Chapter 3: Christmas Day
"Did you just give our house a 360-degree drive?"
Napangiti ako nang marinig ang boses na iyon habang naglalakad sa main lounge ng mansion. There--standing between the gigantic white Christmas tree and a royal blue couch--was my brother. And he was holding a wrapped gift in his hand.
"I guess I can never do anything naughty without you noticing. You are one over-protective, little brother," biro ko.
"I'm not. I'm just afraid that you're burying a dead body on our grounds," nakangiti niyang ganti na ikinatahimik ko. I knew that he was just joking but his statement was just too close to the truth for comfort. And I couldn't help but react to what he said a little, especially coming from my favorite person in the world.
"Too much Stephen King books?" Sagot ko na lang at pabagsak na umupo sa couch. Umupo siya sa tabi ko at saka ini-abot ang hawak niyang regalo.
"Hindi ako ang bumili ng Iron Man collectibles para diyan. Actually, I have two gifts for you, Hetta. But I'm just too excited to give this one to you," nakangiti pa rin niyang sabi.
Tinitigan ko siya nang matagal bago tanggapin ang regalo. I still couldn't read him. Trying to get a read on my brother was like becoming someone else and trying to read another version of Henrietta Arturia. There was no success. Giving up, inumpisahan kong tanggalin sa pagkakabalot ang kahon. It revealed a grey glossy box. Tiningnan ko muna si Wycliffe bago binuksan ang kahon. And I froze instantly, staring wide-eyed inside the box. It was the first book of Fifty Shades of Grey. My brother must really be a twisted version of me.
Humahalakhak na tumakbo si Wycliffe palayo sa akin. "Well, Santa Claus said, you can never be naughty!" Tumatawa niyang sabi. If it was just any other person, I would just ignore it. But this was my brother, Wycliffe Arturia. He shouldn't even have a clue about things like this just yet! How did he even buy this? Forget it. He probably didn't buy it himself. That brat.
"As long as you don't read this, I will gladly keep this on the far corner of my library." Hindi ko alam kung ano'ng pumasok sa utak niya at ni-regaluhan niya ako nito. Palagi kong sinasabi sa kanya na hindi ko pa kayang basahin ang librong ito kahit gaano pa ito kasikat. And for heaven's sake! He was only 14 years old!
"You know what, hindi bagay sa personality mo ang hitsura mo. I think you should wear glasses, long skirts and pull your hair up in a tight bun! That's how the freaks in our school are dressing up!" Nakangiti niyang sabi habang pinapanatili ang distansya naming dalawa.
"Are you bullying someone at school?" Kunot-noo kong tanong. Sandali siyang napaisip. And that actually confirmed that he was actually bullying someone in school.
"She ignores me a lot," he said with distaste in his voice. I couldn't help but smile. It was a really rare event that someone would ignore a boy like him. Maybe my brother was really growing up. He was even developing pride and ego now.
"I think I'll like that girl," nakangiti kong sabi na ikinasimangot niya.
"Oh, everyone dislikes her, Hetta!" Tutol niya. Bago pa ako makasagot ay isang buo at malagong na tinig ang pumailanlang sa loob ng mansion.
"Merry Christmas, darlings!" It was the booming voice of our father and he was coming down the grand staircase with Mom beside him. Tumayo ako upang salubungin sila. Wycliffe and I kissed them on their cheeks like what we always do.
"I think it's better if we have our Noche Buena ready. I received a call from Sebastian," wika ni Mom and she eyed me seriously.
"Is he going to get Hetta from us again?" Tanong ni Wycliffe habang nauuna patungo sa dining room. The food had been set on the table.
"I'll come back as soon as I can and get your 'real' gift," I assured him. He was always throwing a temper whenever I had to go and do something related to Sebastian Freniere. They used to be close friends before everything turned out bad.
"He was one the who stopped coming here, so why do you have to keep coming to him?" Iritable niyang sabi na hindi ko masagot. Good thing my Dad rescued me from dealing with Wycliffe.
"Giovanni is in the hospital," aniya na ikinatahimik naming lahat.
Our families were really close, to the point that almost all of our businesses were connected to the Freniere. All of us, except Wycliffe, were fully aware of the illegal transactions of the Freniere family. My family handled all the legal aspects of the empire. But unlike all the other family friends, we don't do family bondings with them. The reason was simply because of our names and who we were in society. The Freniere Family was a family that no one would ever want to be a part of. Their life was too tragic and full of grief, too dark that no one could see.
Christmas day had been a very long day to everyone. At least for me, it was. Especially since I still had other responsibilities that prolong the occasion. 11:45 pm. Malamang sa ospital na ako abutan ng Pasko. Spending Christmas in a hospital sounded terribly wrong. But I was not a person celebrating a typical Christmas Day. I am a Reaper. I wonder, since when did I stop believing in Santa Claus?
After dinner with family, I drove carefully towards the parking lot of the hospital. Mangilan-ngilan lang ang mga sasakyang naroon. Hindi rin ganoon kaabala ang mga tao sa gusali kung titingnan. This hospital was a part of the Legal Business of the Mafia. But in times like this, they had to do something to accommodate Mafia activities. I wondered what they did to cover things up this time?
Mula sa madilim na bahagi ng paligid ay naramdaman ko ang pagbukas ng pinto sa di kalayuan. Kinapa ko ang Eagle of Desert mula sa aking coat habang itinutulak pasara ang pinto ng sasakyan. I was about to walk towards the entrance but stopped on my track because of the small red-headed girl standing on my way.
"I will shoot you between your eyes if you don't stop sneaking around," seryoso kong sabi at ipinagpatuloy ang paglalakad.
"I could have shot you while you were closing the door," she said, smiling evilly at me. Forest was the Mafia's best Sniper. Kaya niyang tumira ng target kahit gaano pa ito kalayo. I could say nothing against her accuracy. It would be really smart not to get on her bad side. "I'm so sleepy. The hospital is almost empty. Do you think I can sleep in one of their emergency rooms without being operated on? You know, I'm not ready for body modification yet," nakasimangot niyang sabi.
I couldn't help but be amused at her. She could easily shift her moods in just a few seconds. Among all the Reapers, she was one of the weirdest. She was animated, morbid and yeah, strangely weird.
"Where are the patients?" Sa halip ay tanong ko.
"Ipinalipat sila ng ibang ospital. I'm actually surprised that they call this place a hospital. I thought we're just checking in some weird hotel with weird architectural designs," sagot niya habang ikinukumpas ang kamay sa hangin. Oh! And did I mention that among all the Reapers, she was my favorite? Because she didn't really looked like a Reaper. She looked just like an ordinary, clumsy, high school girl.
"Dapat hindi na lang nila iyon ginawa. May mga pasyenteng— "
"Oh, just shout it to Tres' face. He's so evil. I want to slap him with my angel wings," she cut me with rolling eyes. Napailing na rin lang ako. We were supposed to secure the area tonight. Hindi ko alam kung ilang Mafia Reapers ang nagtatago sa paligid ng ospital upang masiguro ang kaligtasan ng mga Mafia bosses. Right now, they were fragile at maaaring samantalahin iyon ng iba, lalo na ng mga kalaban.
"And Hetta, do you know that girl who never left Giovanni's side? God! I'm so tempted to shoo her away! It feels awkward to have an outsider here. Well, aside from the doctors. We need them," aniya na ikinahawak ko sa balikat niya.
"Give her clothes, food and drink. But let her stay by his side," seryoso kong sabi na ikinamaang niya. Tinitigan niya ako na tila ibang tao ang kaharap niya.
"You—you have a crush on her?"
"Forest?"
"Okay. Okay. I'll send one of the nurses to take care of her. Why should it be me? I'm not her maid," nakasimangot niyang sabi at saka humiwalay sa akin upang magtungo sa Nurse's Station.
Natanaw ko ang pinto kung saan may tatlong Mafia Reapers at ilang Mafia Guards ang nakabantay. They must be inside. I saw that Mikhail was one of the stationed Reapers and he smiled immediately after seeing me. He mouthed, 'Merry Christmas' to which I responded only with a nod. Maliban doon ay wala nang maririnig na ibang ingay mula sa mga nakatayo roon.
I approached silently at tumigil sa malaking bintana kung saan matatanaw ang mga tao sa loob. Giovanni Freniere was inside. Different tubes were attached to different parts of his body and an oxygen tank served to support his breathing. The girl whose name I couldn't remember was sitting beside him. The Great Maximus Brown and Sir Algernon Freniere were sitting on the far corner with coffee in their hands. Nararamdaman ko ang bigat ng sitwasyon sa loob.
"The young master is already safe. But he's not opening his eyes yet," mahinang bulong ni Mikhail na tumigil sa tabi ko.
"Soon, he will," tipid kong sagot. I couldn't take my eyes off that girl's face. She seemed so weak and yet, just like what I'd always known, there was something in her. Something that made her reach this far. Something I never had.
"Who would have thought that a devil would find someone to die for?" Komento ni Mikhail. Yeah. Who would have thought that things like this were possible for the likes of us? Everything must be worth it. For the two of them, at least.
Pumihit ako paharap kay Mikhail. "Are you the one assigned to sercure the area?" Tanong ko.
He gave me one of his dazzling smiles that would definitely make Forest lick her lips in appreciation. But she was not here so I just returned it with a cold stare. "Yup! You evaporated a few hours ago so Max told me to secure the area." Hindi pa rin nabubura ang ngiti sa mukha niya.
Tumangu-tango lang ako habang hindi inaalis ang paningin sa kanya. He was still smiling at me. We stayed like that for exactly two minutes until his smile vanished from his face. "You're such a damn, cold stone." He cussed silently. "And yeah! Tres told me to tell you if ever you showed up, na nasa coffee shop lang sya ng ospital."
Kumunot ang noo ko. "And I'm supposed to know that because?"
"You are supposed to go to him," sagot niya.
Walang imik ko siyang tinalikuran at nagtungo sa direksyon ng elevator. This hospital looked creepier since mangilan-ngilan lang ang tao sa paligid. There were Mafia Guards in every floor na nagiging dahilan ng takot ng ilang mga doctor at nurse. This hospital was awake just to serve Giovanni Freniere. I reached the second floor where the coffee shop and the cafeteria were located.
Mukhang hindi ko na kailangan pang hanapin ang isang Sebastian Freniere dahil pagbungad ko pa lang sa coffee shop ay nakita ko na ang grupo sa isang mesa. I gritted my teeth when I saw him kissing a pretty nurse. They were making out in a dark part of the coffee shop. I was so tempted to turn around and forget about meeting him when I caught his eyes. We stayed like that for few seconds while he was doing obscure things I dare not mention. I decided to approach them when I saw his hands edging higher on the woman's bare legs.
Mukha namang naramdaman ng babae ang presensya ko dahil ito na ang kusang bumitaw kay Tres. Namumula ang mga pisnging tinapunan niya ako ng tingin. She was pretty.
I looked at her emotionlessly. "You should have taken precautionary measures, Miss. Do you have any idea how much DNA residue of other people you could find from his mouth due to the saliva he gets from every girl he gets his hands on? Haven't you read the words Sexually Transmitted Disease scribbled on his lips?" Wika ko na ikinalaki ng mga mata niya.
Umiling siya ng ilang beses. "No, you're lying." At saka tumingin kay Tres na tila umaasang ipagtatanggol siya nito. But Tres just smirked and licked his lips.
"The hospital bills will be free. That's how it is. You have to kiss Death to taste the most sensual lips that ever existed." And with that, dali-daling umalis ang babae mula sa pagkakaupo sa hita ni Tres at saka tumakbo palabas ng coffee shop.
"You didn't need the whole hospital para lang maasikaso si Giovanni. I'm sure na kaya iyong i-handle ng ilang mga doctor," wika ko habang umuupo sa upuan na katapat niya.
"Less people, less trouble. I'm planning to burn this hospital to the ground after Van's recovery," anunsyo niya. I was silently shocked but didn't show it. The more emotion he gets from me, the more he would pursue his plans.
"It is one of the Mafia's legal businesses. Malaking kawalan kung susunugin mo ang establisimyentong ito," pormal kong sabi. Tinitigan niya ako nang matagal na tila binabasa ang iba pang mga ibig sabihin sa likod ng aking pahayag.
"You're thinking of those weak people," he concluded while staring at me. Sinalubong ko ang tingin niya. I still couldn't believe how cold those eyes could get. It was painfully, icily cold and empty that I couldn't help but to look away.
"You're still the weak girl that I knew. You should have known when to die instead," dagdag niya na ikinabalik ng tingin ko. It was not the first time that he asked me to die straight to my face. Eight years ago, I approached him, crying after the tragic incident. I was so scared and wanted to find comfort, at least from my best friend. But instead, he asked me why I was still alive.
Ilang minuto akong tumahimik at hinintay ang sunod niyang sasabihin. I watched him as he poured liquor in his Americano. I didn't want to argue about being alive right now. Nang ilang sandali pa ang lumipas at wala pa rin siyang binibitiwang salita, ipinasya ko nang tumayo at magpaalam.
"You stay when you're not asked to. You leave when you're not allowed to," aniya matapos humigop sa kanyang tasa.
"Since iinom ka na lang ng kape, I think this is exactly the point where I have to stand and take a movie break," seryoso kong sagot. I just couldn't stand seeing him like that.
"You have a task," wika niya sa seryosong tono. He either becomes serious or mad whenever someone gets to him. And because I was an ice princess, everything he does just bounced off of me. At least that was how it appeared. Most of the time, I just couldn't stand him like this. "Bring Van's b*tch home. It's so annoying to have her within a thousand radius!" Patuloy niya.
Maybe it was really better to bring her home. If she was making the Mafia uncomfortable, then it was only a matter of time before someone does something against her. Isa pa, isa pa rin siyang normal na tao sa paningin ng lahat. Ang halaga niya ay natatapos kay Giovanni Freniere at hangga't nakaratay ang taong iyon, wala siyang aasahang pwedeng pumrotekta sa kanya. Or maybe, Maximus Brown would protect her.
"You're also worried about her," sagot ko.
He laughed soundlessly until it slowly changed into a loud, demonic laugh. "I was actually thinking of different ways to kill her and how I would make it appear to my brother once he wakes up." I just stared at him as he finished laughing. I silently hoped that everything would still be worth it.
"You have no idea how people strive to survive until you end their lives in just few seconds," sagot ko at saka nilisan ang lugar. It was ironic that I would say that, given my job description. Being a Mafia Reaper was just being a glorified assassin after all. But then, talking to him becomes harder and harder. The shadow of loneliness was slowly growing inside me. It saddened me every time I have a conversation with him.
Muli akong bumalik sa kinaroroonan ni Giovanni Freniere. Uh, I forgot to ask Tres about that girl's name. Why couldn't I remember her name? There must be a clue to this. Hindi na nagtangka si Mikhail na kausapin ako. Walang ingay na pumasok ako sa loob ng kwarto. She was still by his side. She had folded clothes, a burger and a canned coke on the table beside her but she was not even paying attention to it. Dumiretso ako sa kinaroroonan nina Maximus Brown at Sir Algernon. They both stood up and offered me a vacant seat. I think they were the only remnants of the old value of chivalry.
"I'll drive her home," anunsyo ko nang sabay-sabay kaming muling maupo. They both looked at the girl who kept on staring at young Freniere's face. How I hated this scene. How I despised hospitals.
"Mukhang mas makabubuti para sa kanya kung saglit siyang uuwi," tumatangu–tangong wika ni Maximus.
"Ipinagtataka ko rin kung bakit narito pa ang kanyang presensya," seryosong dagdag ni Sir Algernon.
"Maaari mo ring isama si Forest. Sa tingin ko ay ikatutuwa niya kung kahit paano'y malalayo siya sa ospital na ito. Mukhang hindi siya natutuwa sa kanyang kinaroroonan," wikang muli ni Maximus.
I also thought Forest would be really glad if she got away from this hospital. She seemed to dislike this girl but I think she would risk a few minutes spent with an unlikable person than endure more hours of being here.
"I'll get her then," wika ko at saka tumayo. Subalit bago pa ako lumingon sa direksyon ng aming paksa ay narinig namin ang kanyang boses.
"I'm not leaving," she said. We all stared back at her. She had this look that says she wouldn't take orders from anyone.
Matapos ang ilang segundo ay ibinalik na nila Maximus at Sir Algernon ang atensyon nila sa kanilang pinag-uusapan. I was so tempted to just ignore her but it seemed that it was going be a part of my job now to at least talk to her. Agad akong lumapit sa kanya.
"I'm not going with you," determinado niyang sabi at saka humalukipkip. As much as I wanted to pity her, there was still this hard-headed part of her that was really annoying.
"It's going to be for the best. Isa pa, he'll be okay soon. We will inform you once he wakes up. Surely, he'll be looking for you." At saka ko tinapunan ng tingin si Giovanni.
"I want to be here when he wakes up," matigas niyang sabi. I really doubted she could comprehend logic right at this moment.
"You just proved where you really belong. But everything does not end here. Things does not end with you sitting here in the hospital. You have another life to live outside this place. Do you think he will like being watched 24/7 in his worst state?" I just hate saying too much.
"Yes. He's just that conceited that he wants all eyes on him," nagmamatigas niya pa ring wika. Again, this girl was amusing me. I wanted to ask her just what kind of a guy Giovanni was with her. But I had no time for gossip. I didn't even have time for this.
Matapos ang ilang segundong sukatan ng tingin ay mahigpit ko siyang hinawakan sa braso at hinila patungo sa direksyon ng pinto. She tried to resist but her strength at this moment was not enough to fight mine. Hindi rin kami pinansin ng mga nag-uusap sa may coffee table. Even the Mafia Reapers and Guards outside the room didn't even try to question my actions.
"Hey, Arturia! Stop dragging me out of this hospital. Hindi mo pag-aari ang gusaling ito!" Galit niyang sigaw subalit hindi ko iyon masyadong pinagtuunan ng pansin at sa halip ay mas hinigpitan ko pa ang kapit sa braso niya. There must be more challenging tasks out there for me than handling this girl.
"Actually, I own the whole building," halos pabulong kong sagot na hindi naman nakalampas sa pandinig niya. Bumakas ang tila hindi makapaniwalang ekspresyon sa mukha niya subalit agad din iyong nawala nang maipasok ko na siya sa elevator.
"Oh, so, what now? You'll be a future doctor who can drag someone out from the hospital in just few seconds?" Sarkastiko niyang komento. Pilit niya pa ring inihihiwalay ang braso niya mula sa aking pagkakakapit.
I was suddenly just so tired of this day that I wanted to tell her that what I wanted to be in the future didn't matter anymore. It had been long decided. Muli ko siyang iginiya palabas ng elevator nang muli itong bumukas. Ginamit niya ang natitira niya pang lakas upang manlaban subalit dahil marahil sa pagod ay ni hindi man lang niya magawang pumalag. She was just trashing around nang makita ko ang papasalubong na si Forest. She was smiling but frowned a little when she saw the uncomfortable situation with the girl in my hands.
"Just make it easy for us," wika ko bago pa makalapit si Forest. Muli sana siyang magpupumiglas subalit hindi ko inaasahan nang bigla siyang hampasin ni Forest gamit ang braso nito sa may parting batok. Isang segundo lang ang lumipas at agad itong nawalan ng malay at pareho naming sinalo.
"Didn't you just ask for something easy? This is easier," pagdidiin ni Forest.
Napailing na lang ako. Giovanni Freniere must not hear a word of it or else, Forest would never see the light of day.