Aberrant: The Other Side Of The World

Chapter 3

I heard the door opened habang naghihiwa ako ng carrot.

It was Cage and he went beside me. Nagsimula na siyang magsaing.

"Bakit ang aga mong umuwi?" He suddenly asked.

"I was sick," I simply answered.

"Did you finished your test?"

"Uh-huh," I nodded.

There was a 7 second-silence before he spoke, "What was your result?" He asked.

I looked at him with a plain expression. "What was yours?" I threw back the question then I smirked.

Bumalik na siya sa pagsasaing, ignoring my question.

Pagkadating na pagkadating ni papa kasama si mama, nagtanong agad sila kung may pagkain na ba because they're really hungry. Lalo na si dad.

"I'll prepare the dinner." Mom said at kumuha na ng mga plato.

"Tris, sit down." Dad said at sinunod ko naman. "Cage, you, too." Cage sat down beside me.

When mom came back from the kitchen, may hawak na siyang mga plato at isang tasa.

Bumalik ulit siya sa kitchen and I think she'll get spoon and forks at pati narin tubig.

I can sense that dad wanted to ask something, but I think, hinihintay niya si mom.

"What was your result?" I thought dad was asking me kaya naman tinignan ko siya. Si Cage pala tinatanong niya.

Bigla namang labas ni mama mula sa kitchen at may hawak na mga kutsara't tinidor and a bottle of water. She sat down beside dad.

Cage cleared his throat before answering, "Astute." He answered.

"Astute?" Dad repeated at nagnod naman si Cage.

Dad looked at mom and they both smiled, may meaning.

"How about you, Tris?" Mom asked together with her smile.

"A-Ab...." I don't know kung bakit walang nalabas na word sa bibig ko. Naalala ko yung sabi ni Zonya. Hindi ko dapat sabihin sa kahit kanino.

I looked at dad and he's waiting for me to answer, same with mom.

"Are you okay, honey?" Mom asked.

"Yeah," I nodded. "Ahm, under-sector." I said. Wala akong maisip na pwede pang sabihin kaya 'yun nalang yung sinabi ko.

"What?!" Cage asked.

"Tris, are you serious?" Dad asked and I made my face really serious.

"Yes," I answered. Then I looked at mom at halatang 'di siya naniniwala, and that made me shocked. "I-I don't fit at any of the sectors." I continued and expecting na maniniwala na si mama pero hindi pa rin, instead, she smiled confidently.

"But that's impossible-"

"NO," I said, cutting off dad. Nagulat siya dahil medyo tumaas boses ko. I looked down.

"Okay, let's eat." Mom asked, trying to fix the situation. Kumain nalang kami ng tahimik.

"I-It's not impossible, it's just extremely rare." I quietly said. Tumingin ako bigla kay mama.

"Good side, it is." Mom said at parang ako lang ang nakarinig dahil sa sobrang hina nung pagkasabi ni mama. Nasa harap ko siya kaya narinig ko.

"Mom," I said and mom smiled.

I think, she knew it already.

"Cage, ikaw na maghugas ng pinggan." Dad said at alam kong sinadya niyang binilisan ang pagkain. He stood up at dumeretso na sa kwarto.

"No, Cage, si Tris na maghuhugas." Mom said pagkaalis ni dad and she looked at me. May pag-uusapan ata kami.

"Okay," Cage nodded at tumayo na siya dahil tinapos niya na din ang pagkain niya. Dinala niya ang pinggan ni papa at yung kaniya sa lababo.

I cleared my throat at siya namang labas ni Cage sa lababo at dumeretso din sa kwarto.

"Tris," Mom said at pinagpatuloy ko lang ang pagkain, pretending that I didn't heard her. I'm waiting for her to call my name again. "I know what you mean." She said at napatingin na ako sa kaniya.

"W-What?"

"Ahm," She thinked first. Hindi niya siguro alam kung saan siya magsisimula. "Ayoko nang pahabin 'to at baka marinig tayo ng papa't kuya mo. I just wanted to say that, when you woke up and see some trees, feel some sand, sea the ocean and the fine birds flying high in the sky, you're in the good side." She said at nagulat na ako nang tuluyan.

"Good side?" I asked, pretending that I don't know what she's talking about.

She held my hand. "You're in the other side of the world." She said. I don't know pero bakit parang nanghihina ako.

"No, mom. When I woke up in a strange place, like what you've said earlier, I'm not in the good side," I said at napatingin sa akin si mama. Halatang gulat siya. "I'm lost." Mom was like shocked pero parang hindi siya naniniwala. "Joke lang, ma. Ito naman, ang seryoso kasi natin." I said then laughed, trying to lift up the mood here.

I stood up at kinuha ang pinggan ko. "Yes, Tris, I'm serious. Really serious." She said and tumalikod ako. Trying not to show my tears in front of her. "Don't be afraid, it's okay." Dumeretso na ako sa lababo.

Narinig ko rin na tumayo siya and I heard footsteps na papalapit sa lababo. "But I don't want to." I said then I faced mom at tuluyan nang bumagsak ang luha ko.

"Hey, I love you. We love you. It's okay, we'll be okay." She said with her calm voice, trying to comfort me.

"I don't want to leave you, nor dad, kahit si Cage."

"Sshh," She said dahil tuluyan na akong napaiyak. "Para rin sa amin 'tong gagawin mo. Para din sa pamilya natin." She said.

I nodded, pretending na tanggap ko na, but no, I can't. Kahit sa choosing ceremony, hindi ko rin alam ang pipiliin ko.

I thought, aberrants don't exist. I thought, they were ghosts. Akala ko, both sides of Earth were the same.

So ano nang mangyayari? Ano nang haharapin ko?

"Ma-"

"Tris, tomorrow, I want you to choose who you truly are, and what you truly believes. Okay?" She said. She knew that I was going to ask that question. "Don't be sad, I'm so proud of you." Napatingin naman ako bigla sa kaniya nang sinabi niya 'yon.

I don't know what to reply that's why, ngumiti nalang ako.

I'll miss my family. Even though na hindi ko alam kung mahihiwalay ba ako sa kanila o ako ang mahihiwalay sa kanila.

Pero sana, walang mahiwalay. I want this family to be forever complete.

"Oh, by the way, mom," I said as I wiped my tears. "Is there something about the astute?" I asked and I looked at her.

"Why?"

"Kasi parang may something, e. Nung pagkasabi ni Cage na astute siya, nagtinginan kayo ni dad. Is it bad na astute si Cage?" I asked. I'm sorry but curiousity keeps on killing me.

She laughed first. "Sa mundo natin, hindi mawawala ang pagiging unfair, alam mo 'yan." I nodded as she looked at me. "Our leader, Macro, he really want this world na mag-improve tulad ng sa aberrant. Kaya naman humihingi siya ng tulong mula sa mga astute, at handa niyang bayaran ang mga 'yon." She stopped.

"Bayaran? B-Bakit babayaran?" I asked as I frowned.

"Nung tinanong niya kung paano uunlad ang mundong ito, the astutes said that, the only way is to kill the people and let the aberrants rule the whole world. At sa paraang 'yon, uunlad ang both sides of Earth." She said, trying not to laugh.

"No way," I said at nagpatuloy sa paghugas. "But I thought astutes were smart enough? 'Yun lang ba talaga ang way para umunlad? Tss." I said.

"That's why you can't trust anyone in this world. Kahit sa aberrant, hindi lahat ng leader, responsable." She said and I nodded.