The Secrets

Four - Devil's Doing

   Pagkalabas ko ng office ay nakita ko si Danielle na naghihintay sa akin.

"Are you okay?" tanong niya pagkalapit ko, tumango tango lang ako bilang pagsagot.
"Narinig ko lahat Zemi." I look at her bored. "And?" tanong ko. Mukha namang natakot siya sa tono ng pananalita ko.

   I wish I could have been nicer to them pero hindi maaari. Mas mainam nang ganto. I don't want them to get hurt.

   Emotions are trouble.

"Uhm Tara? Nandoon na sina Cielo at Luka." she said nervously.

   Now I actually feel bad. I dont know since, when did I bother? I know I'm always cold towards them pero there's something different now. Something that's been missing.

   And I can't quite put a finger on it.

"Nasa SO na ba sila?" Marahan kong tanong.

    SO is our 'Secret Office' it may be too common for a name but Danielle said It's the least they will expect from us. Kaya lahat nang lugar at pag aari namin ay pina-pangalanan namin ng mga common na pangalan like our DL which stands for 'Death Lab.'

"Oo at dahil ayokong ma-late sa show. We should be there atleast 25 minutes from now." sabi niya ng nakangiti, she's trying to ease things up. I sighed.

   What did I do to deserve them?

"Make sure that's worth to watch Danielle." malamig kong sabi.
"Absolutely." nakangiti nitong sagot sa akin.

*****

   Driving clears up my mind.

   Binuksan ko ang bintana ng kotse ko and let the wind carry my burden. Everytime I drive, I feel like I can escape this life, it made me feel that I can run and that I can be myself, or at least the girl that I was hiding deep inside.

   The scared me.

   I never wanted this, I never wanted to have this kind of power, the killings, the tortures and being the deadliest weapon out there but this is what I was granted with. I can't leave, not now. Never.

   Pagkalipas nang ilang minuto ay nakarating din kami sa SO. It actually looks like a normal two storey mansion pero our hideout ay nasa underground.

"Magandang araw po Ma'am Zelaina at Ma'am Danielle." bati samin ng servants pagkapasok namin ni Danielle.
   They're actually regular employees na we hired for the house maintenance. Wala silang ka alam alam sa underground at sa mga trabaho namin.

"Nasaan sina Luka manang?" tanong ni Danielle sa isa sa mga tauhan na matagal nang nagse-serbisyo sa amin.
"Nasa kwarto niya iha, kasama si Cielo at isang bisita."
"Thank you manang." malambing na sagot ni Danielle at naglakad paakyat sa hagdan.

   Tumungin naman agad si manang Rosa sa akin at ngumiti. "May gusto ka bang kainin nak?"

   Fifty-two years old na ang Manang Rosa. Mag isa lamang ito sa buhay dahil matagal nang namatay ang pamilya nito sa sunog.
   I remember the first time I met her sa hospital, she told me na I reminded her ng anak niyang pumanaw na. She was really depressed at that time and nang makita niya ako, ay agad itong lumuhod sa harap ko at nagmakaawa na kunin ko siya bilang housemaid sa bahay.