[ COMPLETED ] • [ EDITED ]
Nadia Valiente's disappearance has always been a mystery to her friend, Marina. By how her alleged suicide took place, up to the position that she was in whilst on that river, soaked to death, felt like an unsealed package...
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MARINA
“Okay, that's it for today. Good bye, class." our General Math teacher hurriedly picks her things up and stuff them in her beige bag. When she saw me staring at her, she quickly shifts her gaze to the other side, and because of that, she almost lost hold of the marker in her hand.
"Good bye, ma'am," sabay-sabay nilang bati sa kaniya pero hindi na ako sumabay pa.
Nagmamadali siyang lumabas sa silid nang hindi man lang kami nililingon. She even almost tripped down since she's wearing nice red heels.
Why is everyone acting so strange?
After I came back from the hospital, all of them started treating me differently. It feels like I became a mere air after that accident.
The teachers even skip my name on the list for attendance.
And my classmates didn't care about that.
I shift my body to my back. "Hey, Carrie," tawag ko sa isang babaeng may maigsing buhok na hanggang balikat. "Do you mind if I borrow your lecture? I wasn't able to write mine."
She stopped from fixing her pens and after a few seconds, she stares at me blankly.
Lilingon na sana ako palayo sa kaniya dahil mukhang ayaw naman niya akong pahiramin ngunit maya-maya pa'y yumuko siya at saka kinalkal ang bag niya.
She hands me her green notebook without uttering a word.
"T-thanks—" natigil ako nang bigla siyang marahas na tumayo. She walks past through me even though some of her stuff are still scattered on her desk.
See?
That's how shitty they treat me.
And I don't know why.
Mabilis akong lumingon nang mapansing may mga matang nakapukol sa akin.
Then, I saw Nadia sitting beside me, on my left side.
"Marina! Did you do your assignment already?"
I press my eyes shut twice before I could even answer her.
I'm hallucinating again.
I'm starting to imagine things again.
I'm becoming crazy again. A madwoman who I've always been.
I stand up when no one else is in the room anymore. Ako na lang ang natitirang tao rito sa malamig na silid dahil lahat sila'y nagtungo na sa gymnasium para sa aming archery class.
