The Abyss in Between

Alt 23: Ephialtes' Curse

"Real s**t," I said and headed towards Krys. Bago ko pa man siya malapitan ay humarang na si Adi at si Covet sa likod ko ay pinigilan din ako. I didn't look back. I looked at Adi instead.

"How real are you?" I fired back, emphasizing on the last word. Still, he didn't bulge. Inalis ko ang tingin ko sa kanya at tinignan si Krys. "Crush mo si A—" 

Before I could finish, Krys dragged me away from them. Her eyes filled with both embarrassment and joy. Nang tumigil kami sa isang banda ay niyakap agad niya ako bago pa man ako makapalag. Mas mahigpit pa ang yakap na iyon kaysa sa mga dating yakap niya.

"Kung saan-saan ka nagsususuot! God, you didn't even wait for us!" she snarled. Hindi ko masabi kung galit ba siya o nag-aalala, siguro'y pareho nga. A small smile escaped my dry lips. For once, I hugged her tighter than she did. 

Nanigas siya ngunit tulad ko ay hinigpitan niya rin ang yakap niya sa akin. No words were uttered, just pure hugs from two girls separated. 

"I have to confess something," she whispered. Ang isang pangungusap na iyon ang sumira sa yakapan namin. Tinignan ko siya at nagulat sa nakitang luhaang mga mata niya. Kumunot ang noo ko. "Did you miss me that much?" I asked, wary of her teary eyes.

She laughed for a bit before taking a deep breath. Pinunasan niya ang mga luhang tumulo sa pisngi niya, paulit-ulit na humihingang malalim habang ginagawa iyon. I felt the sudden tension when her bloodshot eyes stared right at mine. For a second, I was scared.

"Kov..." she started. I stared at her. Bahagyang umusbong ang kaba sa akin. Kilala ko si Krys. Every time she's about to say something bad, she prolongs it. 

"We," she said, her voice shaking. Huminga siyang malalim at kinalma ang sarili. Hinayaan ko siya. Alam kong nahihirapan talaga siyang sabihin ang dapat na sasabihin niya. "We... lost him."

"Sino?" takang tanong ko. Sino ang nawala nila? If she's this sad, it must be one of our pals. Tinignan ko sila at kumpleto naman sila. All of them are talking, except for Aiden who's observing us two. Tinanguan ko siya at tumango lang siya pabalik.

I looked back at Krys. Wala akong napansing kulang, bukod kay Tobi. Nandito siya. Imposibleng siya ang sinasabing nawala. Muli ay nilingon ko sila, nagbabaka sakaling mapansin kung sino ang tinutukoy niya.

Nanatili ang tingin ko kay Aiden na nakatingin pa rin sa akin. Medyo nagtataka na ako kung bakit siya nakatitig. May gusto ba siyang sabihin? 

He shook his head. Nagulat ako roon. Did he just answered what was in my mind? Now, he nodded. 

Am I using mind voice?

Hindi ko napansing nasabi ko pala sa kanya ang mga naiisip ko. They were lost thoughts, shouldn't have been more than that. I shrugged off the thoughts I have in mind. It's nothing weird, Kovie. It's just the mind voice's being disfunctional.

But it never was.

"Aiden's gone," Krys said. Mabilis ko siyang nilingon. Nagsalubong agad ang mga kilay ko. "What do you mean?" The emphasis on each words were too hard for me to even care about. Those two words from her dropped like a bomb. 

"He's... dead, Kovie." With her pleading eyes, she pulled off the d-word. Mas lalo akong naguluhan. That's not possible.

"Aiden's not dead!" Unconsciously, my voice raised. Kita ko sa peripheral vision ko na nagtinginan ang iba sa banda namin. I didn't care. 

"Paano siya mamamatay? He's literally right ther—"

My eyes flew to Aiden's previous position, trying to prove my point and his existence, except that he's no there.

Wala siya.

My mind went blank. Natigilan ako at nakatitig lang sa kaninang pwesto niya. The exact spot where he was standing, looking at us, nodding at me, shaking his head... where he was alive.

Was.

Nagulat ako sa sarili ko. How could I use that word? Was?

Pinakiramdaman ko ang sarili ko. It felt natural. To say past tense with Aiden. Para bang sanay na ako roon. Para bang totoong ganoon talaga, na matagal ko nang ginagamit ang gano'ng porma sa tuwing kaakibat ang pangalan niya.

"Was..." The word felt natural when I said it. Nanlambot ang tuhod ko at bumagsak sa sahig. No.

With a shaky voice, I said, "He wa-, he is right there!" Horrified by my own acceptance, my voice began to raise. I felt red. Rage, anger, confusion, was everything in my head. He's there, then he wasn't.

Paano iyon nangyari? Kasama namin siya kanina. I, Covet, and Aiden were together.

"Covet!" I called when I remembered him being with me, with us. "You saw him! Nakita at nakausap mo si kuya, 'di ba? He's alive! Ang... ang sabi ni Krys ay patay na siya! He's not, right? Tell her!" 

Hysterical. 

That was me. Hysterical, crazy, pitiful. That was me in their eyes. They all circled around me. All I can see in them was their pity. For me.

Hindi ko gusto iyon. Pity is the last thing I'd wish for anyone to give me. I didn't want their pity. Especially from Covet. "Stop your pity party, I want your answer, Covet!" My tone went higher as the pity from them intensified.

Para iyong isang usok na pumapalibot sa akin. Halos malasahan ko na ang awa nila, ang iba pa'y mukhang natatawa sa kalagayan ko. 

"Stop!" I shouted when I heard the crazy laugher. It didn't stop, even with all my cries. I was holding my head, trying to cover my ears. Ang nakakabinging tawa ang bumabalot sa paligid. Walang takas, walang palya. 

Tawa iyon na kahit sino ay hindi magugustuhan. The laughter of a demon. The giggle of my monster. The chuckle of... me. I was laughing. With everything, with everyone.

Hindi ako makatigil. Para akong kinikiliti. Laughing was the only thing I could do. Wala akong makontrol sa katawan ko. I couldn't stop. I didn't want to stop.

"Kovie!" a voice shouted. Still laughing, I looked at him. My laughter faded when I saw who it was. "Kovie?" I called. Natawa ako roon. This time, a genuine laugh. Am I seeing a mirror? Why am I seeing myself? And why do I have robotic feet?

I laughed, and laughed, and laughed. Everyone around me laughed with me. It felt heaven.

"Clear!" A loud thud echoed in the room. It was my body, responding to the sudden electricity. Tumama ang likod ko sa isang napakatigas na bagay. The ground felt cold. I couldn't open my eyes.

"Kovie? Kovie!" a voice, sounding more like a murmur, called me. Hindi ko makilala ang boses. It was like a call from under water. Unclear, like my vision. Slowly, I tried to open my eyes. 

The first thing to greet me, was something I mistook for a mirror. Or someone, rather.

"Doktora?" My hoarse voice sounded way more than it normally did. She nodded and sighed.

"At last, Ephialtes' curse is lifted."