Chapter 43
STORM ROVEN LOPEZ
Everyone was stunned, including me. Sino na ba ang hindi mapapalingon sa entrada ng malaking bulwagan ngayon. There are six men standing wearing all black attire, they doesn't even look at the top of their age, mas mukha pa silang maayos manamit kaysa sa aming mga kabataan. They look one of the delinquent in the party, if you're scanning for the true badass, they are the perfect group who you should fix an eye for. They are seriously fvcking the grand entrance up, all of the visitors are eyeing on them as if they were gods.
Ngunit sa kabila ng nakuhang atensyon, iisang direksyon lang din ang tinitignan nila. Ang direksyon kung saan nakapwesto si Tito Nalu, at pahaging na susulyap rin kila Daddy at kila Tito Viahm.
"Welcome aboard Mortello," Tito Nalu smirk as he lead his hands towards the empty table reserved for the guest.
"Thanks Capt'n," yuko ng nangunguna sa grupo, he look like a gang leader though.
"Happy Birthday Mrs. Lirie Elie Frazer, accept this simple gift from us," umusong ang nasa bandang likuran na may hawak ng isang rubiks cube sa kanang kamay niya at isang maliit na kahon sa kaliwang kamay na siyang iniabot kay Tita Lirie.
"Thank you Jupiter," genuine smile coming from Tita Lirie is so unnatural.
"Hey," bati naman ng isa kay Tito Yandel.
"You look terrible," Tito Yandel slammed the words without even thinking.
"But I'm good," pagmamalaki ng nauna.
Tito Yandel gave a smile and just nod in disbelief. "Yeah, always Genesis."
The visitors take their seats as the server follows the goddamn food on their table.
"Viahm, is that your son now?" tanong ng isa nang mapalingon kay Tito Viahm na katabi si Hymn.
Tumango ito. "Uhm, how about you Nikholai? Did you have family already?"
Ngumiti lang ang tinanong, tila nagkaintindihan naman sila ni Tito Viahm sa mga tinginan nila.
"Did you know who are they?" nabigla nalang ako sa pagkalabit na ginawa ni Ash sa likuran ko, pinilit magkanda-bali ang leeg, maabot lang ako para lang maki-usyoso.
"I don't have any idea," kibit balikat kong sagot.
"They are the former Morrigan's," sabad ni Daddy.
Naningkit ang mata ko ng bahagya sa pag-iisip at nang mapagtanto ay nilingon ko muli ang grupo.
"They are?" muli kong tanong, ngayon ay may halong paghanga.
"Yes," muli namang sagot ni Daddy.
Fvcking Shit. They must be legends, one of the legends just like Tito Nalu's so called no-name group.
"Sino daw?" tanong muli ni Ash, tsk napaka tsismoso.
"Shut the fvck up," Ash just mumbled across seat just like a kid receiving a refusal from his parents.
Namatay ang ugong ugong mula sa pagdating ng mga panauhing pang-dangal, nagkaroon ng iilang aktibidad kahit na hindi ayon sa edad at basta si Tito Nalu ang may pakana ay nagiging masaya ang lahat.
I left my seat as the crowds go crazy, I'm heading my way to the backside of the event hall when I bumped into someone, someone very familiar.
"What are you doing here?" I grabbed her arm without disrupting the eye to eye contact.
"Mr. Ace Dennison Frazer invited my Dad that's why I'm here," she answered with a proud face and forcedly cut out my hands from snatching her.
"And who's your Daddy baby girl?" I plastered a fake smile on my face as I teased her.
"You didn't want to know," she boast with egocentric attitude.
I look into the hall again. Myself can't even draw out if my idea is right, is she one of the Morrigan's daughter? I snap my head to her with a suspiscious look, no, that's impossible I know she's not, ugh I just know.
"Hindi ako anak ng isa sa kanila," sinagot niya na agad ang tanong na nagbabadya sa utak ko.
"Pamangkin lang ako ng isa sa kanila, hindi nakarating si Daddy eh, kaya sila lang ang kasama ko."
I twitched my eyebrows in disbelief, this girl is getting into my state of uncertainty. "Then who? Who is your uncle in Morrigan's group?"
She formed a teasing smile on her lips. "Will you get mad at me if I don't name him?"
"No," why would I.
"Then no, hindi ko sasabihin sayo, I'll go first Mr. Lopez, good to see you around, and by the way they are not The Morrigan's, not anymore. They are The Mortello now, bye."
"Aureilla."
"Bye Mr. Lopez."
"Aureilla Katnis!"
Hindi na niya ako pinakinggan pa. That damnshit girl, she's veterance at teasing people. Soon, I will know who her uncle is, I just asked Dad or Tito Nalu, tss.
Just as I take my step to where I'm going when I noticed familiar face, again. Siniguro ko ang nakita at napagtanto na tama nga ito. Zeya, I saw Zeya and she was being dragged by someone, and what is she doing here? She looks like one of the invited guest as well as the old man who is forcely lugging her now.
She's straining to loose the grip of the old man from dragging her, and I sense that theres something wrong here. So, what should I do? Ugh, do I need to do something in the first place? Well, she's Zeya, just Zeya and I'm nothing to do with her.
But, she is Hymn's woman. Ugh! Fvcking love affair.
I can't help myself but to ran, not for Zeya but for Hymn. I don't want to save her ass from hell by the use of my hands. I'm not that kind of knight in shining armor anyway, I just don't want to strike my fist for the sake of nothing-so-important thing and person.
"Hymn," agad na nakita ni Zeya ang dumating na alagad ng kawirduhan na si Hymn na handa siyang iligtas sa isang cliche na sitwasyon.
"Zeya," and here they are, the fvcking name calling again.
Are we on the movie shoot or what? Why can't he just punch that old guy on the face and then take Zeya and go to hell.
"Anong ginagawa mo sa kanya?" isn't it obvious Hymn? He's dragging her and I'm sure that he's planning something, not so normal thing.
"Who are you?" tanong ng hukluban at tinignan si Zeya. "..magkakilala kayo?" Jesus Christ.
At kung bakit nga ba si Hymn lang ang tinawag ko ngayon ay isang batalyon na ang kasunod niya. There was Draco and its a surprise he's not holding a book now, then theres Cali and Jett together with those baby boomer boys Chance and Yhno. Should I honour the fact that if I call one of them, they will plunge like a pack of zombie that smells brain.
Fvcking troops.
"Bitawan mo siya," muling nagsalita si Hymn, nakatitig sa babaeng ninanasa niya.
"Wag kayong maki-alam dito," sagot naman ng matanda.
Seriously? This is not funny.
"Storm, anong ginagawa mo?" ngayon ay mukhang balak pa nila akong pigilan dahil papalapit na ako sa dalawang taong naghihilahan kanina pa.
"What? Kung alam ko lang na magkukwentuhan kayo, ako nalang tumapos nito," irita kong sambit at tinuloy ang paglalakad.
Ngunit hindi pa ako nakaka-ilang hakbang nang bigla nalang may kung anong maliliit na bagay ang tumama sa noo ng matanda dahilan para mapapikit ito, mabitawan si Zeya at awtomatikong hinawakan ang noo niya. Napalingon ako sa pinanggalingan noon at muli nila akong pinamangha sa nakita.
Two Morrigan's are standing at the back, one of them is holding a toy gun that is probably hit the old man, while the other is just standing beside his comrade as if watching a children's show. They are both wearing their hesitant smile, just like they did something awe-inspiring scene but is not considerable as a good act.
"Jesus, this is only a toy gun?" tanong ng isa na tila nadismaya sa hawak na inakala yatang totoong baril.
"Bakit? Hindi mo ba alam na laruan lang yan?" tanong ng kasama.
"I thought it was a teaser."
"But its not bad, you just hit him in the forehead five (5) meters away. Good job Genesis, you were not obsolete at all."
Tumawa ng hilaw ang nauna. "Fvck you Kraven, from my reckoning, I can hit one's forehead even if it's 500 meters away, with the help of some weapon of course."
"Salute to you Mr. Sniper," sumaludo pa ang nauna ngunit sa pabirong paraan.
Hindi na siya nito pinansin at binigyan kami ng tingin.
"You should go back to your seats," sabi nito na parang guro na nag-utos sa estudyante niya at tumalikod na, tinungo ang daan papuntang palikuran, sinundan naman siya ng kasama.
Nang lingunin namin ang matandang lalaki ay wala na ito. Si Zeya naman ay nasa kamay na ng mapagsamantalang si Hymn, ang iba ay nagbalikan na sa lamesa nila, nangunguna si Chance habang nagsasalita pa ng mga uri ng pagkain na kakainin niya pagbalik sa loob ng bulwagan.
Kung tama nga ang tantiya ko, naki-usyoso lang sila, matapos ang palabas ay nag-alisan na parang walang nangyari, tss, mga tsismoso.
"Good job Storm, concern ka na ulit sa iba," muntik ko ng masapak ang nagsalita, naiwan pa pala si Cali sa likuran ko.
"Concern my ass," naglakad ako pabalik ng lamesa, nagulat nalang ako ng akbayan niya ako.
I felt disgusted by his act but for some reason I let him be. He was just the Cali I used to know anyway.
As we reached the table, Ash fix his eyes on us, as if he saw an unforeseen realization of his life.
"Wo--wait, wait okay na kayo? I mean, nag-uusap na ulit kayo ng normal ni Cali?" ngayon ko nalang ulit siya nakitang ganito ka-excite magtanong, at kung makapagtanong siya ay para kaming magnobyo ni Cali na hindi nag-usap ng mahabang panahon.
Hindi ako sumagot sa walang kwenta niyang tanong at muli, tinignan lang ang lamesa ng mga panauhing pangdangal ni Tito Nalu.
I've never been interested like this in my whole life. Theres something between Morrigan or Mortello and Tito Nalu's gang that I can't explain. Strong bond of connection that is hard to guess. I know the story of Tito Nalu's gang, I know how badass they are in their time. But now, I want to know about Mortello, on how they live their lives as an assassin, how they hover between life and death and how did they manage to reach their age without the vestige of extinction.