Kabanata 17
1830 Words
Kabanata 17
Long time no see
Kinakabahan man ay nananatili akong kalmado. I'm nervous for my daughter. Hindi ko gusto ang sinapit niya tapos dadaong na naman siya sa pinakabagong pagsubok sa buhay niya. If the Axis Family's stories are true, that my daughter is the next Vasilissa then i have to do something to stop my Mom for making my kid go to that f*****g training! I can't let my kid die just because of that f*****g training. Ipinapangako ko sa sarili ko na gagawin ko ang lahat nang makakaya ko para matigil na ang kabaliwan nila.
"Is Madame already here, Mommy?Its just Four in the morning, Mommy and I'm already awake. I might have a pimple because my sleep is only two hours." Which is not true. Ang himbing nang tulog niya habang karga karga ko. I don't mind naman kung kakargahin ko siya mag damag. Ang bigat nang anak ko ay parang kasing bigat lamang nang isang maliit na upuan which is i find odd. She is a heavy eater and bawal pa siya mag gym dahil apat na taong gulang pa lamang siya kaya nakakapagtakha kung paanong gano'n ang bigat at may kurba pa ang katawan niya. Kaya siguro pinagnanasaan siya nang bawat taong nakakakita sakaniya.
"You can still sleep, Baby. Nagising ka lang dahil ayaw mo akong pakawalan kanina, kaya sige na matulog kana ulit hindi naman na ako aalis sa tabi mo. I just need to get some papers kaya kailangan kitang ilapag kanina."
"¡Porque tengo miedo, mamá! Cada noche desde que me desperté, siempre tuve un sueño. Un mal sueño." ["Because I'm scared, Mom! Every night since i woke up, i always had a dream. A bad dream.] I never seen her like this before. Hindi ako sanay dahil ngayon ko lang napansin na ang anak ko ay isang cry baby. Madaling umiyak kapag natatakot, galit, malungkot. Siguro dahil wala siyang kalaro noon at nasa bahay lang siya kasama ako at si Mommy na palaging saya ang bigay sakaniya.
"What happened? Why is she crying. Baby, Come here." Gulat pa sa biglaang sulpot niya ay mas lalong nagulat sa ibinanggit niya. He just called my daughter 'baby' and i was shocked na hindi manlang nagulat si Aerille sa nadinig niya. Instead, lumapit pa siya kay Averil at doon umiiyak nang mahina sa balikat niya bago makatulog.
"Since the day she woke up, she started crying. Hinahanap ka. And then the day after she woke up she started having a bad dreams that is why every night I'm hugging her to calm her down and to take the bad dreams away...." Batid kong may idudugtong pa siya doon kaya nanatili akong tahimik.
"And she easily gets asleep when someone is hugging her o kung may kumarga sakaniya at hinahaplos haplos ang ulo niya dahil nakakalma siya kapag ginagawa iyon." Tahimik padin akong nakikinig sakaniya.
"Valentina."
"Hmm?"
"I-i'm just wondering if you can live with me? Along with the twin?" Walang pag aalinlangan akong umiling. Minamasa-masahe ang kamay ni Aerille habang mahinang hinahaplos ang ulo nito.
"Kahit gaano ko man kagusto, dahil kasama si Aerille at Collin pero hindi ko kaya. Alam nating pareho na kadikit nang pangalan ko ang salitang kapahamakan-"
"Hindi lang naman ikaw ang may pangalang kadikit ang salitang kapahamakan. I want you to live with me with the twins so that in every danger we face it will only be us who'll suffer, and not the twins. I can't lose a kid, Valentina. I just can't."
Tulala ako sa byahe. Ni hindi ko alam kung saan kami papatungo. Wala pa akong tulog pero hindi ko alam kung bakit dilat na dilat ang mga mata ko. Nasa passenger's seat si Mommy habang may kausap sa cellphone, wala akong balak alamin kung sino.
Nilingon ko si Aerille na natutulog na naman. Palagi siyang tulog, ginigising lamang siya kung oras na nang pagkain.
"Ready the training island for the next Vasilissa." Agad na nabaling ang atensiyon ko kay Mommy nang sinabi niya iyon. What the hell?! Akala ko ba limang taong gulang? Kaya nga ako pumayag na bumalik sakaniya dahil akala ko... s**t! Did i just make a wrong move? f**k!
"Just ready the island! I don't care. Then make a new one!" Hindi ko dinig ang sinasabi nang tao sa kabilang linya dahil hindi naman nakaloud speaker ang tawag kaya gulong g**o akong nakikinig sa sinasabi ni Mommy.
I was busy listening to her when suddenly something on my ear echoed. Oh, i forgot that the Axis' family gave me a small earpiece and i bet they all heard my Mom.
"f**k!"
"Lister, na-install-an mo naman nang RCA and cellphone ni Miracle diba? Use the app to detect who she was talking." I heard a fast clicking sound. Hindi ako nagsasalita dahil mapapansin ako ni Mommy.
"Head Masters Secretary, Mom."
"Click the recording drawing and type the code i will speak. L:1/F:1/Z:1/Z:1()T:2/P:1/L:1/L:2/T:2/N:1/W:1/I:2/U:1."
"Call Recording Entered." Ani pang automatic na boses.
"Katatapos palang nilang mag usap. Play the recorded call and let Valentina hear the conversation." One click and the people on the other line's went silent. Ilang segundo lang ay panibagong boses ang nadinig ko sa kabilang linya.
"Vasilissa."
"Ready the training island for the next Vasilissa."
"But, Ma'am... The kid is only four years old... It's against our rule-"
"Just ready the island!"
"Ma'am, the HMs only given rule is that no one should be on the training island around the age of 4... I, we, know that the training is 1-3 years, it depends to the kid's strength... The experement that our scientist made is for those who are in the age of Seven up to Eight. So probably if we allow the little girl to train in the island it may end her life and the experement can't save her life even just for one day."
"I don't care."
"Vasilissa, we are just worried for the kid. The scientist can make a new experement--"
"Then make a new one!"
"But it may take 1 to 2 years." After the HMs secretary told my mother that line ay malakas na toot ang nadinig ko telling us that their convo ended. I sighed and looked at my baby again. Mahimbing ang tulog niya habang ako naman dito ay hindi makatulog at wala pang tulog.
"Mapilit si Miracle, Valentina. Try to talk to her and change her mind. Siguro makakaya mo pang baguhin ang isipan niya."
"No, Hon. Even though Valentina talked to Miracle, there were no changes to her decisions. She is blind, not for the money, not for org, not for a position, but because of her anger. I feel her hatred, her anger when we face her. I felt her burning desire to kill you but, she could not, because she still need you. I think there is something to you that will connect her to her parents death."
Ayaw ko na mona. Gusto ko munang magpahinga. Walang sali-salita akong pasimpleng pinindot ang taenga ko, pinatay ang tawag. Bumuntong hinaninga ako at agad na nagpadaosdos at sumandal sa binta. I want to rest. Gusto kong magpahinga sa lahat nang nangyayaring ito.
Please bring me to another world, where there is no war. There is no pain. There is no killings. Just a peaceful world. I sighed again ang hugged my daughter. I'm thinking about my own plan. Without the Axis Family's help. Nag iisip ako nang maari pang magawa para sakanila. Nag iisip ako pero agad ko nang kinatulugan ang iniisip ko.
I woke up because of someone poking my cheeks. I, immediately opened my eyes and saw a little girl smiling at me. Hindi ko 'to kilala. Where am i? Inikot ko ang mga mata ko sa paligid. Una kong hinanap ang anak ko at nakahinga nang maluwag nang makita siyang nag lalaro sa di kalayuang play ground kasama ang iba pang mga bata.
"You were sleeping too long. I just wanted to check if you are still alive."
"Thank you, baby. I'm still alive," i chuckled na agad niyang sinabayan din nang hagikhik. "You can play now. Thank you for waking me up."
"Huānyíng , jiějiě." [Welcome, Sister.] Agad siyang umalis matapos niya iyong sabihin. Nilapitan ko si Aerille at wala sa sariling niyakap siya. Asan kami? Why the hell are we here?
"You're already awake, Mom."
"Yes, i am, baby. Where are we? Why are we here? And where's madame?"
"I also do not know where are we and i also don't know why are we here. Madame just suddenly left us here. I tried to follow her, Mom but she was too fast. And I can't let you alone here." Is this some kind of trap? Asan kami? Bakit kami iiwan ni Mommy dito? Sa lugar kung saan masaya, tahimik, mapayapa. Sa lugar kung saan iba't ibang bata ang nakikitang naglalaro at nagkakasiyaham na para bang mga walang problema.
I remembered the earpiece. I touched it once and it started ringing. Another ring and an angry voice filled my ear.
"f**k it, Valentina! Why the f*****g hell did you f*****g turned off the f*****g earpiece!"
"Valentina, Ayos ka lang ba?" Averil's Mom, so calm, nadadala ako sa pagiging kalma nang boses niya.
"We've been calling the earpiece you are wearing but it always says you are busy, pinatay mo kaya hindi ka namin matawagan. The reason why we tracked your Mom's car location using the location tracking device that i put earlier this morning. We saw the car parked in a building near the gozan's village and that building was the abandoned organization of her parents. After thirty minutes of waiting, some news just bloomed. It was about an abandoned building near the gozan's village, burning.."
"So are you telling me that.."
"Hindi ako sigurado pero may posibilidad. 98% is the chance that that your mom was the woman inside, it's not just because of the car parked infront of the building but, it's because the only abandoned building near the gozan's, ay iyong dating building nang organisasyon nang mga magulang niya."
"Teka. Asan ka nga ba, Valentina?" Tanong saakin nang Mommy ni Averil. Sa ikalawang pagkakataon iniikot ko ang mga mata ko at humanap nang maaring clue but i saw none. Maybe i could ask those kids?
"Hindi ko alam. Nakatulog ako sa byahe, nang gumising ako ay nasa isang malapit na playground na kami."
"Use the EPT, Son," Ngayon naman ay ang Dad niya ang nagsabi no'n.
"Ano nang pangalan nang Earpiece niya, Dad?"
"0100 111 0001 0." Sabad ni Averil. Nadinig ko ang munting paghalakhak nang kapatid niya sa sinabi niya.
"Tracked. Nasa playground kayo malapit sa mansion nang nina Grendel at Astrion Xerrios." I was about to call my daughter's name para ayain na siyang umuwi nang biglaang may maliit na kamay ang humawak sa mga daliri ko.
I looked at the kid who was holding my fingers and a sudden smile appeared on my lips.
"Long time no see."
- Writer
