#DS5Unbowed #EmbRace #DaggerSeries
CHAPTER 13: DARE
EMBER'S POV
Hindi ko na mabilang kung ilang beses na akong napahikab. Malalim na rin kasi ang gabi at nabusog din ako masyado sa naging dinner namin na thankfully ay maraming vegan options. Saka may dala rin si Lia. She was worried na baka wala akong makain. How sweet is that?
Nag-angat ako ng tingin nang maramdaman ko na may humawak sa kamay ko at bahagya iyong inilayo sa apoy na nasa harapan ko.
"You might burn yourself," Trace said while eyeing the stick I'm holding.
Nagdala kasi si Lucienne ng marshmallows. She even bought a vegan one so that I could have some too. They are all so considerate.
"Nasaan sila Lia?" tanong niya.
Tanging si Coal at Domino na lang kasi ang kasama ko. They are at the opposite side of the fire. Kanina ay nandito rin sina Lia at Gun pero nagpaalam sila na may kukunin lang daw sa kuwarto nila sandali. Iyong iba naman kasi na mga kapatid ni Trace ay susunod na lang daw at mauna na kami rito.
"May kinuha lang sa kuwarto nila," sagot ko.
Nakangising bumaling si Coal kay Trace nang marinig ang pinag-uusapan namin. "Maybe Kuya Gun impressed Lia with his fire-starting strategy that he's showing it to her again."
"Duda rin ako kila Kuya Thorn." Nalukot ang ilong ni Domino. "Saka sina Belaya at Kuya Pierce. Baka mga nagpapakitaan ng camping skills nila."
Nagtatakang nagpalipat-lipat ang tingin ko sa dalawang nakababatang Dawson. "Is that... safe?"
"Hindi naman kailangan ng maging safe nila Kuya Pierce," natatawang sagot ni Domino.
"I don't think they should do that inside the room. They might trigger the automatic sprinklers. Pwede naman nila ditong gawin na lang."
Coal and Domino burst out laughing. Trace glared in their direction before he took a seat beside me. Iniladlad niya ang hawak niya at napagtanto ko na jacket iyon na may logo ng Dagger. Iyon siguro ang kinuha niya kanina nang umalis siya sandali.
"Nilalamig ka?" tanong ko kay Trace.
"Hindi para sa akin 'to."
Hindi ko na nagawang makapagtanong muli nang siya na mismo ang nagsuot sa akin niyon. It's a little chilly outside, and I've been rubbing my arms to keep warm.
"May jacket din ako na dala," sabi ko.
"I don't want to touch your stuff without your permission." He pulled the zipper up and gave me a small smile. "This will do for now."
Iginalaw ko ang mga kamay ko. Masyadong mahaba ang mga manggas ng jacket. I look like a child in it.
Nangingiting inirolyo ni Trace ang sleeves ng jacket at nang matapos siya ay pinakatitigan niya ako. There's something in his eyes that tells me that he enjoys seeing me in his clothes.
"Kuya Trace," tawag ni Coal sa binata. "Bakit hindi mo ipakita kay Ember ang boy scout moves mo at gumawa—"
Hindi pinatapos ni Trace ang kung ano pa man na sasabihin ng kapatid. "Gusto mong ikaw ang tuhugin ko ng stick at iihaw?"
The other two Dawson just laugh quietly, as if they are boys who have been scolded. Nagtataka man sa inaakto nila ay ipinagsawalang-bahala ko na lang iyon. Marunong din akong gumawa ng apoy ng walang lighter at posporo. I've camped before.
"Use your words, princess."
Gulat na nilingon ko si Trace. "Ha?"
"You wanted to say something, but you didn't." Inilapat niya ang hintuturo sa pagitan ng mga kilay ko. "When you're trying to stop yourself from talking about what's on your mind, this part always creases."
How do he keep noticing things like that? Kahit ako ay hindi ko alam na ginagawa ko iyon. "It's... it's nothing important."
"I still want to know."
Bumuntong-hininga ako. "Sabi kasi ng mga kapatid mo ay pakitaan mo ako ng boy scout moves mo. Kaya ko ring gumawa ng apoy na hindi kailangan ng lighter o posporo." When Trace just stared at me, I looked away. "I told you. It wasn't important."
"They're talking about creating a different fire."
"May iba bang klase no'n?" nagtatakang tanong ko.
He didn't have the chance to answer my question because the others finally arrived. Bumaling ako sa mga mag-aasawa at muli akong binalot ng pagtataka nang pagmasdan ko sila. Lucienne looks flushed as if she got her cheeks pinched hard, Lia's usually pristine hair looks dishevelled, and Belaya's smiling like a cat that got the cream—
Oh.
I eyed the women's husbands, and I didn't need to think hard to understand why they looked much more relaxed than before.
"Oh," I breathed.
Trace continued to watch me, his eyes burning in a way that I'm sure was not just because of the reflection from the bonfire. It's the kind that can burn you even without you putting your hands in the flame.
He caught a lock of my hair and tucked it behind my ear before he whispered quietly, "Yeah."
Hindi ko magawang salubungin ang tingin niya. I was thankful of the distraction that the others provided. Nagsiupuan na kasi ang iba pang mga Dawson. Lucienne sat beside me, and her husband took a seat on her other side. Sa tabi naman ni Trace naupo ang mag-asawang Pierce at Belaya, habang malapit kila Domino ay sila Lia.
Sa pagtataka ko ay may inangat si Lucienne na umiilaw na bagay. Nang mapansin niya ako ay nginitian niya ako. "It's my Twice Candy Bong." Pinailaw niya iyon at winagayway. "Maglalaro tayo. Gumawa ng bunutan si Belaya kanina para sa mga dare. Kapag huminto sa inyo ang lightstick pagkatapos ng kanta ay bubunot kayo. Everyone that fails will choreograph a dance at the end of the night."
"Kailangan pa ba? Naglaro na kayo ah," nagniningning sa kapilyuhan ang mga mata na biro ni Domino.
"Saka bakit may sayawan pa? Hindi pa ba sapat ang fire dancing niyo kanina?" tanong naman ni Coal.
Parehas napaaray ang dalawang nakababatang Dawson nang batukan sila ng mga kapatid na malapit sa kanila. The heat on my cheeks returned, knowing that out of all the people here... I'm the only one who hasn't experienced the kind of game and dancing that they are talking about.
My embarrassment halted when I realized something. Hinawakan ko ang dulo ng shirt ni Trace na kaagad ko namang nakuha ang atensyon.
"I don't know how to dance," I whispered, horrified at the thought. Nang mapakurap siya na para bang iba ang direksyon ang pinunta ng isipin niya at nilinaw ko ang sinabi ko. "The consequence to failing a dare."
"Don't worry. None of us are good at dancing. Just have fun and don't think too much of it." When he saw that my expression hadn't changed, he lowered his head to look me straight in the eyes. "If it makes you feel better, kapag natalo ka ako na lang ang magiging stand-in mo sa pagsayaw."
"Okay lang sa'yo?"
"I don't mind dancing."
I couldn't help the rising anticipation of seeing him dance. "Really?"
Bumaling sa amin si Lucienne na mukhang narinig ang pinag-uusapan namin. "Walang kahihiyan iyang si Trace kaya huwag ka magtaka." She didn't give Trace a chance to argue with her because she waved her lightstick again. "Ano? Game na ba lahat?"
"Anong kakantahin natin?" tanong ni Domino.
"Alam niyo iyong Campfire Song Song ni SpongeBob?" Bumuntong-hininga ang babae. "Ako na lang ang kakanta—"
"Huwag!" ekseheradong pigil ni Trace. "Sayang naman ang pagsindi ng apoy ni Kuya Gun kung bigla na lang magkakaroon ng bagyo. Si Lia na lang ang pakantahin niyo."
Lucienne blinked while staring at him. "Ikaw kaya ang sindihan ko riyan?" Inirapan niya ang lalaki bago siya humarap kay Lia. "Do you know the song?"
"I do," Lia said while trying not to laugh.
"I-repeat na lang natin iyong part ni SpongeBob nang tatlong beses para mahaba."
Lia saluted as if agreeing. When everyone was ready and she started singing, I was torn between being amazed and laughing like Lia obviously wanted to do. Her voice sounds rich and beautiful even though she's singing a silly children's song.
"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song, C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song, and if you dont think that we can sing it faster then you're wrong. But it'll help if you just sing along."
Hindi iilang beses na muntikan kong mahulog ang lightstick dahil sa bilis ng ginagawa naming pagpapasa-pasahan niyon. When the song finally ended, the lightstick stopped on Gun's hands. Naiiling na inabot niya ang binibigay na maliit na kahon ni Belaya at bumunot siya roon.
Lia giggled loudly when she saw what was written on the piece of paper her husband was holding. "It said to take his shirt off and have someone put money on his pants." Inilahad ng babae ang kamay niya sa asawa niya. "Wala akong dalang wallet. Can I borrow yours?"
Gun looked at her through narrowed eyes, but he did what she asked. Lia pulled a few thousand from it and fanned it in front of her face. "I'm ready when you are, husband."
Impit na napatili si Belaya at Lucienne nang tumayo si Gun habang hawak ang dulo ng suot niya na t-shirt.My hands automatically went up so that I could shield my eyes from the scene. The man is as handsome as his brothers, but I don't think it's right for me to ogle him.
Narinig ko ang mahinang tawa sa tabi ko. The hair at the back of my neck went up when I felt Trace's warm breath hit the side of my face. "You can look now, princess."
Nang alisin ko ang kamay ko ay nakita kong suot na ulit ni Gun ang t-shirt niya at ngayon ay yakap niya sa isang braso ang humahagikhik na asawa.
After awhile, we continued the game per Lucienne's instruction. Ilang beses na tumigil si Lia sa pagkanta at ilang Dawson din ang hinintuan ng lightstick. Belaya's dare was to give someone a marshmallow by using her mouth. Of course, the someone she chose was her husband. Domino did twenty push-ups easily. Lia's dare was to pretend Gun was a stranger that she was picking up at a bar. Game na tumayo siya pero sa pagtataka namin lahat ay tinignan niya lang si Gun. It was then that I got the chance to see the broody Dawson smiled big. Lia approached him, but he met her halfway and took her hand. Parang sinasabi nila na hindi nila kailangan ng pick-up line dahil kahit isang tingin lang ay kaya nilang gawin iyon sa isa't isa.
Then there's Thorn, whose dare was to kiss his favorite part of his wife's body, and he kissed the part just below her collarbone. He explained that her favorite part of her is her heart.
"Call someone in your contacts randomly and make that person say one good thing about you," basa ni Coal sa hawak na papel nang sa kaniya naman huminto ang lightstick.
Nagtaas ng kamay si Domino. "Ako ang pipindot para hindi ka makapamili."
Inabot ni Coal ang phone niya sa kapatid na kaagad binuksan iyon. Domino scrolled fast and closed his eyes before pressing on the screen. He opened his eyes again, and then he put the phone on loudspeaker.
"Hello," Coal looked at his phone. "Ashley. How are—"
"You slept with my cousin! Don't you ever dare call me again Coal Dawson!"
Namimilog ang mga matang napalingon ako kay Lucienne na ganoon din ang reaksyon. Nang ibalik namin ang tingin kay Coal ay nakita naming napapakamot siya sa ulo. "I thought I slept with her best friend," he grumbled when the call got dropped.
"Uhh... I don't think that's any better," Lia said gently.
"I know," Coal told her with a grimace. "In my defense, I didn't sleep with Ashley. I just have her phone number. Her best friend— I mean cousin, was a sweet girl that I talked to at a gathering. Si Ashley ang pinakilala sa akin ng kaibigan ko, but I know that we wouldn't get along. She kept talking shit about other women at the event."
"But she thought you both are going in that direction." Nang hindi makasagot si Coal ay nginitian siya ng babae. "Take it slow, please? If you keep rushing, you might miss out on the right person."
"I'm not looking—"
"Everyone's looking for someone. Even if we don't know it yet."
Coal's a grown up, and he's... well... a man. Most people wouldn't want to be chastised at his age, and it was his prerogative to sleep with as many women as he pleased. But he didn't seem annoyed with his sister-in-law; instead, his face softened at her.
Pagkaraan ay muling nagpatuloy ang laro. Lucienne's dare was to call someone from her contact list and tell that person a quote from one of her favorite movies in a scary voice. She quoted "We all go a little mad sometimes" from the film Psycho. Ang boss niya na si Magnus Aquilan na siya palang tinawagan niya ay saglit na hindi nagsalita. When he finally speaks, he said, "I'm about to get mad but it won't be a little. Especially now when I haven't had a good sleep for the past week because my writers are killing me. At ang isa sa mga iyon ay may lakas ng loob na tawagan ako ngayon at gisingin. ". Lucienne just laughed at him and told him na dadalan niya ng pasalubong ang lalaki.
Pierce, on the other hand, refused to do his dare, which is to propose to a stranger, so he failed. Trace failed as well because he picked a dare in which he was supposed to whisper something dirty to the person on his left, which happens to be Belaya. Hindi ko masisisi si Trace. Sa pagkakatingin kasi sa kaniya ni Pierce kanina ay parang gusto siyang gawin ng kapatid na paniga sa bonfire.
"C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song, C-A-M-P-F-I-R-E S-O-N-G song. And if you dont think that we can sing it faster then you're wrong. But it'll help if you just sing along."
Napahigit ako ng hininga nang matagpuan ko ang sarili na hawak ang lightstick. Trace would always try to grab it from me as quickly as he could so it wouldn't stop on me. Iyon nga lang ay mukhang nakakahalata na si Lucienne na katabi ko dahil sinadiya niyang bagalan ang pagpasa no'n sa akin.
Nangingiting inalog ni Belaya ang hawak niya na kahon at inabot iyon sa akin. Bantulot man ay wala na akong nagawa at bumunot na ako roon ng papel.
I unrolled the paper to read what's written. "Sit on a man's lap and whisper "I want to eat your", and add your favorite food."
"What's your favorite food, Ember?" Belaya asked.
I should have told her it was a salad, a potato, or tofu. Because together with the other words, those won't make any sense or convey any innuendos. But my brain is busy repeating what I've read and panicking about it that my honesty got the better of me.
"Zucchini," I murmured.
Tumikhim ang babae na pilit inaalis ang ngiti sa mga labi niya kahit pa kita naman iyon sa mga mata niyang kumikinang. "You can choose any man here. We won't be angry. It's just a dare."
I highly doubt that. I'm pretty sure that the married Dawson men likes me sitting on their lap as much as they like their wives sitting on a man's lap other than theirs. Simply speaking, they wouldn't like it. Saka base na rin sa nakita ko sa kanila nang may umaaligid sa mga asawa nila ay malabong hindi sila magselos.
My eyes went to Domino and Coal, and I saw them beaming at me. I know they wouldn't mind, but... I really don't want to do it. As much as I don't want to dance.
I was about to turn and face the only man I'm comfortable being that close with, but Trace beat me to it. Naramdaman ko na lang ang pag-angat ng katawan ko, at sa isang kisap-mata ay natagpuan ko ang sarili ko na nakaupo sa kandungan ng lalaki.
Cheers erupted around us. Rinig ko rin ang muling impit na pagtitilian ng mga babae. Yet everything became background noise when I stared at Trace's beautiful eyes, which felt like they were piercing into me.
I never sat on a man's lap. There are a lot of things I haven't done, and Trace already has two of them. My first kiss... and now this. And yet, despite the circumstances, I know that I wouldn't want anyone to have those firsts than him.
"I..."
"You need to tell me something?" Nang tumango ako ay nangingiting marahan niyang hinawi ang buhok ko na nililipad ng hangin at tumatabing na sa mukha ko. "Tell me."
I glanced at the others before I whispered, "I... I want to eat your..."
"My?"
Gusto ko na lang lamunin ng lupa sa kahihiyan. "I want to eat your... your... z-zucchini."
Muling napuno ng tuksuhan ang paligid pero hindi ko magawang maalis ang atensyon ko kay Trace. I couldn't even move.
Trace has always been gentle with me. He respected my boundaries, and he might tease a lot, but he always knew when to stop. Just like with our sleeping arrangement. Even when I said that I didn't mind since I trust him, he still made sure to ask for an extra mattress so that I wouldn't be forced into a situation where I didn't get to have another choice. It's like he's trying his best to make me feel safe with him, and that wouldn't happen if he scared me.
But there are moments when I get a glimpse of it. His eyes have always been expressive, and there are times that he can't hide what they say from me. Moments when his gaze will rush with a pool of urgent need, an unquenchable longing.
I haven't let anyone be close to me. Too close that I get to feel how it's like to be wanted... and be desired. It was a foreign feeling. Strange, but not unwanted. It was just hard to explain... to limit it to a few words that would trivialize something as great as it is.
"You need to put a ring on my finger first before you can eat my zucchini, princess."
________________________End of Chapter 13.