MAKING THE KING CRUMBLE

CHAPTER I   ECLAIRE QUILA QUACEY   IT HAS BEEN YEARS SINCE the United Nations established an exclusive school for boys here in our shitty little municipality called San Jose. Years have passed since the Grindelwald University of the United Nations was built to cater to the needs of its nations. At present, due to the many interaction of European, Asian and other descents, no one in San Jose is considered to be pure-blooded.   I am one of those people. My name is Eclaire Quila Quacey. I am Filipino-Scottish student of the university. I am fourteen years old. It had been a quite a while since I came out of my shell. I’m gay or to be more accurate, a twink. With my effeminate and petite stature, I cannot help but be bullied by my co-students. I try to maintain an invisible profile. Ayoko kasing maging sentro ng kaguluhan.   Habang papasok ako sa aking klase, normal na sa isang private university, which happens to be an exclusive one for boys, ang makakita ng mga nagsusuntukan, nagtutulukan at kung anu-ano pang pasakit sa katawan. Best to avoid them, as I always say. I am just roughly around five foot, three inches tall.   “Hi, Bessy! How ya doin’?”   Oh! Here’s Lennex, my classmate and my best friend. We were both transferees then. We talked for a while and the rest is history. Lennex is a cross-dresser… well, whenever we’re together though. We both keep a low profile. Ayaw naming maging human punching bag ng mga sanggano dito sa paaralang ito.   “I’m doing great. I’ve spent the night reading for our quiz today.”   “Oh! Is it about the Siege of the Mongols? I thought that a topic for next session. I should really start paying more attention to that grumpy toad.”   The grumpy toad? His referring to our strict World History teacher, Madam Umbridge. Yeah! She has the same last name with the villainess of Harry Potter: Order of the Phoenix. She’s like that as well. Old-fashioned and extremely bookish. She’s a total b***h if you ask me.   “Hey there! Faggots! Up to some d**k suckin’?”   Sa lahat ng paaralan, hindi mawawala ang mga bully. Let me introduce to the so called ‘king’ of the university. Meet Orzon Genesis Villanueva De Guzman. The biggest bastard school has ever seen.   Lennex and I decided to ignore him. But when we did, he started to call us names. His allies (more like stupid followers), laughed and teased along with him. Why is he ‘king’ you ask? Well, he’s the top dominant of the Valiente Dorm. A dormitory of the sporty and jocks is called Valiente. He beat the old King in a boxing match as well as in an election.   His known for bullying people for fun, causing pain to others and above all, to be the school’s greatest homophobic asshole! I remember one time, he poured dark chocolate on some guy’s school supplies just because he wore the color pink and was proud of who he was. Now, that guy hasn’t been to school since then. He transferred because of that. At least, that’s what they’ve told everyone.   “What’s this?”   Pilit kong inabot ang notes ko na hinablot n’ya mula sa mga kamay ko. I told him to give it back. Pero, I guess he found it really amusing to annoy me. He is super tall. At the age of fifteen, he’s roughly about six feet, four inches tall.   “Abutin mo!”   He kept on raising it my notes up in the air. Kakaabot ko at kakangat n’ya, something so cliché happened. He suddenly tripped, losing his balance, but managed to grab onto a post. I fell forward onto him.   I stood so close to him that I could smell the redolence of his obviously expensive perfume. Being the son of a wealthy Mafia lord (that remains to be a myth/hoax, I have no evidence just yet), surely, you could afford anything that your heart desires.   I felt my heart beating rapidly as I stared at him. To my surprise, he was staring back at me with a murderous intent. When, somehow, he snapped back to his senses, he pushed me. I took in a sharp intake of air as I landed on my tailbone. I fought the urge to cry. Ayokong magmukhang mahina.   Bigla n’ya binato sa akin yung  notes ko. I was quick to avoid it before it hit my face. Before leaving he decided to give me a couple of kicks. All of which were directed onto my stomach.   “Dirty, little faggot! Pasimple ka pa! Manyak!”   After that, he gave me another kick. He left the room without a second thought. He gave me a death glare before chuckling accompanied by his idiotic allies. Lennex helped me to my chair. We were both victims of Orzon Genesis’s wrath. Of all the gay students here, kaming dal’wa madalas ang sinasaktan n’ya. Me in particular.   All of my other classmates just gave me sympathetic looks and sad smiles. Alam kong takot din sila sa pwedeng gawin sa kanila ni Orzon Genesis. He’s the devil incarnate.   Hindi ko s’ya kaklase.  Mabuti na lamang. Kundi, araw-araw na naging impyerno ang buhay ko. I’m used to being bullied. I just don’t have the strength to fight back. I went through the day na nakayanang makinig sa klase despite the numbing pain I feel in my abdomen. Some teachers noticed how dyspneic I am. I just told them about my casual short-breathness.   Wala namang atang paki ang ibang mga guro dito. Pero, hindi ko maipagkakaila kung gaano sila kagagaling magturo. All have archaic teaching methods, pero all are effective. Some use modern day tools for better learning. Pero kung ang mga guro kaya ni Ma’am Umbridge. Uugatin ko na at lahat, hindi s’ya titigil sa kakangawa.   After school, I walked my way home. Disregarding the pain I feel, I decided to walk through our small subdivision. I never knew my parents. My Lola Narda, my mum’s mum, raised me as her own. She’s a pure Filipina. Sa unang tingin, hindi mo iisipin na seventy-five na s’ya. She looks around forty. She’s a very loving mother. Strikta sya pero she caters to my every need. She never forgets to punish any rule breaking and never forgets to reward any accomplishment.   “Anong nangyari sa’yo? Why are you in pain?”   This is one remarkable thing about her. With a simple glance, she exactly knows what I’m feeling, what I need, etc. I never thought of lying to her because there’s no point in doing so.   “I got—“   “Bullied? Again? By that boy?”   I tell her everything that transpires. Kapag ito ang naririnig n’ya, she lectures me about staying away from trouble or just ignoring them.   “Don’t worry. Your time will come. He’ll pay for what he is doing. In just a few days, you will turn fifteen.”   “Ano pong meron sa araw ng birthday ko?”   “Just wait and see. Mag-si-siesta muna ako. Magsaing kana. Gusto ko ng adobo ngayon. Alam mo na kung ano ang timpla na gusto ko.”   She didn’t scold me this time. Odd. She usually bombards me with indigestible words. Pero ngayon… I couldn’t help but worry,     AS I PREPARED OUR DINNER, I made most of my time by reading my notes. It is something na itinuro sa akin ni Mama. She was now reading while sitting on her rocking chair. She has a mini library here at home. She was a former journalist who openly mocked and defeated the then corrupt Mayor Aurelius LeStrange in a public debate. In which, she established herself as one of the most prominent women of her time. She was asked to be the Minister of Grindelwald University but she declined four times. She didn’t want the burden. Every now and then some graduate school students both in MA and Ph.D. programs come to our home and ask for her service. As an AB-BSE English and Science graduate, she was known to be the best editor. She taught me English in my tender years.   “Mama, kakain na po tayo!”   She replied with a ‘yes’ then proceeded to the table. We do talk about a lot of things. All of which are sensible ones like issues of politics, the Philippine economy and such.   “May boyfriend ka na ba?”   Nasamid ako ng bahagya dahil don. I did not expect her to ask me that. She’s very reserved and refined kasi. She never asks about personal things like that. As she was focused on the food, I stared at her. Her stoic reaction signified that she was not joking or teasing me. Well, she never smiles though.   “Don’t act so innocent. I am sure that issue already crossed your mind.”   “Wala pa po.”   “Wala ‘pa’? So, you’re giving me the impression that you already have a suitor? Yes?”   “P-po? W-w-wala po akong manliligaw!”   “Don’t worry. You will have tons. Believe me!”   She kept on teasing me about having suitors. She’s very humorous at times pero hindi nga iyon madalas. After our dinner, we both went back to our own worlds.   AS I LAY ON MY BED, I cannot help but feel that eerie feeling of being watched. I used to hear stories about ghosts but those stories do not scare me. I decided to go out of my room to drink a glass of water.   I went out of room and felt a cold breeze touch me. As I slowly walked towards our veranda, I somewhat came into a trance when the silver rays of the moon hit me. It’s soothes me… makes me feel calm.   I have never seen the moon this beautiful.   “You truly are remarkably beautiful for a boy, Eclaire. What more is there to come upon your coming of age?” I felt the hair on my nape stood as I heard the baritone voice that spoke. I turned to my right and saw a man, whose face is hidden by a well-decorated mask, crouched atop our grills.   “Sino ka? A-anong ginagawa mo dito?”   His low chuckles send shivers down my spine. I warned him not to come any closer, but he didn’t listen. The ‘click’ of his boots seemed to echo through the air. I felt my hair beating fast as he was merely three feet from me.   “Hinihintay ko ang iyong pamumukadkad, Eclaire.”   With that, he vanished into thin air.   I ran to my room and cover myself with my sheets.   Fear kept me awake the next morning.     CHAPTER II   ECLAIRE QUILA QUACEY     I feel like a vegetable. Truly, if you lack sleep, wala ka halos magagawang matino. I feel so tired and scared. Even if I feel so heavy, especially my eyelids which seem to have sacks on them, hindi talaga pwedeng hindi ako pumasok. Kahit ganito ang nararamdaman ko, kailangan ko pa ring pumasok.   At breakfast, pinipilit kong umarte na walang nararamdamang kung ano. Lola Narda is very protective over me. Aalagaan n’ya nga ako ‘pag may sakit ako pero kasabay noon ang matinding sermon. Nagpaalam na ako sa kanya at nagmadaling pumasok.   While in class, pinilit kong makinig kahit sobrang sama ng pakiramdam ko. Lennex noticed that I was about to fall asleep because of my tiredness. No’ng tinawag ako ng aming guro upang sumagot sa kanyang katanungan, agad akong nagpaalam na pupunta sa university infirmary (sosyal ‘di ba? Sa halip na University Clinic ay University Infirmary ang tawag!)   “Do you want me to accompany you, bessy? Kinakabahan ko. Baka kasi matumba ka.”   “Ayos lang ako. Please have notes for me.”   While walking to the infirmary, which happens to be twenty minutes away from my classroom, I noticed that there are only about fifteen students walking about the corridors. Since I am invisible to them, I slowly made my way to my desired destination.   I knew a shortcut to the infirmary. So, I decided to take that instead. Upon making the sharp turn, I almost bumped into one of my schoolmates. I quickly apologized.   “Sorry. I didn’t notice you.”   “Well, well.”   To my horror, it was Orzon Genesis. He stared at me with a sinister smirk. He wasn’t with his allies. But, that doesn’t make him less of a threat. He walked painfully slow towards me and I kept on walking backwards. I felt the cold wall on my back as he was merely a foot away from me.   “What’s the matter, little fag? Scared?”   “P-please. Wala naman akong ginagawa sayo. Please let me go.”   His deep chuckles made me shiver. How sinister can one’s laugh get? He pushed me onto the wall with a thud. He pinned both my arms above my head with his right hand and placed left palm on my neck. He applied enough force to make me choke a little.   He opened my legs with his. Marahan n’yang nilapit ang kanyang mukha sa akin. With him at a distance this close, I can smell his minty breath. I looked into his eyes and saw an incomprehensible emotion.   “Bitiwan mo na ‘ko, please. I have to go to the infirmary.”   “Sa tingin mo, may pakialam ako kung kailangan mong pumunta dun?”   He began to choke me with his hand. I tried shaking him off of me, but, with the stature of his, medyo imposible iyon. With every cough I release, it seems to be music to his ear. Tears slowly fall down from my face with discomfort.   “Ang mga kagaya mo dapat binubugbog!”   He began to punch me… kick me… and all-out beat me to death. I begged him to stop. But my cries and pleas seem to stimulate him more. He verbally abused me. Calling me names.   “SALOT! ANG MGA KAGAYA MONG GUTOM NA GUTOM SA KATAWAN AT KATAS NAMING MGA LALAKI! YOU GOOD FOR NOTHING PIECE OF LIVING s**t!!!”   He continued to assault me. Punch after punch, kick after kick. I endured them all.  Huwag kang magiingay. Baka mapatay ka.   After satisfying himself, pwersahan nya akong inangat.   He leveled my brutally maimed face to his own.   He’s sadistic.     “No one must know about this or Daddy won’t be nice next time. Say you later, Little Fag.”   He slapped me with a force that sent me directly to the wall behind me. After he left, pinilit kong maglakad papunta sa infirmary. The nurse became frantic upon seeing me. She started to treat me.   As she was mending me, I finally had the sleep I desperately wanted.   WAKING UP AT THE UNIVERSITY INFIRMARY, I was greeted by the comfort brought by the bed and the well-ventilated room. I roamed my eyes everywhere and saw that I am the only occupant of the room. The infirmary had ten beds, a nurse’s station and small shower room.   “Comfy?”   I jumped slightly after hearing the voice which spoke. I turned my head and saw a tall, angelically handsome guy dressed in a doctor’s gown. I cannot deny the fact that I am timidly silenced or should I say intimidated by his presence.   “How are you feeling, Love?”   “I-I’m okay. A little sore is all.”   “A little? With those abrasions, wounds and stiches I had to do on your body, I, for one, cannot simply say a little.”   Shit! I know that European accents are sexy but, I never imagined that his accent is really, REALLY sexy. I think he’s Italian. To verify, I looked at his name tag.   Magnus Infermiere, RN, M.D.   “Oh! Sorry, my name is Magnus Infermiere. I am the University Physician and Head of the Nursing Department. I made an evaluation of your incident. I recommend that you should at least have a two days’ rest.”   “Po? H-hindi po pwede! I have a lot of things to do. Meron pa po ako---“   I stopped talking at the moment he stared at me. He just stared blankly. ‘Yong parang ‘shut-the-f**k-up’ na titig. Ganern!   “What happened to you? Who did this to you?”   Recalling the chilling experience I had with Orzon Genesis, tears just flowed from my eyes. I’m too afraid to tell him. He grabbed my hand and gave it a little squeeze. I looked up to him and saw his sympathetic smile.   “He scared you, didn’t he? The one who did this to you.”   I nodded.   “Why did he do this? Have you any idea why?”   “It’s because I’m gay, Sir. I am victimized by bullying due to being gay.”   Then again with his stare. He doesn’t say much instead he started to place the head of the stethoscope on my chest, asking the usual questions posted by doctors to their patients. He told me to drink acetaminophen and have plenty of rest. My body needs to recuperate daw. He gave me a pat on the shoulder before packing up.   “If you’re thinking that I am against gay people, I’m not. My husband wouldn’t approve of that.”   His what? Woah!   “You… you’re…”   “Oh! Yes, I am. Your principal, Mr. Phana Shusmita Infermiere is my husband.”   Dr. Phana is known for his intolerance for discrimination and any forms of shenanigans. He is the only principal I know who strictly implements corporal punishment. One time, two boys were caught bullying a stout student, he smacked them with his stick and suspended them for a month with community service.   He doesn’t look gay. Well, gay people just look like people.   “You should really know how to fight back. I know Orzon Genesis did this. No one’s a bigger asshole than him. I know you will be able to put up with him. Trust me. Your time will come, Love.”   “I hope so, Sir.”   “Don’t worry. It will. I’ll be back to check up on you.”   And with that, he left me alone in the room.   MINUTES LATER, Lennex came to the infirmary and bombarded me with vicious sermons just like a mother. Between Lennex and me, he is the more mother-like. As in! He even wipes sweat off of my face and places a towel on back during and after PE/Gym classes.   “Anong nangyari sayo?”   Muntik na akong matawa. Pilipit na pilipit ang kanyang dila kapag sinusubukan nyang managalog. Him being English would surely sound cute whenever his doing so.   “Wag mo ko tawanan talipandas ka! What happened to you? Better yet, who did this to you?”   “Don’t mind it.”   “Don’t mind it? Are you even hearin’ yourself? You almost got killed! YOU ALMOST GOT KILLED! How will you explain yourself to your Mama?”   Anak ng teteng! Oo nga pala. I cannot make an excuse. If I go home like this, malilintikan ako. Patuloy si Lennex sa pagsermon sa akin. Napakatapang talaga nitong taong to.   We both stayed there for hours. I told him to go back to class because I don’t want him to miss classes just because of me. But the stubborn b***h just won’t leave. I’m really lucky to have him.   Dr. Magnus did come back and checked up on me. He said I can go home already. He insisted on giving us a ride home. Despite our exhaustive efforts in persuading him not to do so, he stood determined and made us ride his car.   When we arrived at my home, Mama was already on her rocking chair with a familiar stare. Nang tumayo ako sa harap n’ya, she looked at me from head to toe. Para kasi syang bagyo. She’s terrifying when she doesn’t say a word. Pumasok sya sa loob at sumunod ako sa kanya.   ‘Pag ka pasok ko, bigla ako ng nakamamanhid na sampal galing sa kanya. I felt my cheeks burning. Her face remained stoic and her hands balled into fists. Tears ran down my face as she stood in front of me.   “M-mama…”   “Don’t!”   I kept quiet as she paced around the living room. She kept on saying: “it’s almost time, it’s almost time.”   “M-ma…”   “Magimpake ka ng gamit mo.”   “P-po? Para saan po?”   “We’re going somewhere. Go! Madali!”   I complied with what she asked of me. Nagimpake ako ng mga gamit ko at nakita kong nakahanda na rin ang mga maleta nya. Saan ba kami pupunta? She’s prepared already. Meaning alam na alam n’ya na aalis kami.   She asked me to lock the gates and make sure everything is well shut. After doing so, we waited outside for a few minutes. A chariot, yes! A horse-driven chariot or kalesa. Inilagay ko ang mga gamit naming sa likod ng kalesa at lumarga na ang kutsero. An hour later, puro kahoy na ang nakikita ko. Medyo nakararamdam na ako ng takot. Pasimple akong kumapit kay Mama. She knows for a fact that I am afraid of eerie environments such as this. I had an experience wherein I got lost in the woods when I was around six.   “Saan po ba tayo pupunta, Mama?”   She didn’t answer. She kept her eyes forward and never directed those eyes at me. I guess galit pa rin sya. I felt the cold breeze touch me.   Minutes later, we arrived at an old cottage. Para syang lumang bahay. Pero very intricate ang kanyang mga disenyo. It’s like a house from the 40’s. Tinulungan ako ng kutsero sa pagbaba ng gamit.   The house is very intricate in design. Para itong lungga ng mga Espanyol noong araw. Iginala ko mga mata ko sa paligid at ikinabigla ko na masilayan kong lahat ng gamit dito ay parang napakayaman ng may ari nito. I have seen this kind of materials and furniture in old movies. Movies those are really classic.   Mama told me that the room I’ll be using is just down the corner. Isinalansan ko ang mga gamit ko at inayos ang pagtupi ng aking mga damit. The room has a great view of a wide field.   Matapos kong tupiin ang aking mga damit at makapagpalit ng suot (I’m more of a short shorts kind of gay). Very spacious ang bahay. I called for Mama but I got no response. As I kept on caller her, I went out of the room and to the garden, I saw her talking with a woman who is maybe at about ten to fifteen years younger than her.   They were so into their conversation that I triggered my curiosity and that’s why I decided to eavesdrop.     “Nararapat bang dumito s’ya, Ginang? Hindi pa ito ang takdang oras.”   “We have no more time. Kailangan nating ihanda sya.”   “Tawagin ko na ba ang iba? He will need all the help he can get.”   “No! Not yet. Not yet.”   “Sorry to cut your serious conversation short. I believe this session is no longer between the three of us.”   Hindi ko inasahan na makikita akong dahil ako’y tagong-tago na. they all turned to my direction and it gave me no other choice but to come out of my hiding spot.   Uh-oh!