BDSM SOCIETY: Judas' Kiss

CHAPTER 21

Morning calls made me wake up from my deep sleep. Ugh! Ilang oras lang ang tulog ko. Kinapa ko ang sidetable para kunin ang cellphone. Roisin was calling. How odd.

"Hello," I answered in a low voice, still sleepy.

"Maco, bakit wala ka dito?"

I frowned. "You know I'll stay here." Matagal ko nang sinabi sa kaniya na hindi ako babalik sa Pilipinas. If ever, I'd go there to visit old friends and my mother's grave but I wouldn't stay for good.

"I knew that. Pero hindi ka man lang ba a-attend?"

"From what?" Was there an occasion that my presence was crucial in the Philippines? The last time I checked, there's none. Or was it her wedding? Nanlaki ang mga mata ko. She's getting married?

"Sa lamay? You're part of the family." My sleepiness washed away from my system hearing an unpleasant word. I got up my body and leaned on the headboard.

"W-Whose wake?" kabado kong tanong. May trauma na ako sa mga ganitong balita. The last time I heard about this kind of news, I lost my mother.

"H-Hindi mo alam?" Her voice softened but low. Parang nabigla rin siya. Mas lalo akong kinabahan. Sino ba kasi ang namatay? Goodness! All I could hear was my erratic heartbeat right now. "Your stepfather died, Maco. Last week na ng vigil niya ngayon."

The news deafened me for a while. Bakit hindi niya sinabi sakin 'to?

Right away, I packed some of my things and booked one-way flight to the Philippines. Zahir never mentioned to me about her father's illness or whatever the cause of his death.

Mahigpit ang mga nagbabantay sa labas ng subdivision. Kailangan ko pang ilabas ang credentials ko para papasukin.

This kind of agglomeration was familiar to me. From the gate, I saw some people walking around wearing dark clothes. Indisposed to enter, I dragged myself in. I must face this scenario. Matagal ko nang tinakbuhan ang nakaraan. Until now, I was still indenial about my mother's death. Ngayon, si Uncle Zon naman ang nawala. Sino pa ba ang mawawala?

"Miss Maco!" a maid announced my arrival causing the vigilant to turn their face on me. Now that answered my question why there were watchmen around. Nandito pala ang buong BDSM Society band.

Hinanap ng mga mata ko si Zahir pero hindi ko siya nahagilap.

"Where's Zahir?" I asked a caretaker who took my luggage.

"Uh, nasa kwarto niya po. Natutulog." Tumango ako saka umakyat sa 'taas upang puntahan siya. Before I could wrench the doorknob, it opened itself. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang irereak sa bumungad sakin. Zilliana with disheveled hair smiled at me who just came out fron Zahir's room.

"Hi, baby girl." She was only wearing an oversized shirt that's prolly one of Zahir's clothes. Wala siyang suot na pang-ibaba. And only God knew what it meant. "May kailangan ka ba sa kuya mo? Tulog pa siya, eh. Balik ka nalang mamaya." Her grin made me wanna grab her hair and push her in the stairs. But I held the rein. This wasn't the time to make a dispute out of her.

I had no energy to further see what's inside. Sapat nang nakita ko si Zilliana na lumabas mula sa kwarto ni Zahir na ganoon ang suot upang mawala ang lahat ng lakas ko.

Wordlessly, I turned my back on her and walked to my room. Everything came back on me as I entered my old room. The same feeling when mommy died. The feeling of loneliness. The nostalgia. Everything.

I cleaned myself up and went downstairs. Only selective people were in the wake. Umupo ako sa unang upuan. I saw Zilliana commanding the maids to serve the midnight snacks to the guest. Napaismid ako. She's acting like an important family member!