Chapter 7: A Visit
We went back to the apothecary with me drenched and Anabeth dirty. Nasalubong kami ng ilang senior staff na galing sa greenhouse at nadatnan ang ayos namin.
"What happened to the both of you?"
Before we could properly answer, Senior Violeta, one of the heads, instructed us to go inside and fix ourselves.
Anabeth and I went straight to our rooms. Pagdating ko sa bathroom, inalis ko agad ang coat na suot ko. One of the sleeves of my shirt was drenched in blood. Nilinis ko ang sugat na nakuha ko mula sa pagkahulog sa ilog at binalot ito ng manipis na tela para pigilan ang pagdudugo.
When it's time for dinner, dumaan si Anabeth sa kwarto ko para sabay kaming bumaba sa dining hall. Tahimik siya sa doorway habang pinagmamasdan ako.
"May problema ba?"
"Nakaka-guilty kasi," bulong niya. "Hindi ka mapapahamak kung hindi kita sinama sa gubat."
Umiling ako. "I like foraging."
Despite of the incident, I enjoyed myself. I enjoyed walking and being in the forest, surrounded by creatures breathing with me. It feels so alive. The little things on the forest floor such as seedlings and mushrooms and moss, to the towering trees branching above us.
"Basta sa susunod, kapag may gusto kang gawin, 'wag kang mahihiyang magsabi sa'kin. No matter how horrible it is, sasamahan kita."
Nakangiti na siya pagbaba namin sa dining hall. Nabanggit niya din na natutuwa ang mga senior staff sa mga nakuha naming mga halaman sa gubat.
"We could spend the next few days processing them in the tower. We could extract their leaves then dry some of the roots to make powder." Nasa gitna kami ng hapunan nang bigla niyang matanong. "Pero ano kayang ginagawa ng taong 'yon doon?"
"Sino?"
"Alexander," she muttered, picking up a strand of her pasta with a fork.
Bigla kong naalala ang nakita ko sa bulsa ni Alexander. "Those flowers we found in the river, you said we need it to treat an isolated case of mineral poisoning."
Tumango-tango si Anabeth. "Humingi ang hospital sa'tin ng antidote three days ago kaya lang wala tayong jade hemlock sa greenhouse so Senior Violeta scheduled a foraging."
"May iba pa bang cases nito?"
Napaisip si Anabeth. "Wala pa akong nababalitaan na bago. But the isolated case was from the northern part of town. Malayo ang mga risedente sa bayan so most of them rely on the visiting teams for their health."
I had a hard time sleeping that night. My wound was pulsing kahit pa humingi na ako ng gamot sa infirmary. Humiga ako sa kama, pinikit ang mga mata ko.
I don't care if you drop dead in front of me. I bought you to be useful, not to be a burden!
Isang ingay ang gumising sa'kin kinabukasan.
"Noooo!"
Napabalikwas ako ng bangon at lumabas ng kwarto para tignan ang nangyayari. Anabeth was in room, her door halfway opened, habang palakad-lakad siya.
"Anabeth!" saway ng isang senior staff na nakarinig din sa nangyari. "What's with this ruckus so early in the morning?"
Sumimangot si Anabeth bago bumulong. "Sorry."
Pinuntahan ko siya sa kanyang kwarto bago sinara ang pinto. "May problema ba?"
Umupo siya pabagsak sa higaan at bumuntonghininga. Our rooms were pretty similar to each other, the poster bed, the desk, the drawers and position of the large glass windows. Pero ang kwarto niya, puno ng gamit... some of them were all over the floor. Illustrations of plants, opened books, pile of notebooks on her desk and samples of plants on bottles and jars.
Hinawakan ni Anabeth ang magkabila kong balikat. "I have a huge problem!"
Napakurap ako. "May maitutulong ba ako?"
"It's my schedule to go home today!"
Pinagmasdan ko siya, nagtataka. "Is that... a bad thing?"
"Yes," she exclaimed, hands on her face. "Because it's also my schedule to visit the mansion to deliver some medicines. Isang buwan ko itong hinintay. Don't get me wrong, the reason behind the visit isn't good. But it's not everyday we get to visit the alpha's mansion!" Biglang nagningning ang mga mata niya habang nakatitig sa'kin. "Ikaw ang pumunta."
I stared at Anabeth's expectant face. "You just need to deliver the medicine and check on Ms. Zanra's health."
Zanra? The alpha's daughter?
The mansion and the alpha's family... I remained intimidated by them. Ngayon ko napagtanto ang agwat ng estado nila sa mga simpleng mamamayan sa bayan. I shouldn't have said all those things the first time I met them.
"Isn't the task supposed to be for a more experienced staff?" I asked.
"Well, there used to be Senior Helga who's a member of the Van Zanth household. She loved visiting the apothecary, but she was gone for two years now."
Pareho kaming natahimik. "I asked for this task from Senior Violeta a month ago and they might not give me another chance if I missed this, Eleanor."
Her lips pulled up into a pout. "Please? There won't be any trouble this time, I promised. Van Zanth mansion is the safest of all the places in town."
"Just deliver?" I confirmed.
"And check on Ms. Zanra. Just some basic questions for her health record."
I bit my lower lip. "Okay."
Nagliwanag ang mukha ni Anabeth. "Thank you!"
Hapon na nang umalis ako sa apothecary. Anabeth reminded me to wear something presentable for the visit so I chose a button down shirt and dark pants under my brown coat. Bigla ko tuloy naalala ang una kong pagbisita where the last thing that could describe my state was presentable.
Makulimlim at nagbabadya ang ulan paglabas ko. A black car was waiting on the driveway with an order who would drive me to the mansion. Dala ko ang mga gamot pagpasok ko sa sasakyan. The entire ride to the mansion was silent. Strange how it was more nerve wrecking than the first time. Dahil siguro alam ko na kung sino ang mga makakaharap ko.
Pagdating sa mansion, pinapasok agad ako ng isa sa mga tauhan kung saan nasalubong ko si Ms. Laura sa living room. She's wearing what seems to be a formal attire of sage green dress and a coat. Ngumiti siya nang makita ako.
"Oh, Eleanor, it's you," bati niya sa'kin. "I'm glad you arrived early."
I remained standing by the doorway, still confused what should I do. Should I greet them? Should I bow my head?
"We're actually heading to Fabrice to deal with some matters." Inayos niya ang pagkakasuot ng itim na coat sa balikat niya. "I'll lead you to Zanra's room in a minute."
From the staircase, the alpha approached the living room. Tuluyan akong yumuko.
"Eleanor, am I right?" he asked in a deep, heavy voice.
"Y-Yes sir. Good afternoon."
Sumulyap si Ms. Laura sa kanyang asawa nang makababa ito sa hagdan. "Hon?"
"Yes, my wife?"
Lumapit si Ms. Laura at inayos ang collar sa damit ng alpha. "You're rushing again."
Bumuntonghininga ang alpha. "I just don't get all of this last minute appointments."
Ms. Laura placed her delicate hands on the alpha's cheek. "Just calm down, okay?"
The alpha stared at her, golden eyes fixed on the beautiful lady he called wife. Both of them were very much in love... an emotion I only read in books.
***