XXI. Who are you, Liberty?
᯾✵𖣘⍟۞✫᯽᯾
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"Okay Lily."
Lumapit naman na kami kay Serissa at kitang-kita na nag-aalala siya. Pinilit niyang tumayo at nagtatakbo siya papunta sa'min.
"Where's the bastard? Where is he?"Galit nitong saad.
"I took care of it. At di mo kailangan na mag-alala siniguro ko na hindi siya makakapunta rito."Sagot ko na lang
Plus, she doesn't need to know about that, kita mo nang hindi na nga maganda ang epekto noon para sa kanya, tinatanong pa niya. And Lily's father deserved it, didn't he? Kaya bahala siya makipaghabulan sa mga Kapre.
Katulad lang din nung binugbog ko yung tatay niya, she doesn't need to know about that. Damn fathers.
Pagdating namin sa Condo, parang naguguluhan pa si Lily and she doesn't know how to process everything at all.
"Tara! Wag ka mag-alala, safe ka dito. Kasama mo kami e. Ano nga pala pangalan mo? You look so young." Sabi ni Serissa at napailing ako. Ang ingay talaga ng bunganga!
Di man lang niya pinagsalita si Lily, as if she is bombering her with questions.
"How old are you?"
"18 po," Lily answered,"Lily Fabella."
"I see. College?"Pagtatanong ni Serissa sa kanya.
Umiling siya. Bigla na lang nanlumo yung mukha ni Lily and then she sighed, "Hindi po e. Ayaw akong pag-aralin ni Tatay sa kolehiyo. Nakapasa ako noon pero hindi ko alam kung makakapag-aral pa ako ulit–"
"Lily, hindi pa naman huli yung lahat. You can try it again. Gusto mo samahan kita mag-inquire sa college na papasukan mo. Tatawagan ko lang si Lola ha, hingan ko ng pang tuition mo!" She giggled.
Ang excited nung babaeng iyon ah. I never saw her that excited after being friends with Saturino, perhaps it's because she knows how she feels. Kung may mas nakakaintindi sa situation ngayon ni Lily, si Serissa na yon. She knows how she feels.
For being abandoned. Being neglected, and being abused. Kaya hindi siya nahirapan na mag-adjust kasama si Lily. Ginulo ko na lang ang buhok ni Lily at ngumiti ako sa kanya.
"Hayaan mo yon. Excited lang yon. She doesn't have any siblings." I said to her.
"Okay lang po! Mabait naman po si Ate Serissa e!" Lily answered me at halos mamutla ako sa sinabi niya. Ha? Yon? Mabait? Saan banda?
Napailing na lang ako saka napangisi sa kanya. Barumbado yung bibig non, e. But I guess she's cute that way. Dumating naman na si Serissa na may dala-dalang mga pajamas. Binuksan niya yung hati sa kama at doon niya pinatuloy niya doon si Lily.
"Dito ka muna sa lugar ko. I'll sleep on the sofa."Serissa mentioned. May mga kinuha siyang ilang libro at pinasa niya iyon kay Lily, "Ayan! Kakailanganin mo yang reviewer na yan for entering college. In entrance exams, they would be testing your IQ, Verbal and Non-Verbal."Paliwanag ni Serissa
"Salamat po," Tango naman ni Lily sa kanya
"Oh, I forgot. Under the Verbal exam, you're going to have verbal comprehension exams and verbal reasoning exams. And under non verbal, you're going to take Figural Reasoning and Quantitative exams. Don't worry, mga top students kasama mo so makakapasa ka niyan. Where do you plan to take your college exams, Lily?"Tanong ni Serissa
"Uhm.. sa San Francisco Immaculate Heart Academy po. I'm aiming to be a scholar." Pag-amin ni Lily
"Aiming for your goals is good. But don't pressure yourself as a student. You need to take care of yourself. You need to be strong emotionally and mentally. College is tough, but take time to take care of yourself too. You're important too. Hindi naman umiikot ang college sa pagiging estudyante mo."Sabi ko sa kanya
That's what all the students need to know. Mahirap naman talaga ang college, sa dami ng thesis mo, sunod-sunod na reporting at idagdag mo pa yung iba pang paperworks.
You're going to catch yourself na...overwhelemed ka na. Hindi mo alam ang uunahin mo, and you don't know kung makakapasa ka ba o hindi.
And sometimes with tons of works that you need to do, di mo napapansin na di mo na naalagaan ang sarili mo. Your relationships are getting worse as well as you're already having anxiety because of tons of work that you need to do.
Don't be hard on yourself, yeah studying is important but don't forget that you need to take a break. You need to take care of yourself too.
"Well, he has a point. Ako nga eh, patong-patong ginagawa ko. Trabaho sa OJT tas sandamak-mak na thesis! Gosh! Ang dami mo kailangang isulat. Not to mention ang strict pa ng mga professors ko. Nakakalula ang History noh! But well, gusto ko talaga maging Gallery Curator."Serissa mentioned.
"Mahirap ang mag-plates." I shrugged, "Akala mo drawing ka lang pag architecture ka? Hindi. Madalas minamaliit ang mga art students dahil wala naman daw pupuntahan ang art course. Ha! Sila kaya gumawa ng sandamak-mak na plates, tapos may floor planning ka pa at sukatin mo pa iyon lahat? Tignan natin kung maka-survive ka sa architecture."
Napailing na lang si Lily sa'min,"Para naman po kayo nagrereklamo sa kurso niyo K–Kuya.."
"Psh! Nag-emote lang ako dito, gumaya ka naman Rebel."Serissa rolled her eyes. I glared at her and giving her a warning na manahimik pero tinarayan lang ako pabalik. Aba, sobra din tong babaeng to noh.
Well, that's a good program. The program combines psychology, management, and sociology, with emphasis on human resource management.
This synergy of disciplines enables students to learn the various aspects of the human person, such as their personality and behavior, in the context of work groups and organizations.
Students also learn the intricacies of an organization, with special focus on HR functions, such as talent acquisition & placement, learning & development, labor relations, total rewards management, and organization development.
Having included courses most essential in the HR practice, and strengthened by the offering of subjects from the allied disciplines of psychology, sociology, and management, BES students turn out to be more holistically developed and better equipped to handle the demands of their profession when they graduate.
"Papasa ka for sure! At kapag nakapasa ka ha, please let's hang out in university. Parang nagkaroon ako ng kapatid tuloy dahil sa'yo, Lily!"Excited na sinabi ni Serissa
"Sige po. Depende po kapag wala akong trabaho sa flower shop."Sabi naman ni Lily and she smiled.
I caught something. Ganito rin yung feeling nung una ko siya nakabangga noon. Something about her aura. What was that? Kinusot ko yung mata ko pero I can still sense it. Napataas na lang ang kilay ko habang nakatitig kay Lily.
Is she a Demigod?
I need to find it out. Ang sabi ni Apolaki–no, my damned father told me na may makikilala pa akong ibang Demigods bukod kay Saturino at kay Vion.
Is it her? Wait, does she even know that she's a Demigod? Hindi ko siya pwede imbestigahan dito.
Dahil simula nung encounter namin kay Saturino, sinabihan lang naman ako ni Serissa na tigilan ko na daw ang pananakot sa ibang Demigod na makakaharap namin bukod kay Vion. Tch. Alam na alam ng babaeng yon na selos na selos ako doon sa tropa niya.
At ngayong naiisip ko pa lang yang si Vion nabwibwisit ako ng di oras!
"Saan yang flower shop niyo!? Bibisita ako diyan!"Serissa giggled.
May kinuha namang papel si Serissa and ballpen at doon inilagay ni Lily ang address. Gotcha. Mas pinadali niya ang gagawin ko. Ngumisi naman na ako at nakita naman na ako ni Serissa at binatukan.
"I know you can sense it too pero tumigil ka diyan. Alam ko yang pinag-iisip mo. Wag mo takutin si Lily!"Sigaw ni Serissa
"Ano? Takutin? Hindi naman po siguro gagawin yon ni Kuya." Lily said
"Hay naku Lily, hindi ka nakakasiguro! Ang conflicting niyang si Rebel eh."Sabi na lang ni Serissa and she smiled,"Sige na! Matulog ka na diyan sa lugar ko ha. I'll be going–"
"Nope. You're sleeping with me."Sabi ko at saka ko siya binuhat na ikinapula ng mukha niya.
Wala siyang nagawa nung sinarado ko yung Kurtina and then I quickly put her down in my bed. Well, isang kwarto naman to. But we had an agreement na hatiin ang kwarto ko because of our agreement before. Parang kinakabahan pa siya at pinitik ko na lang ang noo niya.
"If you're thinking something mas mabuti pa na wag mo na tuloy." Sabi ko.
"Why do I have to—"
"Kesa naman na doon sa sofa. Malamig don. Wag nang matigas ang ulo." Sabi ko na lang sa kanya
Agad ko kumuha ng damit and I was about to take off my shirt at halos mamula ng tuluyan lalo si Serissa at binato niya ng unan yung mukha ko. I got irritated with her and I hissed,"What!?"
"Talagang ilalantad mo na lang ng basta yang abs mo? Ano ba yan, Rebel! May babae dito oh. Dalawa kami!" Sigaw niya at napangisi na lang ako.
"Ilang beses mo naman nakita eh."Sabi ko at mas namula pa siya lalo at umiling na lang,"Tama na nga!"
Tumalikod na siya at tsaka siya humiga sa kama, "You know what, I'm going to sleep!"
"Baby." I teased her.
"Rebel!" Sigaw ni Serissa
"Oh, you don't want me to call you baby? Love na lang." Asar ko sa kanya at tinakpan niya yung tenga niya at pulang-pula na ang pagmumukha niya.
"Bahala ka diyan! Tulog na ako." Sabi ni Serissa
Kinuha ko na yung itim na oversize shirt ko tsaka ako humiga sa tabi ni Serissa. Pinagmasdan ko lang ang mukha niya ng maigi at di ko maiwasang mangiti sa tuwing tinititigan ko siya.
Kung gaano kataray ang mukha niya, how sleek her eyelashes are, how dainty her nose, at kung gaano kaganda ang gintuang mga mata niya and how beautiful her orange and curly hair was. Inilagay ko ang kumot sa kanya tsaka ako tumalikod.
"Good night, Serissa." Sabi ko na lang sa kanya
Kinabukasan, agad ako lumabas when I saw a call from my coach. It's Kuya Ravio. Agad ko naman na sinagot yung tawag niya matapos.
"Yes?"I asked.
[Your next fight is already scheduled. Sa Vancouver ito gaganapin. Make sure to get your plane ticket ready. And Lolo Antonio called me. Monsters are after you? Do you need—
"I can deal with them, Kuya Ravio. You're a human...oh with special powers. And until now you are not yet telling me who you are. Pero teka nga, bakit ka ba napatawag!?Dapat kay Idiyanale ka mas mag-alaala." I said.
But not with her daughter, you punk. Akin yon.
Sigurado ako may tinatago yan sa pagkatao niya. Malaman ko lang na isa kang Diety, a Demigod or a Mythical Creature, humanda ka sa'kin tukmol!
[You're still my adopted brother! Bahala na nga! May interview pa akong sasagutin.]
"Tch, bastard." Sagot ko na lang
Lumapit sa'kin si Serissa at nagningning ang mata niya. Did she just hear those!? I hope she is not interested in Kuya Ravio. Hindi ko siya hahayaan!
"You're going to Vancouver!?"Sigaw ni Serissa
Interesado lang yan dahil sa Museum. Well, that would be fine. Technically, pinakilala ko siya noong Manager. But now, I guess I'll take her to Vancouver to date. Which I don't really mind by the way.
"Fine, fine. Kukuha ako ng ticket. Sasama kita—"
Napatili na lang si Serissa sa sinabi ko at agad siya sumampa sa'kin at nanlaki na lang ang mata ko. I could feel my cheeks getting flushed already. I never seen her this so happy.
Siguro talagang interesado lang siya sa Museum na yon. And technically, plano naman talaga namin pumunta. Kung di lang kami inistorbo ng Mandurugo dati.
"We'll go to Vancouver Art Gallery, how's that sound?" Tanong ko at mas lalo lang siyang na-excite doon.
"And... uh, mag-date na din tayo. Pumunta tayo ng beach."
"Sure!" Excited niyang sinabi
Umubo naman na ng bahagya si Lily and she smiled at the both of us.
"Mauna na po ako. Salamat po sa tulong. Kailangan ko pa magtrabaho."
Agad ko binaba si Serissa at pareho kaming nahiya sa hitsura naming dalawa. Bago ako pumunta sa laban, meron pa akong mission dito. Her aura, I can see it. I can really tell that she is a Demigod. At isa lang ang rason para malaman ko yon.
I need to investigate who you are, Lily.