PAID IN SHADOWS

TWYLA’S POV.

I’VE BEEN shifting uneasily in my seat for quite some time now, my mind racing with nervous thoughts. My palms have started to sweat, and I can feel the slight clamminess every time I wipe them on my jeans. The anticipation is building up, making my heart beat faster as I imagine what’s about to happen. Mamaya lang ay ang bilugan at malalaki ko nang p*wet ang idi-display sa loob ng tattoo room na nasa aking harapan.

The thought both excites and terrifies me, leaving me feeling vulnerable and a little exposed kahit hindi pa man nagsisimula.

At hindi nga nagtagal, bumukas ang tattoo room at magkasunod na lumabas ang katatapos lamang na client at ang tattoo artist.

“Next,” tawag ng assistant nito na siya ring nagbabantay sa may pintuan ng tattoo room. Na para bang hindi pwedeng pumasok ang kahit na sino without their permission, o kung hindi mo pa naman turn.

Palihim akong bumuga ng hangin upang pakawalan ang namumuong kaba sa aking dibdib.

‘I can do this!’

D*mn! Kinakabahan ako.

Tumayo ako at ngumiti ng malaki sa tattoo artist na pinasadahan pa ako ng tingin mula paa hanggang bunbunan ko. Kulang na lang yata ay hubaran niya ako, masiguro lang kung ano ang hinahanap niya sa katawan ko.

“Pang ilang tattoo mo na ’to?” he asked as we entered the room.

Hindi ako sumagot; instead, I quietly scanned the room with my eyes. There was nothing suspicious, walang kakaiba sa kwartong ito katulad ng ini-report sa amin.

“Maghubad ka na,” he said abruptly.

“What?” agad na tanong ko nang marinig ang sinabi nito.

“I can’t tattoo you if you don’t pull down your jeans. Aren’t you the one getting a tattoo on your butt?” he said.

“Y-Yeah, that’s me. . .” I stammered.

“Don’t worry, I’m a professional,” he assured me.

Kabado at nag-aalangan kong hinubad ang black belt ko at tinanggal ang butones ng jeans ko. From the reflection in the large mirror in front of me, I could clearly see the man’s gaze filled with desire as he looked at me from behind.

D*mn this guy! Kung hindi lang ako narito para sa trabaho ay kanina ko pa siya pinalunok ng bala.

I forced myself to calm down before slowly lowering my jeans along with my red thong.

“Okay, lie down over there,” he said again, pointing to a small bed where his clients usually lay.

Naglakad ako don nang walang kahit na anong saplot pang ibaba. I had to f*cking do this.

Sumampa ako sa bed at dumapa. Maya-maya lang ay naramdaman ko nang lumapit siya sa akin.

“I already have the design you wanted. Your artist must be good because this design took me a long time to master,” he said.

I didn’t know what design he was talking about—I hadn’t seen it either. Wala naman kasi sa plano ang ituloy ang pagpapatattoo ko sa p*wet. Kailangan ko lang itong gawin ayon sa kliyente namin para makita namin ang ebidensyang hinahanap namin.

Yes, this was just a trap. We were investigating something inside this tattoo shop.

Napasinghap ako nang maya-maya lang ay dumampi na ang palad nito sa bilugan kong pwetan. Parang may kuryenteng dumaloy sa buo kong katawan dahil sa ginawa niyang iyon.

D*mn! Nasaan na ba ang mga kasama ko? Kapag ako talaga natusok ng karayom, isasaksak ko ito sa ngala-ngala nila! This wasn’t part of the plan!

“Magsisimula na tayo, are you ready?” I heard the man say.

I gripped the bed even tighter.

But just when I thought he was going to begin the tattoo, I was mistaken. Dahil ang sumunod na nangyari ay bigla na lamang akong nakaramdam ng matinding antok na tila anumang sandali ay makakatulog na ako.

Hindi sinasadyang napatingin ako sa may side table, kung saan naroon nakatayo ang kulay pulang kandila. Kanina ay nagtataka ako kung bakit meron nito dito, ngunit ngayon ay alam ko na ang dahilan.

“Matulog ka muna. Sisiguraduhin kong magandang serbisyo ang ibibigay namin sa ’yo.”

Iyon na ang huli kong narinig mula sa kanya bago ako tuluyang nilamon ng kadiliman.

Nagising ako na sobrang bigat ng talukap ng mga mata ko. May naririnig akong ingay mula sa paligid ngunit tila hinang-hina ang katawan ko. I struggled to open my eyes, but my vision was blurred and unfocused. Meron akong mga naaaninag na mga tao sa paligid na ang gagaslaw kung gumalaw, animo’y naglalaban. The air was thick with faint cries and soft sobs, echoing painfully in the room.

Besides the chaotic noises, I noticed a dim red light bathing the surroundings, casting an eerie glow. It felt as though we were inside some kind of open bar or underground club, the atmosphere both unsettling and surreal.

Ilang minuto lang ang lumipas ay natapos din ang mga ingay sa paligid, ngunit hindi ko pa rin magawang igalaw ang katawan ko na para bang tuluyan na akong naging paralisado. Hinang-hina ang katawan ko, sigurado ako na kung meron mang masamang binabalak ang mga taong ito sa akin, hindi ko magagawang lumaban dahil sa panlalambot ng aking katawan.

“Si Twilight,” rinig kong anang boses sa may gilid ko.

That voice was unmistakably familiar.

“I’ll take care of her. Kailangan niyang magamot dahil sa drogang itinurok sa kanya,” rinig ko namang turan ng isa pang pamilyar na boses.

D*mn! Kung tama ang rinig ko, mukhang naturukan ako ng droga para manghina ako ng ganito. Mga hayop ang mga ’yon, sigurado akong may binabalak ang mga iyon na akin.

Wala na akong ibang narinig pa. Maya-maya lang ay naramdaman ko na lamang ang pagbuhat sa akin ng kung sino. Maging ang amoy niya ay familiar sa akin, sigurado akong isa siya sa mga kumag kong kasamahan.

***

“Maayos na ba talaga ang pakiramdam mo?” Koby asked persistently. His endless questioning was beginning to grate on my nerves.

“Yeah, I’m fine. Can you please stop nagging me?” I replied, frowning. “Please lang, manahimik ka muna. Bigyan niyo muna ako ng katahimikan,” dagdag ko nang umasta na naman itong magsasalita.

Koby and Primo exchanged glances and shrugged before settling into silence. I shifted my position in the backseat of the car, slowly closing my eyes to calm myself.

It had been several hours since I woke from the drug-induced haze. My team finally explained what really happened at the tattoo shop matapos kong makatulog sa sleeping smoke na nalalanghap ko mula sa pulang kandila.

Reviewing the footage captured by the smart glasses I wore, I saw myself falling asleep then being carried by the man in the room. Behind the large mirror was a hidden chamber where those depraved men committed their vile acts.

As secret agents, our mission was to help those denied justice—people oppressed by the powerful, victims of abuse inflicted by the wealthy elite.

One of our clients had sought our help to punish and stop the blackmail inflicted by these abusers. The tattoo shop owner was a sex addict and director of a hub distributing obscene videos and photos on their website. Their business was highly profitable, featuring trending scandals— at isa sa nag trend sa website na iyon ay ang video scandal ng bagong kliyente namin. Na minsan na ring naging kliyente nilang babae sa tattoo shop na gustong sa maselang party magpatattoo.

Bago ako pumunta sa tattoo shop, napagplanuhan na ng team namin ang gagawin. At dahil ako lamang ang nag-iisang babae sa grupo, ako ang ipinain nila para mapasok ang lungga ng mga demonyong manyak na iyon. At nagtagumpay nga kami. We discovered their methods and managed to access and permanently delete their website’s content.

Earlier, as Koby deleted the explicit content, my blood boiled with rage, nearly overwhelming me with a desire to kill those depraved fiends. Talagang nakakanginig ng kalamnan ang kasamaang pinaggagawa ng mga taong iyon. Paano nila nasisikmura ang gamitin ang mga kababaihang walang kalaban-laban sa kanila? At hindi lang ’yon. Meron din silang mga nagiging lalaking biktima. Talagang walang pinipiling bibiktimahin ang katulad nilang may halang na sikmura.

Having completed the mission ahead of schedule, we were summoned by our superiors to receive recognition for our latest success. For me, a reward wasn’t necessary; I was already content knowing we had put those perpetrators where they deserved. Money held no value compared to justice, which was what truly mattered to me.

Slowly, I opened my eyes. The car came to a stop at a red light. I glanced out the window and found myself staring at a man outside. Nakasakay ito sa maliit na motor, nakasuot ng lumang pulang helmet na parang bakbak na ang pintura, at simpleng kulay orange na jacket.

‘Ang pangit ng taste niya.’

Time seemed to slow as he turned to look my way, tila nararamdaman nito ang ginagawa kong pagtitig sa kanya. Thankfully, the tinted glass shielded me from being seen.

I continued watching as the man’s motorcycle moved forward when the light turned green. I couldn’t explain the strange sensation stirring in my chest at that moment.

I was in the middle of such a moment when my phone suddenly vibrated. I took it out from my small red Hermes Birkin handbag. Napabuntong-hininga naman ako nang makita ang caller ID na naka rehistro sa phone ko.

“Hmm?” walang ganang usal ko nang sagutin ko ito.

“Hindi ka raw pumunta sa blind date mo?” Direktang tanong niya.

“You already know the answer. Bakit ka pa nagtatanong?” Nawawalan na agad ako ng pasensya.

“Fix that attitude of yours and listen to me. I’m doing this for your own good. Kung hindi ako ang mag set-up ng blind date mo, sa tingin mo hindi iyon gagawin ng Lolo mo?” Sermon na naman niya.

“Pwede ba, Ma? Hindi na ako seventeen years old na kailangan pa ng guide ninyo. May sarili na akong isip at alam ko ang ginagawa ko,” I said, clearly irritated. “So from now on, stop selling me off to any random guy just so you can say you’re taking care of me.” I added and ended the call in frustration. “Bweset!” Singhal ko pa.

I caught in my peripheral vision how Koby and Primo in front of me remained frozen in their seats. They knew better than to mess with me when I’m in this mood—one wrong move, and I wouldn’t hesitate to make them regret it, bullet and all.

I rolled down the car window to breathe some fresh air. I inhaled and exhaled several times to calm myself. I understood why Mom was doing this. At hinding-hindi ko siya hahayaang magtagumpay sa nais niya.

She wanted me to get married quickly so I could finally leave our family. So that her beloved daughter, Yvaine, my half-sister, could solely inherit the Solveig Foundation. Kaya naman kahit kani-kanino na lamang niya akong inirereto, but none of whom I even bothered to meet.

Mataas ang standard ko, kasing taas ng tala sa kalangitan. Kaya hindi ako papatol sa kahit na sino-sinong tuko lang na mahahanap niya sa tabi-tabi para ipakasal sa akin. If I were to pick a man worthy of touching me, it would be someone na hindi ako kayang talian sa leeg. A man who is humble and willing to follow my lead.

Pero depende kung anong klaseng pagtali ang gagawin niya, at sa paanong paraan. LOL.