How To Be A Princess 101

Visions (Part 2)

Lesson Fourteen

Visions (Part 2)

                 “Ikaw?”

- Princess Xanara –

            Kanina pa ‘yang dalawang ‘yan. Ang aga-agang nagpapahabol ang gagang Sage sa half naked na si Zero dahil apparently mukhang they slept together. May notebook na hawak si Sage at mukhang iyon ang hinahabol ni Zero.

            Cyrus and I are settled on the living room, seated at opposite couches habang naka-dekwatro at umiinom ng kape. Hindi malaman nila Sage at Zero ang magiging reaksyon nila nang makita kami.

                 “A-Anong…”

                 “So… you can speak tagalog and you actually can… stutter?” nakangisi kong baling kay Sage habang hawak ko ang baso ng kape.

                 “Never blame me. I just forgot how to speak tagalog.” She smirked and flipped her hair. “So both of you hooking up?” sabay upo sa may sofa katabi ko.

                 “Close tayo?” =___=

            Nag-smirk siya. “Why don’t we become close?”

            Nag-smirk din ako at umiling. “Nah. We can’t. You know we share something in common.” Tumingin ako sa kanya habang nakangiti. “It’s Zephyr. And no, Rosage, I don’t actually share something who’s mine so I don’t think we can be close. Not unless… you want to to give up and bust outta here. Now, if not,” tumayo ako and eyed Cyrus. Tumayo rin siya. I looked past my shoulder and straight to Sage. “you’re actually asking for war.”

            Naglakad na ako palayo. Sinadya kong banggain si Zero na parang tuod na nakatayo sa likuran ng sofa at lampasan siya. Kasunod ko na si Cyrus na tahimik lang. Napahinga ako ng malalim.

                 “Halata ba ako masyado, Cy?”

                 “Actually… not.”

            Napahinto ako. Tumingin ako sa kanya. Ngumiti siya.

                 “To Zero, no. You have to actually say that to him. Iba yun mag-isip, pakiramdam nu’n ginagamit mo lang siya para sa lahat. But still… he submits to you. Hindi nga lang ngayon.”

                 “Anyway…” ayoko ng pag-usapan. Masyadong mahirap lunukin ‘yang ganyang fact. Kung pwede nga lang ayokong pag-usapan si Zero eh. Pero syempre hindi naman maiiwasan ‘yon. “Does Crescent holds a basement, Cy?”

            Napakunot siya ng noo. Napansin ko ang sealing amulet na binigay ni Cheen para isuot ni Cyrus. Means safe kami sa mga pandinig nung dalawa.

                 “Yeah. Wanna go there?”

            Tumango ako. Sa totoo lang hindi naging madali sa akin para kumbinsihin sina Randall na payagan akong magpunta dito ng mag-isa at hindi sila kasama. Lalo na’t si Cyrus lang ang kasama ko pati na yung chaotic pair.

**Flashback**

                 “Ang kulit ng lahi mo, Randall. Si Cyrus lang naman yun!”

                 “Yun nga eh! Si Cyrus yun! Hindi ka papasok ng mansyon na ‘yan ng hindi ako kasama! Hindi kita hahayaang pumasok d’yan, Xanara, naiintindihan mo? AYOKO! HINDI KA PAPASOK D’YAN!”

            Leche. Naiinis ako kapag nagkakaganito siya. I should be mad. Pero lagi na lang! Kapag nagmumukha na siyang desperadong galit sa paghihigpit sa akin, lumalambot ang puso ko. Tinatanong n’yo kung bakit? Aba eh ganun eh.

            De juk lang. (_ _ǀ|)V

            Ramdam ko kasi siya. Kung ga’no siya nag-aalala ngayon, kung gaano nadudurog ang puso niya kapag napapahamak ako, kung gaano siya nasasaktan kapag nawawala ako sa paningin niya kahit ilang segundo lang. Ayokong nagkakagano’n si Randall. Mas gusto ko siyang kampante at mayabang.

            Hindi yung ganitong laging takot.

                 “I can’t take you with me…”

                 “Xanara…”

            Napahinga ako ng malalim. “Can’t you trust me? Kaya kong mag-isa, Randall. Kahit ngayon lang pabayaan mo naman akong kumilos ng mag-isa. Hindi ko sinasabing lubayan mo’ko. By all means, follow me if you want until you want it. But for now… pwede bang hayaan mo’kong gawin ‘to?”

                 “Nag-aalala ako.”

            I placed his face inside my hands. He seemed surprise. But probably, dahil kilala na niya ako sa pagiging attached ko with every one of the Avronas hindi na siya nag-react.

                 “Alam ko ‘yon. Ayoko rin namang mag-alala ka eh. But please, trust me.”

                 “Just promise me na lalabas ka d’yan ng buo at walang kahit na anong galos. If I ever found out that one of them hurt you, I’ll kill. You get that?”

            Nakangiti ko siyang tinanguan.

**Flashback ends**

                 “I’ll stay here.”

            Hindi ko na pinilit pa si Cyrus na pumasok sa loob ng blangkong espasyo dahil siya na mismo ang nag-participate na magpaiwan sa labas. Determinado siyang ilayo ang sarili niya sa pag-iimbestiga ko kay Sage. Sa oras kasing ma-sense ni Sage na may alam si Cyrus, papasukin niya ang isipan nito.

            And more worst, she might compel Cyrus.

                 “Thanks, manyak.”

                 “Welcome.”

            Wala akong gaanong alam sa pinagdadaanan ni Cyrus ngayon. I know he got some things at hand regarding Summer. Hindi pa ata siya nakaka-move on. I don’t think he can at that kind of state.

            Pumasok ako sa loob. Ipinikit ko ang mata ko. I let myself absorb everything that happened from the past.

            Everything…

                 “Mmmm… I don’t really mind going for round two, Zephyr.”

            Nagdilat ako ng mata. Bigla na lang akong na-divert sa silid ni Zero though… ibang decor, ibang mga gamit… ibang panahon.

            January, 23, 1760.

            Iyon ang aktwal na date na nakalagay sa kalendaryo na nakasabit sa wall. Nakita kong tumayo si Zero mula sa kama. Sinundan siya ng tingin ni Sage. He took a glass of wine then sip on it.

                 “It’s fine, you don’t have to.”

                 “Umiiwas ka ba? May problema ba, Zephyr?”

            Oo nga. May problema ba? xDv

                 “Wala.” Then to my surprise, he looked into my direction and was like reading my eyes. “Wala namang problema… masakit lang sa puso.”

            Huh? I’m on trance, he wasn’t supposed to see me because this is the past! Or… maybe he really didn’t saw me?

            Bigla na namang nag-shift ang lugar. Probably even the time. I don’t know where these visions are heading. But here I saw Zero following Sage while she wipes her blood-stained hand with a clean white towel.

                 “What the hell are you thinking killing that girl? Napag-usapan na nating hindi ka papatay!”

                 “But I am hungry, Zephyr! And I know you are too.”

            Ghad, it wasn’t Zero. It’s Sage.

                 “Isa pa…” humarap siya sa kanya then cupped his anxious face. “You let me do that. You watched me.”

                 “Alam mong kung hindi mo lang siya hawak, hindi ako sa susunod sa lahat ng gusto mo. I love her too much that I can bear watching you do everything you want, when you want it and where you want it. You never had a hold on me, Rosage. Xanara has.”

            What the hell? Paano ako napasok? T-Teka. Nag-iisa lang naman ang pangalan ko di ba? Malay n’yo may iba pang Xanara. = u =

            Pero grabeng co-incidence naman ‘yun. Right?

            March 13, 1910.

            Nasa basement na ako. Sa mismong kinatatayuan ko. Sa mismong lugar kung nasaan ako. Ibang panahon nga lang, ibang oras, ibang itsura, ibang pagkakataon.

                 “Stop this, Rosage, you’re not making sense!”

            I heard her laugh. Bumukas ang malaking pintuan at pumasok ang babaeng tumatawa. Rosage. She looks like she hasn’t been sleeping very well. She has huge bags under her eyes. Insane indeed.

                 “I said I have a surprise for you. Look here, Zephyr, look.” She sounds excited as she opens the cabinet and looked at Zero with a hopeful eyes.

            And I was shocked nang tumambad sa harapan namin ang tatlong katawan na bigla na lang bumagsak. Pero mas lalo akong nagulat nang magising ang mga ‘yon at atakehin si Zero.

            Para silang mga bampira na zombie. They were bleeding to death. Pero halatang-halata na patay na talaga sila. There’s something in there, I just don’t know what it was.

                 “Rosage!”

            She only laughed. Walang nagawa si Zero kung hindi ang patayin ang mga kawawang katawan na iyon. They were ripped.

                 “Nababaliw ka na…”

                 “Oo! Baliw ako! Baliw ako, Zephyr. But you love me…”

                 “I never.”

            ??____??a

            Then we heard hard knocks on the door sa labas habang umiiyak lang ng umiiyak si Sage. Napaupo na siya sa harapan ng mga bangkay habang parang pinaglalaruan pa ang mga ito. Natutuwa pa nga ata siya. Sa totoo lang ayokong maniwalang nabaliw siya dahil sa pagmamahal kay Zero. May iba pang dahilan. Hindi lang ‘yon.

                 “I still have a surprise for you.”

            Lilingunin palang sana ni Zero si Sage nang may itinurok itong kung anong likido na nasa loob ng syringe na hawak niya. Seconds, Zero slowly went on his knees na parang hirap na hirap at nanghihina.

                 “What the…”

            Sage insanely laugh hard. “You’re a beast, Zephyr. No one not even Xanara will love you when she thinks of you that way! I can only! Ako lang!”

                  “Shut up, what did you do?”

                 “Schneider!”

            I was shocked sa nakita kong pumasok. Fvck. Stanley? Why the hell? Siya ba ‘yan o tatay niya? O kaya great great grandfather?

                 “Go and escape. Police are after you.”

                 “Si Rosage?”

                 “We’ll lock her in here. C’mon, let’s go.”

            Tinulungan niyang tumayo si Zero at umalis doon. Sage was left there laughing alone and seated beside the cadavers. Dawn came until morning she was arrested. Tulala siya. Pero alam kong may iba pa ring tumatakbo sa isipan niya kahit wala na siyang kakayahang mag-isip ng tama.

            Now what was that liquid he shot Zero? She said nothing about it.

                 “Xanara?”

            Nakita ko si Cyrus. Nakasilip siya sa pintuan ng basement. “Okay ka lang? I think Randall is starting to get contacts.”

                 “Ah yeah. I think I’m gonna go home.”

                 “Was it enough?”

            Lumabas ako ng basement. Sinusundan ako ni Cyrus. I bit my lower lip habang sinusubukan kong pagdugtong-dugtungin ang mga pangyayari.

                 “Wala ka ba talagang alam?”

                 “No. Nothing. But I know… Zero’s weird. He always submits to Sage as how he submits to you.”

                 “By force?”

                 “Slightly? Compared to you… Sage needed to shout at him. Pero wala siyang sinasabi tungkol doon. That’s why I think he’s on compulsion. But purebloods can resist compulsions. So how?”

                 “Not unless mas malakas ang hatak ni Sage kaysa sa hatak ni Zero. But that’s impossible. She’s converted.”

                 “Not unless original ang nag-convert sa kanya.”

            Napatingin ako kay Cyrus. Original? So ano ‘to nasa vampire diaries tayo? Kuma-Klaus at Rebekah ang drama? Buset. -___-

                 “We all know na walang gano’n.”

                 “Meron, Xanara.”

                 “Sa inyo na rin nanggaling na extinction na kayo. Ni purebloods wala na! Kayo na lang. Paano magkakaroon ng original vampire, Cyrus? As far as I know about them, originals came from the oldest and the creatures that existed from the beginning of your race. They are original.”

                 “Can be not.”

            Napakunot ako ng noo. “Diretsahin mo’ko. What do you know?”

                 “Purebloods are gifted with extra talents. Like me, I am gifted of the water’s element. But when you say original, they were the ones who can cast talent. It’s like the sender and the receiver. They are called original vampires because they are the sender of the talent. Hindi necessary na tumagal sila mula sa unang panahon hanggang ngayon para matawag silang original. They are called original because they have the genes. And they are sender.”

            Puzzle. Sender? Original? Then if Sage is converted by an original, what talent does she possess? What possible talent can she hold that is more higher and stronger than Zero’s? And the most important question…

                 “Who’s original it was?”