F.L.A.W Series Book 4: SAPPHIRE

Chapter Twenty

Sabay binigyan siya ng mabilis na halik sa labi bago  binuksan ang pintuan at lumabas na.

Napangiti lalo si Saph habang nakasandal sa likod ng pintuan. Napahawak pa siya sa kanyang labi at sobra ang sayang nararamdaman. Hindi siya makapaniwala na nararanasan na niya ang ganoong bagay kagaya ng mga kapatid niya.

She has found her happiness. She has found another reason to live. She has found her hope, her savior in this cruel world. She has found love and she intends to keep it no matter what.

Kaya doble ang pag-iingat niya dahil ayaw niyang maging hadlang iyon upang matapos niya ang napagkasunduan nila ni Cornejo at mas lalong ayaw niya na may humadlang sa kanila ni Finnegan at paghiwalayin sila.

She walked towards her bed to unpack her things when a knock came on her door. She smiled thinking that it was Finn again and he was just teasing her once more.

"Kumatok pa eh kanina nga pumasok lang bigla-bigla." Wika niya habang naglalakad pabalik sa pintuan habang nakangiti. "You are such a flirt-" napahinto siya sa pagsasalita nang pagbukas niya ay hindi ang inaasahan niya ang makikita roon. "Nate-" sambit niya sa lalaking galit ang itsura. "What is it?"

Napaatras siya nang humakbang ito kaya naman tuluyan nang nakapasok ang lalaki sa loob ng kwarto niya.

"What's with you and Brandt?" Tanong nito pagkasara ng pintuan sa likuran nito. 

"Nothing."

"You've become a little closer this time." Na humakbang palapit sa kanya. "-a little too close that it's so hard not to notice."

"We just came from a vacation with the kids I'm with and we kinda bonded-"

"-bonded?" Putol nito. "What kind of bond is that? A bond that makes the two of you stick your body to one another, huh?"

"Shut up, Nate, that's not your business anymore!" Anggil niya.

"If it's about you, Xury, I will make it my fucking business!" Mas lalong sumeryoso na ang mukha nito at umaaktong kuya na naman niya. "You're changing and that's because of him."

"What if I am? What's wrong with that? Change is constant. Everyone and everything around us changes. I'm not an exception to that."

"We are who we are. We cannot change ourselves, Xury. We are made like this. We are meant to stay like this till death." Patuloy nito.

"No!" Mariing tanggi niya. "We do not choose how we are made but we can change."

"No!" Ito naman ang tumanggi. "We are, each of us is born with responsibilities.  I am not free to choose to be other than I am, nor is anyone." He is clenching his jaw.

"You're wrong!" She answered back while shaking her head. "Even monsters can change if they want to." And clenched her fist. "I want to."

"You want to change yourself? For what? For whom?" Tanong nito na nagtaas pa ng isang kilay. "For him?" Tukoy nito kay Brandt.

"For myself." Taas-noo niyang sagot. "I want to be free from my past, from who I was. I want to be normal again. I want to live where I don't need to constantly look at my back. I want to let go of anything dark that made me like this."

Nate chuckled a bit as if she just cracked a silly joke on him.

"You want to let go of your past? Do you want to live normally like the rest of the people? What's so normal about them? Look how great we are- how special you are. We are meant to be like this, Xury. We are greater than others who only wish to be like us. It's a gift."

"Then I don't want it!" Mabilis niyang sagot. "I'd rather live like the rest of them, have a normal life, and be free. I don't want this gift that you're talking about."