19. Look Who's Back
Thalia
"Where is Ysabel?"
Tinignan ko si Brenna nang pagkatapos ng ilang araw ay tanungin nya iyan sa akin.
"Somewhere." I coldly uttered. Kunot noo nya akong tinignan.
"Hindi pa ba sya haharap? It's been almost a week." Aniya. Kunot noo ko syang binalingan.
"Look ,Brenna, I stayed here because she wanted me to protect you..." kahit gusto ko pang magsalita ng marami ay pinigilan ko nalang ang sarili ko. "So just be grateful, alright." At umalis doon.
Ysabel has been out of town for a week now because of her struggle since she tried to kill Hayley. Umalis sya dahil ayaw nyang masaktan ang kahit sino sa kanila.
I wanted to be with her so I can help her but she told me to stay in town. Its for their protection. Rafael, on the other hand, is gone too. At hindi ko alam kong ano ang rason doon.
Now, for Brenna, Joshua ,Hayley and Niccolo everything is normal. But for me, everyrhing is really disturbing.
Nakakatakot dahil posibleng may kakaibang mangyari anytime. Pinilig ko nalang ang aking ulo habang tinititigan ang langit para matigil sa pag iisip. Tinignan ko ang cellphone ko pero wala pading text doon. I sighed.
Mas lalo akong nabagabag noong pagkatapos nang isang linggo ay tsaka lang lumapit sa'kin si Joshua.
"Hey." Pinapasok ko sya sa amin bahay. He smiled and got in. Ngumito sya ngunit seryoso ang kanyang mga mata.
"We need to talk." Aniya.
Tumango ako at sinara ang pintuan. Kumuha ako ng isa sa mga wine at naglahad nang baso sa kanya. Tinanggap naman nya iyon.
"So..." umupo ako sa kaharap nyang sofa bago ko linagok ang alak.
"Have you heard about Ysabel?" Tanong nya. Umiling kaagad ako.
"Why'd you ask?"
Nakita kong bahagya syang ngumiwi dahil sa sinabi ko.
"So you still don't." Aniya at tumango. "Listen, Thalia, I've been dreaming about her since last week." Kumunot ang noo ko at mabilis syang tignan dahil sa sinabi nya. "Napapanaginipan ko sya noong mga nakaraang buwan, it was almost two weeks straight but Brenna made some spells in my room so that she won't be able to enter my head at night anymore." He breathed.
"Bakit ngayon mo lang sinasabi 'yan?" Pinandilatan ko sya. Uminom sya sa alak at tinignan muli ako. May kinuha syang kong ano sa bulsa nya. He showed me a paper with a drawing on it. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko at mabilis na kinuha iyon sa kanya.
"Everytime I see her in my dreams, I keep seeing the same image too. Hindi ko alam kong ano iyan—"
"You must be kidding me."
I tilted my head when I heard footsteps near from the house. Mabilis kong hinila si Joshua at kinaladkad sa matagong parte ng bahay.
"H-Hey." Aniya. Linukot ko ang papel at nag hand gesture kaagad sa kanya na tumahimik sya. He stiffened.
Lumunok ako at sinubukang pinakinggan ang mga boses nang kong sino sino mang pumasok sa bahay.
"It's good to be home." Baritonong boses ang narinig ko. Mabilis akong nagmura dahil doon.
"We need to get out of here." I mumbled and held Joshua's hand. Pero bago pa kami makaalis ay sumulpot na si Justin sa harapan ko. He smirked at me. Lumunok kaagad ako.
"Hello Thalia, are you going to hide from me forever?" Tanong nya. Tumingin ako sa kanyang likuran at nakita ko si Ysabel at Rafael. My lips parted a bit.
Si Justin ay tumingin din sa likuran ko.
"Look who do we have here." He smiled devilishly. Lumunok muli ako.
"Justin." Malamig ang tinig ni Ysabel sa kanyang likuran. Gulat ko syang tinignan. What is the meaning of this? God I hope she can read my mind and I can read hers! "We had a deal. Do not touch—"
"I won't little sister." Maagap na sabi ni Justin. He carresed my cheeks before stepping backwards. "I need to seriously take a bath." Aniya at nawala na sa harapan ko. Doon palang ako nakahinga ng maluwag.
"What is happening?" Baling ko kay Ysabel. Umiling sya sa akin. Sinenyas nya ang kanyang tainga tsaka nya tinuro ang hagdanan ng bahay.
Ngunit iisang bagay lang ang hindi padin ma-proseso sa isipan ko. Justin Arevalo is back in San Joaquin?
Ysabel
One Week Ago
I decided to leave town and seek for a help. Pumunta ako sa Venice para bisitahin ang isa sa mga kaibigang nakilala ko noon doon.
But when I was already on my way, Rafael just appeared out of nowhere.
"Why are you following me?" Malamig na tanong ko nang maupo sya sa katabing upuan ko sa eroplano.
"Turns out that we'll be going the same way." Aniya na ikinairap ko.
"Oh skip the part where you're trying to be silly." I said. Sinulyapan ko sya. "What is it?" Tanong kong muli.
"Kong ayaw mong maniwala ay huwag mo, Ysabel." Aniya. I clenched my jaw.
Fine.
Tumayo ako at umupo sa bakanteng upuan kong saan malayo sa kanya. We're going in the same place, huh?
Ayokong maniwala ngunit noong nasa Venice na kami ay talaga namang hindi ko na sya nakita. We're obviously going in the same place. Kong ganon, anong gagawin nya dito?
Anyway, I don't care. You stopped caring about his business, right Ysabel?
Sinuot ko ang aviators na dala ko at sinulyapan ang malawak na syudad ng Venice. Just one look and I already saw what I'm looking for. Ngunit nong lapitan ko ang building kong saan dating naninirahan ang mangkukulam na kilala ko ay nakita kong sarado iyon.
The nerve.
Ngumiwi ako at walang pag aalinlangan na sinira ang kandado ng pintuan. Dozens of vampires welcomed me when I stepped inside. Sinara ko kaagad ang pintuan. Tinaas ko ang dalawang kilay ko. I'm surprised.
"I'm here to see Monique James, I think she's missing and you all know where she is." Mabilis na sabi ko at tinanggal ang nakaharang sa mga mata ko. The lights on the building switched on. Tinignan ko isa isa ang mga bampirang nagkalat doon.
Who the fuck made them?
"Hindi ba kayo magsasalita?" Iritadong sabi ko. I know they don't understand. They're French for heaven's love. "Where is Monique?" Ulit ko sa tanong. Isa isang naghiwalay ang mga bampira na nag kukumpulan sa isang tabi. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang nakita ko si Monique na nakalatag sa isang lamesa, walang malay at duguan ang leeg.
I immediately went near her. Isa isa kong dinukot ang puso ng mga nakapaligid sa kanya. Bumagsak kaagad sila sa sahig.
"Mga bobo!" Sigaw ko at nilapitan kaagad si Monique. Dammit, she's dead! What the hell did they do?!
Dahil sa galit ay isa isa kong pinuntirya ang mga bampira doon. They fought back but I think they haven't fed properly so they're weak. Hinihingal ako nang lilima nalang ang natira.
I was about to attack them again but someone went down from the stairs. Malakas at dahan dahan na palakpak ang narinig ko. Nag angat kaagad ako nang tingin, only to see him looking and smirking at me. Laglag ang panga ko.
"Rafael was right, you're undoubtedly strong and dangerous, sister." Nanunuya ang boses ni Justin. Umatras ako dahil doon. Mabilis syang nakababa sa hagdanan at lumapit sa akin.
"W-What..."
Mas lalo akong nagulat noong sumulpot din si Rafael sa kanyang tabi. Oh shit. Rafael went here to see Justin?
"Anong ginagawa mo dito?" Gulat na tanong nya sa akin. And he didn't knew about this!
"This is a great family reunion, don't you think?" Halakhak ni Justin. Tinignan ko sya at walang pasubaling na sinakal sya. I pinned him into the wall. Mabilis na umangal si Rafael.
"What did you do to Monique?" Marahan na tanong ko sa gagong kapatid ko. He immediately changed our position. Napapikit ako dahil may patalim pala syang hawak. And it was large and long. Tumama iyon sa tyan ko at sumulpot sa kabilang bahagi.
Halos mawalan ako ng hininga dahil doon.
"You're feisty." Aniya.
"Justin." Tawag ni Rafael na naging dahilan para bitiwan nya ako. He was the one who pulled out the dagger from my stomach too. Pumantay sya sa akin nang nakangisi nang bumagsak na ako sa sahig.
"I missed you, didn't you missed me?" Hinawakan nya ang aking panga para magkatinginan kami. He carresed my cheeks. His hands remained in there for a second. Ngumiwi ako at tinignan sya ng masama.
"Tell me if you're going to kill me and don't fool me with your jokes, Justin." Iritadong sabi ko. Naramdaman kong nagsimula nang maghilom ang sugat sa tyan ko. Damn daggers!
Pinilig nya ang kanyang ulo. Napasigaw ako nang muli nyang binalik ang patalim sa tyan ko! It bled again!
"Justin!" Ani Rafael sa kanyang likuran.
"Shut up, brother." Malamig na ani Justin. Ngumiwi ako at napapikit muli. "I've spend five centuries laying in a casket underneath the ground because you betrayed me." Aniya sa akin. He's emphasizing every damn word that's coming out from his mouth.
"I'm the president of the club who wants your fucking ass dead." I uttered. Humalakhak sya at marahan na tinapik ang pisngi ko. I should've killed you a long time ago.
"Oh I'm sorry, I just came back to life." Sarkastikong aniya. Lumunok ako at pumikit muli. Sinubukan kong tanggalin ang patalim sa tyan ko pero marahan nyang hinawakan ang kamay ko at mas binaon pa iyon sa akin! Dammit! "I'm not gonna kill you, Ysabel, you're my family, remember?" Aniya. I wanna spit on his face!
"Says the guy who burried four of his siblings underneath the ocean floor." Ismid ko. He shrugged. "And I actually burried you in the ground, do you think I'll believe you won't kill me?" Lingon kong muli sa kanya. He shrugged again and stood up.
"I've been alone in the other side for five hundred years, Ysabel. Sapat na panahon na iyon para patawarin kita." He said.
"I'm not asking for your forgiveness." I uttered. Nang tuluyan ko nang natanggal ang patalim sa aking tyan ay mabilis kong pinalipad iyon sa kanya. Natamaan kaagad ang kanyang likod. Napaluhod sya dahil doon.
Mabilis ko syang nilapitan pero tinulak kaagad ako ni Rafael. He immediately removed the dagger from Justin's back.
"What the hell are you doing?!" Iritadong tanong ko. Tumayo si Justin at tinuro ako.
"You're making me lose my temper." Aniya. Muli nya akong pinako sa pader, this time, no dagger involved. Ngunit sinasakal nya ako. "You're betraying your family." Marahan na aniya at mas diniinan ang pagsakal sa akin. Sinubukan kong lumunok.
"F-Family doesn't d-dagger one another!" Sinipa ko sya kaya bumagsak ako sa sahig. Nangalumbaba syang pinagmasdan ako. Hinabol ko kaagad ang hininga ko.
"I'm gonna kill each and every person you've meet since you came into this world. Let me see..." his piercing eyes darted at me. "What about I start with Joshua Joaquin?" Ngisi nya. Nanlaki ang mga mata ko.
"Don't you never ever touch him!"
"Yes I will—"
"If ever you'll lay a hand on him, Justin, I'll kill Thalia." I didn't had any choice but to threaten him. Ngayon ay sya na ang mukhang gulat na gulat. He turned to face me.
"What did you just said?" Hindi makapaniwalang tanong nya. Tumayo ako at galit syang tinignan.
"I'll kill her. Believe me."
"You liar!" Sigaw nya. I laughed sarcastically because of it.
"She's not dead yet, Just. And believe me, she hates you more than any one else hates your existence."
"Don't start with me you little bitch—"
"No! Do not start with me! I've been with her for over five hundred years, and believe me, she wants you dead more than I do!"
"What did you do?!" Tinulak nya ako. The impact was strong. Nasugatan ng maraming bubog ang kanang kamay ko dahil sa salamin ako tumama. Hindi ako nagsalita at nag angat ng tingin sa kanya. He cussed. Nakarinig ako nang malakas na kalabog.
The next thing I knew is that I'm already chained. At kapag gumalaw ako ay mahihiwalay ang kamay ko sa aking katawan. I'm weak and I couldn't even raise my head to see what's happening.
Mabibigat ang paghinga ko. It's like my body is drained. Tsaka lang ako nag angat ng tingin noong may naglahad ng baso sa harapan ko na may lamang dugo.
"You look terrible." Tinig ng pinaka ayaw kong makita ngayon.
Dinurahan ko ang linalahad nyang dugo sa akin senyales na hindi ako kailan man tatanggap ng kahit ano galing sa kanya. O kahit sino sa kanilang dalawa. I'd rather die.
Dahil sa inasta ko ay mas lalo akong nanghina. I was chained for about 5 fucking days and all I'm think about was Joshua and San Joaquin. Naubos lahat ng lakas ko dahil sinubukan kong tawagin si Brenna at magpahiwatig sa kanya.
I didn't know if it worked but I guess it didn't because nothing really happened.
On the fifth day, someone unchained me. Bumagsak kaagad ako sa sahig.
What happened in there was such a hell. It was more than hell, actually.
"And how were you able to go back here in San Joaquin?" Tanong ni Thalia sa akin. Nilingon ko sya dahil doon.
My brother wanted to see the love of his life so bad that he accepted the proposition I, but still couldn't believe, actually offered him.
Ang gusto ni Justin ay ang mabuhay ang aming Ina at matagpuan ang aming Ama. That's what everyone of us wants. I wanted him to tell where Cole and Tristan is first but I decided not to. Mas lalaki lang ang problema kapag nabuhay ang dalawang iyon at kay Justin din sila kakampi katulad ng ginawa ni Rafael at ni Aaron, na hanggang ngayon ay hindi ko padin nakikita. He better hide forever because the moment that I'll see him? He'll be good as dead.
All I can trust right now is myself.
And definitely, yes, Justin loved Thalia like hell. He loved her so much. Ngunit akala nya ay namatay na sya noon. I planned everything. Pinalabas kong patay na si Thalia bago ko sya ilibing. And he actually didn't stalked or investigated.
"I said Brenna will help us find Dad and Mom..."
Iyon nalang ang tanging naisip ko noon. I'm not even sure if Brenna can make it but she's a Hernando witch. She probably can.
"How about Joshua?" Tanong muli ni Thalia. Uminom ako nang alak bago sya balingan muli.
"I'll kill you if he'll kill Joshua." Her eyes widened because of what I said.
"W-What?" Tila hindi makapaniwalang tanong nya. I exasperatedly sigh.
"You know my brother loves you so much." I uttered. Nag iwas sya nang tingin.
"He don't ,he cheated." Aniya. Nag taas ako ng kilay.
"Akala nya patay ka na noong kinausap nya si Hayanera para tulungan syang buhayin kang muli." She turned to face me immediately when I said that. And I made you believe that he really cheated.
"He thought I was dead? How?"
"I'm sorry but it was all my plan, Thalia. Breaking his heart will help me kill him." Nalaglag ang panga nya dahil sa sinabi ko. "Hayanera, the witch, on the other hand, helped me first before she fooled Justin. Nagpatulong na ako sa kanya noon na ipakita nya kay Justin ang katawan mong kunwari ay patay na. Do you remember when I drugged you so you'll sleep for 3 days and when you woke up, Justin is already burried into the ground? That's when I started my plan."