THE MASTERS

Dragon XXVI

MASTER Jerald's POV

Arrgghh! Ang sakit-sakit ng katawan kooo!!! I need a full-body massage, please! I rest my aching body sa sofa at idinantay ang binti sa hita ni Cristina who's seating on this sofa too. She struggled and pushed my feet away that made me groan.

"Ang arte-arte mo! Para namang ang dami mong ginawa kanina!" Sigaw niya sa akin that made me raised my brows.

"Hoy bulinggit! Sa dami ng pinabuhat ninyo sa 'kin kanina nagtaka ka pa?! Ang bibigat pa ng mga iyon hoy!" Sigaw ko rin sa kaniya pabalik.

Paano ba naman kasi ay ako ang pinagbuhat nila ng mga sako-sakong na-ipon namin sa paglilinis sa buong garden kanina! It was so all damn heavy! Feeling ko mababali buto ko any minute. Rommel is sure was there pero he's responsible for digging a hole para mailibing namin ang mga basurang iyon. We can't burn them kasi kawawa ang ozone layer, baka tuluyan nang masira. Karamihan pa naman doon ay plastic and styros. Rose Ann told us that the Dragons got bored that's why naglaro sila sa garden to the point na nasisira na nila ang mga halaman at buong garden. Hindi ko lang alam kung paano niya nalaman iyon but who cares?

Napatigil ako sa pag-masahe sa katawan ko when I smell something mouth-watering and stomach filling aroma. We all looked at the kitchen's direction dahil doon iyon nanggagaling. Based on the aroma ay Adobo ang niluluto but it somewhat different than usual.

"Is she cooking right now? As in?" Tanong ni Ate Catherine.

"Dapat lang Ate Catherine! Hindi niya tayo tinulungan sa paglilinis sa labas oi!" Sagot naman ni Cristina at nag-unat-unat ng katawan.

"I bet it's so damn briny again just like before. I'm not ready for a kidney transplant." Kumento ni Rommel while crouching. Napailing-iling ako, if she heard what he just said ay malamang hindi ito makakakain ngayong gabi. That girl is so damn moody! Baka nga may bipolar disorder na 'yon e.

"Don't worry, you'll not gonna eat dinner today." We all stiffened when we heard Rose Ann's voice that seems normal but it's not! Napatingin kami sa pinto ng dining area s***h kitchen na rin and there we saw her leaning on the wall while holding a ladle. O-oh!

"Tama ka diyan pinsan! Hayaan mo silang magutom so let's go and eat!" Kaagad na salita ni Cristina and she walked towards Rose Ann and grab her papasok ulit ng dining area.

"Nooo!!! Ang magkapatid lang ang nagsabi n'on! I'm going to eat your mouth watering dish!" Kaagad na salita ko at binelatan ang mag-kapatid before following the two. Naabutan ko na silang nakaupo na sa table at nakahanda na rin ang pagkain kaya na-upo na rin ako at ngumiti sa kusinera namin ngayon. "Thank you for the food! Masarap 'to for sure." Sagot ko at inagaw ang sandok kay Cristina at nauna nang maglagay ng ulam sa plato ko.

Rose Ann just gave me a blank stare while drinking her water. Pasimple kong inamoy ang niluto niyang adobo habang nagsasandok. Mukha nga siyang adobo but the sauce isn't like that. Brown ang sauce niya and I can smell pineapple juice on it. Wala namang pineapple chunks kaya I'm not sure kung tama ang guess ko. By the way, it's pork, not chicken. I think it's liempo based on the way it was cut.

"Makikikain rin po kami. Hehehe." Salita ni Ate Catherine while slowly sitting on her chair. Rommel silently sits down too on Rose Ann's side. He can't look at her at tumikhim na lang before drinking his water.

Hindi naman umimik si Rose Ann and she just gave me a stare. Nagtataka namang napatingin ako sa iba nang ganoon din ang gawin nila. Napa-ingos ako at naglagay ng pagkain sa kutsara. I looked at them first before isubo ang kutsara. I remained silent while munching the food. I felt how soft the meat is and how the sauce compliments my taste buds. I took another bite and can't help but smile. I gave them a satisfied thumbs-up at tuloy-tuloy nang sumubo ng pagkain.

Nag-unahan naman ang tatlo sa pagkuha ng pagkain nila at kaniya-kaniya nang subo. I heard one of them awwe in satisfaction kaya napatingin ako kay Rose Ann na nakangisi na ngayon. She snorted before eating her food too. I lost count of how many servings I ate. Ramdam ko na ang bigat ng tiyan ko and I can't stand up!

"Oh ano? May nasiraan ba ng kidney dito?" Taas kilay na tanong ni Rose Ann while pertaining to Rommel who's busy eating all the remaining ulam. Napahinto naman ito at napaubo-ubo. Natatawa namang inabutan siya ng tubig ng kapatid.

"Ayan kasi." Asar ko but he just glared at me.

"You improve so much in cooking huh." Kumento ni Ate Catherine while arranging our plates para hugasan na.

"Everyone's changing, so do I." Bale-walang sagot ni Rose Ann at tumayo na para pumunta sa sink. "Ako na dito, magpahinga na lang kayo doon sa sala." Dagdag niya. Tumango naman si Ate Catherine and gestured us to go outside the dining area s***h kitchen. Mukhang may awa pa rin naman sa katawan ang isang ito kaya susulitin na namin.

"Where're the Dragons?" Tanong ni Rommel after a minute.

"Nasa kwarto raw ni Rose Ann." Sagot ni Cristina while reading a book na hindi ko alam kung saan niya nakuha.

"Oh, why?" Takang tanong ni Ate Catherine habang nakatayo sa may bintana. Nagpapahangin yata.

"Dunno. Ayaw raw lumabas ng kwarto niya 'yong apat e, it looks like binabantayan rin daw ng mga iyon ang Dragon Egg niya." Sagot naman ni Cristina that made me think. Bakit naman nila binabantayan ang Dragon Egg ni Rose Ann?

"Did they eat na ba?" Tanong ni Ate Catherine. Cristina just nodded kaya nanahimik na lang ulit kami. We fell into our own businesses kaya wala nang nagsasalita sa amin when Rose Ann come out from the dining area.

"Hindi pa ba kayo aakyat? Mauuna na ako sa inyo ah." Salita niya while giving us a look.

"Oo sige lang." Sagot ko naman dahil wala yatang balak sumagot ang tatlo. Tumango na lang siya sa akin before going upstairs. We stayed here for another 10 minutes before deciding to go to our rooms.

Isinara na muna namin ang mga bintana, pinto, ilaw and mga appliances na hindi naman dapat nanatiling naka-connect sa power. Hinayaan ko nang bukas ang ilaw sa labas ng main door para kahit papaano ay may liwanag pa rin sa labas. It's 9 in the evening pero since mga pagod kami gawa ng paglilinis ay it's better to rest na. Nasa tapat na kami ng mga kwarto namin when we heard the Dragons growl at Rose Ann's room. Nagkatinginan kami saglit but hinayaan na lang namin since she can handle our Dragons rin naman. Isasara ko na sana ang pinto ng kwarto ko just like the others when we heard a lagabog sa kwarto ni Rose Ann.

Kaagad akong napalabas ng kwarto ko at sumilip naman ang dalawang babae sa mga pinto nila.

"What was that?" Kunot noong tanong ni Rommel.

"Check ninyo nga si Rose Ann sa loob, baka kung ano nang pinaggagawa ng mga Dragons natin sa kaniya." Salita ko. Since Rommel is closest to Rose Ann's room ay siya na ang kumatok sa pinto.

Useless ang pagkatok niya kasi naka-awang pala ang pinto ng kwarto niya kaya kusa na iyong bumukas when he knocked. I saw our Dragons jumping on her bed while her Dragon Egg are placed on the center. Naglakad ako palapit when I saw Rose Ann's expression while staring at it. Sinenyasan ko naman ang dalawang babaeng sumisilip lang sa mga pinto nila to come over.

"What's happening here?" Tanong ko since wala yatang balak magsalita ang lalaking ito. Busy siya sa panood sa mga Dragons na parang mga tanga sa kakatalon-talon sa kama ni Rose Ann.

"I...I think my Dragon Egg is hatching." Sagot ni Rose Ann. Muntik na akong mapadapa papasok ng kwarto niya when the two girls pushed me at kaagad na pumasok. I silently cursed at them before walking near them.

"Woah! You sure?!" Malakas na tanong ni Ate Catherine. Tumango-tango naman si Rose Ann at itinuro ang Dragon Egg niya.

Tumigil na sa kakatalon ang mga Dragons namin at pinalibutan na lang ang Dragon Egg ni Rose Ann. My mouth gaped when I saw a crack sa Dragon Egg. Rose Ann sat down on the edge of her bed while staring intently to it. Maya-maya pa ay may narinig kaming crack mula sa itlog kaya bahagya kaming napalapit doon. Mula sa crack na bahagyang lumaki ay may sumisilip na liwanag. Magsasalita pa sana ako when the Dragon Egg explode with a black and white light. Bahagya akong napamura dahil sa sakit niyon sa mata at kaagad napatalikod. But wait....bakit may itim na liwanag?

Nang mawala na ang liwanag ay napaharap na ulit ako only to see a glowing thing who's floating mid-air. Pahina nang pahina ang liwanag and after that ay tumambad sa amin ang nakalutang pa ring....wait, is that a key necklace?

The key necklace looks like this. May apat siyang pakpak, dalawang pataas ang buka and dalawang pa-side naman ang buka. The wings are made of silver. May gold na kadena sa katawan nito and it has a crystal sa center ng key. I don't know if it's just me or may umiikot talagang black and white na liwanag sa loob ng crystal na iyon.

"Woah," I muttered.

"Go, get it, Rose Ann!" Excited na salita ni Cristina habang nagniningning ang mata. Seriously? Sa kaniya ba 'yan at ganiyan ang reaction niya?

Rose Ann hesitate to raise her hand pero itinaas niya pa rin. The glowing key necklace move closer to her and as soon as lumapat ito sa kamay ni Rose Ann ay sumabog na naman ang nakakasilaw na liwanag. Napamura na ako nang tuluyan at tinakpan ang mata. Balak ba kaming bulagin ng liwanag na ito?! Punyeta!

Iritang inalis ko na ang kamay ko sa mata ko at kunot-noong tiningnan si Rose Ann na na-estatwa na yata sa kinauupuan niya.

"Woi. Nangyari sa 'yo?" Tanong ni Cristina at pinitik ang noo ni Rose Ann. Bigla naman itong napa-hinga nang malalim na animo'y ngayon na lang nakahinga ulit at ilang beses napakurap- kurap.

"Anong arte 'yan?" 'Di ko mapigilang tanong. Para siyang ewan sa totoo lang. Baka naapektuhan ng liwanag ang utak niya kaya nagkaganito ito?

She looked at us wide eyed kaya napataas ang kilay ko. "I think I saw something——"

"Rose Ann!!!" Sigaw namin nang bigla na lamang itong napa-higa sa kama niya. Muntik pa itong mahulog since nasa edge lang siya kung hindi lang naharang ni Rommel ang katawan niya to prevent it.

"Yah! Rose Ann wake up!" Sigaw ni Ate Catherine habang tinatapik-tapik ang pisnge niya. She's not responding kaya tinulungan ko na silang i-ayos sa pagkakahiga ang babaeng ito. Nagsilapitan naman sa kaniya ang mga Dragons namin and they are licking Rose Ann's face.

Pinulsuhan ni Ate Catherine si Rose Ann and she made a deep sigh.

"I think she's okay. Mukhang nahimatay lang sa pagod." Salita niya.

"Pagod? Duh? Paano siya napagod e hindi naman siya tumulong sa atin kanina sa paglilinis?" Tanong ni Cristina na sinang-ayunan ko naman. Hindi rin naman ganoon nakakapagod ang pagluluto na to the point na mahihimatay siya, right?

"I don't know. Let her rest for now." Tanging nasagot ni Ate Catherine kaya napa-tango na lang kami.

MASTER Catherine's POV

Inayos ko muna ang pagkakahiga ni Rose Ann after I shooed away our Dragons who's licking her face. I remove her ponytail after I covered her with her sheet. I placed the key necklace on her bedside table na nabitawan niya earlier when she passed out. I felt something when I touched it so that binitawan ko iyon kaagad.

"Tara na, pahinga na rin tayo." Cristina said after she took care of Rose Ann's shoes. I nodded at her before looking at my Dragon who's staring at Rose Ann.

"Come on, let's go. Let her rest." Kausap ko sa kaniya through my mind. She looked at me.

"Will she be alright?" She asked that's why I look at her sleeping face.

"Of course she is. She's not that weak as you thought of." Sagot ko naman sa kaniya while patting her head.

"Hmm. Okay." Sagot nito kaya I smiled at her.

"Hoy, anong titigan 'yan ha? Inlove na kayo sa isa't-isa?" Napatingin ako kay Cristina when she said that and gave her a grimace look.

"Seriously? She's a girl, Cristina." I said that made her laugh.

"Just kidding. Labas na tayo." Salita niya but I halted her and gave her a serious look.

"You're incest. There's no us and there will be never an us." I said that made her look puzzled. Her eyes grew wide and immediately hit me.

"Ang bastos ng utak mo Ate Catherine! It's so ew-ew!" Nangingilabot niyang sabi before storming out of Rose Ann's room. I laugh in humor before following her outside. I check Rose Ann for the last time before closing her door.

Pumasok na rin ako sa kwarto ko and immediately took my clothes off. I took a quick shower before laying on my bed. My Dragon layed beside me as usual so that I caressed her head.

"Why you're still hiding the fact that you can talk to me na unlike them?" Biglang tanong niya.

"I just don't feel like to. Why?" I voiced out. I'm alone in my room so it's okay to talk loudly.

"You're keeping secrets from them huh. Bad master." She said that made me laugh.

"Anyway, what should I call you? I think it's inappropriate to call you a Dragon. Do you want a name?" Tanong ko sa kaniya. She looked at me curiously.

"Is that really needed?" I shook my head.

"Maybe? But it's better if you have one. It will be easy for me to call you by that." Sagot ko.

"Just go on with Water since it's my element." She answered after a minute. I looked at her in disbelief.

"Seriously? Can't you think of a way more appealing?" I asked.

"Seriously too? It's my name so it's my choice. If you don't like it then don't give me a name." She irritatingly said and face her back at me.

I slightly laugh and pulled her closer to me. She struggles for a second but hinayaan niya na rin ako after.

"If that's what you want then let's go with it." Salita ko.

"Goodnight Water," I whispered at her when I felt my eyes heavy.