JESSA
"Teka Rosales, makiki-CR lang muna ako. Saan 'yon?" Tanong ni Navarro.
"Doon sa baba. Liko ka lang sa may kusina tapos.. aish, samahan na nga lang kita."
Hindi pa kami nakakapasok sa kwarto ay lumabas na naman ako. Pero bago 'yon ay nilingon ko muna ang mga kagrupo ko sa loob ng kwarto ko, naka-upo na ngayon si Castillo sa dulo ng kama, hawak hawak pa rin ang The Blood of the Dragon habang seryoso itong binabasa. I slight discomfort settled over me, I was the one who bought the book, pero hindi ako ang unang nakabasa. Si Jonah naman ay nakatayo at pinagmamasdan ang bookshelf ko, habang ang kapatid niya ay nakadungaw sa bintana. Dela Cruz, being a cute fluff ball he is, sat down beside Castillo and said, "seryoso natin ah."
"Babalik kami," Sabi ko. Jonah is the only one who nodded in agreement, then me and Navarro climb down the stairs.
My heart still wasn't stopping from racing so aggressively inside my ribs, and it's getting really annoying. Navarro is in my freaking house, using our freaking bathroom. I have to take deep breaths every twenty seconds in an attempt to calm down my nerves.
Navarro gently closed the door of the bathroom and I leaned on the wall. The rain is still pouring outside. Lightning is still crackling in the gray sky. The smell of damp soil lingered in my nose. Then Castillo's image of her reading my book suddenly appeared in my mind, the restlessness inside me intensifies even more. Kasalanan ko rin naman kung bakit hindi ako ang unang nakabasa eh, but there's a nervous voice panicking behind my brain.
"Timpalahan ko kayong magkakagrupo ng gatas?" Hindi ko namalayan si Mama na nasa kusina pala habang kumukuha ng mga baso sa kabinet namin. Tumango ako.
"Gatas? Sige Ma, gusto namin 'yon."
Bumukas ang pintuan ng banyo at lumabas na si Navarro. He's still brushing his tousled black hair, and when he sees Mama, he smiles way too bright for my heart to take.
"Hello po, Ate," he said.
Tumango lang si Mama at tinignan siya mula ulo hanggang paa. "Magtitimpla ako ng gatas para sa inyo, gusto mo ba?"
Lalong lumapad ang ngiti ni Stefan. "Ay opo! Sakto kasi medyo malamig hehe."
My cheeks are starting to blaze for whatever reasons, kinakausap lang naman kasi ni mama 'yung lalaking crush ko. Yes, unfortunately, I developed a stupid little crush on Navarro. A crush that developed since our first week of school.
Before I could explode here and embarrass myself, nagsalita na ako. "Punta na kami sa taas Ma." Tumango naman si mama at sinundan ni Navarro ng isa pang 'bye-bye po' bago na tuluyang nawala si mama sa paningin namin.
We made our way upstairs. "Parang ang cool ng Mama mo, Rosales," Navarro said and I felt his soft and warm hand placed on my shoulder.
I flinch, almost jumping on my spot. The small contact erupts numerous butterflies in my guts, making my cheeks feel hotter every second. Navarro stares at me, looking both confused and concerned at the same time. I am not a touchy person. Ayako sa lahat 'yung bigla bigla akong hahawakan, I don't like the feeling of skin to skin, it makes me feel way too occupied. Then here is Navarro, someone who can make me nervous just by simply existing, is gently squeezing my shoulders like it's nothing.
Tila naman napansin niya 'yon kaya agad din niyang inalis ang kamay niya. Nag-iwan ng mainit na sensasyon ang parte ng balikat ko na hinawakan niya.
"Cool talaga siya," sabi ko nalang. Pretending to not notice anything.
Nagtuloy tuloy lang kami sa pag-akyat at ramdam ko na hindi pa rin inaalis ni Navarro ang tingin sa akin. "Ayos ka lang ba? Masama ba pakiramdam mo?"
Ramdam ko pa rin ang init ng kamay niya sa balikat ko kahit na kanina niya pa ito inalis. He's hand is softer and warmer than I thought. His long slender fingers feel nice in my skin. Oh my God, teka teka, what am I actually thinking?
Umiling muna ako at sumagot. "Wa-wala akong.. Akong sakit."
Hindi ko na sinubukang hulaan ang reaksyon niya sa likuran ko at tuloy tuloy lang kami hanggang sa narating na namin ang kwarto ko. Parang mga ligaw na sisiw naman ang mga kagrupo namin nang nakapasok kami ni Navarro sa loob.
"Guys magsimula na tayo," I announced. Pero hindi pa rin sila tumigil sa kanilang mga ginagawa ko. "Para matapos tayo agad agad. Para na rin maka-uwi kayo ng maaga." Dagdag ko.
Si Jonah lang ata ang nakarinig sa sinabi ko at binaba na niya ang dala niyang bag at nilabas ang isang laptop. Tumungo na rin ako sa study table ko at binaba ang laptop sa sahig, sa tabi ni Jonah at binuksan ito. "Ako na bahala sa pinaka-lay out ng paper natin," I said outloud. "Susundan lang naman 'yung document layout na sinend ni Ma'am sa GC."
I heard Jonah humming in agreement while she opened her own laptop. Finally, I saw Dela Cruz standing up from his soft spot beside Castillo and also fished out his own laptop from his bag on the floor. He made himself comfortable beside me, then I was immediately distracted by his facial expression.
"Bakit ganyan hitsura mo?" I asked him.
Nakakunot nang sobra ang noo niya, nakasimangot din siya at mukhang masamang masama ang loob habang binubuksan ang kanyang laptop. "'Yung libro kasi na binabasa ni Castillo," he answered. "Parang walang kwenta 'yung ending."
"Ending!?"
I shrieked way too loud for my comfort that my voice broke. Jonah beside me stifled a soft snicker but I didn't pay attention. Napatayo agad mula sa sahig at nilapitan ko si Castillo sa higaan. And the girl is indeed in the ending of the book, judging from the way the pages are divided. "Binasa mo talaga 'yung ending?" I asked her. "You spoiled the story!"
Castillo finally teared her gaze from the book and met mine, which seems like long ago since the last time she did. And there it is again, the dancing eccentric gleams in her eyes from the nonexistent light source. Her lips are slightly parting, and she looks like she just witnessed a whole war unfold in front of her.
Then she blinks thrice, shakes her head and takes a deep breath.
Umiling nalang din ako. "Alam mo, simulan na natin 'yung chapter one, no? Para matapos din tayo agad. Akin na 'yang libro." I held out my hand, gesturing for her to hand my book. Castillo stares at my open palm first, lets out a heavy sigh, then gives it to me. The book feels heavy and strangely warm in my skin, yet I hold and hug it against my chest.
"Rosales, that ending is horrible. Walang sense." Castillo said, almost murmuring under her breath.
"Ah!" I tried covering my ears, but the book would only slip away from my arms. So I just declared instead. "No spoilers!"
Nanahimik nga si Castillo, ngunit nakatingin pa rin siya sa akin na parang isang bata na naghihingi ng isang pirasong candy. Her mouth is slightly open, telling me that she has more to say but I just couldn't let her.
Sinabi ko na sa kanya kanina na wala dapat na spoilers akong matatanggap. Medyo masama na nga rin sa loob ko na hindi ako ang unang nakabasa o unang nakabuklat nung libro kahit ako ang bumili at ako ang may-ari. Tapos ganito pa sinasabi niya? Na walang sense 'yung ending? Has the old man been joking with me all this time?
The old man's face suddenly flashed in my mind. His eyes are still warm as ever and a friendly smile stretched across his lips.I remembered the small space of the bookshop, the cool air hanging comfortably inside the shop, the smell of old papers and inks lingering in my nose . I remembered how excited and how my stomach was fluttering when my hand first touched The Blood of the Dragon book.
"It only takes fantasy to escape reality."
I slowly lower my hands and clutch at my book. I met Castillo's eyes.. "Ano bang meron sa ending?" I asked.
She swallows, closes her eyes for a second, then takes a deep breath as if she's remembering a very unfortunate event. "It's a tragic ending," she answers, still looking as shocked as ever, "Everyone died. The Villain won. Even the heroes died."
Silence. I look around the room and I realize that everyone is listening to us. Even Christopher, na kanina pang mukhang walang interes, ay nakatingin sa amin.
And oh.. Shit. Mali ata ang desisyon ko na alamin ang ending. This freaking book has a tragic ending? How broken was the author? Will I witness numerous deaths and betrayal in this story? Oh goodness.
I lightly shake my head in an attempt to not show any weird expressions on my face. "Ang weird nga," I said. "Eh hindi mo naman kasi binasa ng buo, I really don't think na gagawin 'yun ng author just to have a tragic ending. There must be some of an explanation."
"Ang horrible ng ending, Rosales, Dapat palitan 'yon. No one deserves—"
"That's the thing about books, Castillo." My voice comes out louder than I intended. "No matter how fucked up the ending is, you just have to accept it. Because you can't change it."
Muli kong tinignan ang mga kagrupo ko. The rest of them are still staring at us. What is happening, anyway? Why are they so invested in this conversation? It doesn't have a thing to do with our main focus here, our damn research.
The dark sky from the outside obscures their figures, making them look like a lifeless substance staring back at me. Patuloy pa rin ang lakas ng ulan sa labas. Nararamdaman ko pa rin ang paghampas ng hangin sa mga saradong bintana ng kwarto ko.
"I understand how you feel, Castillo." I tell her and let out an empathetic sigh. She's looking down at the ground with a dimmed face. "Magsimula na tayo, okay?" I said.
"I can hear them." Castillo whispers. "I can hear the characters shouting for help."
I take a step backwards, something I didn't realize I've been doing. The heck is wrong with her? Mukhang wala na siya sa ayos.
"Castillo, halika na at—" I tried to grab her by the shoulder, but she took another step back—
HELP US!!!
SAVE US!!
I froze. Loud voices are sharply filling my ears. They sounded like they came from somewhere in the back of my brain, loudly banging the walls of my skull. Nagtayuan ang mga balahibo ko mula sa leeg hanggang sa mga braso ko.
"Narinig niyo 'yon?" Biglang tanong ni Navarro, napatingin ako sa kanya na ngayo'y nanlalaki rin ang mga mata.
"Baka galing labas?" Sagot ni Jonah. Oh my God, narinig din nila 'yon? Saan ba 'yun nanggaling?
Napa-dungaw naman si Dela Cruz sa bintana at umiling. "Hindi galing sa labas." He said.
"Naririnig niyo rin—"
"Ate Jessa! 'Yung libro mo!" Jonah screeched.
Tinignan ko ang yakap yakap kong libro at halos tumalon nang makita ang lumiliwanag na gitnang bahagi ng cover. Then I realized that it was the golden lettering of the title, shining in bright golden light, almost blinding my eyes and illuminating everything in my room.
"Bitawan mo!" Rinig kong hiyaw sa akin Christopher.
Bago ko pa maihagis ang libro ko, a loud BANG resounded and a strong waft of wind broke my grip from my book. An intense force strongly pushed me and my back hit the wall. I fell and my head hit the cold floor with a loud THUD.
Sharp sensation of pain lingered across my head, my vision blackened while shrill static pitch filled my ears. I groaned out in pain. Sinubukan kong buksan ang mga mata ko kahit na sobrang sumasakit ang ulo ko at dahan dahang tumayo.
My vision are blurry. Pero nakikita ko pa rin ang matinding ilaw sa bandang gitna at ilang pigura ng mga kasama ko na nakahiga sa paligid ng ilaw. Shit, something appears to explode and all of us are thrown to the walls of my room. Fuck, fuck.
Unti-unting umayos ang paningin ko habang patuloy pa rin ang sakit ng ulo ko. At tsaka ko lang napagtanto na 'yung ilaw sa gitna ay ang mismong libro ko, The Blood of the Dragon. The strange light is coming from the middle of my open book, its pages flipping in a fast pace as the golden light becomes brighter and brighter that my eyes are starting to sting. A strong wind circles around the room, swaying the curtains on the windows, shaking my bed frame and even my heavy bookshelf.
"'YUNG LIBRO!" I heard Jonah shriek from my side. "'YUNG LIBRO!"
"ISARADO MO!" Sigaw ni Christopher.
Isa isa silang bumabangon pero hindi na sila muling nakagalaw sa pwesto at pinanood lamang ang libro ko sa gitna. My whole body felt like steel and I couldn't move an inch. That certain spot in my back is aching and burning, worsening the pain in my head. My breaths are shallow and tight. The strong waft of wind is not helping with my condition.
I tried moving my legs and tried to stand up, but the ache in my head seems to sip all my remaining energy away. Instead, I tried to crawl my way to my book, with the pages still flipping aggressively, with the light becoming brighter and brighter that I feel like we would explode here any minute now.
But before I could even get any nearer to my book, Navarro screamed.
"NAVARRO!" I shouted back and tried to look for him under the blinding brightness.
And then, there, I saw him. Floating up in the air, hands and arms frankly wriggling but it doesn't have an effect. He continues to float higher as if an invisible cord is lifting him up on the ground.
"Navarro!" I reached out a hand, yet his arms are slowly turning transparent as well as his arms and his upper torso. He is disappearing into nothingness, yet I continued reaching out for his hands.
"NO!!" I shouted. But he finally disappeared, like the bright golden light swallowed him whole.
I heard more screams from behind me. I turned and the same thing is happening. The rest of my group mates are also floating up in the air, bodies slowly disappearing into the oblivion. They all screamed yet the golden light devoured their existence out of my sight.
I screamed. Loud enough to hurt my throat in the attempt to shut everything down and bring back my group mates. Yet it only seems to trigger the freaking book in front of me, for the light intensified even more, the pages flipped faster I could practically hear some of the pages ripping from the spine.
A gentle yet chill tingle hugged my entire body. Slowly, my feet left the ground and my stomach aggressively swirled when I floated higher. I tried to wiggle my whole body, maybe to break free from what invisible force is gripping me. From up here, I saw the middle of the light source, it's a never ending pit of golden light. Before I could even scream out, I felt my arms and lower torso also disappearing into the golden light. I am disappearing too. Shit, shit.
Then, a huge force throws me into the bright golden light.
My body's consciousness shut down. I couldn't do and feel anything but close my eyes, and let the golden light swallow me.
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AGES: (in order)
Christopher Salazar - 18
Jonah Salazar - 16
Selene Castillo - 15
Stefan Navarro - 15
Jessa Rosales - 15
Liam Dela Cruz - 15