Siegfried

Chapter 13

She wore a thousand face

All to hide her own

- Atticus

Chapter Thirteen

Deep down

Napapitlag at napasigaw ako ng hawakan ni Azalea ang kanan kong braso saka nya ako biglang binitawan, nagpapahangin ako sa balkonahe bago matulog ng gabing iyon ng bigla na lang itong pumasok at lumapit sa'kin.

"What the hell." Napahawak ako sa braso ko.

She chuckled while rolling her eyes.

Tiningnan ko sya ng masama bago ako bumaling sa braso ko. Napakurap-kurap ako ng makitang may naka-tattoo na doon. It's a circle, pinapalooban ulit ng bilog at sa gitna ay tila may nakasabit na maliit na crescent moon.

Lumuob si Azalea habang ang mga daliri ay pinapadaan sa mga muwebles na madaan nito.

I followed her, confused.

"What was this for?" I even tried to erase but it's not working.

"Nah! Just for your own safety..." Saglit akong nilingon bago ulit tinitigan ang mga kagamitan sa silid. "Ayaw mo naman atang maging hapunan nila, hindi ba?"

Napatango ako kahit hindi sya nakatingin sa'kin.

"My business here is done, I already locked the souls of those statue's and I cured Siege. So, I will be leaving later."

"What? You're Phoenix with some magic?" I mumbled confusedly.

She chuckled. "Kung nabuhay ka ng ilang libong taon sa mundo... Trust me, lahat matututunan mo. Lahat mararanasan mo, lahat malalaman mo."

Umupo ako sa gilid ng kama at tinitigan sya. Hindi talaga maipagkakailang maganda sya, napakaamo ng mukha nya. She even looks younger than me.

Paano kaya pag sila ang nagkatuluyan ni lolo Sebastian? Am I going to be one of their grandchildren? Am I going to be born? Am I going to live forever? Am I going to have magic and be like her, a Phoenix?

A mortal and a Phoenix? Nah! Not bad.

"Masaya bang mabuhay ng matagal?" I asked.

Natigilan sya at tumingin sa'kin. "It's a mixed of pleasure and pain, Francesca. Sadness and happiness, achievement and failure... Walang nangingibabaw."

"So, you have wings huh!"

Ngumisi sya. "In my human form, seeing my wings will cause you blindness. So, sorry, hintayin mo na lang na maging Phoenix na literal ako."

"How did you become a Phoenix? I mean, are you cursed?"

Nag-iwas sya ng tingin pero hindi nakatakas sa'kin ang kakaibang emosyon na dumaan sa kanyang mata. She blink twice then her eyes turned to emotionless.

"You will all be traveling next week?" she asked, diverting the topic. "Felix said."

Tumango na lang ako at hindi na nagtanong pa, mukhang ayaw nyang magkwento. Of course, sino ba ako para pagkatiwalaan nya. I'm just a Beltran and my grand grand grandfather broke her heart. So for sure, she doesn't trust me.

"We're heading to Africa, they said." I shrugged. "That's all I know."

"They are really planning to bring back the sun huh..." She roll her eyes.

"Bakit sa Africa? Dahil ba marami doong disyerto at mainit?"

Humalakhak sya. "God! The only portal that is working and the gate to the seven kingdom is located there."

I bit my bottom lip, mas lalong nagulhan. "Portal? Seven kingdom? What?"

Napailing sya. "Just ask them, okay!"

Hindi na lang ako nagpumilit kahit nagugulhan sa mga sinabi nya.

I cleared my throat. "Kung ganon ay maayos na si Siege?"

Tumango sya pero maya-maya'y pinaningkitan ako saka pumikit at umungol na para bang may hindi sya kanais-nais na nabasa sa mata ko pagkatapos ay tinitigan ulit ako.

"I want to give you an advice, Francesca."

Tinaasan ko sya ng kilay.

"Hmm, what?"

She crossed her arms. "Don't fall for anyone of them."

Napakurap-kurap ako sa sinabi nya saka sya pinandilatan at napahalakhak na lang.

"Yeah! Whatever," she flipped her hair. "Don't say that I didn't warned you." then leaved my room.

Tumatawa pa rin ako kahit wala na sya hanggang sa natulala na lang ako. I covered my face with my hands. Nakaramdam ng takot sa maaaring kahinatnan ng sinabi ni Azalea.

Pupungas-pungas akong lumabas ng kwarto ko at medyo inaantok pa. Azalea's advice polluted my brain kaya madaling araw na akong nakatulog.

Napakurap-kurap ako ng makarinig ng hagikhikan saka biglang bumukas ang pinto ng kwarto ni Felix at nagsilabasan ang mga babaeng nakasuot lang ng bikini, ang iba naman ay manipis na shirt lang at ang iba ay wala ng pang-itaas.

Nagising na ng tuluyan ang katawan at diwa ko sa nasaksihan lalo pa't hindi lang tawanan ang naririnig ko kundi ungol.

"Oh! Lord Felix, oh, ah... f**k me hard, Felix... Oh! God, faster."

Lumuwa ata ang mata ko sa narinig at nag-init ang pisngi. Naramdaman ko ang paglapit sa'kin ng kung sino pero hindi ko na ito napagtuunan ng pansin dahil natulala na lang ako.

"Felix and Aiken!" Elric shouted. "You know that we have a kid along with us."

I tried to looked at Elric when someone pulled me and covered my eyes and ears but it's useless, naririnig ko pa rin ang mga ungol at tawanan.

"Ugh, let me go." I snarled aggressively.

"Stay still," he warned.

Pangahas nya akong niyakap at isinubsob ang mukha ko sa kanyang dibdib saka nya tinakpan ang tenga ko.

Namilog ang mata ko kasabay ng pagdagundong ng puso ko sa agresibo at walang pangundangan nyang ginawa.

Because of what he did, mas pinalala nya pa ang sitwasyon. Ang mga iniisip ko. Ang nararamdaman ko.

I just heard erotic voices and surely, e*****a scenes is next then he will hug me like this? Of course, anong iisipin ko. He just made it worst.

Shit.

"Siege, pwede mo na siguro akong bitawan."

Mahinang pinagpagpag ko ang kanyang braso pero mas humigpit lang ang hawak nya sa'kin pero hindi naman sa paraang nasasaktan ako o hindi na makahinga.

Narinig kong may bumukas na pinto at narinig ko ang pagtawa ni Aiken.

"What? We must enjoy life."

Humagikhik ang ilang babae.

"Shut up, Aiken!" I heard Daelan warned.

"Felix," Lyon called him. "You know that--- holy s**t!"

Lyon made an ugh sound when we heard something in Felix's room.

Tila ba may ibinalibag saka isang malakas na ungol at sigaw pagkatapos ay ang paghiyaw ni Felix. Maya-maya'y tawanan na lang ang naririnig ko pero hindi pa rin ako binibitawan ni Siege.

Felix chuckled. "C'mon, it's f*****g valentines... Love is in the air, we must---"

Siege cut him off. "Fix yourself, dipshit!"

Felix groaned.

"You two, clean your mess." si Daelan.

"C'mon, tumikim din naman kayo kagabi ah!" Aiken yelp.

Napamura na lang ako sa isipan.

Felix laugh boisterously. "Except Elric..." Then he teased him. "Yeehah, Elric, wanna taste?"

"I'm going to kill you slowly, Felix, without you noticing it coz I'm going to stop time and I'm going to throw your useless body in the pacific ocean." Elric rebuked dangerously.

Felix giggles like a girl. "Oh! How romantic. Should I be packing now?"

"Seriously, Felix."

Gumalaw si Siege at hinila na ako palayo sa mga ito.

Nang nasa sala na kami ay doon nya lang ako tuluyang binitawan. Nagtataka nga ako sa kanya kung bakit doon nya pa ako pinakawalan. Pwede naman noong nasa taas pa kami.

Nanghihina napaupo ako. Pinisil ang namumula kong pisngi.

I'm not new about this thing. s*x is a bit of our topic in highschool especially if we are bored. Some of my friends will talked about s*x and sometimes, we also watched rated movies but hearing it live, of course, it's goosebumps. And seriously? During valentines talaga?

"You will get used to it."

Gulat ko syang binalingan pero mabilis ding nag-iwas ng tingin. Nakaupo sya sa sofang nasa harap ko habang nakasandal at nakatitig sa akin.

Sunod-sunod akong napabuga, pilit pinapakalma ang marahas na pagtibok ng puso ko.

Expect Elric huh. So ibig sabihin, pati sya, lahat sila... Napapikit na lang ako.

I know for them, it's nothing. Open-minded sila sa mga bagay na iyon.

"Stop thinking about it."

"I'm not."

"Then why are you blushing?" There's a hint of amusement in his voice.

I groaned in misery and looked straight back to his eyes. "I'm not thinking about it, sadyang maputi lang ako at natural na ipinanganak akong mala-rosas ang pisngi."

Nagkibit-balikat sya, tila aliw na aliw sa'kin kaya mas lalo akong nainis.

"I'm not thinking if you or Felix or all of you had... Had s-s*x last night."

Nagkaron ng gitla ang kanyang noo, ipinagdaop ang mga kamay saka ipinatong sa hita at bahagyang yumuko.

"s*x? Felix was talking about tasting bloods..." Tumaas ang gilid ng kanyang labi. "Not sex."

My eyes widened and lips parted in disgrace. Mas nag-init ang pisngi sa ipinahayag nya.

Sa mga oras na iyon parang gusto ko na lang maglaho para makaalis sa paningin nya. In the corner of my eyes, I saw how he lick his lower lip and bit it like he's suppressing his smile or laugh. Napapikit ako at mahinang napaungol.

"Okay, Felix... This is not funny anymore." pagalit kong sabi habang kapit na kapit na nakakapit sa braso nya.

Ginising nya ako kinaumagahan para lang sabihing may sorpresa sila sa'kin at kinakabahan at natatakot ako. Kahit ayaw ko, wala rin akong nagawa kundi magpa-piring at sumama dito dahil siguradong hindi ako nito titigilan.

Pambawi raw nila sa nasaksihan kong kagagugang pinaggagawa nila.

Azalea's voice was echoing in my head, especially the part when she said about that fall thing.

But I'm ignoring it. It's impossible for me to fall for them, one of them.

Felix, he's the funny and jerk one but I treat him like my brother and for sure he will never think of me as one of his girls. That's like duh!

Elric, para sa'kin siya ang pinakamatino sa kanilang lahat. Well, that's what I think. Yes, he's touchy, clingy and showy but I know that the holding hands and hugs was nothing. I can feel it.

Aiken, he's flirt just like Felix and I never imagine myself to be intimate with him. And I know, vice versa. He just love teasing and making me pissed off.

Daelan, he's actually caring. One of the serious and man of few words. He's not that talkative but he always think of my health. He's like my mom, always thinking of the foods I should eat. But not like them, he's elusive. He was like full of secrets.

Lyon, yes, I have this thing for him. I know it and I'm aware that he's special but it's only a crush. And it looks like he treat me like his younger sister. But I know, it's just a crush.

Siege, I feared and at the same time hated him. But just like Daelan, he's also full of mysteries. And as I said, and I know, I can't and I will never figure him. The way he thinks and moves, I will never understand it. Sometimes he's nice but all the time he's snob and I don't know why he always saves me.

I know myself when I start liking someone so trust me, I will never fall for anyone of them kahit pa kaibig-ibig naman talaga sila.

After this, sa pagbalik ng araw, babalik na rin ako sa dati. Just like what Lyon promised, lalayo na sila sa'kin at hindi na magpapakita.

Narinig ko ang pagbukas ng pinto at boses nila.

"Felix!" I whined when he tried to remove my hands.

"It's fine, you're f*****g safe so don't worry."

Tuluyan na niyang naalis ang kamay ko at lumayo.

"Kapag may ginawa kayo sa'kin na hindi ko nagustuhan, makikita nyo." I shrieked, not thinking straight because of nervousness.

Narinig ko ang pagtawa nila.

"Okay, remove your blindfold, Frances." Daelan commanded.

"Makita ko lang na nakahubad si Felix at sayawan ako, tatakbo talaga ako." I warned them.

"Don't worry, sasamahan pa kita sa pagtakbo kapag nangyari iyon." Lyon utter.

Felix groaned in disapproval while they just chuckled.

Tuluyan ko ng inalis ang piring pero hindi ko pa binubuksan ang mata ko, para kasing napakaliwanag ng paligid.

"Open your eyes, Frances." Lyon soothed.

I slowly opened my eyes and my lips parted when I saw my surroundings.

It feels like I'm on the beach, I can hear the sounds of it's wave. The sky is peaceful and I can see the birds flying. The sun is there and I can feel it's warmth, it's brightness.

"H-How?" Namamasa ang matang tanong ko.

"It's Elric's ideas, thanks to him we have an artificial sun." Daelan informed.

Nginitian ko si Elric saka mahigpit na niyakap. "Thank you!"

"Hey! What about us? Me?" Felix protested. "I f*****g helped him also."

I ignore him.

"We know that you missed the sun so we did this." Elric murmured. "But all of it was artificial, screen lang ang lahat ng nakapaligid sa atin."

"It's okay!"

Tumango ako saka lumayo sa kanya pagkatapos ay tumingkayad at dinampian ng halik ang pisngi nya. Napa-sipol sila dahil doon.

Malaking bagay na para sa'kin ang ginawa nila. They made me happy.

"I will hug all of you as a sign of gratitude and appreciation."

"How about the kiss?" Aiken asked.

Tiningnan ito ng masama ni Lyon.

I roll my eyes then hug them one by one.

I smiled at Lyon and hug him tighter, ginulo nya pa ang buhok ko bago ako binitawan.

Napalunok ako ng yakapin ko si Daelan, I tap his back and immediately let go of him then I faced Siege.

He raised a brow at me but I still hug him even though I don't want to.

"Aiken's right, how about the kiss?" He teasingly whispered in my ear at naramdaman ko ang pagsagi ng labi nya sa tainga ko.

Bahagya ko syang itinulak saka mabilis na lumayo, I even heard him chuckled playfully.

I stared at the artificial sun then at them. They're all staring at it also.

Malungkot akong napangiti, I lied when I said that it's impossible to fall for them especially if they are going to be like this everyday.