Gangster High

The Two Faces of a Queen

Chapter 19

THE TWO FACES OF A QUEEN

"Bakit hindi mo sinabi sa akin ang bagay na ito sa simula pa lang?" 'Yon ang mga salitang kaagad na lumabas sa bibig ko nang makita kong papalapit sa kinaroroonan ko si Tiarah.

Hindi s'ya nagsalita. Sa halip ay dire-diretso s'yang lumapit at tahimik na naupo sa tabi ko at pinagmasdan ang mga bituin sa kalangitan. We were on the roof top of Rapsodhee High's main building. Dito ako nagpalipas ng oras pagkatapos sumabog sa harapan ko ang katotohanan tungkol kay Sahara.

"Sahara's story was written so badly." After a long time, Tiarah finally broke the silence. Palihim ko siyang sinulyapan. She was still the serious Tiarah I knew, but this time, sadness was in her eyes. "It's funny that it was she who wrote her own story. Hopeless author, wasn't she?"

"Paanong nangyari ang lahat?" I asked.

Tiningnan niya ako. Matagal. Alam ko, pinag-iisipan n'ya kung sasagutin n'ya o hindi ang tanong ko. Humugot s'ya ng malalim na buntong-hininga bago muling tumingala sa langit.

"Tell me, Temple, tell me the truth. Am I a devil, I mean... is Tiarah Clevielle a devil?" Her question was unexpected. I frowned. She was talking as if she was not Tiarah. She went on, "I want you to be honest. Well, you are always honest. Brutal honest. So, answer my question. Am I a devil?"

"Yes, you are," walang preno kong sagot. It was the truth though and she knew it. There was no point in denying it at all.

Isang nakakaloko, pero mabilis na ngisi ang sumilay sa labi n'ya. "Let me tell you a story about two sisters who were challenged by death and life," she said. "Let us call them Sahara and Tiarah. Sa kanilang dalawa, si Tiarah ang demonyita, maldita, pasaway, sakit sa ulo, bratinela... etcetera etcetera. Those were the words she always hears from everyone. And Sahara was her opposite. Sahara was an angel. Huh! No one knows that their so-called angel was the most dangerous woman on earth. No one knows... except Tiarah. Do you have any idea kung bakit masama ang tingin ng lahat sa kanya? O kung ano'ng klaseng relasyon mayroon ang magkapatid?"

This was the first time that Tiarah and I talked and had a very sensitive conversation. Telling the story using the third person point of view was uncomfortable. I felt like I was listening to someone I didn't even know... as if Tiarah wasn't here with me at all. It gave me goosebumps.

Ano nga ba'ng relasyon ang mayroon sila ni Sahara? I never saw them laughing at each other, changing jokes, or even asking 'how are you'. Sobra silang pormal sa isa't isa. Lagi ko ngang iniisip noon na they were not on good terms.

"They were good, Tiarah and Sahara, they were good. Despite the big differences, they were good. The truth is Sahara was the real devil, war freak, brutal, and no one saw her like that," sabi ulit ni Tiarah pagkuwan. "However, Tiarah loved her with all her heart. She loved her so much kaya nagagawa niyang saluhin lahat ng kalokohang ginawa ng kapatid niya."

"What?" Gulat ko siyang nilingon.

"Nagulat ka ba?" She looked back at me. "Yes, you heard it right. In real life na sila lang ang nakakaalam, Sahara was the real devil and Tiarah was always there to cover her ass."

"You gotta be kidding me." She could be ruining Sahara's name to wash her hand.

"I know what you are thinking." Mapait na ngiti ang sumilay sa labi niya.

"That is not what I mean—"

"This is one of the reasons kung bakit pinanindigan ni Tiarah ang pagiging masama niya. Alam niyang walang maniniwala sa kanya kung sasabihin niyang si Sahara ang palaging gumagawa ng gulo. Isa pa ay ayaw niyang masira ang pagkakakilala ng lahat kay Sahara. Gusto kong manatili ang pagiging anghel ng kapatid niya hanggang sa kabilang buhay."

"Cut the drama," hindi napigilang sabi ko. "And could you stop talking in the third person? You're making me feel na wala ka sa tabi ko. Hindi ka ganyan at hindi rin ako ganito."

I hated seeing her this way. Matagal kong inasam na magkaroon kami ng ganitong klaseng pag-uusap: a mother and daughter thing. 'Yon bang mararamdaman ko na hello, may ina ako. Pero ngayon, parang gusto ko na s'yang itulak palayo sa akin para hindi marinig ang kadramahan n'ya. Hindi ako sanay na ganito s'ya. Lumaki ako at nagkaisip na puro kamalditahan ang nakikita ko sa kanya.

Pero sa isang banda, dapat na rin sigurong mangyari ito. Now I could see the deepest side of her. Her cold black eyes before were now showing me those feelings na dati ay hindi ko nakikita. Was this my mother behind her demon mask?

"Tell me the whole story," bigla ang kambyo ko. I was scared to learn the entire truth, but I have the right to know everything.

"Are you ready to listen.... and to believe?"

"Do I have any choice?"

Nakita ko ang pagkislap ng kalungkutan sa mga mata niya. She did not say it out loud, but her eyes were saying that she was alone for so long and she was searching for someone who could be at her side even for a single second. My chest ached. We hated each other yet we were sharing the same burden.

"Try to tell me. I will believe you because I am your.... daughter." I looked away. It was hard for me to say it.

"Okay. Tell me what do you want to know," sagot niya.

"Everything. Tell me everything about Sahara. Lahat ng hindi ko alam."

"I already told you, right? Sahara was a devil behind her angelic face. She was a monster behind her innocent smile. She was too strong behind the weakness that people always thought. No one knew na na-involve s'ya sa ganitong klaseng gulo. No one knew na nagawa n'yang pumatay at her young age."

"She killed someone?" Nanlaki ng mga mata ko.

"Not only one. Not two. Not three. Nasaksihan ni Tiarah lahat ng nangyari nang gabing 'yon. She was with her that time." Again, she used the third person point of view. I didn't say any word at all and just listened to the story. "They were only thirteen years old back then. The sisters were too young and innocent. There's nothing in their minds but playing as if there was no tomorrow at all. All of the sudden, in the middle of their laughter, seven men came. Drunk. High." Nakatingin s'ya sa mga bituin habang nagsasalita. Para bang napapanood n'ya mula roon ang mga nangyari sa nakaraan. At ang utak ko, parang nakita ko rin ang eksenang sinabi n'ya. "Tiarah and Sahara were aware that something horrible would happen and at their young age, they didn't want to experience the fear. Sahara tried to fight back, but Tiarah was fast. Hindi n'ya alam kung ano'ng ginawa n'ya. Ang alam n'ya lang ay pinatakas niya ang kanyang kapatid at hinarap ang mga lalaki. Tiarah was weak and was not capable of fighting back against seven adult men, so it happened..."

Hindi ako nakapagsalita. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko dahil sa mga sinabi n'ya. Her face was dark and her eyes were telling me the unbearable pain she was feeling. God! She was a.... r**e victim.

"She thought that night would be her last night after what they did to her. She was lying on the sand, half dead and ready to face her death. All of the sudden, she saw blood... and blood... and blood. At first, she thought those blood came from her body. But she was wrong. She saw Sahara. Blood was all over her body. And her sister was holding two knives. Her red eyes were staring devilishly at the corpses of those men. That time, Tiarah was so shocked. Hindi siya makapaniwala sa nakita niya. Sahara was so young, but she won against those men... her sister killed seven men. She killed them as if it was not her first time killing someone. Tiarah was scared of her. For the first time, she got scared of her sister. Looking at Sahara's demonic, red eyes, Tiarah was scared to say anything. The sisters were staring at each other's eyes for some time. Fear was in Tiarah's eyes and anger was in Sahara's. Sahara was the first one who moved. She dropped the knives, ran towards Tiarah, and hugged her so tight. She said, 'I'm sorry, I tried to call for help, but I found no one. I'm sorry. I'm sorry.'. Sahara mouthed the word sorry so many times. Tiarah couldn't remember at all kung gaano karaming beses na nagsorry sa kanya ang kapatid."

I bit my lower lip. It was unbelievable. I didn't want to believe it, but the pain in Tiarah's eyes was real. I couldn't even watch it.

"It was a crime, a horrible crime. But Tiarah knew that Sahara did it for her," she continued. "For that, Tiarah plotted an alibi to protect her sister. To make the story short, inako niya ang kasalanan ni Sahara. She was too young at that time to know what would happen or the consequences she was about to face, but she knew it was the right thing to do. Tiarah loved her sister so much that she would do anything for her."

Mapait na ngiti ang sumilay sa labi n'ya bago siya muling nagsalita. "The case was solved by paying the family of those seven men. Clevielle's family was wealthy enough to cover anyone's mouth.

But after that, Sahara started to show horrible behavior. She became aggressive and uncontrolled. Madalas ay napapaaway s'ya. Lalaki man o babae, nananakit s'ya ng walang awa. Sa tuwing mangyayari 'yon, Tiarah was always there para akuin ang kasalanan.

Dumating sa punto na umabot na sa limitasyon ang pasensya ng mag-asawang Clevielle. Galit na galit sila kay Tiarah dahil sa sunod-sunod na gulong ginagawa n'ya... raw. Grounded siya nang matagal. But she was not alone. Sahara was always there, secretly. That time, the bond between the sisters grew stronger.

Akala nila, pagkatapos noon ay magiging okay na ang lahat. But they were wrong. Mr. Clevielle sent Tiarah to America. Alone. She had to live all by herself. The sister's unexpected separation broke their heart into pieces lalo pa at wala silang komunikasyon sa loob ng ilang taong pagkakahiwalay. Wala silang naging balita sa isa't isa.

Five years later, Tiarah came back, excited to see her sister again. But when she saw her face to face, she was shocked. Sahara changed a lot: the way she dressed, the way she speaks, the way she looks at everyone, the way she acts. Most of all, Sahara was pregnant."

Pregnant? Nagsusumigaw sa utak ko ang salitang 'yon. May anak si Sahara?

"Tiarah tried to ask her what happened to her for five years that they were not together, but 'I miss you' was the only words that came out from Sahara's mouth. She said the words without anything on her face, her eyes were dead, her lips were shut. Mr. and Mrs. Clevielle had no idea either. Ang alam lang nila ay ang katotohanang pinagtakpan lang ni Tiarah ang mga maling nagawa ni Sahara sa nakaraan. They sent Tiarah back para alamin ang nangyari kay Sahara.

So, Tiarah moved. Inalam niya ang lahat ng pwede niyang malaman, but she found nothing behind Sahara's pregnancy. Ang tanging nalaman n'ya lamang ay ang pagiging queen ng kanyang kapatid sa eskwelahang ito. Rumors said na nagkaroon si Sahara ng boyfriend sa Kingsville Academy before, but no one could prove that."

So, lihim pa rin pala kung ano ang talagang nangyari kay Sahara noong narito s'ya sa Rapsodhee High.

"Hindi matanggap ni Tiarah na nangyari ang lahat ng iyon kay Sahara. She was hoping for a better life for her sister, but everything seemed against her hopes. That time, Sahara wanted to quit and leave the game for the sake of her unborn baby, so Tiarah made a move. Can you guess what Tiarah did?"

I shook my head.

My mother bitterly laughed and turned her back to me. She pulled up her shirt and showed me her back. My eyes widened when I saw the queen's mark—the queen's mark!

What the hell! Don't tell me...

"Tiarah became the queen in Rapsodhee High," she said na parang narinig ang tanong sa utak ko. Muli n'yang ibinaba ang damit n'ya saka muling humarap sa akin. "Naging queen siya sa pangalang Sahara. She became the Legendary Queen. You see, Rapsodhee High had a queen with two faces, two different people behind one mask. Walang nagduda sa pagpapanggap niya lalo pa at nagpalagay siya ng markang kagaya ng sa kapatid niya. Lahat ay napaniwala nila except for one person: Klein Demith, the rook of Kingsville Academy's board that time."

Tumatak kaagad sa utak ko ang binanggit n'yang pangalan. Isang importanteng tao mula sa nakaraan na ngayon ay nasa rank one ng larong ito.

"How did he know na hindi ikaw si Sahara?" I asked.

"Because Tiarah couldn't copy everything about Sahara. She was her identical twin, but Tiarah's physical strength was not like Sahara's. Not even close. Nakalimutan nilang sa pagpapanggap ni Tiarah bilang si Sahara ay mapapasalang siya sa mga laban sa Underground. That time ay nakaharap niya si Klein Demith. He was too strong. Tiarah couldn't even lay a finger on him. She loses the fight na naging dahilan ng pagbagsak ng Rapsodhee High sa rank two ng laro. The player didn't show frustration and anger, to Tiarah's surprised. He just sent her away."

Lihim akong napatango. That explained everything. No, not everything. May dapat pa s'yang sabihin.

"It was five, peaceful months for Tiarah and Sahara," pagpapatuloy niya. "But that didn't last. Ilang buwan pagkatapos manganak ni Sahara ay nagkaroon ng sunod-sunod na pagbabanta sa buhay n'ya. It came to the point na pati ang mga magulang nila ay nadamay na. Sahara blamed herself for their death especially that she witnessed the brutal killing. The guilt was unbearable and Tiarah knew that her sister needed her to support her and to stand with her. They stayed together hiding and fighting. That's the reason kung bakit palipat-lipat kayo ng bahay... to escape death. But time had come, Sahara didn't make it anymore."

Nagtiim ang bagang ko. I knew what she meant. Nasaksihan ko kung paanong namatay si Sahara.

All my mom said was unbelievable. Masyadong maraming nangyari sa buhay nila. Nakakabigla, pero naniniwala ako sa kanya. Walang imposible sa mga nangyari.

Ang pag-ako at pagpapanggap ni Tiarah bilang si Sahara ay hindi nakakapagtaka. They were identical twin. Sahara is my auntie, but I used to call her by her name dahil 'yon ang gusto n'ya. Kamukha ko raw s'ya at para lang kaming magkapatid lalo pa at hindi nagkakalayo ang edad namin. Tiarah got pregnant when she was only twenty kaya kaming talo nina Sahara ay parang magkakapatid lang that time. Walang ipinagkaiba ang kanilang anyo maliban sa kulay ng mga mata nilang dalawa. Tiarah had those black eyes while Sahara had red eyes, which was rare. Maliban doon, lahat sa kanilang dalawa ay parehas na parehas na.

"You said na nagkaanak si Sahara, where is she or he?" bigla kong naitanong sa kabila ng shock na bumalot sa buong pagkatao ko.

Tiarah looked at me. That kind of look na nagbigay ng matinding kaba sa akin. Bakit pakiramdam ko ay hindi pa tapos ang mga rebelasyong ito? Bakit pakiramdam ko ay may mas malaking pasabog pang ibubulgar ang aking ina?