"Tungkol kay Mina."
[Elmo's POV]
Mabilis syang naglakad pabalik sa akin. Bawat salita, puno ng pagdududa.
"How did you knew that name?"
I know that name like I know the back of my hand.
"Walk with me, Kristine."
Siguro dahil sa kuryosidad din. Kung bakit ko alam ang pangalan ng kababata nya, kaya sumama sya sa akin. Naglalakad kami roon. Palayo sa ibang elite. Para makapagusap kami ng maayos.
"Speak up." Sabi pa nya.
"Alam mo ba kung bakit kita niligtas? Well, beside the fact that it is the right thing to do?"
Umiling sya.
"I have two reasons." I said, reminiscing. Thinking about the girl, so long dead. The troubled dead girlfriend of Ceejay.
"Una, dahil hindi ko nagawang iligtas si Christine. Yung kapangalan mo. We were close you know. Friends. Bago sya namatay ay may mga sinabi sya sa akin. At iniisip ko, kung nagets ko lang ang sinasabi nya. If I just knew that it is her cry of help. Sana nailigtas ko sya. But I failed."
"You told Ceejay about that. What he told her, that she told you. That if you were just able to decipher, you could've helped her. But you can't. No one could. Walang nakakaalam sa atin na necrophile pala si Ceejay. So you save me, out of guilt for not saving Christine. I already knew that. About Mina.."
I ignored her. Dahil para masagot ang katanungan nya. May ilan pang bagay na dapat kong ipaliwanag.
"The second is, because I have to save you."
She stopped walking, and looked back at me.
"Noong bata ako, all I want is a family. My mom died in childbirth. Tiya ko ang nagpalaki sa akin. Yung father ko, dumadalaw lang pag birthday ko. May dalang laruan, pagkain at regalo ngunit minsan lang. I was six. I didn't know by then na kabit ang mama ko. At si papa? May legal na pamilya."
Binubuhos ko ang deepest secret ko. Pero tinitignan lang ako ni Kristine, like she doesn't care. Like she is bored.
Like she doesn't get the point.
"When I was 7, kinuha ako ni papa at inuwi sa kanyang pamilya. Yung asawa nya? She is so gentle and kind, at tinanggap nya ako na parang sariling anak. Minahal nya ako. At ang saya ko. Never akong nagkananay. Never akong nagkapamilya."
Ganito ba lagi si Kristine? Her face blank. She doesn't give a damn. Para bang pader ang kausap ko.
"Hindi ko alam na kaya pala ako minahal ni mommy, ay dahil replacement ako. Well, ngayon alam ko na pero hindi ako nagalit sa kanya. Masaya lang ako na napunan ko ang kulang sa puso nya."
She always called me her prince charming. Kasi I saved her from sorrow.
"She lost her child you know. Kaya inuwi ako ni papa sa kanila. Nawalan sila ng anak. At ang asawa nya, depressed? Ng malaman nitong may anak sa labas si papa, she insisted na iuwi ako. She just lost her daughter. She tried to replace her with a son."
May konting interes sa mata ni Kristine. Na para bang alam nya kung saan na patungo ito.
"My half sister, Domina, disappeared in the Arevalo Massacre and is presumed dead. Kung di sya nawala, I wouldn't have a home, a family, a mom. Siguro hanggang ngayon di ko pa rin alam na may kapatid ko. I gain all those, but I already lost the sister I never had."
"Kapatid mo si Mina?"
Tumango ako.
"Alam mo kung bakit ko naging kaibigan si Christine? Akala ko ikaw sya? From the articles, kilala kita. Ang kababata ng kapatid ko. The only person beside my parents who knew her. At ng malaman ko na invited ka sa Eventyr, when I recieved my invitation, di na ko nagdalawang isip pa. Kinaibigan ko si Christine, thinking she was you. Nalaman ko rin agad. But she is just so.. lost and her story tragic. Na hindi ko magawang iwan sya. Na para bang gusto kong iligtas sya. But I failed."
Her features softened a bit.
"I never really knew Domina. But she is my sister. Ikaw? Ikaw ang bestfriend nya. And she loved you. I wasn't able to save her, but I will do whatever it takes, to save you."
For the first time, I saw her smile. Bago sya maglakad papalayo sa akin. Patungo sa tower.
Little did I know that that will change our lives. Forever.
59th Curse
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