"What's your plan Ate Au?" Tanong sa akin ni Euphy na ikinaayos ko ng tayo mula sa pagmamasid sa street namin.
The guards lives inside the big mansion of my lolo and lola and our on-call maids because my father and his siblings wanted more privacy for their own families. But they roam the streets of our compound, taking turns just so no one can trespass our area even if te whole place is already bombarded with CCTV's too.
Napasapo na lang ako sa noo dahil hindi ko alam ang gagawin para maka-alis.
It's the middle of the night, my parents are in an out of town business meeting and they'll be home tomorrow. Augustus and Austin are having a sleep over in Aunt Aly's house with the boys.
It's a perfect timing to leave dahil wala ng tao sa bahay maliban kay Ate Linda na natutulog na ngayon at sya dapat na bantay ko/kasama ko dahil nga nagpaiwan ako't sabi ko'y magbabasa na lang ako sa bahay.
I can't use my car because that will gain more attention and I won't be able to leave this place unnoticed.
Pinag-iisipan ko pa kung paano akong hindi mahuhuli sa CCTV camera na nakatapat sa may gate namin nang eto nga't bigla namang sumulpot si Euphy.
"Ha? Am..nothing. Just checking our plants." Patay malisya pa ako kahit ang lame ng palusot ko.
"You know I won't believe that." She boredly said.
Napabuntong hininga na lang ako at umayos ng tayo saka sya hinarap.
"I'm about to sneak out. Wag mo'kong gagayahin okay?" Sabi ko na ikinangiti nya.
"As much as I'm getting annoyed of how protective my father is. I'm not as courageous as you to leave this compound Ate." She said and I gave her a small smile.
"You're a strong girl Euphy, you just have to give yourself a little more credit." I softly said and that made her smile a little bigger than what she usually gives us.
"I'll try to remember that. So do you want help?" She asked but I shook my head.
Lumapit ako sa kanya at masuyong niyakap bago bumitaw at pinat ang ulo nya.
"I don't want you getting pressured into answering them once they caught you in the camera trying to help me. Basta na lang ako lalabas, CCTV's be dammed. Once I get out of the subdivision, everything will be okay I guess."
"Just pretend that you didn't saw me tonight." I said and she nodded.
Nginitian ko sya bago lumapit na ulit sa may gate namin pero bago pa ako makalabas talaga, tinawag nya ako ulit.
"When will you be back?"
"Maybe after 6 months." I said and shrugged my shoulders.
Tinignan ko pa sya ng matagal, I'll surely miss her, bukod sa mga kapatid nya, ako ang mas hilig nyang kausapin sa mga problema nya kaya lumapit ako ulit ako kay Euphy at may inipit na maliit na piraso ng papel sa kamay nya pagkatapos.
"This will be our little secret okay? You can call me through that number if you wanted to talk to someone." I said and she looked at the piece of paper before looking back at me then nodded.
Ibinulsa nya yon bago huminga ng malalim.
"I hope you find what you're trying to look for." She said and I smiled before going out of our house.
I closed the gate and ran away, bago pa ako mahagip ng camera at mapansin ng mga bantay sa guard house nila.
I left my bracelet with a tracking device, I left the letter I made for my brothers on their room and the letter I made for my father on top of their bed so it'll be the first thing they'll see once they're home.
All I have is my blue Hawk backpack with some clothes, wallet and my phone's turned off. I left all of my cards, I don't even have a jewelry with me and that's a little sad since I like everything shiny but it's part of the sacrifice.
Nakaskinny jeans lang ako, plain white shirt, black bomber jacket at converse sneakers na itim, the cheapest one I have in my closet so I won't attract attention. My hair is tied in a ponytail and tried to hide my face using my dark blue baseball cap that my father gave me when we went together to watch baseball.
Oh papa, I'm sorry but I have to do this.
I said as I ran towards the exit, napangiti pa ako nang matanaw ko ang arko sa bungad ng subdivision namin.
Pero agad ding nawala yon nang magawi ang tingin ko sa likod at natanaw ko ang emergency light sa mansyon.
Oh boy, that's an alarm. Not everyone in this subdivision knows what that means but for our family, that's a signal.
Just like batman, but not for help, it means Lady Alpha is missing. That's their code name for me by the way.
It means I only have few minutes left before they even notice that I'm still inside our area.
How did they found out so fast???
I'm sure Euphy won't talk, she's not like that.
Mas binilisan ko ang pagtakbo, akmang pipigilan pa ako ng guard na naka-assign sa entrance na syang guard ng buong subdivision pero hindi na nya nagawa.
Sorry manong!
Maybe it was the adrenaline, the hunger for me to explore and leave that I was able to hide in a corner, just in time that some of our men came running towards my direction.
Itinago ko pa ang sarili ko sa posteng kinatatayuan ko habang kita ko silang inililibot ang tingin para hanapin ako.
Buti na lang gabi, omg.
"You, check that street. You and you, come with me. Let's check this side." Sabi ng mukhang team leader nila.
Buti na lang yung mga tinuro nilang direksyon, wala ni isa don ang balak kong puntahan.
Nang makaalis na sila, saka ako dahan-dahang lumabas sa pinagtataguan ko.
Nang makarating ako sa mismong tabi ng main road na may mga ilang establishments na, kaagad akong pumara ng taxi, mas ibinaba ko pa ang suot kong cap para hindi ako makilala.
Well, I'm actually not that famous outside the elite world because after that kidnapping incident, our parents as well as our grandparents decided to hide our identity to the general public as long as we're studying and until we reached the age of 25 where they believe that we can already protect ourselves.
That means, that even if magazines and tv networks wanted to have us for an interview, they won't let them. So basically, in the eye of normal people, we are unknown.
See how protective they are? Geez.
"San tayo miss?" Tanong ng driver sa akin.
Gabi na at babae ako, doon ko lang narealize ang pahamak na dala non pero mabait naman siguro si manong driver.
"Sa pinakamalapit pong terminal." Sabi ko at tumango lang sya.
I think he's nice.
NOT!
I know I'm naive about some certain things but did he really need to fool me?? In the middle of the night???
Saan ang terminal dito? Saan?
Napabuntong hininga na lang ako, I actually don't have the right to complain because this is my choice.
Inilibot ko ang tingin sa paligid, mukhang malayo na ako sa area namin dahil hindi na ako pamilyar sa lugar.
Hindi ko pa nadadaanan to eversince, maraming tao, may mga nagtitinda ng kung anu-ano, food, snacks, bags, slippers.
Halu-halo. When I looked up at the sign, that's where I saw that it was indeed a terminal.
Just not the terminal I expected.
Hindi ba may mga waiting lounge ang terminals?
I guess this is the terminal many are used to.
May nakita akong waiting lounge, pero walang aircon.
Mahigpit lang ang kapit ko sa strap ng backpack ko at habang tinitignan ko ang paligid, nakakaaliw pala.
Well not until mabunggo ako ng kung sino at muntikan na akong madapa kung di ko lang na-balance ang sarili ko.
"Ineng, bili ka na nitong paninda ko. Murang-mura, buy 1 take 1" sabi ng isang ale na pagtingin ko kung anong tinitinda nya, mga tshirt at bags pala, may face masks din na iba-iba ang design.
Ngumiti na lang ako at bahagyang umiling dahil wala sa bulsa ko yung wallet ko.
Nasa bag, sa kasuluksukan at nakaipit sa mga damit ko.
Naglibot-libot pa ako sa kabuuan ng terminal at tinignan ang mga bus signs.
Naaaliw ako dahil first time ko pero mabilis ding naputol yun nang may pamilyar na sasakyan akong makita na huminto sa bungad ng terminal.
It's my freaking personal bodyguard!
Oh shoot!
Suot ang black suit nya at itim na earpiece, kitang-kita ko ang pagbaba nya sa sasakyan at nakasunod sa kanya ang team nya. I can see his lips moving to give orders to his team at bago pa sya mapatingin sa direksyon ko ay kaagad akong nagbaba ng tingin at hinila pa pababa ang suot na cap.
Shoot! Shoot! Shoot! Saan ako pupunta?
"Oh Tarlac! Tarlac!" Sigaw ng conductor ng bus na ikinatingin ko doon.
"Tarlac?" I asked myself. Mukhang nakita nya ang pagtataka sa mukha ko kaya tinanong nya ako.
"Sasakay ka ba miss?" Tanong nya, pasimple kong inilibot pa ang tingin sa paligid at nakitang nakadisseminate na ang tauhan ni Hezekiah.
Hezekiah's my personal bodyguard, their family has been serving ours since before. Bunsong anak sya ng ninong ni papa na si Ninong Piolo na late na ding nagpakasal at late na ding nagka-anak.
Hezekiah's probably just five years older than me pero kung umakto sa akin para ko syang tatay.
Natatarantang tumango ako at umakyat ng bus nang makita ang isa sa mga tauhan nya ay malapit na sa kinatatayuan ko at abala sa pagtingin sa paligid.
Pagpasok ko sa loob, marami na din pa lang sakay kahit gabi na.
Yakap-yakap ang backpack ko na naglakad ako sa aisle sa gitna.
Ganito pala ang mga normal bus? I've only seen this type of vehicle through pictures, I've never experience riding one since we have cars and planes for transport.
"Excuse me, excuse me. Ang bagal maglakad." Ani ng isang ale habang sumisiksik sa likod ko, halos masubsob pa ako sa isang ma-mang natutulog at nakatakip ang mukha gamit ang sumbrero nito kung hindi ko lang natukod ang kamay ko sa salamin.
Pero nagising ko pa rin ata dahil tumama yung bag ko sa mukha nya.
"Sorry! Sorry po." Hingi ko ng paumanhin nang inis na inalis nya ang sumbrero nya at bagot ang tingin sa akin.
Nakagat ko na lang ang ibabang labi ko saka umayos ng tayo at tinignan ang paligid.
Dito na lang pala ang bakante, puno na yung iba.
"Makikiupo..." mahina kong sabi habang dahan-dahang umuupo habang sinisilip-silip ang mukha nya dahil baka singhalan ako.
Pero hindi naman, ipinikit lang nya ulit ang mga mata nya at nakapaling sa may bintana ang ulo nya.
Kumibot-kibot ang labi ko bago inilibot ang tingin sa kabuuan ng bus.
Mas nakahinga na din ako ng maluwag dahil smooth na ang andar ng byahe.
So this is what it feels to ride in an ordinary bus with a lot of people.
Aircon naman kaya safe from the pollution outside.
I just took a deep breath and settled myself, isinandal ko na din ang ulo ko sa head rest and look outside the window.
I smiled when I saw the lights from different cars in the road along with us. Kahit medyo kinakabahan ako ng slight because this is my first time to leave and travel alone. I'm actually having fun. I just hope that everything will be alright.
Inalis ko na ang tingin sa labas ng bintana at nagawi ang tingin ko sa katabi kong lalaki. Hindi pala sya ma-ma, I think he's probably the same age as Hezekiah.
He has an olive skin tone, not too dark but he's not too light either. I must say that he has nice jaws, defined but it makes him look rough because of some stubbles.
Sumisilip kasi dahil nakatagilid ang ulo nya at nakatakip ang mukha nya.
I looked at his shoes and it was a little bit dirty, the outside sole looks like its been through rough times.
I just pouted my lips and made myself busy with my surroundings.
I'm having fun observing the bus when I saw the conductor walking in the middle of the aisle, he's talking to the passengers on the front while holding a thick paper and a paper puncher?
Ohhhh! So that explains the little paper circles on the bus' aisle when I went in.
But what for?
Saka ko lang narealize that it was the ticket.
"Oh my gosh..." I whispered when I remember that I don't know where I'll go.
I wanted to experience things, but not the particular place.
I'm sure Tarlac is a province, but what part of Tarlac?
"Miss san ka?" The conductor asked and I was so nervous it took time for me to answer.
"Kasama mo ba yan?" Tanong nya ulit but am I the one he's asking?
Where to go muna! What am I going to say?
"Sa Y-mall, isa." Sabi ng katabi ko at doon ako napaayos ng upo. Gagayahin ko na lang si Mr. Cap.
"Me too sir!" I said and even raised my hand just about the level of my face.
The conductor looked at me weirdly, bago sya naiiling na nagpunch-punch then gave the paper-which I assume is my ticket-before proceeding to walk in the middle of the bus.
I must say his balancing skills is superb, if I were him, I'd easily stumble.
I might look like a dignified lady but I'm a bit clumsy. Everytime we go to the mall, my mother won't even let me walk near glasswares when I was a child because she's afraid she might pay a lot of damages even if we have a lot of money. We even own the mall itself!
I'm a very energetic kid, but clumsy, and its not a good combination.
Now after that thought, what am I gonna do with this ticket? How will I know how much I will pay if all I see are holes???
How do I read this? Is it at the back?
Or maybe the numbers left is what I'm going to pay? But its too many.
Mahal ba ang pamasahe sa bus??
My eyes are hurting trying to figure out this ticket, I'm not a fan of reading inside a moving vehicle. I wonder how my father can do that when we're inside the car.
"260 pesos." Ani ng isang boses at nang mag-angat ako ng tingin, poker faced ang mukha ni Mr. Cap na ginaya ko lang naman kung saan sya pupunta.
Oh yeah! We're going to the same place! Of course we have the same amount to pay!
Pero napakunot ang noo ko sa sinabi nya. How the fork did he knew it was 260 pesos?
How? How? In this paper just full of holes! How?
Naiiling na kinuha nya ang ticket ko at itinapat sa mukha ko. I blink and move my head a little farther from the ticket and looked at him.
"Makinig ka, ito, date yan." Sabi nya sabay turo sa parte ng ticket, tinignan ko naman pero nalukot ang mukha ko sa pagtataka.
He didn't say anything, but when I looked at it closely, it does tell the date.
"Dito ang babayaran mo, i-add mo yung mga may butas." Sabi nya bago ibinalik sa akin ang ticket ko, letting me figure it out by myself again.
Nakakunot naman ang noo ko sa pag-figure out ng ticket. Maybe it took me a little less than five minutes to actually get it.
"Thanks." I said as I look at the guy beside me, nakangiti pa ako kasi kung di nya ako tinuruan baka hanggang makabalik yung conductor, hindi ko pa alam babayaran ko.
Kaso nakapikit na naman sya pero wala ng takip ang mukha nya. Nakahalukipkip lang sya habang nakasandal ang ulo sa headrest.
Nagkibit-balikat na lang ako at tuwang-tuwa na tinignan ang ticket ko saka pinaulit-ulit na basahin ang babayaran ko.
260 pesos? That's cheap! My kuripot side is happy.
I opened my bag and look for my wallet and grab a 1000 peso before putting it immediately back to the deepest corner of my bag.
Mas nag-ingat ako na huwag madanggi si Mr. Cap dahil baka magising, mukhang mahimbing na mahimbing na talaga ang tulog nya kasi nakabuka na ng bahagya ang mga labi nya.
In all fairness, he can walk in line with S&M's male models.
I just shrugged that thought off since its just an ordinary sight for me to see handsome faces.
Sa mga pinsan at kapatid ko pa lang, they could pass as celebrities.
It's in the genes.
That's not from me, that's based from the people around us that keeps telling us how good looking we are everytime we're in a party.
If I know, pina-plastic lang nila kami.
Just kidding!
But out of all the handsome faces in the world, my father will always be the number 1 for me.
"Bayad mo miss?" Tanong ng conductor at tumango ako saka dalawang kamay na iniabot ang 1000 pesos.
Kinuha naman nya at akmang gigisingin si Mr. Cap na katabi ko para singilin siguro ng ikinaway ko ang dalawa kong kamay sa harapan ko para pigilan sya.
"Isama mo na yung kanya sir." I said in a whisper, tinignan nya muna ako at yung katabi ko bago tumango saka ako sinuklian.
Nang makabalik ang conductor sa pwesto nya sa harapan, ibinulsa ko na lang ang pera ko saka umayos ng upo. Madilim ang daan dahil gabi pero komportable naman ako sa upuan ko.
Nang silipin ko ang katabi ko, natutulog pa rin sya. Oh well, bayad ko na lang yun sa tulong na binigay nya kanina.
Lumipas ang thirty minutes, hindi pa rin ako makatulog. Alisto ako habang mahigpit ang yakap ko sa backpack ko.
I've watched a lot of movies that they lost their belongings while travelling because they fell asleep.
Hindi ako matutulog!
Hindi pwede!
Pero nararamdaman ko na yung antok.
I sat up straight and slightly slap my face.
Tinignan ko pa ang mga kapwa ko passengers, they're all asleep!
So I can sleep?
Hindi ko na nagawang masagot ang tanong ko dahil naipikit ko na ang mga mata ko.
Two minutes, three, my eyes opened.
Do you know that feeling that you want to sleep but you can't sleep?? I'm not that tired to not notice the vehicle moving for me to be able to sleep.
Nakakatulog lang ako sa sasakyan kapag talagang pagod na pagod ako at wala na akong lakas para maramdaman na gumagalaw ang sasakyan.
If I'm tired and I badly wanted to sleep, usually Hezekiah would stop the car and let me sleep first, kapag malalim na ang tulog ko at alam nyang busy na ako sa dreamland, saka ko na lang mamamalayan na nasa bahay na kami.
Naiiling na niyakap ko na lang ang bag ko at inilapat ang noo doon.
I sigh and sat up straight again and decided to just look outside the window to just think of what's about to come for me.
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#unedited.