people do that for learning? Is education that important to them? Scary, terrifying. I just felt this way. The outside world is very dangerous indeed. Little by little I understand everything.