Matias: The Forgotten Civilization

Chapter 2

Danerie's

"DAD, PLEASE. YOU know how much I fancy Valerie. I promise to be very careful as agreed," I pleaded.

It is possible for me to miss all the events in my life, but just not this one. Hindi maaaring hindi ako makapunta sa event na 'to. Valerie will be in that Toy Shop anytimes this afternoon. It is not something that comes by occasionally—but a once in a lifetime opportunity. I am willing to sacrifice everything just so I could attend the very event.

Sa limang taon na naging fan ako ni Valerie, ngayon lang siya mapapadpad sa Quezon City, specifically sa Cubao. And the fact that it is a train ride away from me is enough reason why this is a thing I can't and I should not miss. Isang istasyon lang na tren ang layo, 'di pa ako makakapunta? I would be less a fan if that happens.

Idagdag pa natin ang binanggit ni Valerie sa stream na malaki ang tiyansang magpa-fan signing event siya. Another reason for me to not boycott this occasion. Whatever Dad's reasons are for not letting me out today, I don't care. I will find ways to attend Valerie's raid. This occasion is really regarded as highly important—it's above everything.

"Son, the security is tight. You go and see the news again." Dad is sitting in his swivel chair and is busy in his tablet as usual—too occupied with the news. He remained busy in his thing but he slowly explained the situation to me. "Vigilantes are out. Cops are everywhere in Quezon City, Son. And seeing the number of cops that they have deployed, this is not a simple issue of trying to catch criminals but a Matia case. To be clear, they are trying to catch a Matia. Lighttrackers would be very active in this specific case."

I am being skeptical if Dad is really speaking the full truth or this is just a facade to restrict me from going out. Pero kahit na may hinuli ngang Matia ang mga cops, bakit naman ipagbabawal ang paglabas ko? I would be very mindful in my actions. Also, lighttrackers only works if a Matia recently used his ability or if a gathering is happening in that area. I wouldn't dare use my ability. I should be fine.

"You know very well that you cannot be near with those cops. What if you accidentally used your ability? I cannot risk your safety out there. And it's not like you are caged in this house all

your life. I will only allow you to go out given the police will loosen its monitoring. Can you understand it for me?" he added.

Dad, don't lie straight to my face. Both of us know that I have been stuck in this house for almost 20 years. Dahil kahit naman hindi gaano kahigpit ang security, hindi pa rin ako pinapayagang gumala. Minsan, gusto kong magpahangin sa labas, pero hindi ko magawa. All of it roots at me being a Matia. Bilang lang sa daliri ang pagkakataong nakalanghap ako ng sariwang hangin sa labas at 'yan lang 'yong mga panahong lalabas si Dad para bumili ng kagamitan o neccesities tapos sinasama niya ako.

And my safety? For real? And me accidentally using my gift? How comical is this. Now, I am also starting to doubt this safety of mine that he is talking about. So all this years of making me fully take control of my powers is nothing? There is no day that I don't get to practice my control over my powers.

"Dad, for SpongeBob's sake I am no longer a baby. I can absolutely get my s**t together. We didn't harness my ability everyday for naught. I didn't tire myself everyday for me to not know how to control my powers. I definitely know how and when to use my ability now. At least give me a portion of your trust!" I snapped.

Pinagtaasan ko siya ng boses ng binanggit ko ang mga katagang 'yon. This should not something that is subject to discussion. We already talked about this matter three days ago. For the record, he agreed and even give me three conditions—the deal was closed that I am going out today for Valerie's signature.

But now, because of some news that vigilantes are being chased in Quezon City, he changed his mind and is trying to forfeit my happiness from me. His words cannot be trusted. But there is no way he is taking this special day from me. I won't let anyone take away from me the things that can make me genuinely happy.

"Son, a no is a no. Since when did you learn to talk back to me?" He slammed the table at nanlilisik ang kayang mga mata nang tumingin ako.

"You promised, dad. A promise is a promise and I will go out today. Don't also give me that boomer line that a 20-year-old grown up cannot speak up for his mind. I have all the requirements to talk back to you now," I uttered each word slowly but with emphasis as I stared back without blinking.

"Danerie don't make me repeat myself." Now, he mentions my name instead of calling me his son. It is certain that he mad—so am I. "Why can't you see that I'm doing this for your own—"

Before he could even finish his word, my eyes became heavy and lit up. I can feel the light rushing to my left eye. Kasabay ng kakaibang nangyayari sa kanang mata ko ay ang pagbabago ng itsura ng engrade at puno nang kagamitan na kuwarto ni Dad. Paunti-unti na nilulukob ng kadiliman ang paligid. The bookshelves, the computer set, the paintings—all the furnitures vanished into thin air and the room slowly turns into a void. This is all happening in my Dad's sight.

In my dad's delusion, my skin is also starting to peel off and is replaced with a skinny and pale flesh instead. From the changes that is happening to my breast, it is clear that I am turning into a woman. Wearing a long loose piece of white clothing, my transformation ends. So this is the clear picture of what my Dad fears the most.

Dad have this panicked expression of his face at the moment. He really fears this woman the most and the darkness that surrounds it. I wonder what does this means? Is the woman the representation of the ghosts or this is really a person? What about the darkness? Does Dad fears darkness? But from my knowledge about him, he doesn't fear dark places at all? What could this void signifies?

Whatever these two things imply, the fact that I have seen no shadow of me in his greatest fears is what put me into disappointment. He dares to talk about being afraid of my safety, but the fact that it is not even part of what fears him the most, this is a while new level of hypocrisy. I am very disappointed.

"Danerie! Stop at once!" It was a shout of frustration and fear. Kitang-kita sa mukha ni Dad iyon. Hindi lang napupuno ng pangamba ang kanyang mga mata kung hindi gabutil na pawis rin ang namumuo sa kanyang noo.

Before the matter gets out of my hand and before I pass out like last time, I released Dad from my illusion. I stopped the light from gathering as I can feel myself getting tired. "Talking about control? It's easy as that, Dad. See? I can casually control my powers. I can even do the Level 10 Gathering with no difficulty!"

Slowly, I closed the distance between us. Fear is still evident in his eyes. Sorry for that, Dad. But you won't learn to trust me if I didn't demonstrate that in front of you. That is also a lesson served for you for not keeping what you promise. Sorry, but Valerie weighs more than you.

When my face is close to his ear, I whispered, "Don't be all talk. Your promised to let me out today will remain true no matter your disapproval. You don't get the right to forfeit my happiness from me."

I walk straight to his door and when I am about to twitch the doorknob I added my words, "Are you really concern with my safety or it is that it satisfies you seeing me being unhappy? Because if you are truly concerned with my safety then how come its not shown in the illusion."

Wala akong narinig na sagot mula sa kanya. Bagkos bumuka lang ang kanyang bibig na tila may gustong sabihin, ngunit sa huli nagsara rin naman. It's either he cannot find the right words to say or he is having a hard time formulating a rebuttal from my statement. What a hopeless case. I wouldn't expect more from you, Dad.

"How come I didn't see a bit of me in that illusion? You really fear the darkness and a ghost more than losing me."

I finally grabbed the handle and slammed the door of his room. I then went back to my room with full of conviction. Pupunta ako sa event—at any cost. With or without his approval, that doesn't matter anymore. No one's stopping me in this case.

I opened my PC then looked for Valerie's f*******: page. She just posted a picture of herself preparing for the event.

She's in her pastel pink hoodie accompanied by a headband with a cat-ears design doing a peace sign pose selfie. The color of her hoodie compliments her complexion. Her skin is that of glass—you could easily tell that she's of high maintenance.

Since the back of her hand is facing the camera, her newly painted nails are noticeable with galaxy and glitters design. It looks good on her. And the design is—just wow. Altogether, she's stunning and slaying. Ang ganda-ganda niya talaga. I can't help myself but to fancy her even harder. Her beauty radiates that of a Goddess.

'See you at 2PM, VabeBies.'

Para akong bulateng sumasayaw habang kinikilig na binabasa ang caption niya.

I brought my face to the monitor to kiss her. I know someday you'll be mine, Valerie. Call me obsessed, but can you blame me? And I went for another kiss.

As I stared the clock, its already 11 in the morning. Three hours before my awaited event. This is the only time that I wish for the time to go faster.

Napagdesisyunan kong maghilamos muna saglit bago mag-nap, napagod ako dahil sa paggamit ko ng Despair kanina lang. I am staring at the mirror as I am having the cloth wipe away the excess water in my face when I notice the pendant that I am wearing. This is from my mother Dad said. Mom died when she was giving birth to me and she told Dad to gave this pendant to me. How I wish for her to be alive. After having my face washed, I can feel the exhaustion again. Without hesistation, I decided to go for a nap.

THE CROWD IS giving me all the distress. It makes me wanna vanish. Napupuno ng tao ang MRT. This is my first time to ride such vehicle. I thought that the most stressful portion of this journey was escaping the house but I was wrong. After I silently made my departure from the house, I have to associate with a lot of people to gain understanding how a ride in a train works.

I was left no choice since a taxi would be in such a traffic knowing it's rush hour. Besides, MRT is much more efficient and the travel distance is near with the train. I am left with the choice no other than MRT. But this is a small sacrifice for me to be able to meet Valerie.

As the ride made me bored, I decided to browse through my phone. The event will take place after fourty-five minutes, but I haven't seen any post from Valerie, yet. I am certainly familiar with Valerie's temper, I know by this time she should be posting herself arriving at the Toy Shop. But surprisingly, no update happened. Maybe, some emergency happened that hinder her from doing so?

But for five years of being a fan of Valerie, I am confident that I can predict her actions with ease. And right now something feels off or I'm just overthinking? I'm quite starting to feel uneasy. Nonetheless, I should just wait. I am in no position to demand for pictures from Valerie.

I was so immersed with my worries and I didn't noticed that someone is literally unhooking my pendant—someone is trying to steal my necklace. I immediately held my pendant back and turned around, but there are a lot of people in my back and no one seems suspicious as they are busy with their own business. Thievery in broad daylight is real. How audacious. This is the only memento that I have from my mother and someone really dare steal it.

I hid my pendant into safety at the same time, I received a notification from my phone that I have been waiting for. Finally, a post from Valerie! I immediately checked the said post. I was expecting for another Valerie's cute photo being in the shop already. But to my disappointment, it is instead a series of pictures taken from Pinterest: an eye that is glowing, a futuristic-themed city, and finally a handful of cops.

My eyes are definitely knotting at the moment. Valerie is someone who has no chance of posting photos like these. What are these photos for? Something is really amiss. I browse through the comment section and saw that every milestone follower reached the same conclusion as me.

"Everyone, something is really wrong. We didn't wait for this nonsense. How dare you post something like this."

"My baby is not someone who would post no such thing! Post a pictures of her quickly or we will think that something bad happened to her!"

"Mods? What the f**k? Hindi ito ang update na hinihintay namin. Give us something that would satisfy our worries. Come on."

New followers are mocking them in the reply section. They were telling us of being too paranoid. But what do they know thou? Someone who hasn't followed Valerie for even a month deserves not to be heard. I continue on reading the comment section hoping someone would be able to explain what is happening. To no avail, it's the same—just mockery from newbies and a worried note from milestone followers.

The same situation is true for the group chat of Valerie's supporters. A lot of inquiries are being thrown about Valerie's whereabouts but none so far have been answered. Bumalik ako sa post to see if someone was able to decipher what the post means but still I cant find a sensible response. I was about to inquire to the page, since I heard none from the moderators as well, but a comment caught my attention.

"Sa pag-ilaw ng mata ni Val, nakita niya ang hinaharap at hinabol siya ng mga pulis? Tang-ina nyo hindi kami manghuhula. Update kung ano ang nangyayari, piste. Kanina pa ako naghihintay dito sa shop. Wala pa ring Val na dumadating. 36 minutes nalang, oh."

My mind went blank after I read the comment and began overthinking of the possibilities. An eye that is surrounded by light—that's absolutely true for me when I happen to activate my ability. A future? Sounds absurd. Finally, a photo of cops which reminds me some phrase from my Dad.

"Danerie, you are a Matia. You know that right? You, going outside is simply asking for death. The moment your eyes lit up whether you accidentally or intentionally use your ability, you are a dead man. Cops will chase until the end of the end. You should know that."

It was my father's words every single day. There is never a day that he won't keep talking about it. It is as well his always note whenever he takes me out. Could it be that Valerie is a Matia? There is really a connection between the glowing eyes and cops. If my speculations are true, then everything makes sense.

But what about the futuristic themed city. What does it mean? A sudden realization came up to my mind that Dad never said my kind's ability to be limited only to illusions. Perhaps the second photo has something to do with her ability? The more the dots connect, the more my heartbeat is racing faster.

"No, this ain't happening," I said unconsciously.

One thing is for sure right at this moment—my Valerie is in trouble or worse in danger. A race between horses is happening inside my heart now. Valerie, please be safe. Every second seems like a year in this ride. Can't this train go more faster? Do trains have to be this slow? This is unacceptable! Lumalala ang anxiety ko sa bawat minutong dumadaan.

"DING," THE SOUND of the train's door as it finally made its stop relieves a portion of my worries.

The passengers rushed to proceed outside the moment the door paved way. As much as I wanted to join in the crowd and throw myself outside and rush to Van's Toy Shop, I cannot. These people are stopping me from doing so. Hindi ako makagalaw sa sobrang sikip at pagkukumpulan nila. What are theses people in hurry? Are they trying to save an important people like I am doing at the moment?

After a while, the crowd is starting to dissolve. Ngunit kasabay naman nito ang pagdagsa ng tao sa entrance door. Bago paman ako maipit muli sa pagkukumpulan ng mga tao ay 'di ko na pinalagpas pa ang tsansang bumaba. Ngunit habang palabas ako ay nabunggo ako ng isang taong naka-hoodie.

"Sorry," mahinhin ngunit nanginginig niyang tugon. Nag-peace sign pa siya bago tuluyang pumuwesto sa sulok.

Her voice screams familiarity. However, the shake that comes with her voice makes me uncertain of her identity. But it sounds like someone that I knew for a long time. I was suppose to turn around and inquire of her character, but in the end I decided not to. I am in hurry. I have to get my priorities straight.

Despite being at the exit of the station, still, the image of the girl is bugging me. Danerie, stop it already. This is no time to reunite with some old acquaintance.

While waiting for a taxi, I browse through Valerie's f*******: page. No update can be seen. Nawala na rin 'yong nakakapagtakang pictures na ni-post niya kanina lang.

My anxiety starts to boil more violently. I need a breather. I decided to scroll down to see her pictures. Although she the reason for my panic, she is at the same time my calm. Nagkasya nalang ako sa pagtitig ng larawan na ni-post niya kanina. I completely immersed myself to stare at her recent picture. How could such beauty exists?

"Where could you be? Are you alright? Are you doing good?" I said to my phone.

After a thorough stare at her photo, I noticed her nails. At the same time, the image of the girl who bumped into me just earlier suddenly flashed into my memory. The nails… no way—it's the same nail polish. I can't be wrong. The details in Valerie's nail polish and that girl's nail polish are exactly the same.

A taxi is suppose to be coming into my way, pero sa halip na parahin ito, nagmadali akong tumakbo patungo sa loob ng train station. My instincts are telling me that I am doing the right thing.

To entirely erase my doubts, while I am busy lining up for a ticket, I played her recent live.

"VabeBies, another live ulit. Watch me—" This modest and enchanting voice from the live and the voice of the girl that I bumped into earlier, although it was shaking, I am certain of one thing—it is the very same voice.