Cyra Must Become a Villain

Chapter Twenty

Cyra’s insides curled in. She felt like a star wanting to explode. Ang mga huling nasabi ng Tita niya’y parang pandikdik na yumupi sa kanya at nagsilitawan bigla ang liwanag ng kapangyarihan niya.

“Anong sabi mo?”

Ang lalo pang nakapagpapikon sa kanya’y ang kawalang-bahala nito, na para bang isang maliit na bagay lang iyong nangyari, na wala man lang dito ang takot as posibleng paggamit niya ng kapangyarihan niya para gumanti.

“That boy threatened me,” sagot nito. “Aba’y biruin mo, sinisingil ba naman ako sa pananahimik niya tungkol sa pagkamatay ni Craig? —ay hindi, sa pagpatay mo kay Craig?”

“Hindi niya magagawa iyon. Hindi siya ganoong klaseng tao.”

“Masyado ka talagang inosente, ano? Palibhasa wala kang gaanong nakakasalamuha.” Humakbang ito papalapit sa kanya. “Iha, matuto ka rin naman kasing maghinala. Hindi lahat ng kabutihang ipinapakita sa iyo ng tao ay totoo. Ang iba’y pagkukunwari lang.”

“Kaya pinatay mo siya ganoon?”

“Malamang. Dahil kapag sumunod ako sa kondisyon niya, siguradong uulit lang nang uulit iyon hanggang sa mapilitan na lang siyang isumbong tayo. Hindi ko naman gugustuhing mangyari iyon! Dahil kapag nahuli ka nila, malamang damay din ako. Kaya ginawa ko lang ang nararapat.”

She was having a hard time to breathe. Nakailang beses na siyang pagtanong at paulit-ulit lang din itong kinukumpirma ng Tita niya—na patay na nga si Jaycee, pinatay nito.

His image flashed inside her head. His smile, his laugh, the way he made her feel happy—all of it flooded in her memory, and there was nothing left to feel but anger. It consumed her heart. Like a black splotch taking over a fresh apple.

How could someone who never took good care of her decide on what’s good for her? E hindi naman ito ang tunay na nag-aruga sa kanya?

Nang tangkain nitong lumapit sa kanya’y inangat niya ang kanyang braso patutok.

Nahinto si Tita Rosanna sa paglalakad nito nang mabalot ito ng lamig.

She was intent on avenging Jaycee’s death. Ang liwanag sa mata niya’y kumikintab na’t sumisiklab. Sa gitna ng palad niya’y handa nang lumabas ang daan-daang matutulis na yelong balak niyang paliparin sa kanyang kaharap.

But there’s something that made her reconsider.

It was hardly noticeable, yet she was still able to recognize it.

A few seconds before she’s about to kill her, she caught her sigh a little, as if she were expecting it, like it was what she had ever hoped for a long time.

E hindi ba’t hindi naman ganoon ang tamang reaksyon ng isang mamamatay?

Saka lang nanumbalik sa kanya ang ilan sa mga nabanggit sa kanya noon ni Jaycee. Na kahit si Tita Rosanna niya’y biktima lang din.

Alalahanin mo, hindi siya ang tunay na kalaban kundi sila.

She redirected her strike. She transferred her energy from one hand to the other, paharap sa nananahimik na pinto.

And with one swift force, tila ba may bombang nakapagpasabog ng pintuan nila.

Everything went hazy in that moment—mula sa pagkahina niya sa paggamit ng sobra-sobrang lakas, mula sa pagsisigaw ni Tita Rosanna, at mula sa tensyong maririnig mula sa labas.

Debris from the destroyed wall kept raining overhead. Nababalot pa ng usok ng pagsabog ang kanilang harapan, na tila ba ayaw pa nitong ipakita agad-agad kung anong meron sa labas.

Behind her, Tita Rosanna was mumbling hysterically, “Anong ginawa mo?” She said it in a way as if Cyra had made the worst decision in life. “You were supposed to kill me. Why do you have to ruin it?”

Her heart was pounding hard. Hindi niya alam ang kung anong dapat i-expect sa oras na humupa ang mga alikabok, pero alam niya sa sarili na iyon ang pinaka-proud na desisyong nagawa niya sa kanyang tanang-buhay.

Humakbang siya at sinalubong ang hangin galing sa labas. The ground was covered in snow, and on parts where there were no more blanket of dust, ilang rows ng pine trees ang kanyang natanaw. Kahit ang mga ito’y nababalot din ng snow.

But from afar, na kasing-layo ng distansya mula sa kwarto niya patungong banyo, may naiiba.

There were people in white coats. Some of them staring back at her, some were scratching on their heads, pacing on their room that was littered with computer panels.

Jaycee was right. Her doubts were right.

Matagal na siyang ino-obserbahan.

This place isn’t really a house. This place is a lab.

And she was their test subject.

She badly wanted to enjoy her hard-fought release, dahil naririto na rin ito sa wakas, isang hakbang na lang niya at matatamasa niya na rin ito. But seeing these people in white coats spoiled the moment, and her anger resurfaced and growed even more. All those years na iginugol niya roon sa kanyang silid ay hindi naman pala kasalanan ng kanyang Tita Rosanna, kundi nitong mga taong walang awang pinag-eksperimentuhan lang siya.

She reignited her ice powers from both her palms. Nilingon niya ang Tita niya, na kanina pang nakatakip ng bibig, “Wala na po kayong dapat ikabahala, Tita. Makakatakas na rin tayo rito.”

She said those words with a genuine smile, and a kind of confidence that they could now finally grab the thing that was taken from them—their freedom.

She faced back her real enemies. She gritted her teeth and readied herself in an attempt to strike.

But the moment she took her first step outside, something else was triggered.

Ang bombang matagal nang nakatanim sa kanyang batok ay tuluyan nang sumabog.