Rebirth Of Gifflet

Chapter 55

"Why didn't you tell me earlier? Plano mo rin ba ito? Kyrie likes him so much, Gifflet. What are you really planning?" nanghihina niyang tanong na puno ng galit ang mga mata.

I stared at him for seconds. Hindi pa ba niya nakukuha kung ano talaga ang plano ko? "Because he will f*****g spare you, Aris. Kahit wala kang kasalanan, hindi siya gano'n magagalit sa'yo dahil may anak ka. May anak kang aalagaan at poprotektahan. Malapit ang loob niya sa mga bata at hindi kaya ng loob niyang makitang maulila ang anak mo."

That's what I'm thinking. Hindi niya gano'n kamumuhian si Aris at alam kong maiintindihan niya ito. Komplikado ba 'yung mga plano ko? Bakit parang hindi nila maintindihan.

Noong una, si Beam, kinailangan kong ipaliwanag sa kanya para makuha niya ang punto ko. Tapos ngayon si Aris. Dahil ba kinain na sila ng mga emosyon nila kaya hindi nila makita ang punto ko sa likod ng mga ito?

Nag-iisip din ako. Paulit-ulit kong inisip at tinatsa ang lahat bago ko pinlano.

Napatango-tango siya nang makuha ang ibig kong sabihin. Medyo kumalma na rin siya at yumuko na lang. Nanatili kami sa gano'n at hinayaan ko siyang kumalma na muna.

Hindi iyan makakausap ng maayos kapag lunod sa mga emosyon. Ganyan din si Beam noong una.

"Right. I'm sorry for what happened. Hindi ko alam, hindi ko alam na tinuloy nila. I rejected it at first because I couldn't involve innocent people," sabi niya sa nanghihinang boses. I can see regret in his eyes.

I sighed deeply. "I know. Alam ko, Aris. Kaya nga sinabi kong wala kang kasalanan hindi ba? Hindi mo alam na tinuloy nila kaya wala kang kasalanan doon."

Napatango-tango siya pero kalmado na siya hindi kagaya kanina na halos mamatay na siya sa guilt na nararamdaman niya. Dalawang buhay ang nadamay doon at half dead ang girlfriend ni Ley ngayon. Alam kong matinding konsensya ang nararamdaman niya ngayon. Naiintindihan ko siya dahil lahat kami ay nararamdaman iyon.

Halos pinapatay kami ng sakit at konsensya dahil doon. Lalo na at hindi namin masabi-sabi kay Ley lahat nang nangyari. Not now, not yet.

Alam ko ang ginagawa ko at sana hindi mawala ang tiwala nila sa'kin. This will take longer but the only thing I can promise is success at the end. Hindi ko hahayaang mapunta sa wala ang mga sakripisyo nila, namin.

Nabalik ako sa sarili ko mula sa malalim na pag-iisip. Humarap ako kay Adrienne na mahimbing na natutulog at yumakap sa kanya. She's my peace, she's the only one that could calm me. Kaya paano na lang kapag wala siya?

I closed my eyes and slept.

flashbacks...

Nag-ikot ang mga mata ko sa lugar kung saan ako dinala ni Dad. I was curious when I saw bunch of kids in a room. Marami sila sa loob at may mga rumi sa mukha at katawan.

Mukha silang-takot na takot habang dinadaanan namin sila ni Daddy. Every room has kids in it that confused me. Why are they in that room? Why's their clothes like that?

Lumapit ako kay Dad dahil sa ilang na nararamdaman dahil nasa amin lamang ang mga mata nilang nakatutok. I looked up at Dad but he doesn't care.

Parang sanay na siya sa lugar na ito at walang pakialam kahit titigan man siya ng mga bata rito.

"Dad, bakit po ang daming kids dito like age po?" kuryoso kong tanong kay Dad nang hindi maisip kung bakit may mga bata rito na kasing edad ko.

Why are they here? And why are they wearing clothes like that? Are that orphans? But they look worst. They seems not orphans.

"Stop asking, Son. I didn't take you here to asks stupid questions."

Natahimik ako sa sinabi ni Dad. Hindi na bago sa'kin ang ganyang pagkausap niya sa'kin dahil alam ko namang hindi anak ang turing niya sa'kin. I'm still young but I can feel things around me. I'm not that dumb and clueless.

We continued walking while eyes were on us. Yumuko na lang ako para hindi ko makita ang mukha nila. They were looking at me like they pity and envy me. I'm really confused?

What are these kids doing here? Shouldn't they be outside playing?

My thoughts stopped when Dad opened a door and went inside. He didn't invite me in. I looked up and didn't know if I will enter or not.

Sa huli ay hindi ako pumasok dahil bilin ni Dad na huwag na huwag pumasok kung hindi naman invited. Iyon ang isa sa tumatak sa isip ko kaya hindi ako pumasok. Maybe I'll wait here.

Nagtingin-tingin ako sa paligid at nagpapasalamat dahil nalagpasan na namin ang mga rooms na mga bata ang nasa loob. The walls were glasses and transparent.

Kitang-kita ang nasa loob. Naglakad ako diretso sa nakita kong pasilyo. My curiosity couldn't take it and I want to look around to find out what is this kind of place.

It feels creepy and not right. What's going on here? Habang naglalakad ako ay ang pinto pader ay hindi na gaya ng mga salamin kanina.

Hindi na kita ang nasa loob at purong itim ang mga salaming pader. I continued walking until I saw a kid around my age or older.

A man was in front of him and my eyes widened when I saw the man slapped the kid. My Dad used to do that to me, is that his dad?

"You really can't learn, can you?" the man asked with gritted teeth. The kid immediately got up and bowed.

Gumilid ako para magtago pero sumilip pa rin ako makita sila.

"Don't be a p***y, Kiddo. Hindi ka namin kinuha para maging mahina. Ayusin mo ang training mo," galit na sabi ng lalaki bago tumalikod. So that man isn't his Dad?

Them why did he hit him? He's cruel like my Dad. I waited for the man to lose from my sight. When I was about to walk towards the kid, he spoke. "Come out."

His voice was cold and no emotions in at all. I shivered when I felt something weird. Why does his voice like that?

I walked towards him and checked his face. He's a bit taller than me. I checked his face and saw his cheek turned red.

"What are you doing here? You shouldn't walk around here if you're new. You're a new kid, 'no?" malamig pa rin ang boses niya.

"Wow! Your eyes were green!" puri ko nang matitigan ang mga mata niya. Cool! He got green eyes. Is he normal for having that kind of eyes? I've never seen eye color like that before. "What do you mean? My Dad took me here and yes, I'm new around here."

"I envy you. You're not a trafficked kid." I was confused when he said that. What does he mean? Trafficked? What is that? "Hindi ka dapat nakikipag-usap sa'kin."

"No, I like you. Can you be my friend?" I offered. He seems nice. "And why is that man slapped you? My Dad used to do that to me too."

His eyebrows shot up. "Listen, I'm a slave here and you shouldn't talking to me right now. I have to continue training," he said and was about to walk away.

"Why not? I like your eyes. It's cool. By the way, I'm Gifflet, eight years old. How about you?"

He faced me before answering. "Aris, ten years old."

He turned his back once again and started walking away. "Good bye, Aris. See you when Dad takes me here again!"

He didn't turned to face me. He was just walking away until he opened a door and went inside. I feel bad for him.

I'm not stupid to not understand what he meant. He was a kidnapped kid. I know Dad kidnaps kids.

Anger started to build inside of me because of my Dad. He wasn't just abusing me but he's also doing it with other kids. He's taking kids from their parents that made me hate him more.

He's evil that takes everyone's freedom. I'm still young but anger was built inside me against my father. Habang palaki ako nang palakiay mas tumitindi ang galit ko kay Dad pero wala akong lakas kalabanin siya. Mahina lang ako at mag-isa lang.

"What the f**k are you doing here, Gifflet?" A large hand grabbed my small arm. Napaigik ako ng mahina nang maramdaman ang sakit nu'n. "Let's go home."

That's the first time I met a kid that I wanted to be my friend. Dad took me there again after a few days and there I saw Aris holding a toy gun and directing in front.

"Aris!" I was shocked when he pulled the trigger and the gun that I thought a toy shoot. My eyes couldn't believe it.

His head turned suddenly and looked for me. I saw him while we're walking around the place again. Dad was inside the room and didn't invite me inside again.

The man that slapped Aris was in the room with him. His eyebrows raised but didn't say a word.

I hurriedly opened the door of the room that surrounded by transparent walls. I walk towards Aris until I was in front of him. "Wow! You're cool, Aris! I thought that gun was a toy!"

He didn't speak and just stared at me lifeless. I keeo smiling ear to ear because I received a hard slap from my Dad just to be with him again to see Aris.

"What are you doing here, Kiddo? Go back where your father is. He's surely looking for you," the man said while throwing dark stares at me. His voice was scary and the way he looks at me but I shrugged.

I'm not scared at all so did Aris. Parang sanay na siya dahil hindi ko nakitang natakot siya sa lalaki. His face was just emotionaless and cold. I wonder why his reaction is like this. What happened to him?

He seems not a kid. He's silent.

"I just want to talk with my friend, Sir," I said respectfully. I was looking at him asking that he will let Aris talk to me.

He stared at me for seconds before looking at Aris. "15 minutes, I'll give you 15 minutes to rest and talk to your friend."

We watched the man walked out the room until he was lost from our sight. I looked at Aris once again. He's walking towards the long metal chair and he laid there. Humiga siya roon na tila pagod na pagod siya.

"It's been days, Aris. How are you?" I asked even I know he's not fine. Bruises were all over his small arms and neck. I looked away pretending I didn't see those.

"Hell," simple pero maraming ibig sabihin ang nakapaloob. I sat on the floor in front of him.

I want to talk to him about this place. I know this place was out of the governments involvement. "Kaya mo pa ba?"

He didn't talk for a long time. "It's been five years. Five years since I started living in this hell place." Napatitig ako sa kanya habang nakapikit siya. He's taking his time to rest like what will happen next will be a torture. "Do you know that your father is trafficker?"

Hindi ako sumagot ng ilang segundo. I know my father's evil deeds and that is what I hated him the most. He's more evil than the devil. "Yeah. I know he's an evil person."

"Right. Everyone of us were evil in some way or another. You, you're an evil too in your own way and I am one too." He sat on the long metal chair before facing me seriously. "Do you know they made me kill a cat and a dog?"

My eyes settled on him and watch how he grit his teeth. I watch how pain consumed his eyes and that is the first time he showed an emotion.

I couldn't talk. They made him kill a cat and a dog. How cruel are they to make him a killer. Napalunok ako dahil ramdam at naiintindihan ko siya.

Bata man ako ay nakakaramdam na ako.

"I love cats and dogs you know."