Chapter 45: Destined
My hands trembled. I tried to clean up the mess of the broken bottle on the floor to avoid facing Callahan. Was it true? Zackary was being engaged to Rebecca? But he was just here days ago... he told me... I thought...
Hindi ako makapag-isip nang maayos. Without even noticing it, a shard of glass pricked my finger. Tinitigan ko ang patak ng dugong tumulo mula dito.
Hindi ko alam kung ilang minuto akong nakaupo sa sahig nang hilain ni Callahan ang kamay ko. Dinala niya ako sa kalapit na sink. He placed my palm on the running water, diluting the red blood.
My gaze remained blank as he sat me back on the seat. He grabbed something from the shelves to clean the cut and cover it. I tried to say something but my mouth remained dry.
"It's only proper that you know about this," he told me, eyes still fixed on the cut on my finger. "That is... if you're a indeed a woman of Zackary."
I bit my lower lip, my eyes started to sting at the corners. Hanggang sa tuluyang tumulo ang luha sa aking pisngi. Tahimik ko itong pinahid nang may nanginginig na kamay.
Pinagmasan ni Callahan ang aking mukha, tila hindi inaasahan ang luhang nanggaling sa mga mata ko. "So you really have feelings for the alpha."
I blinked, realizing the weight of his words. Umiling ako. "I don't... I can't..."
I heard a scoff from him while standing tall in front of me in the cramped clinic. "You don't?" Tila natawa siya sa sinabi ko. "Look at you, Eleanor. You're a mess and you're telling me Zackary means nothing to you?"
Hindi ako nakasagot. I lowered my gaze to the floor, confused on my own emotions. These tears, the pain blossoming in my chest, the trembling of my hands at the mere mention of Zackary's name. I thought... it was all admiration and respect for him... for being the alpha... for being there for me.
Because no matter how much Zackary assured me. I couldn't let myself have this kind of connection to him... specially now. Now that he was destined for someone else.
"It's the truth..." I mumbled to Callahan. "He really is destined for someone like Rebecca."
Bumuntong-hininga si Callahan at bumalik sa pagkakaupo sa kalapit na silya. Sa mga nakalipas na buwan, isa siya sa mga laging nakakakita nang kahinaan ko.
"It was announced in a meeting," he muttered. "I happened to be with my father. Everyone who matters in town was there, including the council member."
I clasped the skirt of my dress, dreading the words.
"It was announced by the Sir. It was only proper, now that Zackary's an alpha and the Maven granddaughter is his mate. It was almost expected of them. But the Van Zanths seem to refused the idea and relied their decision to Zackary."
His mate...
"But there was no decision made," Callahan resumed. "Because Zackary rushed out of the dinner meeting." I raised my head to stare at Callahan. Tila maging siya ay hindi alam ang dahilan ng bagay na kanyang binanggit.
"He left everyone like he had something more important to do."
Sandali akong natahimik sa sinabi niya. Isang bagay ang pumasok sa isip ko. Pero hindi... imposible. "Callahan..." I started. "When was the meeting held?"
Kumunot muli ang kanyang noo sa tanong ko. "Thursday last week."
Natulala ako sa sinabi niya. It was the night of the thunderstorm. It was the night I got lost in the mountain and Zackary was the one who found me and brought me back to the village.
He left everyone... to come to me. But why did it feel so heavy?
"Do you think I came all the way here to see you like this?" commented Callahan, seeing my tear-stained face and the emotions I was trying to hide from my eyes.
"I've told you this to prepare. Zackary is the alpha of Van Zanth and if you really want to be on his side, you both must know who you are up against."
By noon, Callahan had to leave the village along with the orders. He couldn't stay long even if I wanted him to. There was still a lot of questions I wanted to ask him but I failed to do so. He was the only person who would never veil the truth from me.
I barely recover from the news when I had to leave the village two days later. Considering I had overstayed for an entire week, it still came to me as sorrow to leave them.
I didn't expect I would be this attached to the people in the village. Halos hindi ko gustong umalis, pero kailangan. I have more villages I was initially assigned to for the program.
Nari was sullen the night before I leave. With all the things we've been through for the past 2 weeks, she was the one I was closest to in the village.
"Bibisita akong muli," pangako ko sa kanya. "Or if you happen to go to town, you can visit me in the apothecary and I'll be happy to tour you around."
Nari was sniffing, trying hard not to cry in front of me.
I opened my arms and gave her a hug. "We'll be waiting for you to finish your studies," I told her, smiling. "So you can work with us in the apothecary."
The morning came. Two orders arrived to pick me up from the village and accompany me to the next location. I bade goodbye to the village leader and the people who treated me so kindly during my stay here. I could only hope that the next village would be the same.
Hinatid nila kami hanggang sa paanan ng kakahuyan. Kids run with us until we reached the path leading down to the mountain. I turned my head back to the village one last time to the villagers waving their hands at me.
"Mag-iingat ka, Ms. Eleanor!"
I smiled and waved goodbye one last time. The only attachment I used to have was out of fear and punishment. Is this what it feels like to have attachment with people you barely knew? It was scary to be attached knowing I had no permanency in my life.
I quietly hike with the order down the mountain. I wanted to ask them about what I've heard from Callahan the other day but I know they wouldn't answer me.
What's happening in town? I wished I could know more.
There was a car waiting for us down the mountain that would take us to the next village. One of the orders told me to rest during the car ride because another hike was required to reach the next location. But I couldn't rest at all. Part of me wanted to see Zackary.
The car ride was longer, but the hike was a bit shorter than the first village. We reached the second village after threading through the mountain for three hours. It seemed more accessible when it comes to terrain, the ground was more stable and dry and we only past a few boulders.
Once we reached the village, I couldn't help but notice the difference. The second village was more... unwelcoming. I didn't know if they treated every stranger the same way or if they knew about me and where I came from.
The only person who greeted us upon arrival was the village leader. We only had a short meeting in their small village hall to inform me of the things I needed to know about the place. The populace, facilities, the place where I was going to stay.
After the short meeting, the village leader introduced me to someone, a plump middle age lady who took me to the clinic and to the attached living quarter where I would be staying for the next few days.
The second village was larger and their populace bigger than Nari's village. But somehow, I didn't get to see much of the people outside, specially the children. Most of the villagers were pretty much suspicious of my presence and would only peek from their windows and behind doors of their houses.
I didn't get much done in my first day because it was already late afternoon when we arrived in the village. The orders that accompanied me bade their goodbyes and I was left in the village with people suspicious of me.
No one invited me to their meals and instead, during dinner, the middle age lady from the house next to the clinic served the food in my living quarter and left without saying a word.
I couldn't sleep that evening. My sleeping quarter was comfortable enough, but I couldn't seem to rest my mind even though the hike exhausted my entire body.
I planned to start my work early the next day. But hours past and I lay awake in bed with the silence of the mountain surrounding me. I used to be comforted by it but for the first time since I left the town proper, I couldn't help but feel alone.
I barely had any sleep when daybreak came. Yesterday, I had a glimpse of the clinic and a few of its facilities and I could easily tell it needs work.
The villagers seemed not to trust the leaders of the town and everyone from the town proper. The boxes of medicines distributed by the alpha remained untouched on the dusty floor.
They rely mostly on traditional medicines for their health concerns. Part of it was good since hybrids encounter different effects when it comes to modern day medicines. But these medicines would help them treat emergencies faster.
When I went to the small kitchen of the cabin, the breakfast was already served on the table by the lady from the house next door. The kitchen was empty and silent so I had breakfast on my own while planning my day.
I admitted, I missed having someone to talk to, which was strange because I was used to being alone and doing things alone. But being part of the apothecary and having Anabeth around most of the time, I became used to being part of something.
By eight in the morning, I headed to the clinic to start my work. I first checked the logs and discovered there was barely anything written on the pages and the bottles of medicines and equipment were collecting dust on the shelves.
If I needed the place to be a proper functioning clinic I must start fixing the entire place before I could treat the villagers who needed me. But I doubted if they would willingly approach me.
Habang abala sa pag-aayos ng clinic, nakarinig ako ng ingay sa labas. I stood up from the desk and peek from the window. It was almost noon and a few people were hanging outside the clinic.
At first I thought they needed something so I opened the door. I tried to greet them by slightly lowering my head. But they only stared and continued talking to each other and with the lady next door. That seemed to be the only respond I was capable of receiving so I turned my back and returned inside.
Pero bago ko isinara ang pinto, narinig ko ang bahagi ng kanilang usapan.
"May parating nanamang grupo galing sa bayan. I've heard it's another health program."
"Masyado 'ata nilang niluluwagan ang pagbisita sa village."
"These town people acting like heroes. Hindi natin sila kailangan."
Pagbalik ko sa loob ng clinic, umupo ako sa silya at bumuntong-hininga. Mukhang tama ang obserbasyon ko sa lugar na ito. The village was one of the few remaining places in Van Zanth with traditional people and unwelcoming environment.
Isang grupo ang papunta sa village. Was it the same as the program I had attended with the elites? The village leader mentioned about it yesterday but not in full detail.
Who's coming?
By late afternoon, after listing the inventory and fixing up the clinic. I was prepared to approach the village leader to ask permission to start holding check ups to the villagers.
Paglabas ko sa clinic para pumunta sa village hall, napansin ko ang pagdating ng isang grupo sa village. Sila na siguro ang tinutukoy sa usapan kaninang umaga.
Sinalubong sila ng village leader sa paanan ng village. People become wary of their presence. The children were ushered inside houses, the blinds rolled down and a few people couldn't help but peeked from the doors and blinds.
"May bago nanamang kailangang asikasuhin," the lady from the house next door commented, watching the group approached the village. Umiling ito at bumalik sa loob ng kanyang bahay.
Una kong nasilayan ang dalawang orders, followed by two people who seemed to be staff from the town hospital. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang makita ang familiar na mukha sa gitna ng grupo. Nakabungisngis siya at kumakaway nang makita ako.
"Eleanor!" she called me. It was Anabeth.
Before we could even thoroughly greet each other, the group was ushered to the hall by the village leader. I've waited for things to settle and for their short orientation to be completed bago ko sila nagawang lapitan.
Agad akong niyakap ni Anabeth. "It's been two weeks! I've missed you."
For the first time since I've arrived at the village, I was smiling. "Me too."
Dinala ko sila sa clinic to show them the inventory and the facilities we could work with. Kasama ni Anabeth ang dalawa pang staff mula sa hospital. Habang pinagmamasdan ang masikip na clinic at ang iilang gamit, hindi nila mapigilang mag-usap.
"What I've heard about this place was true after all," one of them commented. "This place is rarely in the list of programs because villagers in this part of Van Zanth are hard to deal with, that's what the seniors said."
"At least we only have a day here."
The clinic was cramped for the four of us, including Anabeth, so the village leader instructed some people to prepare the village hall to accommodate the group's activities in the village.
Habang abala ang dalawang hospital staff sa pag-check ng mga kagamitan sa clinic, hinila ako ni Anabeth papunta sa aking living quarter.
"I couldn't believe you're here," I told her nang makarating kami sa kusina. I was so relieved to see a familiar face in this place, specially if it's Anabeth.
"I promised to find a way to visit you, remember?" she grinned. "I took the program with the hospital staff. Good thing I wasn't group with the elites."
Bigla akong natigilan sa sinabi niya. "Elites?"
Anabeth blinked, realizing the words that slipped from her mouth. "Don't worry, they're assigned to another village at the other side of this mountain."
From the tone of her voice and the worry on her face, alam kong alam niya ang nangyayari sa bayan. She might even be aware of what Callahan had told me.
I hesitated before asking. "Is... Rebecca part of the program?"
Silence swept us both before Anabeth nodded. "She is..."
"Is... Zackary with her?"
Tinitigan ako ni Anabeth, nabigla sa direkta kong tanong. I knew she was only choosing the right words to protect my emotions, but somehow, I know.
"He was... asked by the Sir to accompany her granddaughter to the village. Pero hinatid lang siya at..."
My lower lip ended up trembling so I bit my lip and tried to smile to Anabeth.
It's okay. It was the right thing for Zackary to do. It was Rebecca Maven after all... the one destined for him.
***