Shipwrecked Hearts

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Nalilito ako sa lahat ng nangyayari. Hindi ko alam pero tila pumapayag ako sa gustong mangyari ni Kuya Kid. It has always been like this ever since we were kids. Lahat ng utos niya ay sinusunod ko na tila isang masunuring aso.

"Starfish," naramdaman ko na ngayon ang kamay ni Maximo na mahigpit ang pagkakahawak sa aking braso, tila pinipigilan akong pumunta kay Kid sa kan'yang kinatatayuan. "D-Don't." He muttered through his weakened breath. Doon na ako nagsimulang manghinayang. What am I doing? Saka lang ako bumalik sa huwisyo dahil sa ginawa niya.

"Ang iyong hinaharap ay nakabalot sa kamatayan. Maaaring kamatayan mo o kamatayan ng mga taong mahal mo. Maaari ring kamatayan ng nasa sinapupunan mo." Tinignan niya ang aking t'yan. "At ikaw ang puno't dulo nito. Mag-ingat ka, Kira. Huwag ka masyadong masilaw sa liwanag dahil sa oras na ika'y mabulag nito, dudumugin ka ng kadiliman. Walang iba kun'di kadiliman."

Doon na nagsimula akong malinawan sa kapalarang binanggit ni Caroline sa mga huling sandali bago siya pinatay. Kumuyom ang kamao ko. This must be it. This must be what she is pertaining to. Ang masyadong pagkabulag sa ilaw, sa kapangyarihan—gaya ng inaalok sa akin ni Kid, to rule the world of the pirates? Gusto ko siyang saksakin nang saksakin hanggang sa maging gutay-gutay ang katawan.

"Maximo," I faced him. He was pale. His stone-hard face can't lie, especially his eyes. It seems like he is battling between falling asleep and staying sane. "I won't go. Hindi kita iiwan."

Hope flickered on his agonized eyes, as if he wanted me to say that since the beginning. Unti-unti niyang pinikit ang kan'yang mga mata, "I'll try to stay." He said, almost breathless. Pagkatapos ay humilantad siya sa marmolisadong sahig.

Nanlaki ang aking mga mata. Hinawakan ko siya sa kan'yang mga balikat, "Maximo?!"

"I'm tired, Starfish..." his voice was rough as if his throat was dry. "I'll just sleep." Sa lahat ng oras na pwede kang matulog, bakit ngayon pa? I scanned his state, siguro nga kailangan niya ng mahabang pahinga. Masyado siyang nawalan ng dugo. I need to end this fast so he can be mended. Hinaplos ko ang kan'yang buhok—curly locks, but smooth and soft.

Good night, Maximo. Let me take care of the rest.

Binaling ko ang aking tingin kay Kid, at sa batang nakahiga lamang, hindi na siya humihinga. Tila binalot ng kamatayan si Mermaid, iyon ang naaamoy ko. I looked at her, teary-eyed. Hindi ako makapaniwala na lahat na lang ng taong malapit sa akin ay tanging kamalasan ang nagiging hinaharap.

Siguro tama nga ang hula ni Caroline.

"Aki, let's go." Kid lend me his hand, confident that I will bite his offer.

Humigpit ang hawak ko sa aking dagger, "ikaw ba ang may pakana ng lahat?" May galit sa aking boses. It felt like it wasn't my voice anymore. Tila nabahiran ito ng lason, nakakamatay ang kamandag.

"Be more specific." He inclined himself unto the wall and crossed his arms.

Sa mga sandaling ito, wala akong ibang naramdaman kung hindi ang pagkamuhi at pagkalumbay. Hindi rin nakatulong ang pagkaamoy ko sa iba't ibang mga dugo sa kastilyo. As if fueling the bloodlust I've been fighting so hard, dahil sa oras na mahulog ako sa panunukso ng aking utak sa akinh sarili, alam kong lalabas ang demonyong natutulog sa kaloob-looban ko.

"Let's start with Caroline." I looked at him with my killer gaze.

"I killed her." Pagkompirma niya. How can he say it as if it meant nothing to him?

"Why?"

"You're asking me why?!" Tinaasan niya ako ng boses. Halata ang galit sa kan'yang mukha. "I saw how she said those awful things to you, I only did what a brother will always do! I can't stand seeing someone say hurtful words to you!" It must be the oracle. He must be pertaining to the fortune-telling. "I only did you a favor. Ever since I first laid my eyes on you, I knew you were my sister. I watched you from afar through Anatole, the guy you killed thinking he was the killer. I tried several times to make you remember me, but it seems like you have totally forgotten. From the corpse, I carved the initials of my name. But right now, your gaze feels different, as if you now remember me again." Humalakhak siya. "You're pretty much alive now because of me."

"Don't fucking take credit for someone else's efforts." I hissed and looked back at Maximo. Pagkatapos ay binaling ko ang aking tingin sa kan'yang, "how about Minerva?"

"I killed that fucking bitch! Alam kong binantaan ka niya noong gabing iyon. I couldn't stop myself! Nobody fucking dares to hurt my sister and get away with it." He's obsessed. He's crazy. He's the real psychopath. "Isinunod ko naman si Goliath! Nagtimpi ako! I wanted to kill him the moment he said it was your fault, but I stopped myself because there were a lot of people. Patience, eh? Hinintay kong pumunta siya sa kan'yang chamber. Gaya ng ginawa mo noon, I used words to make him insane. I used his weakness and vulnerability against him, making him commit a suicide. Then, I carved my last initial, D. It was an almost perfect scheme."

"Nahihibang ka na." Iyon lamang ang mga katagang nabitawan ko. Masyado akong nanghina dahil sa aking mga nalaman. All this time. The man behind this was with us, pretending to be Joziah. Hindi ako makapaniwala, but then a part of me said it was something to be expected. Marami talagang traydor saan mang lupalop ng mundo ka magtago, basta kung may tao sa paligid, maraming ahas.

"Ikaw ang nahihibang!" He growled, nakita ko ang pagkuyom ng kan'yang mga kamao. "You're no longer pure. You're now tainted with the dark faces of the world. Buntis ka, hindi ba? Why the fuck are you pregnant?!"

"Ah, you want me to tell you why?" Hindi ko alam pero tila unti-unti akong nilalamon ng mga umaapaw na damdamin—galit, sakit, hindi ko maintindihan. Tila nilulunod ako nito. Wala akong kontrol. May kung anong hayop na nakakulong sa aking loob, tila hinihintay na kusang magbukas ang kulungan. Naglakad ako palapit sa kan'yang, "I made love with Maximo, because I love him."

He scoffed. Bahagya siyang umurong dahil sa aking paglapit. I can smell a faint fear coming from him, it was only for a brief moment, napalitan agad ito ng tuwa. "That's it, Aki. Unleash the beast."

"Nobody tells me what to do unless that somebody is Maximo."

With that, I grabbed the dagger from my hilt and flung it in an instant. It propelled into the air, making a swift piercing sound of the gust of winds, nang ilang pulgada na lamang ang layo nito sa mukha ni Kid, mabilis niyang iniwasan ang matalim na punyal, one second too late and he won't be as good as a dead meat.