Chapter 33:
EVERYONE CARES
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Lucas' POV
"If Angel is just my imagination, will you be my real life angel then?" I can't stop this feeling anymore. Akala ko para kay Angel lang nakalaan ang pagmamahal ko, ang puso ko, pero hindi ko alam kung bakit tumitibok rin ito sa babaeng kausap ko ngayon. Gusto ko mang lingunin siya pero hindi pwede. I don't want to make myself a jerk in front of her.
Wala akong narinig na sagot sa kaniya ngunit, Blaaag! Isang tunog ang bigla kong narinig. "Ester?" Ngunit wala pa rin akong narinig na sagot. "Ester? Are you still there?" Kinabahan ako dahil wala pa rin akong narinig na sagot mula sa kaniya. Don't tell me.
"Ester?" Hinarap ko siya nang walang pagdadalawang-isip. Tinakpan ko lang ang mga mata ko baka sakaling may makita ako. Pero wala pa ring akong narinig mula kay Ester. Kung nasa tamang huwisyo siya, tiyak sisigaw siya o magre-react it pero, "OH SH*T!! ESTER?" Nang imulat ko ang mga mata ko ay halos lumuwa ang mga ito sa gulat. Basang-basa ang kasuotan ni Ester ng pulang likidong may mala-kalawang na amoy. This is blood! Why haven't I noticed it? Bakit hindi ko man lang napansin ang masangsang na amoy na ito?
"ESTER!" Sigaw ko habang tinatahak ang maliit na distansyang nasa pagitan namin.
Sh*t. This is her blood! Napakarami niyang sugat sa buo niyang katawan at hanggang ngayon ay saganang umaagos ang kaniyang sariwang dugo. So magmula kanina nang mag-umpisa kaming mag-usap, iniinda niya na ang sakit? Kaya pala ayaw niya akong lumingon sa kaniya dahil ayaw niyang makita ko siya sa kalagayan niyang ito.
She should have told me! She shouldn't have come here at the first place! Kasalanan ko ito. If I hadn't told her to come here, hindi niya sasapitin ito.
Pansin ko ang pangingitim ng kaniyang mga sugat. Those were signs of poison kaya agad kong pinakiramdaman ang kaniyang pulso. It is still beating. Thank God, she's still alive. I must hurry and bring her to the clinic.
I messaged everyone first before I shapeshifted into a Brown Giant Wolf. I gently put her on my back using my mouth. This way, it would only take minutes to reach the clinic. I ran to the point where my vision got blurry because of how fast I am running. Ester, hang-in there!
***
Finnix's POV
I received Lucas' message through my signus ring.
"Bro, Ester'is badly hurt. We are heading to the clinic. Meet us there."
Kaagad akong kumuha ng t-shirt, dali-dali ko itong sinuot, at mabilis na tumakbo papuntang clinic. I can't use my heat teleportation right now dahil gabi ngayon kaya kumaripas ako ng takbo.
Nakasalubong ko sina Heaven sa daan. I guess they were also notified.
"What happened?" kaagad kong tanong sa kanila baka sakaling may alam sila.
"I don't know. Lucas, for the first time after many years, messaged us saying that Ester is badly hurt," Hydra replied.
"Wasn't she okay because Marko already healed her?" Crystal asked.
"That's what I thought!" Ten answered.
Napatanong din si Winwin. "Then, what happened to her?"
"Huwag na tayo magtanungan pa. Let's go and see her saka natin itanong kay Lucas ang nangyari," sabi ni Heaven.
Nagsitakbuhan kaming lahat upang makarating nang mabilis sa clinic. I wonder what happened to her. I wonder why Lucas was the first one to found out and not me. Nang marating namin ang clinic ay kaagad naming tinungo ang room number na binigay sa amin ni Lucas. Naibalibag ko pa ang pinto ng kuwarto sa sobrang pagmamadali.
"Where is she?" bungad ko.
"Oh my god! What happened to her?" bulalas ni Heaven nang makita ang kalagayan ni Ester. Wala siyang malay. She is bathed with blood. Sariwang-sariwa pa ang mga sugat niyang nangingitim at may paunti-unting dugo na dumadaloy mula rito.
"She is poisoned and it is like she was attacked by someone we know," Ten. Napakuyom si Hydra, mukhang kilala niya kung sino ang tinutukoy ni Ten.
"It's Rizka and her gang again," nanggigigil na sabi ni Heaven.
"Lucas did you call the healers?" natatarantang si Crystal.
"I called the Holy Guild, and they will send Marko and his team. They said they'll be here in 10 minutes!"
"Hydra, can't you heal her using your magnus?" pagmamakaawa ko kay Hydra.
"I can't! I can only heal wounds. If I heal her and close her wounds, the poison will be trapped in her body. Mas mabuting dumaloy ang kaniyang dugo palabas sa kaniyang mga sugat upang mailabas niya lahat lason" Hydra explained.
"Then we can only wait for the healers to come."
Hindi pa rin dumadating ang mga healers. Napabilang na ako ng segundong lumipas dahil hindi na ako mapakali. They have to be here or else susuko na ang katawan ni Ester. She may die.
Blaaag! Biglang may taong bumalibag ng pinto. It was Marko at hindi rin
maipinta ang kaniyang mukha sa pag-aalala. "WHERE IS SHE?" sumisigaw na bungad ni Marko.
Her boyfriend is now here so wala na akong karapatang umarte ng ganito.
"I ASKED WHERE IS SHE? Nasaan si Ate?"
Halos mabingi ako sa aking narinig, hindi dahil sa pasigaw itong sinabi ni Marko kundi dahil sa huling salitang sinabi niya. Ate? So, he is not Ester's boyfriend but her brother?
"I asked where is Ate?" pag-uulit niya ng tanong.
"The--there!" nauutal kong sabat at wala sa sarili kong tinuro sa kaniya si Ester.
Hindi pa rin kasi ako makapaniwala. If they are really brothers and sisters, how come they don't look alike? Pero hindi ko na dapat kwestyunin ito. Marko is Ester's brother, so I should be happy. May pag-asa pa ako kay Ester!
Nakita kong halos manlumo si Marko nang makita niya ang sinapit ni Ester. Gutay-gutay ang suot na damit at puno ng sugat, galos at pasa ang katawan. Pumapatak na rin sa sahig ang kaniyang walang tigil sa pag-daloy na dugo.
"She is losing too much blood! I need to heal her quick!" Napaiyak na si Marko at nanginginig na ang kaniyang mga kamay. The way he cares for Ester; he really is her brother. I thought I should be happy that what I thought of their relationship was wrong, pero hindi pala dapat.
"I order you all to leave this room, NOW!" Parang mga robot kaming sumunod sa sinabi niya. Sinunod namin ang isang di-hamak na healer. For Ester's sake, we will do everything.
Kabado kaming lahat na nag-antay sa labas while Marko is treating his sister. Heavan and Crystal are walking back and forth. Hydra is laying on Winwin's left shoulder while they are sitting on the chair. Ten is sitting on the floor with Lucas.
"This is all my fault..," out of the blue na sabi ni Lucas. "If only I didn't ask to meet her tonight, this might not have happened!" Pinag-uuntog niya ang kaniyang ulo sa pader.
"What? You were with her?" tanong ni Heaven.
"Yes. I asked her to meet me at exactly 10PM tonight. I want to ask her if she is the one I am looking for. I want to ask her if she is Angel."
"Ano?" 'di ko makapaniwalang tanong. Ester suffered because of him? Because of his stupid idea?
Boogsh! Sinuntok ko siya nang walang pagdadalawang-isip para matauhan siya, but he just continued to explain.
"She came, and she talked to me. She said she was half-naked and that I must not look at her. So we had a conversation where I am speaking without seeing her. She is just right behind me. Never did I know that she was already hurt. She was in pain at pinipilit niyang itago ito para lang kausapinn ako. I am such a stupid jerk for not noticing it! I should have brought her here earlier!" Napasabunot siya sa kaniyang sarili.
"You are right, Lucas. You are STUPID for still finding a woman who doesn't exist! And you are a JERK for thinking that Ester is that woman!" sigaw ni Crystal.
"Are you all really going to fight here? Sa tingin niyo ba matutuwa si Ester sa ginagawa niyo?" Napatigil kaming lahat sa biglang pagsalita ni Winwin. Minsan lang siya magsalita ngunit lahat ng inilalabas ng kaniyang bibig ay may punto.
"Are you sure that it was Rizka's doing?" pagbabago ko ng usapan.
"No one can create those wounds aside from Rizka's thorned vines and her poisonus friend," Ten answered.
"Are you certain?" naninigurado at nandidilim kong tanong.
"Hundred percent sure."
"Then, I'm gonna make her pay for this! I'm going to kill her!" Nang-init bigla ang dugo ko. Tila may gustong sumabog sa katawan ko dahil sa galit. Hindi ko makontrol ang emosyon ko kaya bigla tumaas ang temperatura sa loob.
"Don't bro. You will just make the situation worse," pagpigil sa akin ni Lucas nang sana'y aalis na ako upang patayin ang babaeng iyon.
"I'm one of the school council, and I'm gonna use it to punish her!" madiin kong sabi.
"I'm telling you bro. Don't do it!" patuloy na pag-awat ni Lucas.
"Why? Because you want to protect your fiancé?" Wala na ako sa sarili kong pag-iisip. Tuluyan ng binalot ng galit ang sistema ko.
"It's not that bro. I just--,"
Muli ko siyang sinuntok. "You are just making excuses!"
Boogsh! Ginantihan niya rin ako ng suntok. Napahawak ako sa mukha kong tinamaan nito.
"I'm not making excuses, Finnix. I'm just helping not to worsen the situation. If you're going to do what you are planning, maapektuhan nito si Ester pati ang misyon natin bukas. If you really want that to happen, then go! Kill Rizka! As if I'm going to stop you! Mas matutuwa pa ako kapag ginawa mo 'yan!" Napatahimik ako sa sinabi ni Lucas. He has a point.
"Lucas is right, Finnix. You should grab yourself" Winwin said.
"And now we're even," dagdag pa niya habang hawak rin niya ang pisnging tinamaan ng aking suntok. Narinig ko ang bahagyang pagtawa ni Ten at Winwin. Tila nagtaka ang mga babae sa pagtawa naming mga lalaki. Hindi nila ma-gets kung bakit kami tumawa sa ginawa ni Lucas. Boys matters.
"Sorry, but I have to go first. Let me deal with my fiancé alone. Message me when Ester wakes-up," tinapik niya ako sa balikat bago umalis.
Kanina ko pa ito napapansin, na tila bumalik na ang dating Lucas na kilala namin. Ang Lucas na mapagbiro at masayahin.
What did Ester do to him? What did she tell him to make him change?
- End of Chapter 33 -
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HIDDENTHIRTEEN's NOTE!
Yehey! Shadows of A Silverharth is still #1 on Ability category! Congratulations to all of us!
Kung napapansin niyo, the chapters are becoming long.
Dati 800-1000 words lang ang nagagawa ko but thanks for your comments at nagagawa ko ng umabot ng 1,700 - 2,000 words💚.
Love you all, Signusians!
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