DRAGON 2.1

C H A P T E R 2.1

TINURUKAN kanina ng pampamanhid ng sakit ang paa kong tinamaan ng bala ng baril. Hindi nila puwedeng makita ang bakas ng nangyari sa akin, lalo na ang matandang hukluban. 

I have three siblings. Oh wait, let me rephrase it. Two step brothers and one step sister. The reason why I felt that I don't belong here. 

May kanya-kanya rin silang guward'ya ngunit mas marami ang nakabantay sa akin dahil ako ang tagapagmana sa trono ni dad. 

And I am waiting for that time to happen, and if it does, I can do whatever I want to, may it even be taking the lives of my enemies.

'Sisirain ko muna ang munting kasiyahan nila.' Lahat sila napatuon sa akin ang atensyon nang mapatingin ang ina sa aking gawi. Ibig kong sabihin, pangawalang ina na si Pia Barcelona.

Sandali silang natigilan sa aking pagdating kaya naman umiral ang katahimikan. Tila walang gustong magsalita ni isa sa kanila.

Si dad, naman ay bahagya pang nabigla marahil sa 'di nito inaasahan ang biglaang pag-uwi ko ng Pilipinas. 

As expected, his cold stares and dangerous eyes seems to throw daggers on my direction. When was the last time he ever felt happy to see me? Never. Because I only reminded him of my mother who left without a trace two years ago. Before I was comatosed, we were still fine, a family full of mirth and bounded by love. But after two years of recovering, they fought about something I was not aware of. 

The next morning, what I just knew was- she left. My father started to treat me like a puppet and demon of his own. He slaps me for no reason. I already knew why but I don't want to acknowledge it. I'm seeking for his love but of course, I need to look strong in front of him so he wouldn't know how weak I am.

"Good evening, your Majesty,” bati ko sa kanya at bahagyang yumuko bilang paggalang sa Hari ng Black Dragon Demon Mafia. 

Matapos itong batiin ay bumalik  na sa dati ang sigla sa mga mukha nila.

"Ate Anastasia?" hindi makapaniwalang tawag ni Peranza Jane Barcelona Mondragon. Ang kanyang mga mata ay namimilog sa tuwa at gulat.

Matipid ko lang siyang nginitian. "Omg!!-" Sabay takip ng bibig niya na gulat na gulat makita ako. 

"Ate!" tili nito sabay takbo papunta sa akin at mahigpit niya kong niyakap sa baiwang.

The little girl embraced me as if there is no tomorrow, like I will be gone in just a blink of an eye.

"Ate! I missed you so much~~ I want to visit you in U.S but daddy won't allow me to," she pouted, a bit of sadness and bitterness in the child’s voice. I gently patted her head.

"Kasi bawal ang mga bata doon," asar ko rito. Mas lalo tuloy humaba ang nguso niya.

Maganda si Peranza katulad ng ina niya. Hindi naman sila parang step mother ni Cinderella na laging nang-aapi.

My stepmother and I are in good terms. She is kind, humble, and selfless. Same with my two other siblings which are Pearlo Rich Mondragon, who's four years old, and Patrick Oliver Mondragon, who's fifteen. Patrick definitely resembles  my father, stiff and serious. 

"Ate!" Takbo rin ni Pearlo na bibong-bibo lalo na sa nagtataba'ng dalawang pisngi nito na panggigigilan mo talaga siya. 

"Hi, my little snowball." I squatted and spread my arms, asking for a hug. He immediately run to me and locked me in his small arms.

Goodness I absolutely missed this adorable little snowball.

"Ate, where's my pasalubong?" tanong nito nang humiwalay kami ng yakap. Kumislap pa ang mga mata niya at halatang inaabangan ako sumagot. Kinurot ko ang malulusog niyang mga pisngi.

His cheeks reddened upon my pinching, which made him look cuter. “Little snowball, your sister came suddenly. Let's just go for a walk tomorrow, okay? ” I happily told him. He nodded quickly, the hair on his head following his gesture, and hugged me again.

"Yehey!" 

Natawa naman ako sa kabibohan niya.

"Ate, I'm jealous," rinig kong reklamo ni Peranza kaya naman nakisali na rin siya sa yakapan namin ni Pearlo.

I was crushed by the two little kiddos, drowning me with the warmth offered by their affection. Both Peranza and Pearlo are attached with me. Meanwhile, Patrick is like a younger version of my father, they are both serious.

Glee is painted on the lovely face of Pia, I guess she is delighted with my presence. However, my father’s face held no emotion, still the same cold man like before. Patrick stayed serious in his respected seat, his attention solely focused on his food.

I felt a pang on my chest. I bit my lower lip to hold back my tears. I laughed at the thought of it. Cry? For what? Stupid.

Bakit ako iiyak sa ganito kababaw na dahilan? Ngayon pa ba kung kailan matagal na panahon nang ganito ang trato nya sa akin?

Kaya ano pa ang rason para iyakan siya? 

Tumikhim ako para ayusin ang boses ko. Hindi dahil sa kinakabahan ako  sa tensyong lumilipad sa amin, kun'di sa kung paano ako matalim na titigan ng matanda. 

"C'mon let's eat." I spoke to my two siblings. They immediately ran back to the table and settled on their seats.

I glanced at the sweet looking middle aged woman not meters away from me. "Good evening, mom." I greeted Pia and gave respect. I accepted her as a part of the family but just not how I loved my biological mother. I don't even do kissing or embracing, I just greet her. Nothing more, nothing less.

"Good evening, Young lady," she greeted back with a smile in her face.

I took a step towards the table and slowly moved the chair, the noise coming from it echoed throughout the entire dining hall. I quietly sat at my chair and beside me, Patrick is quietly eating his food. 

Tahimik lang ang naging gabihan namin. Paminsan-minsan kinakausap ni dad si Pia tungkol sa negosyo at minsan naman ang mga kapatid ko. 

But he never asked me like he didn't know I exist. Like I wasn’t even eating with him at the same table. He never even asked me if I’m contented with my life in the U.S or if I'm doing well. 

Kung naging ligtas ba ang pag-uwi ko o kahit man lang isang simpleng 'kumusta' ay wala akong narinig mula sa kanya. Para lang akong isang multo na hindi niya kailanman makikita. 

He is the reason behind my coldness. He made me into a monster. He created the monster inside me. 

He disappoints me so much to the point that I don't respect him anymore. I even cursed him whenever we argue about something. 

But this is not the main reason why I went back here. The reason is that I wanted to unravel the mysteries of what really happened twelve years ago. There's something more that I can't point out and I want to know the reason- why did they chose me?

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