CHAPTER 2

Tumikhim ang Kapitan dahilan kung bakit kami napatingin sa kanya.

"This is Benjamin. He's the quartermaster, my right hand." turo niya sa lalaking nasa tabi niya. I smiled at him binigyan niya din ako ng tipid na ngiti at tinanguan.

"Maven, the boatswain. He is the one supervisoring the boat. Checking everything in it. His substitute is Lark." tinanguan ako ng lalaking nasa tabi ni Benjamin kaya ngumiti ako sa kanya.

"Junger the cabin boy, he run errands for me." the Captain explained while pointing Jungle.

"Junger? That's Jungle." I corrected him.

"What?" he asked. And then everyone looks at me confusingly.

"Your name is Jungle, right?" I asked the boy.

"Junger po Miss, hehe." sabi ni Jungle na si Junger daw sabay kamot sa kanyang batok tila ba nahihiya.

I heard the Captain chuckled sexily when he saw my eyebrows ceased.

"You can call him anything you want tho," he assured me.

"Now, that's Marcillo, the carpenter. The is the one responsibe for fixing anything that is broken in the ship." he told me.

"Alex the Gunner, his sub is Xander. Ferdin the navigator, his sub is Ellan. Rieki and Raeki the Doctors, they are twins. And Gae together with Galvin, the cook." he told me.

Now, he faced me. He looked at me like he's sipping my soul out.

"Lastly, me. Fauve Maverick Arc, the Captain." he said with full of power.

We looked at each other intensely. I noticed that his eye color is so unique. Parang  magkahalong color green at gray.

Hindi ko na pinatagal ang pagtitinginan namin dahil baka matunaw ako.

After dinner, mag pepresenta na sana akong tumulong para maghugas ng pinggan pero hindi nila ako pinayagan bagamat isa daw akong bisita dito.

Visitor? No I'm already a part of this crew.

Dahil hindi kaya ng powers kong pilitin sila, umakyat nalang ako sa deck ng barko para magpahangin.

Nakita ko ang mga tao sa labas na may kanya kanyang ginagawa.

May isang naglilinis ng mga baril at mga kagamitan na siguro ginagamit nila sa pandagat na digmaan. May tao din doon sa itaas. I think it's called the crow's nest. I'm not sure.

Nag ikot ako dito hanggang sa umabot ako sa front deck o sa pinaka harapan ng barko. May parte doon na pwedeng upuan kaya umupo ako doon, admiring the view.

The moon is full and bright. Agad kong naalala si Kuya.

Sa gilid ng aking kinauupuan, may nakita akong gitara na baka naiwan dito ng isa sa mga tauhan sa barko. Kinuha ko iyon at tinignan kung nasa tono ba.

I adjusted some strings a little and started plucking it softly.

I looked at the moon, took a deep breath while closing my eyes feeling the cold wind of September and started singing.

"I know you're somewhere out there, somewhere far away. I want you back, I want you back." referring to my Kuya.

"You're all I had, you're all I had." I sang.

He's the only person who stayed. When our parents died, he took care of me and never make me feel that I'm alone.

"I sit by myself," I took a deep breath before singing the chorus.

"Talking to the moon, try'na get to you."

"In hopes you're on the other side, talking to me too, or am I a fool, who sits alone, talking to the moon." hindi ko na mapigilang maluha habang kinakanta ito.

I let my tears flow down my face at saka pait na ngumiti. I looked at the moon who's giving light to the dark and cold night.

"I know you're somewhere out there, somewhere far away." I sang the last lines saka niyakap ang gitara, as if it's giving me warmth.

Nang naramdaman kong mas lumamig ang gabi, napagdesisyonan ko nang tumayo saka isinandal ang gitara sa kung saan ko ito kinuha kanina.

I noticed something. May nakasulat sa ibabang parte nito.

Alon

Hindi ko na iyon pinansin at tumalikod na para sana bumalik sa cabin ko.

I saw the Captain staring at me while holding the wheel. Beside him is Benjamin holding a telescope.

I gave him a small smile and continue walking back to my cabin.

Nadaanan ko ang mga ibang crews na nagpapahinga sa duyan na sinasabit nila siguro kapag gabi lang kasi kanina wala namang ganun.

Tinatanguan nila ako at ganun din ako sa kanila hanggang sa nakarating na ako sa cabin ko.

I noticed a glass of milk na may takip para siguro kahit na umuga uga ang barko hindi ito matatapon.

There's a note beneath it saying,

Magandang gabi Miss, ipinadala po ito ni Kapitan pero hindi kita naabutan sa kuwarto mo kaya inilagay ko nalang dito. Inumin mo po iyan bago ka matulog.

-Junger

Oh. So it was Jungle, na Junger daw ang pangalan niya.

Not my fault na iyon ang pagkakarinig ko. I think I'll just call him Jungle kasi mas cute at iyon na ag tumatak sa isip ko.

I drank the milk before dozing off to sleep, hoping that this is all a dream.

I woke up, with a weird feeling on my feet.

Inalis ko muna ang kumot at itinaas ang dress ko para makita kung anong nangyari.

"Damn! It looked like an ube now." I told myself looking at my bruised feet.

Naka dressed naman 'yung sugat pero makikita talaga na namamaga ito dahil nga violet na ang color.

I tried to walk but hindi ko malagyan ng force 'yung paa ko, causing me to fall.

"Ouch!" I shouted when I felt the pain in my bruised feet.

Mukhang mas lalala pala ito huh.

Agad na bumukas ang pinto saka bumungad sa akin ang nag aalalang mukha ni Kapitan.

"What happened?" he asked me. His voice is not cold na? Parang mas nangingibabaw ang worry doon.

Itinaas ko ang dress ko saka pinakita sa kanya ang bruise doon.

He hissed and carried me. Bridal style!

"Uhh... I think I can walk naman." I told him while holding unto him kasi baka mahulog ako dahil hindi naman stable talaga 'yung barko eh. Syempre waves are still hitting it.

"You won't fall if you do." he said kaya hinayaan ko nalang siya.

Bumaba siya sa I don't know what floor it is but may pinasukan kaming kuwarto na puro puti lang ang makikita mo. Iba ito sa pinuntahan namin kahapon. Kung iyon ay parang clinic lang, ngayon ay parang mini hospital.

"Rei, we need help." tawag niya sa lalaking nag oorganize ng mga kagamitan doon. I looked at him and I saw a scar on his nose, hindi ko ito nakita kahapin.

Dahan-dahan akong binaba ni Fauve sa kama doon saka itinaas ang aking dress hanggang tuhod.

"It looked like an ube," ani ni Rei.

We both chuckled pero we stopped when we saw Fauve's serious face.

Tumikhim naman si Rei saka pumunta sa mga section ng mga gamot para tignan kung anong pwede niyang ibigay sa akin.

"May masakit ba sa iyo?" Fauve asked.

Umiling ako.

"Wala naman po Cap." I told him.

"Don't be too formal, just call me by my name."

"Okay, F-fauve." I slowly said. Nakakahiya kasi!

He chuckled saka nag iba din ang ekspresyon nito noong bumalik na si Rei may dalang gamot.

Plastic amp.

"This is just an ointment. Wag mo lang masyadong pinapagod ang paa mo

binibini." ani ni Rei.

Magkapatid nga talaga sila ni Rae. Pareho 'yung takbo ng utak.

Nang natapos na ang paglalagay niya ng ointment, binuhat na ulit ako ni Fauve kaya kumapit lang ako sa kanya para hindi ako mahulog.