After The Fall (THE PRESTIGE 4)

01

Parasite

Fall—I think, I have known autumn too long.

Everything around me is glowing—fiery oranges, deep golds, and the kind of red that looks like it’s been kissed by the sun. Even the leaves fall softly. Para silang sumasayaw habang bumababa. Mahina ang pagbagsak at hindi nakakasugat.

Ang ganda. Parang sinadya ng mundo na maging makulay bago maging malamig at maputla ang lahat. Tila pinaparating na mag-ipon ka. Maghanda ka. Painitin mo muna ang puso mo bago dumating ang lamig.

And I believed that. I tried.

Ginawa ko ang lahat para manatili ang init. Ang pag-asa. Ang saya. Ang pangarap ko. Hindi ko hinayaan na mawala ang ningas ng apoy at init sa katawan ko para magpatuloy.

I thought I could protect what I had—even every small joy in my life. I thought I could tuck them away in a place so deep, no cold could ever reach it. I imagined I’d be ready when the winter came—when things got harder, when the sun disappeared a little earlier each day.

Pero hindi pala gano’n kadali.

The fall I went through wasn’t gentle. Hindi siya 'yung kalmadong pagbabago na inakala ko. It was abrupt. Untamed. I didn’t see the cracks forming beneath the colors. Nasilaw ako sa saya, sa pansamantalang kaginahawaan at kapayapaan. It made me feel safe. For a while. But the beauty of it all... it only distracted me.

And now—here I am.

Winter has come. I didn’t notice the cold creeping in. Hindi ko napansin na unti-unti na pala akong nawawalan ng init. Ngayon, nararamdaman ko na ang lamig. Tumatagos iyon sa buto ko. It was deep and biting. Ngayon, parang wala akong saplot sa harap ng niyebe.

I was enchanted by autumn, and I wasn't ready for what came after the fall. Just like right now, I didn't expect that someone would took my place in a snap.

Hindi ko maintindihan. Bulakbol ang taong iyon. Palaging late at laging nasa guidance office. First year pa lang ay usap usapan na siya. I really didn’t care much since he wasn’t exactly a star student. My attention was always on the smart ones, like Henry.

"Huwag kang mag-alala, Narra, isang puntos lang naman ang nilamang ni Lorenzo. " Sabi ni Mrs. Santos. "You still have your scholarship."

That's the point. It's just one point. One fucking point and now, he's on the spotlight. He took my place. That was my place.

"Akala ko nga ay wala ng pag-asa ang batang iyon. Palagi iyong pambato sa mga math contest noong elementary. Nagbulakbol lang nitong highschool."

Napahigpit ang hawak ko sa transparency report nang magsimulang magkwento ang adviser namin.

"Mabuti at natauhan nitong nakaraan. Sayang din kasi ang talent ng batang iyon."

Trigonometry
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 99
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 96

Geometry
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 99
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 95

Biotechnology
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 97
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

English
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 99
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99

Filipino
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 97
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 97

Research
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 98
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 98

Environmental Science
Alcaraz, Juan Miguel Lorenzo. . . . . . . . 97
De Alba, Nazarrea. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 99