“What the fuck is this Zodiacs thingy?” I looked behind and saw a woman brooding at the bulletin board.
She possesses these alluring chestnut eyes along with dark brown wavy hair. And in broad daylight, a goddess somehow descendent from heaven. The woman glared at the bulletin board and walked away.
And when I looked at the name where she was brooding at, I smirked.
“Scarlett Lexie Sphene…”
She was a zodiac, just like me. I can’t help but be amused that she was one step ahead of Darren. If I am the first seat, she was the fourth.
At katulad nang inaasahan ko, hindi lamang isang beses kaming magtatagpo. Parehas kaming nakatira sa Celestial Kingdom kasama ang ibang zodiacs at sa kanilang lahat, si Scarlett lang hindi halos pamilyar sa akin. Sina Logan, Clover at Darren ay mga katulad kong taga-pagmana samantalang ang iba naman ay ka-partner ng mga magulang ko sa business.
“What do you think of her?” I asked.
Logan and Clover gave a suspicious look while Darren just shrugged.
“She’s pretty,” Darren answered. He innocently looked at me, “How about you? What do you think of her?”
Scarlett is a lazy, cold-hearted woman, and it was my first thought in our first encounter. But upon living with her under the same roof, that description was being torn day by day.
She constantly argues with Thalia.
Hallie always scolds her for saying too many bad words.
She’s loves talking with the twins, especially if it’s about anime.
Darren always teases her every time that she’s late for the meeting.
She is cautious and scared of Logan’s rebukes.
And most of all, she loves eating Potchi secretly.
“She’s interesting…”
All along, I thought that I was the only one who knows her hidden behavior about Potchi. But little did I know, even Clover knows it. He even puts packs of Potchi in our pantry for her to eat.
And it was too late for me to realize that I’ve grown to like her that even the slightest attention I got from could actually fulfill my day. It was unexpected.
“Nice. Rank number ako sa weekly top player,” I boastfully said to Logan while pointing my name on the screen.
I laughed when he suddenly threw a pillow on my face. Most people think that I am the most happy-go-lucky heir among the others, but they didn’t actually know that I am held captive in a translucent cage. I can’t get the only thing I wanted—Freedom.
The person I loathed the most in the Garnet Family is my grandfather. I was close with him back in the days when Amethyst still doesn’t exist. But when that person came, he vanished and left me hanging. I thought it was only a one-time thing, but to my surprise, he even has the guts to boast all the achievements of that person right in front of my face.
Amethyst that, Amethyst this— it was deafening, it was suffocating. And because of that, I hated my shadow without actually knowing the person behind that name. That person made me felt so little; that person made me thought that I couldn’t even protect myself.
But among the surprises in life, the most disappointing is that knowing Scarlett and Austin being a fan of that person.
“Richard Esquivel? Keigo’s best friend?” I asked while pointing at the unnamed dead student’s body.
Marami kaming katawan na nakita sa Madow ngunit s’ya lamang ang estudyante. Alam kong player s’ya ngunit wala kaming cellphone na nakita malapit sa bangkay n’ya pero sigurado ako na hindi talaga s’ya kasama sa target kung hindi bunga lamang ng isang mock battle ang pagkamatay n’ya.
“Snipey killed them,” Clover mumbled.
“‘Yan ba ‘yong pabilisan na i-aaccept na quest last month?” Tanong ni Austin. Tumango naman sa kanya si Maddie at binuksan ang TV.
Pare-parehas kaming mga player ng DANIMA, tatlong buwan na rin simula noong nagkakita-kita kami sa isang misyon. Iyon din ang dahilan kung bakit ko binuo ang Regulus, in case na may zodiac pang madagdag sa amin katulad nina Darren at Zeus na kailan lang sumali sa amin.
At sa aming lahat, si Scarlett na lamang ang natitirang non-player.
Sa kalagitnaan ng intramurals tila umayon sa akin ang tadhana at pinagtagpo kami. Hindi ko alam pero medyo naiinggit ako sa kwentuhan nila kahapon na kasama n’yang kumain si Logan. Bakit kasi ang aga kong umalis kahapon?
Nagtatakha n’ya akong tiningnan gamit ang magagandang mga mata n’ya dahil ang bobong si Thalia inilista ang pangalan ko sa pangalan ng premyo sa mananalo sa munti n’yang palaro. Tangina no’n.
“Fuck…” I whispered.
She’s standing too close. I frustratingly bit my lower lip and let myself drown in the temptation of kissing her lips.
But after that, Scarlett came home with a wound on her cheek. It was actually suspicious, especially that I know it is a wound from a gunshot.
Pinanliitan ko ang mga akala mo’y tatay ni Scarlett na galit na galit sa kanya.
“Logan.” Agad naman na lumingon sa akin si Logan, sinenyasan ko s’ya na sumunod sa akin, “Is she a player?”
“What do you mean?”
I looked around the balcony and sighed, “Dude, that graze came from a gunshot.”
It was a good thing that the twins locked her window with chains and such. Pero hindi ko alam kung ano ba ang nakakatakot sa pagmumukha ni Logan para takbuhan n’ya ito.
At kahit na sinabi kong manonood lamang ako ng pitong movies ng Harry Potter sa ibang zodiacs, hindi ko ‘yon nagawa dahil hinihintay ko talaga si Scarlett na umuwi. Naka-play lamang sa TV iyon pero hindi ko talaga maintindihan ang nangyayare. At sa sobrang tagal ni Scarlett, hindi ko namalayan na lumabas na pala ako at naglakad patungo sa library kung saan may nakita akong kakarampot na ilaw.
“Yay! I got it— oh, shit, I shouldn’t be loud.” I immediately hid behind the door after hearing her voice. I wanted to laugh because she’s studying and it is only 2 o’clock in the morning.
What a stupid woman.
Later that day, I saw her again. She’s with Austin, and they were inches apart. It somehow made my blood boil as if I wanted to wring my hand around this womanizer’s neck.
Damn, Austin. That is my woman you are flirting with.
“Dami ngang points, bagsak naman tayo sa Knight Department.” Mapait na sambit ni Clover kasabay ang pagtapon n’ya ng inumin sa basurahan.
“Guys… Nasa dreamland ba ako?” Biglang tanong sa amin ni Zayn.
“Tanga ka lang pero wala tayo sa dreamland.” Pambabara sa kanya ni Austin.
Saglit kaming natawa sa mukha ni Zayn dahil tulala ito hanggang sa dahan-dahan n’yang pinangturo ang kanyang daliri, “Scarlett-chan…”
Mabilis pa sa tigre ang paglingon naming lahat sa direksyon na iyon. Nasa dreamland nga ata kami dahil nandito sa department building namin ang isang d’yosa. Nakapikit s’ya na tila ba’y kulang na kulang s’ya sa tulog.
“…I’ve been calling your mobile…” Nakabusangot kong tiningnan si Travis dahil sa mga salitang tumatak sa utak ko. Tangina nito, bakit may number s’ya ni Scarlett tapos ako wala?
Dami namang kaagaw sa crush ko. Tanginang buhay ‘to.
I raised my brow as suspicion lingers within. Scarlett immediately left while Darren and Zayn were fighting. And even though I wanted to follow her, I can’t. Another zero points and I will be expunged in the zodiacs system. I saw Zeus looking at her, and I gestured him to follow her.
“Hey, I’m sorry, but I need to go.” Logan gave me baffled look, and without any hesitation, I electrocuted him without the audience noticing, “Gather the Zodiacs in the hideout,” I whispered before leaving him.
My hunches are correct. She’s a player, damn that Darren and Zeus for lying.
“Do it again, and I will fucking kill you.”
Keigo amusedly smiled at me. But my focus isn’t on him, and it was on my woman. Scarlett was paralyzed, and the only left to do is implanting another DNA on her body and my only option to do that is by kissing her.
And when we arrived at the Daedalus’ Labyrinth, I am no longer surprise that she has hunches too about us being players.
“Scarlett na naughty, be my partner.” Kinginang tigas talaga ng mukha ng lalaking ito.
Palihim na lamang akong napangisi nang ma-reject si gago. Pero hindi ko alam kung bakit kailangan n’ya pang magsinungaling at gamitin na naman si Travis. Pang nalilimutan ata n’ya na masyado ko nang basa ang pagsisinungaling n’ya.
“Wow. Bago ‘yon ah. Maddie at Clover magkapartner?” Natatawang biro ni Austin. Gustong-gusto ko talagang makipag yabangan sa kanila lalo na’t pumayag sa akin ‘yong nang reject sa kanya.
“May tahimik tapos nangisi pa…” Dinig kong bulong ni Zayn.
Sumimangot naman bigla si Zach, “Oo, ‘yong makapal ang mukhang nag-invite sa crush ko.” Masamang tingin ang binigay sa akin ng kambal dahilan upang matawa ang iba.
I smiled at them. A lot of things happened, but most importantly, I was able to speak up my feelings to her finally. She was evading it at first, but as the day goes by, she was lowering her guard on me.
As I slowly treated her as my queen, my everything… I finally realized how much I fell.
Amethyst.
—that is her username. I’ve been telling myself all this time that Scarlett and Amethyst are different people. Austin even explained it to me. And since then, I’ve been disposing of facts that connect them because I can’t handle the fact that she—they betrayed me.
Not until that day… when everything just exploded right in front of my face.
I was bitterly watching her as bloodlust completely devoured her whole. The vicinity, the people around seemed to spot, all were watching her as she tortured those who let her watch a fucking show of me dying.
Just like my grandfather used to describe, she was really agile, and her moves were done perfectly. Scarlett was wearing the same eyes when I saw first met her, the cold-dull-looking eyes, the one who doesn’t care about anyone.
She was looking down on Amanda.
I bitterly smiled and remembered what happened. Keigo paralyzed me while Raynald copied my face, and all I can do was watch Amanda tease Scarlett.
But little did we know that a monster was silently living within her.
And when I felt my nerves again, I began to move forward. To my surprise, Travis stopped her. She seems to calm down, and when she slowly lifted her head, our eyes met.
I felt rage towards her even though I don’t want to. After all, I am also hurting her.
But my stupid lips just say whatever it wanted to say.
“H’wag kang lalapit kay Scarlett.” Tumigil ako sa paglapit dahil sa bantang iyon.
Hindi ako galit… Hindi ko lang alam sa sarili ko kung bakit iba ang lumabas sa bibig ko sa gusto ko talagang sabihin. Hindi ko kayang magalit sa kanya.
Hindi ko kaya…
After the guild war, I locked myself in her room. I miss her. She have never step foot in the Celestial Kingdom for weeks.
“Para kang tanga… Imbes na lukutin ang sarili mo gamit ang kumot n’ya… Bakit hindi mo s’ya sunduin?” Tanong ni Logan.
Tangina, miss na miss ko na s’ya.
“Galit s’ya sa akin…”
“Bading ka?” Pang-asar na tanong ni Darren.
“Kung bading ako, ikaw hayop.”
“Yuck, palitan n’yo na leader natin. Mahina naman pala ‘to e.” Sinamaan ko naman si Clover nang tingin dahil sa sinabi n’ya.
Isa-isa kong tiningnan ang mga zodiacs na pinapanood akong magmukmok dito sa loob. Maging si Karupin na niyayakap ko ay tila nakikinig sa akin.
“Iuwi niyo si Scarlett.”
I no longer care if she is a pawn. Just wait, and I will fucking promote her into a queen.
#