The Lost Prodigy

5. Danger

"Sleeping lang walang beauty," sagot ko naman kaya binigyan niya ako ng mapanuksong tingin.

"Sus! Natural lang talaga sa mga magaganda ang maging humble. Parang ako lang talaga ang hindi." Natawa na lang ulit ako sa sinabi ni Ella. But it was interrupted once again by the loud sound coming from my empty tummy.

"Hala nakakatakot na iyong tunog, Blaire. Makapagluto na nga," tugon na lang ni Ella sa akin kaya mahina ko naman siyang binatukan sabay tawa.

Humahagikgik siyang lumapit sa mga hinanda niyang panggatong kanina. Pinagkiskis niya ang dalawang batong nasa kanyang tabi para makalikha ng apoy.

Ella had also created an invisible magical sphere around us. She informed me that the sphere will hide our presence and prevent enemies from tracking us. Pero tatagal lang daw iyon ng kalahating oras kaya kailangan na naming umalis kapag nawala na iyon.

I still can't believe that I lasted a day without eating anything. Pero halos hindi na ako makatayo ng maayos dahil sa gutom kaya tumabi na lang ako kay Ella na sa harapan ngayon ng maliit na bonfire.

Nakita kong may pinalutang siyang malaking dahon gamit ang wand niya. At tumunog ulit ang tiyan ko nang makita ko kung ano ang nakapatong doon.

"Akala ko iyong puting kabute lang ang pwedeng kainin," wika ko sa aking sarili habang tinitignan ang mga mushrooms na nakatuhog sa matatalim na patpat.

"White, tan, and brown mushrooms are the safest to eat. Noong bata pa ako, sinubukan kong kainin iyong pulang kabute na may white spots dahil nagandahan ako sa design. But I swear! Pinagsisihan ko talaga iyon," sabi ni Ella at natawa na lang ako sa reaksiyon niyang parang nasusuka at nandidiri.

"But rest assured, these mushrooms I'm planning on cooking are good for the stomach. Pagpasensiyahan mo na kung sunog o hilaw, hindi kasi ako magaling magluto," pahabol ni Ella sabay kamot sa batok.

"I thought I was the only one," sagot ko na may kasama pang gulat na gulat na facial expression kaya grabe ang tawanan naming dalawa.

Kumuha siya ng isang stick na may nakatuhog na dalawang kabute at binigay niya iyon sa akin at pagkatapos ay kumuha rin siya ng para sa kanya. "Are you from the Oriental Region, Ella?"

Ella looked at me with wide eyes because of what I've said. "Hala paano mo nalaman? People in our town were born with tanned skin pero ako, parang kailangan ko pang magbabad sa araw to get that tone. New faces always mistook me as a girl hailing from the southern region because of it. You were the only one who guessed right. Achievement!" Kuwento ni Ella na may kasama pang pagtaas ng kanyang kamao. Itinapat na namin sa taas ng apoy ang pagkain namin at hinihintay na lang namin maluto.

"I just knew the moment I felt how warm you are when socializing with others. Marami ring naikuwento sa akin noon tungkol sa ganda ng lugar niyo. The Oriental Region is one of the places that I really want to visit," sabi ko sa kanya. My mother always told us stories about other regions when my brother and I were still young. And everytime she talks about the eastern region, there's a unique spark in her eyes. There's something really nice about the Orient and I also want to experience it.

Nakita ko namang sinuklian ako ni Ella ng isang malungkot na ngiti. The light in her face a while ago dimmed before she started to speak.

"I think that was before the reign of the Crimson Empire. I was also told those stories, Blaire, and how I'd hope to experience them too. Napakagulo na ng rehiyon namin nang magsimulang mamuno ang empress. And when the Legion forcedly captured some of us to compete in this trial of death, we fought back because we already had enough. So they killed many of our people, destroyed everything and left our region in ruins."