"Weh?"
"Oo nga. Magtiwala ka lang sa writer mong kaibigan!" She then roared a laugh.
"Gan'on ba 'yon?" I asked, and she just nodded. Natapon pagkatapos ang tingin ko sa smartwatch na ibinigay sa akin ni Asriel, na nasa ibabaw ng isang maliit na drawer malapit lamang sa higaan. "Alam mo ba, Aurora?"
"Hmm?"
"Nakita ko na ang lalaking 'yon. Natagpuan ko na siya, at matagal na pala," may kalambutan kong sabi habang nakangiti. "Masaya ako nang makumpirma kong siya nga 'yon."
"Sino? Yung nagligtas sa'yo n'ong bata ka pa?" tanong niya sa akin. "Sino ba---omg! Don't tell me---" she paused looking at me with eyes growing bigger---"si Asriel ba 'yon?"
"Siya nga," sambit ko, habang
If it weren't for the flourescent lights, the room might be dimmed now for certain. Amidst the crisis of finding light, sometimes we need artificial lights to prevent us from slipping on the mud of confusion.I shifted my gaze at the window and went near it. Dipping my heed outside, scrutiny knocked on my mind. I could even barely see anything, except those dancing street lights, gingery cars and some lighted buildings. They really looked so small up here. Inangat ko ang sariling tingin. The night sky's dark—seemed like the weather is in a mucky condition. Ngunit kahit na ganoon, mukhang walang tigil pa rin ang mga tao sa paggalaw.
Tinalikuran niya ako ng higang patigilid sa kabilang banda. Bumabakat sa kaniyang likuran ang mga balikat, maging ang matambok niyang puwet. Naalala ko tuloy si Ethan. Yung baklang 'yon.Muli akong tumayo at bumalik sa higaan. Tahimik ang paligid. Wala rin naman akong balak sirain ang katahimikan na 'to.First thing in the morning I did, is wipe my face with a wet face towel. Tinapon ko na rin ang kape, dahil nakalimutan ko palang inumin kahapon. Asriel went home to change his clothes without even wiping away the marks I made on his face. Also, he said I don't have to worry much about my safety here, because this hospital's a topnotch when it comes to security.Nakatingin lamang ako sa sariling kong repleksyon sa salamin. My face has truly become a fucking mess. That man or whoever he is, really hurt me so bad. He's not caught ye
As if my body's temperature exceeded the normal one, my blood literally boiled when I saw her face filled with plasticity waiting for me to burn. She could even afford to smile. How could she?"Guess you have a visitor," Asriel remarked. "Aalis lang muna ako para bumili ng gatas." Tumayo siya't lumabas.Asriel didn't know about anything. He didn't know Natasha being the girl with a soft heart full of pretense and loathe. Her smile fell downward when he finally stepped out.Maayos na rin nang lumabas siya at baka kung pa ang marinig niya sa mga maaaring pag-uusapan namin. Hindi ko na tinuloy ang pagkain, dahil bigla akong nawalan ng gana pagkatapos kong makita ang mukha niyang akala ng iba anghel. Truth is, a demon resides that face masked with pimples. She looks soft, but she doesn't seem to me—especially in terms of her re
"What do you need, mga mukhang puwet?" panimula ko. "You want a fight? Alam n'yo namang nangyari sa akin, 'di ba? I can do a hand-to-hand combat." Natasha spoke. "We're not here for that. We're here to give you a task you must do, the final task you will do." Inirapan ko silang apat. "Fuck that." "Stop cursing. Wala kang magagawa riyan. We all have the cards against you, so tone down your attitude, girl," sambit n'ong isang hindi ko na maalala ang pangalan. Naiinis na naman ako. Kung kanina'y ang aliwalas pa ng isip ko. Ngayon naman, I feel outrageous that my mind gets clouded with running thoughts I can barely identify. Almost everything don't go the way I want things to be. Am I cursed?
Kinukusot-kusot ko ang sariling mga mata, habang bumabangon mula sa kama niya. Nang tatayo na sana ako ay nakita ko siyang nakatayo sa gilid na nakakrus ang mga braso. Tiningnan ko yung mga mata niya. Lumaki bigla yung eyebags niya't parang kumukulay itim. Idagdag mo pa yung buhok niyang ang gulo-gulo na rin. "Buti't gising ka na, 'di ako nakatulog nang dahil sa'yo," sambit niya. "Bakit naman dahil sa akin?" My right brow twitched. Tinapu
"Friends," he said, moving the steering wheel in circles parking his car here at the parking lot of the school.Tinanggal ko seatbelt ko. "Sinong friends ba 'yan?""Ashton, Kendric, Roland, law students and accountancy students, boys stuff," he said, removing his seatbelt as well.Lumabas na ako ng kotse niya. Binigay niya sa akin ang backpack. "Sigurado ka bang gagawin mo akong maid ngayong araw?""Yes," sambit niya. "Tutal, ginawa mo naman akong gan'on kagabi."Tang-ina, naghahasik ng lagim ang taong 'to!Pumunta na kaming basketball court ng school namin. Puwede rin naman sa gym maglaro, pero mas pinili nilang maglaro dito sa open ground.
His head on my arm, with blood stains over his mouth, I screamed on top of my lungs. "Why did you... did you switch places with me? Bakit... Bakit mo ginawa 'yon? Tang-ina!" I shrieked, crying in between words.Napatingin ako sa lalaking 'yon na ngayo'y nakaposas na. "Putang-ina mo! Mabulok ka sana sa kulungan!" Ngunit ngumiti lamang siya't tinataniman niya ako ng sungay sa puso.Sinigawan ko siya nang sinigawan, habang pilit kong pinapatigil ang dugong lumalabas mula sa may giliran ni Asriel kung saan may saksak.Asriel's unconscious. Hindi na rin siya gumagalaw. "Ano na'ng gagawin ko?!" I shook his shoulders, but he didn't respond.Halos hindi na ako makapag-isip nang tama. Asriel naman.
"Classmates kayo, 'di ba?" I asked him, but he only tilted his head to the side, hinting confusion."Who?" tanong niya."Welbert," sabi ko. "Hindi ba batch kayo?""Yes," he replied. "He's one of the most isolated person in the classroom. He has no friends, nang dahil lang din naman sa kaniya.""What are you trying to say?""Bakit? Beltran nga siya, pero sigurado ka bang siya 'yon?" he queried back, as if he got the gist of my actions. "I mean, yes, he does harass—no... uh..." He ducked his head. "I'm—""What do you mean harass?" Tinaasan ko siya ng kilay. "Tell me, Asriel."