my name is not love

level twenty two

Third Person's POV 

    Hindi maalis ang pagkabalisa ng mga kasama ni Orion sa van habang tinatahak pa rin nila ang kahabaan ng daan. Ni hindi nila alam kung saan hahanapin ang grupo nila Ivan ngunit sinubukan pa rin nilang balikan ang mga dinaanan nila kanina bago nakarating sa Mephistopheles Town. 

     "Ivan naman kasi, saan ba kayo nagsusuot?" bulong ni Orion sabay kabig sa manibela pakanan. Narinig iyon ni Cat na siyang nasa passenger seat kaya't hindi nito maiwasang mapakunot ng noo. 

     Seryoso pa nitong sinipat sipat ng tingin si Orion bago napapitik ng daliri. "Oh, alam ko na bakit parang pamilyar ka. Ikaw 'yong batang laging kasakasama ni Lucifer noon, hindi ba?" 

     Bahagyang natigilan si Orion sa narinig at mas itinuon nalang ang pansin sa may kadilimang daan. Mukhang nasa kakahuyan na sila. 

      "Uhm, excuse me, who the fuck is Lucifer?" inosenteng tanong ni Rath mula sa backseat. 

      "The guy in a white jacket," sagot ni Cat. 

    "Grabe naman, alam naming medyo salbahe si Ivan pero Lucifer talaga?" hindi makapaniwalang saad ni Archie at nagpigil ng tawa. 

    "How do you know him?" 

      Parang biglang mas lumalig ang simoy ng hangin sa loob ng van na kinalalagyan nila dahil sa seryosong tanong na iyon ni Orion. Maging si Hope ay napasiksik sa  ni Rath dahil sa naging asta ng kabanda. Hindi sila sanay sa ganoong klaseng bersyon niya. Masyadong matalim. Masyadong mabigat. Para itong ibang tao at mukhang napaka delikado niya. 

      Ngunit mukhang wala namang naramdamang tensyon si Cat kaya nagkibit balikat lang ito at kampante pang sumandal sa kinauupuan. "How do I know him? Well that bastard was the one who rescued my sister, along with the Dazarencio's Young Master, a girl from Montoya's residence and a Meager Class girl  from a kidnapper." 

     "You mean si Rui, Typo, Demise at Nath, right? Saka teka nga bakit parang galit ka?" kunot noong tanong ni Archie na nasa backseat din. 

      Napatungo si Cat. "Because yes, he rescued them from the kidnappers, but Rui was traumatized. She can't even speak for almost a year and Nathalie seems to forget about her entire existence too." 

     "Wait? Magkakilala na pala dapat sila dati palang?" tanong ni Hope at bahagyang lumapit. 

     "They used to. But it seems like Ivan uses his connection to erase Nath's memories about Rui. After that, nabalitaan nalang namin na nagtatrabaho na si Nath at ang nanay niya sa Dazarencio Residence." 

      Sa pagkakataong iyon ay tuluyan nang napatapak sa break si Orion. Napatili sina Archie sa likod at halos sumubsob na nga papuntang harapan ang inosenteng si Rath na walang naintindihan sa mga pinagsasabi ng mga kasamahan. 

      "But Nathalie said she worked at the Dazarencio's Residence since she was in kinder?" Napakunot ang noo ni Orion. 

    "Meaning, she should have been a servant of Typo when they were kidnapped in elementary, right?" 

     Napailing lang si Cat dahil doon at napatitig sa kawalan. "Nath and Typo first met each other at the warehouse when they were kidnapped along with Rui and Demise. I can understand if Typo's memory won't serve him right anymore because that kid was always been traumatized even by his own family. It wasn't his fault that he was born a Dazarencio."

     "What angers me the most was his brother. That motherfucking Ivan! Because Nath was always been with Rui since their kinder days. They were childhood friends and they were just fine like that. Yes Ivan saved them from the kidnappers but he also took Nathalie away from my sister." Suminghal si Cat.