TGWAE 02

Chapter 02 | Nightmare

~×~×~×~

|TAYJA PRISH|

Pinaglaruan ko ang empty bottled water habang hinihintay na magdismiss ang aming professor sa harapan. 

He was once again repeating his words of wisdom, na lagi nitong isinisingit sa kaniyang discussion na nagiging dahilan para iyon na lamang ang nagiging content ng kaniyang klase. Which by the way was too tiring to listen to. Nakakabisado ko na nga yata bawat salitang lumalabas sa bibig nito.

I mean, why won't he just discuss his lessons without putting information that isn't related to it right?

"Class, dismiss!" 

"Yes! Naman!"

"Great, 'yon oh!"

"Damn, that has been what? An eternity!"

"Sa wakas! My gosh! Hindi na lesson niya ang nasa utak ko kung hindi puro kuwento ng buhay ni Sir!"

"Kaya nga! I'm glad it's already finals!"

Kaniya-kaniyang lintanya ng aking mga kaklase habang hindi mapakaling inaayos ang mga sarili at mga gamit pagkaalis na pagkaalis ni Sir. That was how sarcastic and bored they can get every after class with our professor. 

I kind of agree with them but instead of saying it out loud, I remained silent. Hindi ko naman kailangang isatinig ang mga rants ko and all. Mas gusto ko na ring tumahimik na lang kaysa naman kumuda ako nang kumuda wala rin namang mangyayari. He will not hear you even if he's aware of what he was doing all the time.

He has ears and a mouth but he didn't do anything and does what he always does.

Napabuntonghininga na lamang ako sa naisip. I leaned in my chair as I watched my classmates leave the room. 

Nang naiwan na akong mag-isa sa classroom namin ay muli akong bumuntonghininga. I blinked my 'eye' as I tried to read the words that were written on the board in front. It was blurry the first time I tried to focus on it pero, kalaunan naman ay muli itong naging klaro sa aking paningin. 

Nakagat ko ang aking ibabang labi nang maalala na naman ang buhay ko noon. 

I was an orphan since birth. Sanggol pa lang ako nang ibigay ako ng aking mga magulang sa Special Sanctuary Orphanage. Or, if they both went there to abandon me. Because as far as I know, the Sisters didn't tell me anything about whom I was with the day I was sent in front of their gate. 

Ang sabi lang nila, nahanap nila ako sa isang karton at habang tumatanda at nagkakaroon nang linaw sa mga bagay-bagay, hindi ko na iyon masiyadong dinidibdib. But the trauma of having only one eye damaged my soul already. Sinking into the deep abyss, barely hanging on a thread. Inangat ko ang aking luma nang cellphone at tiningnan ang repleksiyon sa salamin na ininstall ko noon. 

My right eye blinked twice as I roamed it to look at my features. Mayroon akong medyo makapal na kilay at natural itong maayos na. Hindi kagaya ng iba na kailangan pa nilang i-korte ang mga kilay sa magandang arko, and that made me feel okay. At least, for once I can say that I love myself being me. 

Sa may gilid naman ng aking kaliwang kilay, mayroong maliit na nunal doon na kung hindi mo tititigan ay hindi mo makikita. Mahaba rin ang pilik mata ko na bumabagay sa itim na itim kong mata. Maliit na medyo mataas naman ang ilong ko na bumabagay rin sa mala-heart kong lips. My jaw was not that sharp that was why I kind of looked younger than my age, sometimes. 

"You're already pretty. No need to check it in the mirror, Love...,"

My eyebrows immediately moved up upon hearing a deep and a bit husky voice. Nagtaka ako sa klase ng boses at kung papaano niya iyon bigkasin, na para bang nagpapacute na hindi. I averted my gaze from looking at the mirror to see the guy na ngayon ay nakaupo na sa aking harapan. 

"What did you say?" I asked him. Hindi naman ako galit. Nagtatanong lang pero mukhang ang aking mga kilay ay hindi sumasang-ayon. 

"You're pretty, Prish. Want me to say it again?"

Now, his right eyebrow slightly moving up and down as if trying to provoke me with something that I don't quite follow, even a bit. 

"Hindi na kailangan. Narinig ko na. Bakit ka na naman nandito? Your building isn't here as far as I know," sambit ko habang nililigpit na ang mga nagkalat na notes ko sa lamesa. 

He was only watching me tidying my table as an unknown smile etched his lips. 

"Hmm, so you know something about me? Sh-!" Napakunot ang aking noo dahil sa pabulong nitong mura. Hindi ko alam kung anong problema niya at nagmumura siya. 

"Ano naman ngayon?" tanong ko pa rin at nang maayos na ang aking mga gamit, isinukbit ko na ang isang strap ng aking bag sa kanan kong balikat  tiyaka siya binalingan nang tingin. 

"Why do you seem so happy?" I'm purely asking but I noticed how his cheeks and a part of his ears were reddening. 

"Damn! Why does she need to ask that?" 

Dahil nga nakafocus ako sa kaniyang tainga ay hindi ko gaano narinig ang sinabi niya. 

"What?" 

"Your eyepatch is blue today. Do you have some sort of collections of that?" he asked instead. 

I blinked as my right hand slowly touched the soft fabric covering my left eye. Yea, I'm wearing an eyepatch for the reason that I can't disclose this soon. Maaga pa, hindi pa tamang oras para sabihin. 

"Bakit gusto mo?" tinanong ko na lang siya bago nagtungo sa may pinto ng classroom. 

Sumunod naman siya sa akin bitbit din ang isang strap ng kaniyang bag sa kaliwang balikat. He's an Engineering student while I am a Psychology student kaya naman medyo may kalayuan pa ang building nila pero nandito na naman at ginugulo ako. 

"No. It's just that, it looks good on you Prish. Anong kulay isusuot mo bukas?" I stopped walking in the middle of the corridor because of his chosen words.

'Looks good on me?' How cheesy. What nonsense was that? 

I admit it wasn't something that I always hear from the people around me. Kung hindi naman ako invisible sa kanilang paningin, I was their kind of entertainment. And that's sickening, to be honest. 

"Malalaman mo naman kinabukasan, Rustver Crosvien. Mauna na ako,"

I walked faster than usual because I don't want him to confront me for calling his full name. Alam niyo naman ang lalaking iyan, mas over pa sa mga babae. 

"Hey, wait!"

Hindi ko na siya pinansin pang muli at nang makaliko na ako pakaliwa kung saan bubungad sa akin ang hagdanan pababa, binilisan ko na lang ang paglalakad pababa ng building. Fourth-floor ang kinaroroonan namin kaya kinailangan ko pang takbuhin pababa para lang hindi niya ako maabutan. 

It was unusual for me to call him by his name. Sa ilang taon naman niyang pagpipilit sa akin na tawagin ko ang pangalan niya, ngayon ko lang ginawa. So, talagang hindi noon ako titigilan kaya uunahan ko na siya. 

By utilizing an escape from him. 

Nang makababa sa ground floor, hindi ko na muna pinansin ang pagkahingal ko at nagtago sa may gilid ng hagdan. Sa madilim na part habang nakahawak ang kanan kong kamay sa aking dibdib kaya damang dama ko ang mabilis nitong pagtibok. 

Probably because I was tired from running down the stairs. Yea, that was just it. 

"Damn, where is she? Ang bilis naman niyang nakaalis. Sh-! Natakasan na naman ako," 

Pinanood ko kung paano guluhin ni Asver ang kaniyang buhok dahil sa prustrasyon. His name's Rustver so, I call him Asver pero sa isip ko nga lang. At kapag nalaman na naman niyang may tawag ako sa kaniya, para na naman siyang bulate na nalagyan ng asin kung makareak. 

Saying, kinikilig daw siya kaya ganoon. 

I sighed when he was already out of my sight. I closed my right eye and tightened my grip on the strap of my bag. Time to go home. 

Pagkauwing pagkauwi ko sa aking apartment malapit sa school, inayos ko na ang sarili ko. I took a half bath and fixed myself in front of the papers on my table. Gusto ko nang ipagpatuloy ang kuwento ni Taira dahil kung hindi ko iyon tutuluyan, feeling ko magiging unfair iyon sa part niya. Of course, she's my character. Hindi naman puwedeng ganoon na lang ang mangyayari. 

She needs to move forward to get what she deserves in the end. But the question is, do I know what she deserves? 

Hindi ko pa alam. Nagsisimula pa lang naman siya. Pinag-aaralan ko pa kung papaano niya kakayanin ang kakaibang kadiliman na nakahanda para sa kaniyang future. Albeit, the future is unknown. 

And I also have something dark lurking inside me which was still unknown. 

I wonder what was that? 

__

~×~(Taira)~×~

"Taira?"

Napaangat nang tingin si Taira sa kaniyang Ate mula sa panonood sa kanilang kapatid na si Tairon na busy magdistribute nang mga kape at tinapay sa mga nakikiramay sa kanilang Ama. 

"Bakit po, Ate?" 

Taira softly asked her sister. Her fingers were resting on her lap as her mind wanders around her memories with his father. He would always buy her things that she didn't even ask for. He would always come home with either toy for her or school supplies that she needed in her school. 

He would always lull her to sleep and she would just look at his father with so much love until they both fall asleep. 

Now that he was not there anymore, she wondered... 

Will she ever fall asleep without nightmares getting in the way?  Because that was always his father's purpose. 

To shoo her nightmares away. 

But what if her father's death will be her new and will forever be her nightmare?