Never Be Tamed

Chapter 3: Van Zanth

Chapter 3: Van Zanth

I woke up in a fright. Bago pa ako mahimasmasan, umalis ako sa kama thinking of madame and the way I slept without her consent. Halos matumba ako sa sahig nang maramdaman ang sakit sa bahagi ng aking dibdib.

That's when I noticed the room I was in. Tumayo ako nang maayos habang pinagmamasdan ang lugar. There was a single bed in the room, clean white walls and cold wooden floor. Tinitigan ko ang mga kamay ko. The shackles were gone too.

Bumukas ang pintuan na kinagulat ko. Isang babae ang pumasok sa kwarto. I took several steps back hanggang sa muli akong mapaupo sa higaan. I immediately search for any form of identity. A brass nameplate was pinned against her white coat.

Laura Katherine Van Zanth

"Are you feeling well?"

Sa halip na sumagot, mas lalo akong lumayo sa kanya. I squeezed myself to the farthest corner of the bed.

"It's okay," she offered, her smile ever so elegant. Mahinahon ang boses niya at napakaganda niyang tingnan. Maputi ay may mapupungay na mga mata.

"N-Nasaan ako?"

"You're in Van Zanth."

Van Zanth. I blinked, unable to grasp the words. "Nasaan si madame? Ano'ng nangyari sa kanila?"

"Nakalaya ka na mula sa kanila." mahinahon niyang sagot. "Some of them were killed during the encounter and the rest were sentenced and imprisoned in Fabrice."

Tumungo siya sa bintana para buksan ito.

Umiling ako. Hindi... I should be with them. I have nowhere else to go. Napansin ng babae ang uncertainty sa mukha ko nang muli siyang humarap sa'kin.

"You can stay here for the meantime... here in Van Zanth."

Stay... here?

After checking my condition, nagpaalam ang magandang babae at lumabas ng kwarto. Beore leaving, tinanong niya ako kung may iba pa akong kailangan. Hindi ako nakasagot. It was the first time someone asked me what I needed.

Nanatili akong nakaupo sa higaan with my feet reaching the cold floor. Sumulyap ako sa labas ng bintana. Maaliwalas ang langit at malamig ang simoy ng hangin mula sa kakahuyang nakapaligid sa lugar. What would I do?

Bandang hapon nang lumabas ako sa kwarto at tumungo sa garden ng hospital. I walked around with the rays of the setting sun on my face which I haven't felt in a while. Huminga ako nang malalim para damhin ang preskong hangin galing sa kakahuyan. Nakakapanibago na malaya akong nakakagalaw nang hindi natatakot.

Isang tao ang lumapit sa'kin. His face was familiar. He seems like he's in his late thirties who retained the youthful gleam in his eyes. Matikas ang katawan niya. The few people in the garden, including the nurses, bowed lightly nang dumaan siya. He must be a respectable person. Nagalinlangan na yumuko ako.

"Hindi mo kailangang gawin 'yan," nakangiting sabi niya. I raised my head to face him. He had such an open and pleasant face. Umiwas ako ng tingin nang maalala ang mga salita ni madame.

You are in no position to directly stare at people's faces.

"I'm Sebastian," pakilala ng lalake. He took a seat on a nearby bench and asked me to follow. "Okay ka na ba? Wala ka na bang nararamdaman na hindi maganda?"

"I'm okay..." I mumbled. "Maayos po bang nakabalik ang pamilya?" tukoy ko sa mga naging bihag ni Madame.

Ngumiti siya. "They're safe and sound."

Kahit paano, nakahinga ako nang maluwag. Pinagmasdan ako ni Mr. Sebastian, nodding. "Hindi namin ito nasabi agad dahil ilang araw kang walang malay. But we went ahead and made a decision for you to stay here."

"Bakit?"

"You have no records in Fabrice. You're one of the victims of Morelia, the woman you used to serve. She's infamous for treating hybrids and other creatures as slaves and people she could sold. And we owe you for saving Zackary."

Umiling ako. But I didn't intent to. I really don't. I didn't know how to start from here.

Isang ingay ang pumukaw ng pansin namin. Isang bata ang nadapa habang naglalaro sa garden malapit sa fountain. Nagasgas ang tuhod nito at walang tigil sa pag-iyak. Tumayo si Mr. Sebastian para lumapit. "Are you okay, kid?"

The kid tried to pursed his lips habang nakatitig kay Sebastian na may naluluhang mga mata. Pilit itong tumango, knowing well that he's in front of someone respectable. Mr. Sebastian called a nurse habang lumapit ako sa bata, umupo ako sa harapan niya at marahang hinawakan ang sugat niya.

Napakurap ang bata habang nakatitig sa'kin. Tumigil ang tuloy-tuloy na luha sa kanyang mga mata. Pinagmasdan niya ang gasgas sa tuhod niya pero wala na ito doon.

"Looks like you have the skill."

Tumayo ako nang mapansin na nakita ni Mr. Sebastian ang ginawa ko. I immediately caught myself. I shouldn't have done that. Hindi ko alam kung pinapayagan ba ang paraan na 'yon sa bayang ito.

"'Wag kang magalala," ngiti ni Mr. Sebastian nang makita ang takot ko. "There are few people in this town who also have the same skill set as you."

Natahimik ako nang tuluyan.

"Do you have a name?"

Name... bigla kong naalala ang mga salitang sinisigaw sa'kin. You lazy girl. Stupid girl. You slow dog. Kinagat ko ang labi ko bago nagawang sumagot.

"Eleanor..."

"Okay then, Eleanor," masigla parin ang taong kaharap ko kahit pa halos hindi na ako makausap nang maayos dahil sa mga bagay na naaalala ko. "You're also hybrid, am I right?"

"Y-Yes..."

"What's your set of skills?" Nagtatakang pinagmasdan ko siya. "We, hybrids, have unnatural power. It's what separates us from humans," paliwanag niya. "They're either unnatural strength, the agility, the ability to sense danger, to hear things, to communicate through mind or a mixture of these things."

"I can restore health," I said to him. At least, that's what the madame had told me. "I don't completely heal things but I take them back to their original form."

"Hmm..." Mr. Sebastian placed his fingers on his chin thinking. "Restoration skills, that's quite rare."

"It's why the madame had kept me, to restore her aging body so she could remain younger for a longer time."

Muling tila nag-isip si Mr. Sebastian. Bigla niya akong tinanong. "Do you have a plan?"

"Plan?"

"Where would you go after this?"

Hindi ko siya nagawang sagutin. I didn't know. Most of my life, I've been of service to different people. I didn't know anyone or any place except for the rooms and hotels we've stayed in.

"Do you want to work here?"

Work. Ang tanging ibig sabihin nito sa'kin ay pagsilbihan at maging pagaari ng ibang tao.

"Sino ang magmamay-ari sa'kin?"

Humarap sa'kin si Mr. Sebastian, hindi makapaniwala sa tanong ko. "Yourself, Ms. Eleanor," he replied. "From now on, you own yourself and no one else."

I own... myself?

"You stay here, work in Van Zanth, until you decide where to go. You can be part of the people with the same skill set as you. Laura would be happy to take you in."

Matapos ang paguusap namin ni Mr. Sebastian, muli akong bumalik sa kwarto ko sa hospital. Ngayong wala nang nagmamay-ari sa'kin, kailangan kong magumpisa nang ako lang. But the notion was something foreign to me.

Tumunghay ako sa langit mula sa nakabukas na bintana. Crickets chirped from the woods. Payapa ang gabi at nagkalat ang mga bituin sa langit. Tinaas ko ang mga kamay ko na tila inaabot ang mga bituin. I never thought that the stars seems so close to my reach. Could I really stay here?

***