Montreal High School

MHS: Twenty-Five

Skie's POV

I was staring at her back, leaving me dumbfounded from behind. Alam kong may plano syang sinasarili nya simula ng makauwi sya galing hospital. Ramdam ko kasi ang pagkabalisa nya, pagkalutang nya, at pagkakulang ng tulog nya. Hindi ko naman sya makausap ng maayos kasi hindi sya namamansin. Lagi siyang nakakulong sa kwarto, at laging may hawak na ballpen at papel.

Sinusubukan ko ring magtanong sa mga doormates nya kung may napapansin silang iba sa kanya, pero iisa lang sinasabi nila.

"Ganyan talaga yan tuwing andito sa dorm."

Kaya naman hindi sila nakakahalata na may mali sa ikinikilos nya. Si Hans naman, he careless, paano bata pa. Mas matanda nga lang ng isang taon kay Kiarra.

Pero nung nag tanong ulit ako isang linggo bago sya maka recover ng maigi. Sabi nila,

" Lagi nyang kausap si Tito sa phone. Tapos, lagi syang nakadukdok sa laptop. Ang dami nga nyang ginagawa eh. Type dito, sulat doon. Print dito, dikit doon. Sa folder sya nag didikit hindi sa pader ng kwarto. Para din syang may tinatago. Lagi din ang habilin nya kay Hans. At, para syang natatakot kada araw na lumilipas." bumuntong hininga si Rain. Siya kasi ang matured mag isip, sa kanya ko rin hinabilin ang pagbantay sa kanya. "Skie, kausapin mo sya. Ramdam ko ang pagsasarili nya ng problema nya. Simula palang, may suspetya na ako. Hindi ko lang sinasabi dahil gusto ko, sure ako sa mga sinasabi ko. Ayaw kong mag jump into conclusions. Malay ko ba baka humahabol lang sya sa school works namin. Eh kasi, last week talaga parang may mali. Napapakiramdaman ko ring mas balisado sya."

"Nasubukan ko na rin syang makitang tuwing gabi, sobra ang habilin nya sa bawat isa sa amin. Lumalapit sya kapag tulog na kami at habilin sya ng habilin na 'Kapag dumating na ang oras, sana alagaan nyo ang kapatid ko. Protektahan nyo ang bawat isa, at mahalin nyo ang bawat isa. Paki bantayan nalang ang pamilya ko ha? At hwag nyo ako kakalimutan. Paki sabi kay Skie magpakatotoo na at mahal na mahal ko siya. Paki sabi rin na namimiss ko na siya. Na baka hindi ko na siya makitang muli. Sinasabi ko lang ito kasi hindi ko maiwasang isipin na baka matapos ng araw na yon, wala na ako. Wala ng Heaven Blackwell na babalik. Hwag nyong kalimutang mahal na mahal ko kayong lahat. Magpakatatag kayo, at sana hanggang sa huli, kayo kayo pa rin ang magkakasama. Mahalaga kayo sa akin, kaya please, ingatan nyo ang sarili nyo. Mahal ko kayo, ang pamilya ko, si Skie, mga kaibigan ko. Salamat sa lahat, at pasensya na sa gagawin ko balang araw.'"

Umiiyak siya ng patayin nya ang recorded voice record ni Heaven. Napakuyom ako sa kamao ko. Alam ko na ang gagawin nya. At naiinis akong wala man lang akong alam don.

" Skie, hangga' t maaga pa, kausapin mo siya. Alam kong alam mo na ang tinutukoy nya, ako walang alam pero may suspetya, kaya please hangga't maaga pa, kausapin mo siya. Sabihin mong mag sabi naman siya, hindi yung sinasarili nya nalang lahat. Kung mahal nya tayo, ikaw, kami at ang pamilya nya, nagsasabi dapat sya. Hindi yung, sa kanya nalang lahat."

Tumango ako non kay Rain at tinapik sya sa balikat. Matapos non, kapansin pansin talaga ang pagkabalisa at pagkalutang nya. Ang hirap nyang kausapin at hindi mo talaga alam kung sinasadya nya ba talaga o hindi.

Dumating ang araw na ito, at kinausap ko siya. Umamin na rin ako at ginawa ang hiling nya. Pero di ko talaga maiwasan ang hindi mangamba. Hindi ko na magagawang baguhin ang isip nya.

Nahihirapan ako pero gagawa ako ng paraan. Tse-tsempuhan ko kung kelan nya yon gagawin. Sa oras na matsempuhan ko talaga, susunod ako. Susunod kami.

Antayin mo lang Isay.... Mahal ka namin at dahil don, tutulungan ka namin. Antayin mo at kami ang magliligtas sayo.

---
It was a new day, at heto ako, ibibigay ang outline ng plano ko kay Daddy, he said he'll fetch me and we'll talk at his office, in short I'll go back to the place where I've grown, in our mansion. I skipped class as I wrote a note saying that I'll be back later before evening and take care Hans. Na sabi ko na sa mga dormmates ko ang tungkol kay Hans, about the threat on his life, at iyon ang ginawa kong dahilan bakit ako nawawala sa sarili ko. They seemed taken by that except Rain and Dana, as usual, Rain was so intelligent that she can speculate if a person was lying or not. While Dana, she is a reaper, she listened to her gut feel, senses and whatsoever. Reaper's think rationally, logically and they see everything in angles, they're senses were high and they listen to their gut feels. Now, Dana use her reaper sense, and she was suspecting me. 

Nasa parking lot na ako ng school, nakita ko si Daddy na nakasandal sa kotse nya at nilalaro ang car keys nya, it felt deja vu, pero ang kinaibahan, Skie wasn't coming with us. Dad looked up as he felt my presence, he flashed a worried smile as I kissed his cheeks. 

"Dad, I'll take my motorcycle, para hindi na kayo magaabalang iuwi ako." pero umiling si Daddy

"No, iuuwi kita para mapanatag akong safe kang uuwi." 

"But"

"Please?" I was shocked that dad said that word. Sighing in defeat, I nodded and sat at the passenger seat, but I yelp when I saw a reaper seating in there

"Young Lady" saad nya,

"Dad, what is this reaper doing here?"

"I let him come, you know, my safety" napahinga akong malalim, right, safety comes first.

"Lets go" I said

---

Nasa mansyon na kami ngayon at agad kaming dumeretsyo ni dad sa office nya, binilin nyang walang ninuman ang magiinterupt sa paguusap namin. As I seated at the couch dad went to his table took out some file and sat acrossed me. He sighed contemplating if he will show me or not. In the end, he showed me the file. I reviewed it as I gasped at the last picture, I hold it well as I looked further. This can't be.

"Is...is this Vincent Elmero and Kiarra?" and yes, it was Kiarra, Skie's sister. How can it be?

"Kiarra wasn't Skie's blood related sister, she was an adopted child and I can't see any reasons why is she with Vincent Elmero" dad said

"I have to tell this to Skie" I said determined

"But"

"Dad, no. Pag ako ang nasa kalagayan ni Skie at hindi sinabi sa akin na si Hans pala ay nakikipagugyanan sa organization, I'd felt betrayed. Now this picture that I just saw needs clarification also, kailangan tong sabihin kay Skie."

"Look Heaven, I understand your sentiment but we aren't sure if Kiarra was really one of them or was being blackmailed or not"

"But still. It was a personal matter for them. What if you'll knew that Mom was being one of them yet I have known it so long I didn't told you, what will you feel?" I countered. Natahimik si Dad, tumango sya

"Alright, tell him. But make sure he'll keep it a secret and don't move" 

"How bout Sir John?"

"He was the one to know first. He gave me the picture and told me to keep it"

Then biglang bumukas ang kwarto, I felt the eerie feeling so I knew who was it.

"Peter"

"John"

Agad na nagkamayan sila. "Did you kept it?"

"Yeah, I let her saw it, she was in an alone mission" then I looked at dad with disbelief, didn't I told him to shut it? Tas biglang may lumitaw na unwanted guess, he looked at me with squinting eyes.

"Skie"

"Heaven"

He looked at me with dull eyes. This smells trouble, tas napatingin sila sa picture, with a swift move I get it and hid it. 

What the fuck was happening?

---
Revised: April 01 2021