Red Strings of Fate (Haunted Series 2)

Strings 28: Risk

"You don't have to know." He placed the spoon before me but I didn't take it.

"Anong mangyayari sa mga patay? Pano tayo? Aatake ba sila uli?" Nagsimula akong manginig sa iniisip ko. James and his men in battle. Guns and screams echoing the night. Bullets and blood showering the air.

My nightmare coming true.

"Let's change the topic." He firmly says and my heart aches seeing his mask fall into place. I nod, dropping the subject, and taking the bite he's giving.

Ang kanyang kamay sa aking bewang ay dumulas sa loob ng aking t-shirt, umiikot ang kanyang hinlalaki para gumuhit ng bilog sa aking balat. It's supposed to be comforting but it's making me shiver.

He continues his care, but his face tells me his playfulness is gone. He retreated into that space in his head again.

Wanting him to come back to me without his mask, I ask more, "Sabi ni Jamie dinaanan ka na raw ng doktor?"

Tumango siya at pinunasan ang gilid ng labi ko sa sauce na kumalat.

"Buti naman."

Dumausdos ang kanyang hinlalaki at hinaplos ang ibabang labi ko. "You nurse me better." Napailing ako sa namumuong pagnanasa.

"About Jamie..." Tumaas ang kilay niya at inalis na ang kamay sa labi ko. "I didn't know. I didn't know she was... sexually assaulted before."

"She shared it with you?"

Tumango ako.

He hums and places a spoonful of food on my mouth, that I take.

"That was my first kill."

Nahirapan ako lumunok sa sinabi niya at natulala nalang sa walang emosyon niyang mukha. Naalala ko ang kwento niya sa shooting range and now it made perfect sense how and why he did it.

"I saw the man on top of her and I didn't hesitate to grab his gun."

Fury invaded my bones and I wanted to hug TJ and scream. They didn't deserve any of that.

"What are you thinking about?"

Matagal pala akong nakatingin at napatitig ang mga mata ko sa kanya. "I want to go back in time and murder him for both of you."

Nagulat siya at napailing sa sinabi ko.

"You should spend more time with her." Nagtaas siya ng kilay bilang tanong at sumagot ako, "Jamie."

It's clear Jamie misses her twin brother.

Napatingin siya sa bintana at ilang minuto siyang nag iisip habang nakatingin roon nang magsalita.

"She doesn't like the spotlight, you know? She never liked the attention. She never liked taking risks."

He resumes his work of feeding me and I munch the good food while I listen.

"But because of wanting to rise above her fears, and to do better for the world. She's now a risk taker and shared a saying she once read, 'Risk is the universe's way of pushing us to become more than what we are'."

I smiled. His twin sister endured and did so many things and I feel like I shouldn't and don't have the right to even complain about what's happening to me.

"I love her," I whisper. I admire her for being a strong human being.

"More than me?"

Naptigil ako sa iniisip at eskandalosang napatingin sa kanya. Sumisigaw ang puso ko sa pagbanggit ng L word.

Umubo ako at chineck ang sugat niya, hindi pinansin ang kanyang tanong. Nilunok ko ang pagkain bago magsalita. "Kamusta ang sugat mo?"

Tinaas ko ang t-shirt niya para tingnan ang bagong bandage. Mukha naman siyang okay.

"If you want to see my body, tell me and I won't even complain. We deserve this after being cockblocked by Sky and Hera."

Napaubo ako sa sinabi niya at inabutan niya ako ng baso ng tubig, "Careful, you're coughing way too much, little Hope."

Napalunok ako nang maisip kung saan kami patungo kagabi, tapos ngayon hindi ko mapigilang isipin ang natutulog na halimaw sa ilalim ko.

Pinilit ko i-pokus ang aking atensyon sa sugat na tumigil na sa pagdurugo, habang hindi umaangat ang tingin kay TJ. "Does it hurt?"

"No."

"Gago, how high is your pain tolerance? Do you not feel anything?" He says mind over matter. But sometimes your mind doesn't matter from how painful it is.

"I do feel pain. But I hide it. And I'm good at it—I think I even fool myself sometimes."

My heart tears up from his words, witnessing his mask fall for me to see his true self.

"Don't hide from me... You don't have to when you're with me."

We stare at each other and I drown myself in his golden orbs. Our eyes search for questions and answers in each other.

( ˶ˆ꒳ˆ˵ )