Spy on Duty

Chapter 1

Chapter 1

I slowly opened my eyes and the first thing I saw is a white ceiling. My head throbbed. My whole body ached.

Damien Ozera. And you?

Said a manly voice inside my head. My skin was still bruised. Wounds in my arms were slowly healing. And yet my attention was not in them. I was not thinking how I would recover from this mess. I was thinking of someone.

Damien Ozera.

I roamed my eyes in this room. I was lying in a hospital bed. A doctor in a white gown entered the room. She smiled when she saw me awake.

"I know you will be conscious soon. How are you feeling?"

I was about to ask the most common question patients asked when they woke up in a hospital, "Asan ako? Bakit ako nandito?"

But I decided against it. I didn't want to be dumb. It was obvious that I was in a hospital and I was here because two strangers attacked me last night.

"My whole body aches."

"You need to get some res—"

"Who brought me here last night?" I asked, not finishing her sentence. Rude, I know.

"A man."

"Will you please describe him?" My tone was demanding, the doctor looked offended. Saying sorry was not my thing, so I just repeated my question with a softer voice.

"Will you please describe him, doctor?" I asked sweetly, stopping myself from rolling my eyes. Masyadong maarte ang doktor na to.

"Tall, maybe 6 feet tall. His hair is brown with a shade of black. Beautiful eyes. He's wearing black pants and a simple white shirt last night. And.." She trailed, not finishing the sentence.

"And?" I asked impatiently.

"And kissable lips."

The last phrase got me. No wonder this doctor was referring to Damien Ozera.

"Where is he now?"

"We don't know."

"Does he leave a note?"

"None."

"Telephone number?"

"None."

"Address?"

"None."

"That jerk."

"Non—Wait what?"

My shoulders went down in disappointment. He could not just leave me behind when I owed him my life. I needed to pay him. I needed to see him. I didn't want to have any debt to a stranger.

"So he just brought me to this hospital and left?" I asked, still enraged by the idea that the stranger who saved me last night was nowhere to be found.

"He paid for all the bills."

What a gentleman.

"Like I said Miss, you need to rest. I will check on you later."

Lumabas na ang doktor at muli kong pinikit ang aking mga mata. Ngunit sa bawat pagpikit ng aking mga mata ay mukha niya ang nakikita ko.

I could not erase the image of him as he choked the men in order to save me. I could not forget the way he untied the rope around my wrists to free me. No. I would not just let that go. I owed him. I owed him my life. And I would look for him in anyway I could.

But how?

I just knew his name. Just his name. And that was it. I didn't know the other details about him.

I sighed in disappointment. How could I find a man by just knowing his name? Was that even possible? To find a stranger with no information at all?

Of course! Yes! I was the girl who never gave up. One way or another, I would find him. Whether he was hiding in the most distant place on earth, I could still find him.

~~~~~

No f*******: account.

No i********: account.

No Twitter account.

No evidence of his existence.

Who was Damien Ozera? What kind of person was he? Or was he really a person?

I could ask for the minions' help to find this man. But no. This was something personal. I didn't want anyone to know my encounter with this mysterious man. But seriously, who was he?

It's been a week since the attack. And I still saw his face every time I closed my eyes. I saw his brown eyes boring into mine as if he was studying me. His clean cut hair was dancing with the wind. And even if I kept on erasing his image in my mind, I just couldn't.

But don't misinterpret my thoughts. I was not attracted to that guy. I was just.. wondering.

Why was I finding him anyway? I was alive. I was safe. He saved me. So bakit kailangan ko pa siyang hanapin? Not that it mattered anyway.

But I owed him my life! I owed him something! Sa mundong nakalakihan ko ay natutunan kong dapat ay hindi ako magkaroon ng utang na loob sa ibang tao. At ayokong mabuhay na may tinatanaw ako sa taong iyon.

Napapikit akong sumandal sa sofa na aking kinauupuan. Nandito ako ngayon sa aking apartment sa second floor. Mag-isa lang akong nakatira dito. May dalawang palapag ang maliit na gusaling ito. Sa baba nito ay ang flower shop na pinagtratrabahuhan ko. Kailangan kong makaalala ng kahit na anong detalye sa kaniya. Kahit simpleng detalye lang.

My eyes flew open when I remembered something.

I remembered seeing something on his right upper arm. Hindi ko lang mawari kung ano yun. Ah! Right. I remembered seeing a tattoo on his right upper arm. A dartboard with a dart pierced in the middle.

My whole body trembled. My fingertips felt numb. I felt dizzy. I wanted to throw up.

A dartboard with a dart pierced in the middle.

I violently shook my head. That could not be. That could not be.

Hindi maari. Sa lahat ba naman ng pwedeng maging katauhan ng lalaking iyon, bakit yun pa?

My brain knew what was the symbol of that tattoo. I knew with my whole being what kind of person was him for having that kind of tattoo.

Hindi ko na mapigilan ang panginginig ng aking katawan. That tattoo symbolized that Damien was a man to fear. That he was a man that I should keep my distance from.

And yet, and yet, and yet, that tattoo would not stop me from finding him.