Chapter 1 Aiah

2031.

PINAHINTULOT NA NG LANGIT na muling magtagpo ang landas nila. She never knew that Zach Ethaniel Montellano would attend her party as a welcome to the organization, Alpha Lohikal. She was not properly introduced to the group so they decided to organize it for her. Imbitado ang lahat ng nagtatrabaho sa Alpha Lohikal.

Nagtungo si Aiah sa pinakaharap na upuan bilang siya ang bida ng pagtitipong iyon. The hall screams wealth, just like what she thought from the stories of her co-agents. Sa kuwento lang nila siya umaasa.

Matayog ang kisame ng pinagdarausan ng pagtitipon. Diamonds added gorgeousness to the gray motif of the party. It was indeed for her, inspired by the color of her eyes, gray.

Naroon ang halos lahat ng taga-Alpha Lohikal, well-dressed na hindi mahahalatang ilang beses silang sumabak sa iba’t ibang bakbakan. Sa loob o sa labas ng Pilipinas, kung saan-saan matatagpuan ang AL agents. They have different departments. Sayang nga lang at nakabakasyon si Aiah o Agent Serenata nang tatlong taon upang tuluyang magpagaling bago siya muling sumabak sa kaniyang misyon.

Inisang inom niya ang vodka at pagkakuwan ay nakuha ng isang lalaking kapapasok lamang ng hall ang kaniyang atensyon. Sinundan niya ng tingin ang lalaki. He is truly handsome in his jet black tuxedo and a pair of correcting eyeglasses that adds to his character. His brush up hair makes him look more stunning that every woman in that party would drool over him–like Aiah.

Hindi maikakaila ang pagkagusto niya rito gayong ilang taon na rin ang nakalipas nang sinimulan niyang mahumaling dito. Bagaman hindi niya alam kung saan at paano, nasisiguro niyang tunay ang naramdaman para rito.

She did not even bother him, being a widower with a child. Zach Ethaniel is a lone soul because his dear wife, Eniessia Moriah Oliveria-Montellano, had passed away two and a half years ago and left him with a lovely gift named Elio Zachary Oliveria-Montellano.

She smirked bitterly when she remembered how much love she had invested on him, though she is not sure about the exact details, but as the saying goes, the brain forgets but the heart remembers. Ni hindi niya alam kung tama bang maramdaman niya ito gayong naikwento lang naman sa kaniya kung gaano niya kamahal si Zach noon. Saying that she envies Enie so much in the past, she finds herself confused, as always.

Sometimes, memories haunt her at night with random nightmares about Enie's life. Ni hindi niya nga alam kung bakit pati ang mga alaala nito ay napapanaginipan niya. Dinadalaw nga ba ni Enie ang mga panaginip niya dahil may gusto itong ipahiwatig?

She does not know anything about what happened to Enie. When Enie died, she is in comatose. They thought that Aiah would stay braindead but now, she could see herself right in front of everything that Enie owns back then–everything that Aiah truly wants since day one.

She drank a straight shot of Daniel's while watching Ethan going along with the guests. Marami pa siyang iba’t ibang uri ng alak sa kaniyang mesa. Kung ano na lang ang madampot niya, iniisang inom niya. She was just surprised that this man would go to her party. She was uninformed about the guest list.

Pinagsawalang-bahala niya muna si Ethan. Napabaling siya sa kabilang panig at doon niya namataan ang isang seryosong lalaking papalapit sa kaniya. He wears a dark blue tuxedo, screaming gorgeousness in that brush up look. Pinantayan niya ang matalim na mga titig nito at saka tinaasan ng kilay. If she is not mistaken, this man is the one who was mostly talked about along the AL Hallways. Siya ang bagong miyembrong isinali ni Miss Jed, ang tunay na namamahala ng organisasyon, matapos magkaroon ng pagbabago sa sistema.

"Zendaiah Liezandra Mendoza." She saw a smirk crept on his lips as he mentioned her name.

Agad na kinilatis ni Aiah ang anyo ng binata. She observed every feature of this man, every mole, every pore, every fine thin line, and every small detail. Tiningnan niya kung paanong may kakaiba sa lalaking ito at mistulang ipinagtaka ang tahi nito sa may kanang kilay. Gayunpaman, ipinagsawalang-bahala na lang ni Aiah ang napansin at pinagtuunan ang tuluyang paglapit nito.

"Verdict Ezekiel Mendoza," aniya rito. Weird may it sound, they have the same surname. "Hindi talaga ako makapaniwalang kapatid kita." She told him as a dismal smirk crept on her lips.

She got irritated when he imitated her expression kiddingly. "Hindi rin ako makapaniwalang kapatid na kita ngayon."

She does not know what he is talking about. Based on her intelligence, he must be saying something behind his words. Hindi niya rin batid kung bakit pati iyon ay kinikilatis niya. Maybe it is just an AL agents’ nature to analyze everything.

"I am really clouded with your personality, kuya. Hindi ko alam kung totoo bang kapatid talaga kita gaya ng sinabi sa akin ni Mommy Jed nang magising ako."

Poor Aiah forgot everything after a bittersweet tragedy that happened to her years ago. She missed every detail about her life for three years. Nagising na lang siya isang araw at pinapakain na ang memorya niya ng mga alaalang nawala sa isip niya.

Aiah pities herself. She does not remember any memory from the past. She forgot the first time that she had a crush, the first time she kissed a guy or even the first time that she truly fell in love. She forgot everything.

Nakalimutan niya na rin kung sino-sino ang kapamilya niya. She forgot her mom, her dad, until she was reminded that they were already dead. She forgot about his brother, Ezekiel, who is also subtle about her these days.

Nakalimutan na niya ang mga kaibigan niya. Nakalimutan niya na rin ang paghanga at panggagaya kay Enie. Nakalimutan niya na rin ang fiancé niya sa Isla de Esperanza. She forgot it all but she is more than willing to bring back her memories.

"I pity you kapatid. Hindi mo alam ang mga sinasabi mo," anito sabay gulo ng buhok ni Aiah.

Sinamaan niya ito ng tingin at saka naiwang mag-isa kalaunan. Pinagmasdan na lang ni Aiah ang papaalis na bulto ng makulit niyang kapatid. She was left again, observing the guests in the party.

She got confused about everything. Matapos ang tatlong taong pagpapahinga mula sa mahabang pagkakatulog, nandito na ulit siya upang maging kabahagi ng AL. She is truly excited for everything. It is her thing. It is her passion based on what they told her.

Investigations, incarcerations and communications, binubuhay ng mga ito ang organisasyong iyon. It is more than just an organization but a family of spies, investigators, and legal punishers. Per department, inuuri ang kanilang mga kakayahan – Acumens are the intelligences that processes the information from their reports, Emissaries are the diplomats recruiting people and keeping the peace inside and outside the organization, and the Onslaughts are trained to fight physically. Though they are trained to know each department’s role, iba pa ring may pinagtutuunan silang isa-isang kakayahan. In Aiah’s case, she was an Onslaught before she had a comatose. Pansamantala siyang inilipat bilang Acumen habang pansamantalang nagpapagaling.

Habang nagmumuni-muni, nahagip ng mata ni Aiah ang isang papalapit na bulto. Her peripheral view can see Zach Ethaniel Montellano approaching her table. Agad siyang umayos ng tayo at pasimpleng hinawi ang buhok papunta sa kanang balikat. Sino ba namang gugustuhing magmukhang hindi presentable sa harap ng taong gusto niya?

"Uh, hi.” She was timidly greeted by him.

"Hi," bati niya rito sabay inom ng alak.

She cleared her throat when the scene became awkward. Makailang minuto rin silang nagkailangan at pasulyap-sulyap lang sa isa't isa. Matapos nilang magbatian, panay pagsinghap na lang ang sumunod nilang pagpapalitan. Hiniling na lang ni Aiah na tuluyang matapos ang gabi.

PASIMPLENG NILAPITAN NI ETHAN ang dalagang nakaupo sa pinakaunahan ng hall. She sits pretty in her red body hugging full length dress while simply drinking each glass in the row of liquor on her table. Kanina pa niya itong pinagmamasdan habang pinanonood nito ang mga bisita. Surely, Aiah doesn’t know anyone in that hall, personally, since ngayon lang ito muling lumabas matapos magpahinga sa ilang taong pagkaka-comatose.

“Uh hi,” he timidly greeted her.

Bakas sa mga mata ni Ethan ang pagkailang sa tuwing tinitignan ang dalaga. She looks like a spitting image of his dear wife, that's why. Parang muling nagkatawang-tao si Enie sa katauhan ni Aiah.

“Hi.” And she almost sounded like her!

Ethan is confused with what he sees right now. Imagining his wife who rose from the dead, standing in front of him, saying ‘hi,’ like nothing bad had happened. Kung sanang ganoon lang kadaling gawin iyon, hindi na siya nalungkot sa nakalipas na higit dalawang taon.

Sariwa pa rin sa kaniya ang mga sugat ng kahapon matapos siyang iwan ng pinakamamahal. Wala siyang ibang nagawa kundi ang pagmasdan ang nasusunog na katawan ng asawa. Gabi-gabi siyang nitong ginugulo. Tila ba paulit-ulit na unti-unting tinutupok ng apoy ang puso niyang nagsusumamo nang mga panahong iyon. Bawat araw, bawat gabi, rinig na rinig niya ang pagsigaw ng mga tao sa paligid niya. Hindi niya man lang natulungan si Enie.

"H-How's Uno?"

She cut off their silence. Naningkit ang mga mata ni Ethan na para bang hindi niya narinig ang sinabi ng dalaga. Bahagya niyang sinuri ang bawat salitang galing sa bibig ng kaharap niya.

Then he recovered after sometime. He sighed. "Uno is fine. He is actually going to study pre-school this coming school year." Small confusion suddenly stained his handsome face. He may be talking civil but something runs in his brain. "He actually needs a mom to guide him on his first days."

Motherhood is something that is not learned but felt. It takes a long process to learn how to be one. Hindi biro ang maging ina at lalong hindi birong magpakaina.

Ilang gabi niya na ring pinag-isipang yayain si Aiah na pansamantalang maging ina ni Uno. Siguro, wala namang kaso kung panandalian nitong pangangatawanan ang pagiging ina. Then he saw her smirk. Mukhang agad na naisip ni Aiah ang nais niyang iparating dito.

A SNAP FROM HER brain woke her up. Ethan must be planning something about it that is why he opened up the topic. She smirked instead. Of course, Aiah never accepts an indecent proposal if asking her to be Uno's temporary mom is considered indecent on her part.

"Uh, okay."

Those expressions are the answers of uncertainty and safety. She did not even know what to tell him after that. Uncertain because she does not know what to say next and safety because it will not make their conversation any longer.

Nagsisisi siya sa isip dahil binuksan niya ang usapang iyon. She never wanted to touch that part of Enie’s remaining memories in the physical world. And to note, ayaw niyang agawin dito ang pagiging ina.

"A-Are you okay?" nauutal na tanong ni Ethan sa kaniya.

Her heart beats truly fast without knowing what the reason behind it. Ni hindi niya alam kung bakit kinakabahan din siya at parang mauutal pa kapag nagsalita.

Due to tension, she straight-drank the liquor making her throat burn in pain. She endured the ache and just closed her eyes then opened it after feeling the relief.

"You are not okay, are you?" Ethan said.

She gestured a thumbs up but it seems like the meaning was the inverse of it. "Bakit ka kasi umiinom ng ganitong alak ng isang lagukan?"

Pinagalitan ni Ethan si Aiah at muling pinagmasdan. He checked on her multiple times subalit hindi na siya makapagsalita.

Mahinang napamura ang binata nang mapansin ang pamumula ng dalaga. Minabuti niya nang magtawag ng pinakamalapit na tulong. He called for a glass of cold water to ease the pain that Aiah feels.

"Stupid. Next time do not drink liquor that much. Hindi ka pa pala sanay sa lasa tapos kung makainom ka wagas."

There he is, a grumpy husband to his wife. Mahilig niyang pagalitan si Enie lalo pa kung may ginagawa itong hindi dapat. The bothering thing, Aiah is not Enie.

Naniningkit ang mga mata ni Aiah na muling tumingin sa binata matapos ubusin ang tubig. Nag-iinit pa rin ang kalooban niya hindi dahil sa nainom kundi dahil sa galit at kaba sa presensya ng binata sa harap niya.

"W-Why do you act like that?" she sounded uneasy.

Pinili ni Aiah na lumabas sa balkonahe ng hall dahil alam niya kung saan na papunta ang usapan nila ni Ethan.

"Because I care for you."

Her heart skipped a beat. Agad na pinamulahan ng pisngi si Aiah. Sa seryosong ekspresyon ng mukha, naitago niya ang pagkahiya at hindi na binigyang-pansin ang mga sinabi nito. Sinimulan niyang buuin ang pader sa paligid ng puso niya na dapat noon pa niya ginawa kahit na may gusto rin siya sa binata.

"Is that really the reason?" she coldly asked as she softly pushed Ethan.

Sa katunayan, ikinatatakot ni Aiah na baka ibang rason ang talagang tumatakbo sa isip ni Ethan kaya ganito na lang ang pag-aalala nito sa kaniya. What if he cares because she looks like his wife? Hindi malabong iyon ang rason dahil nangungulila ito sa asawa, lasing ito ngayong gabi, at wala sa tamang pag-iisip.

"Ano pa ba dapat ang rason?" Ethan said as he walked towards her. Mabilis nitong naubos ang espasyo sa pagitan nilang dalawa. Panay naman ang pag-atras ng dalaga habang ang mga mata nila ay hindi maalis sa isa't isa. Napapalunok na lang si Aiah dahil sa pagkahilo sa alak at pagkaliyo sa mga titig ng binata.

Her heart slowly shatters and breaks down as his heavy stares pound the walls of her heart. His eyes pierces her soul as if she did a crime, a crime called love.

“A-ano ba, Ethan?” Sinubukan niyang magsawalang-bahala subalit paulit-ulit nitong kinukuha ang atensyon niya. She kept distant from him but his burning eyes pull her so much. His eyes are the magnets of her attention.

Napapatingin na lang ang dalaga sa kaniya sa kabila ng pagkailang.

"Lasing ka na Z-Zach Ethaniel."

He is more likely drunk than Aiah. He is confused, tired and excessively under the influence of alcohol. Lasing ang mga matang nakatitig lamang ng diretso rito.

"Ano ba Ethan!" she protested when he grabbed her harshly. "Let me go!"

Nagpatuloy sa pagpupumiglas ang dalaga na siya namang pinipigilan ng binata. Napapalunok na lang si Aiah sa tuwing nakikita ang pagwawala ng kalooban ni Ethan.

"No!" His eyes were tainted with extreme ferocity. "I won't let you go this time," he said with full conviction.

Hindi nagpatalo si Aiah at pinantayan ang pagpupumilit ng binata. "Why won't you? Inaano ba kita?" sigaw nito sa kaniya.

The crowd did not notice their scene. May kani-kaniyang gawain ang tao sa lugar na iyon na higit na importante kaysa panuorin ang away nila. And to think, nasa balkonahe naman sila ng hall.

"Inaano mo ako?" He laughed nonchalant. "You are ruining my faithfulness to my late wife Aiah," he said once more. "And I hate you for that."