As she went out of the headquarters, she breathes the air deeply. Today is the start of a new life for her. This is her second shot to live a happy life and she'll make it count.
"What are your plans now?" Pukaw sa kanya ni Emerald na lumabas na din kasunod ang iba pang mga kapatid.
"I'm going back first to Canada and from there, I'll think of a way to get in touch with my mother." Sagot niya na nginitian ang lahat. "What about you?" Tanong niya para sa lahat.
"I'll come home to my kids with Percy. Hopefully, I can erase who I am and be a good mother and a wife. I still don't have my full memories back, just fragments of it. I'm like a ticking bomb that can explode at any moment and I can be a danger to my family." Ruby sighed.
"You're gonna be a good mother, no doubt about that." Ani Emerald na sinang-ayunan naman nilang lahat. "For me, I'll continue with my job and eventually get settle down just like Ruby. I want to have my own family too."
"Despite our dark past, we all want to have a normal life like the others. To find someone who can accept us for who we are and have a family of our own." They couldn't agree more with Diamond. "I'll be staying here in Atlanta because I still have a responsibility in saving the world from dangerous people."
Nagsitanguan lang sila at sabay-sabay napatingin kay Sapphire. Chief Einstein has given her freedom in exchange for what she did in helping taking down Weber.
"So what's your plan, Sapphire? You're now free, you can do whatever you want and you can go anywhere you want to go without anyone holding you. What are you gonna do first?" Tanong ni Taniesha.
Hindi kaagad nakasagot ang kapatid na para bang wala pa talagang planong naiisip.
"I honestly don't know where to go after this or what am I supposed to do now."
"You can stay here if you want. We can use someone like you in the mission. You can be an agent too who saves people." Anyaya ni Yasi.
"No, I don't think I'm suitable for that kind of job." Tanggi nito. "I'm a damaged good, tainted and irreparable."
"We all are." Si Emerald na inakbayan pa si Sapphire. "But that doesn't mean we can't try to repair ourselves, we all deserve another chance to right our wrongs."
"Tama si Em." Pagsang-ayon ni Eshe. "I'm scared too, but I don't want to stop myself from changing the monster that FLAW has created in me."
"I want to believe that we can change who we were before. But I need to find my memories first before I can do that." Si Ruby na tumabi at hinawakan ang kamay din ni Sapphire. "I still have hope and you should too."
"We'll help each other just like before. We will push ourselves to become better than our previous lives. We owe it to ourselves and to our family to live a happy life." Si Diamond na umakbay naman kay Taniesha.
Nakangiti silang lahat maliban kay Sapphire na naka-ilang ulit sa pag-iling.
"You don't understand." Seryoso at nababahalang pahayag nito. "I'm beyond irreparable, I can't be fixed."
"Sapphire-"
"No." Putol nito kay Emerald at kumawala mula sa pagkakaakbay at saka umatras. "FLAW did something to me in the facility."
"What do you mean?" Tanong ni Ruby dahil wala talaga itong kaalam-alam sa mga pinaggagagawa ng dating organisasyon.
"Don't tell me that they-"
"Yes." Putol nito kay Amethyst.
"Fuck it!" Mura ni Emerald na napasipa pa sa sobrang galit. "Napaka-halang talaga ng kaluluwa niyang si Madame Pearl."
"What exactly did they do to you?" It was Diamond.
"When they perfected Crimson Death, of course, it needs to undergo a human trial, so they injected it on me."
"They treated you like a lab rat?" Naroon ang pagkabahag sa mukha ni Ruby para sa kapatid nila. "How could they do that to a person?"
"Because they are monsters." Si Emerald na ang sumagot.
"Being under that drug made me their ultimate weapon. I couldn't control myself like I was trapped inside my own body. I couldn't feel anything, no fear, no pain, no guilt, nothing." At saka ito napayuko. "And to test the effect of the drug, they sent me out on a mission." Napakuyom ito ng kamao. "I was the one who was responsible for the Morris Children Orphanage incident."
"You mean to say that it wasn't an accident?" Paniniguro ni Diamond.
"No. I was the one who started the fire." At mas lalong humigpit ang pagkakakuyom ng kamao nito. "They sent me to kill innocent children. It was the best idea for them to test the effect of the drug. I didn't feel anything at that time. The only thing in my mind was to carry out my mission and I must finish it at all cost." Umangat ang mukha nito at doon ay nakita nila ang sobrang pagsisisi. "I've killed them. And you know what's eating me inside? The fact that those children were pleading for my help but I just stood there while watching them burn. Their screams of agony are what keeps me haunted."
"That wasn't you, Sapphire. They used you to do their evil deeds. You shouldn't blame yourself." Pag-alo ni Em.
"You're wrong. No one should be blamed here but myself. I agreed with that experiment. I chose that to happen."
"Kahit naman hindi ikaw ang napiling pag-eksperimentuhan, ganoon at ganoon pa din ang gagawin nila. Ipapagawa pa din nila ang ganoong misyon sa iba at iyon pa din ang mangyayari sa mga bata." Dagdag pa ni Amethyst.
"But the point here is that it was me who did it and no one else. Ako pa din ang may kasalanan. Ako pa din ang pumatay sa mga batang walang kalaban-laban." At nagsimula nang tumulo ang luha nito na kaagad ding pinahid.
Nabalitaan nga niya ang masaklap na nangyari sa isang orphanage sa San Francisco. Nagkaroon ng sunog at apat na bata ang nasawi. Lumabas sa imbestigasyon na aksidente ang nangyari dahil sa gas leak, ngunit ngayon ay nalaman nila ang katotohanan sa likod niyon.
Ang grupo na naman pala ni Weber ang may pakana at dapat lang talaga na napabagsak na nila ito. Sana nga lang ay hindi nakatakas ang iba lalo na si Madame Pearl upang mapagbayaran nito ang lahat ng nagawang kasalan nito at ng kapatid nito.
"We've all committed sins, but that should not define who we are. We cannot travel back in time to fix our mistakes, but we can learn from them and forgive ourselves for not knowing better. We forgive ourselves for every failure because we are trying to do the right thing and that's what's important." Si Diamond na na tinapik pa sa balikat si Sapphire. "Here in SIATT, you can do something good with your skills and to right your wrongs. Join us and redeem yourself."
Lahat sila ay naghihintay sa magiging sagot ng kapatid. No one will ever know what's going on inside a Gem's head because they are often at war with themselves.
Sa totoo lang ay mas gusto ni Amethyst na pumayag ito upang mas magkaroon ito nang tsansa na malimutan ang madilim na nakaraan nila at mas magkaroon ito ng bagong pagkakaabalahan.
But they can't force her if she doesn't want that.
"I'm sorry but I can't." Tanggi nito. "What I want is to be alone somewhere far from here. I want to stay away from anything that will remind me of the horrible mistakes that I did. And I need to be as far away as possible from people so that I won't be able to hurt anyone."
"Where do you plan to go? What are you planning to do then?" Si Ruby na siyang pinaka-unang nakaintindi sa kanilang magkakapatid.
"I still don't know but what I know is that I will have to figure this out on my own." Pinagmasdan ni Sapphire isa-isa ang mga kapatid. "This isn't goodbye. I know we'll all eventually see each other again. You may not hear from me but I will always gonna look after you like I always did."
Si Eshe na ang unang yumakap rito hanggang sa naramdaman niya na may sumunod sa kanya at lahat na sila ay nagyakapan roon.
She could never ask for a better sister who would die for her. She has the best women she can ever have and she will treasure them till death.
"Take care of yourself." Si Emerald na nakaharap kay Sapphire bago inilipat ang tingin sa kanila. "And you, and you and you as well." Na tinuro pa sila isa-isa. "We'll keep tabs on everyone, okay?"
"Sure. I'd like to keep in touch with all of you and once I remember everything, I'll see you again." Si Ruby.
"Let's stop this drama. This isn't us." Awat sa kanila ni Sapphire na tinawanan lang nila.
"I'll check on all of you now and then. And if anyone needs help, don't hesitate to call me. I will always have your back." Diamond said that made them smile even more.
"And if ever you and your team needed again our help too, the ex-Gems, we'll gladly help." Ani Taniesha.
Saglit ulit silang nagyakapan hanggang sa nagkanya-kanya na sila ng daan na tinatahak upang masimulan na nila ang panibagong yugto sa kanilang mga buhay.
They must go on separate ways so they could start living their own lives. They may be parting ways but they will all remain connected to each other. They will remain sisters forever and their bond is undeniably unbreakable.
Kahit galing sa bakbakan ay nagawa pa ding magmaneho nang mahabang oras ni Taniesha upang makabalik na ng Canada. Instead of yawning because she's sleepy, she is smiling and that's practically new to her.
She must be excited to finally live in peace and the first thing in her mind is to fix her relationship with her mother and of course with her boss.
She practically needs proper sleep because she's awake for more than twenty-four hours now and maybe this would be the first time she can finally sleep in peace without any nightmares bothering her.
Dumirecho na siya sa apartment niya para makaligo at makapagpalit ng damit. Mamaya na niya iisipin kung ano ang uunahin na hakbang ang gagawin niya. Nagbababad siya sa bathtub nang may narinig siyang kumakatok sa pintuan.
Kaagad siyang umahon at tinakpan ang hubad na katawan ng tuwalya. Hinablot din niya ang sandata at dahan-dahang dumirecho sa may pintuan. Pagkasilip niya ay kumunot ang kanyang noo nang makilala kung sino ang naroon.p
"How did-" tanong niya pagka-bukas na pagka-bukas niya ng pintuan ngunit napahinto siya dahil sa pagyakap na ginawa nito.
"Thank God you're okay!" Bulalas nito. "You really had me worried. I was so restless the whole night and I had to control my urge from finding where you were. I was in a battle with myself and it was a hell of a fight because clearly, myself is a tough opponent." Dire-direchong patuloy nito bago humiwalay sa kanya. "How are you? Were you hurt? Why do you have so many bruises and scratches? This one is a little deep." Na maingat pang pinadaanan ng kamay ang sugat na natamo sa kanyang braso.
"I'm fine. These are nothing." Ani Eshe na umaatras pa nang bahagya dahil masyado silang malapit sa isa't isa.
"Where you've been? Were you in a fight with someone? With whom? With the organization that took you?" Sunod-sunod pa ring tanong nito.
Bubuka sana ang bibig niya para sumagot ngunit muling kumunot ang noo niy dahil naalala niya ang nais na itanong rito nang pagbuksan niya ito ng pintuan.
"How did you know I was here? How did you know that I just came back less than an hour ago?"
"W-well," He even cleared his throat before continuing. "I have a good hunch that you're already here and so I rushed myself in here to check."
Amethyst is a great pretender and so she knows when people are also lying and Dev is definitely lying to her face right now.
"You're lying." Seryosong sabi niya. "Tell me the truth, how did you know I was already here?" Ulit niya.
He sighed deeply like he just lost the argument with her.
"Okay." And he breathe deeply. "I have a tracker on you and it shows that you're back, so I... I came."
Doon tumaas ang isang kilay niya.
"What?! You put a tracker on me?!" Galit niyang balik rito. "Where did you put it and when did you put it?!"
"It's in the car and I put it the last time I was here." Pag-amin naman nito.
Kaya naman pala natagpuan nito kung saan siya nagtatago sa Atlanta dahil matagal na pala itong naka-monitor isa kanya.
"Why would you do that?! We're you spying on me?!"
"No-no! No!" Na umiiling-iling pa. "I'm not spying on you, I just want to regularly check on you. I want to keep track of where you are so I could protect and save you if someone will ever harm or take you." At saka ito yumuko na parang bata na pinapagalitan. "I'm sorry."
She doesn't like being watched or tracked but knowing his reasons for doing that can be an excuse to just let it go.
"You do not need to do that, I can take care of myself. You don't need to worry about me." Mababa na ang tono ng boses niya kaya naman umaangat na ang mukha nito at tiningnan siya.
"You can't make me not to worry about you." At saka dahan-dahang humakbang papalapit sa kanya. "I will always worry about your safety because I care." Na hinaplos pa ang kanyang pisngi.
"As I said, I can take care-" she was stopped by his forefingers on her lips.
"Let me take care of you." He said as he leans closer.
She can feel the warmth of his body especially that she's only draped in her towel. And before she can think of an answer, she found herself responding to his hot kisses.
Taniesha felt feverish when he caressed her neck down to her bare shoulder and arm. And when he pulled the towel to expose her naked body, she gasped in between their kisses.
"Oh Dev." She moaned his name when he sucked her neck and collar bone.
"You don't have any idea what you are doing to me, Baby." He huskily said as he took off his coat and tie and unbutton his shirt. "You make me go insane by just moaning my name." And devoured her lips once again.
Eshe whimpered when her boss pulled her up and she instantly wrapped her legs around his hips. Even when he is still on his pants, she can feel his hardness poking into her sensitive core.
Dahan-dahang lumalakad si Dev papunta sa kwarto habang buhat-buhay si Amethyst. Halos mapugtol na ang kanilang mga hininga dahil sa paghahalikan.
She felt the soft bed behind her when he laid her down. She even felt the cold air when he pulled himself away from her to take off his pants. But when she saw how ready and hard his weapon is, the fire crawls back inside her body and she let it consume her. She let it burn her flesh that is aching to be touched by him.
Muli na naman siyang sinugod ng binata upang bigyan ng malalim na halik habang naglulumikot ang mga kamay nito sa kanyang buong katawan. Pinaglandas din niya ang kanyang mga kamay sa katawan ng lalaki ngunit nang mahawakan niya ang sandata nito ay tila ba napaso ito at napamura pa.
"Sorry." Anito at saka siya kinintalan ng halik sa labi at saka marahas na pinatungan. "You're a great teaser, don't you know that?" And he flashes a seductive smile. "Makes me crave for you more."
At sa isang iglap lang ay naramdaman na niya ang marahas na pagpasok nito sa kanya. Halatang gigil na gigil, gutom na gutom ang ginagawa nitong pag-angkin sa kanya.
Halos mamaos na siya kakaungol dahil sa bagsik nito sa kama. Talagang ramdam niya ang pagkasabik nito dahil hindi niya mabilang kung naka-ilang round na sila. Devereaux really knows how to give a woman a good scream. He is one hell of a beast in bed.
Kanina na wala siyang tulog at galing siya sa pakikipaglaban ay hindi niya gaanong ininda ang pagod. Ngunit ngayong matapos na sila sa pakikipaglaban sa apoy ay hapong-hapo ang buong katawan niya.
Balak sana niyang umidlip saglit ngunit nang marinig ang boses ng binata ay nawala ang kanyang antok.
"We need to talk." Anito.
"About what?" Balik niya habang pareho silang nakatitig sa kisame.
"About us." His voice was serious.
"What about us?" Ayaw niyang ipahalata ang biglang pagkabog ng kanyang dibdib.
Dahil sa totoo lang ay gusto rin talaga niyang pag-usapan ang tungkol sa kanila at kung ano nga ba ang mayroon sa pagitan nila.
"I want to take us seriously." Na pumihit para harapin siya. "I want to make this right."
Pumihit na din siya paharap rito at saka pinakatitigan ang mukha nito.
"What do you mean?" Maang niyang tanong.
"I'm in love with you, Taniesha." He said out straight. "And I want us to be together, officially." Then he held her hand. "Will you go out with me on a date not as a secretary but as my girlfriend?"
Natawa siya ng bahagya roon.
"You're asking me out after having sex with me?" Pang-aasar pa niya. "Clever idea, huh! After a series of fucking, you finally decided to take this- whatever relationship we have on the next level."
Napahawak naman ito sa likod ng ulo na para bang biglang nahiya.
"As I've said, I want to take this seriously now. I am serious about my feelings for you. So why don't we start over, shall we?"
Tumatango-tango siya habang nangingiti.
"I'd like that. I want to start my new life without always having to look beyond my back as if someone would attack me anytime. I want to be normal and experience the life I should have and could have been if it weren't for that damn organization!"
Nagkaroon ng kaunting bahid ng pait at galit ang mga salita ni Eshe.
"You will have a normal life starting today, I promise." And pulled her hand towards his lips and he kissed it.
She believes in him and she trust him that everything will be different from now on. And for her to finally move forward, she needs to make the first step.
"I believe you. But there's one thing I want to do first." She said, hoping that she's doing the right thing. "I want to find my mother."