Description
Barrio Matiwasay looks like any small town in rural Philippines, but beneath the surface, it is far from normal. Something unusual is happening to some of the town’s kids who just turned thirteen.
Kaleb is small for his age and has been made fun of almost all his life because of it. Lately, he is experiencing anger issues. The angrier he gets, the stronger he feels he becomes. Sometimes, he feels like his whole body is changing, but that can’t be, right? He also is strongly attracted to smoking the local tabako being harvested by the farmers and has started climbing trees—an activity he never liked before. He’s also discovering hair all throughout his body. Puberty sucks.
In his dreams, Junjun swears he’s running faster and faster than ever before. When he is running, he feels like he transforms into something else, something that gallops. He wakes up in the morning very tired with his feet caked in dirt and mud.
Lani feels pain in her abdomen, but she is ready for the whole change that comes with womanhood. But the pain sometimes is excruciating, like she is being cut in half. And during those times, she feels like she can fly.
One night, under a full moon, Kaleb, Jun, and Lani find themselves in the middle of the forest. They discover they are going through something similar and a bond is forged.
They also discover something else. Someone is hell-bent on destroying the forest and stirring spirits best left undisturbed. Destroying the forest directly impacts the small town’s livelihood, so it is just a matter of time before the town’s very existence is in danger.
With the culprit yet unknown, it seems that it is up to Kaleb, Jun, and Lani to band together to save their town from extinction. Will they be able to control the changes they are going through and will they be able to harness the powers they are developing to do good? Or are the changes they are going through a sign of the evil infecting their town?
Are they heroes or are they the villains?
