CIENNA ALMENDRA SERIES #1: Hush Of Autumn

Kabanata 01

PASSION, WHEN gazed upon by a captivating soul, slowly turns into an epitome of what life wants us to be. It fills the gaps left before our feet, crusading against the disappointments beyond our reach. To be able to do something great, as if that path was already made for you even before everything else could exist was such a dream.

And I was too desperate for that. Gustong-gusto kong manindigan. Gustong-gusto kong umangat. I badly wanted to prove myself to the world, to climb even through the unimaginable. Pero kahit yata buhay mo pa ang itaya mo, babagsak at babagsak ka pa rin.

Was it really that hard to make the life you think you deserve?

O sadyang hindi lang natin magawang maging masaya sa kung anumang kinalalagyan natin?

Perhaps that was the reason why we're constantly pushing ourselves to its limits, forcing our ways until nothing's left of us.

Bigla akong napangiwi. Nangangasim ang mukhang lumingon sa direksyon ng stage. A sudden howl of feedback from a microphone echoed off the auditorium walls, harshly pulling me back to my senses. Ngunit agad din namang naglaho ang anumang bakas ng iritasyon sa aking mukha nang mapagtantong si Archelaus Osvaldo ang nasa likod ng ingay na 'yon.

Halos manlambot ang tuhod kong itinuon sa kanya ang camera. I bit my lip in excitement. Shocks, he looks so good in that beige hoodie. "Pormahang mabangoo," I exclaimed while making the most out of that makalaglag panty-ng view. Sayang ang blessing noh!

"Good morning, Ciennas. We're going to start the program in just a few minutes. Please be seated. Kindly switch your mobile . . . "

Something about the way he talked was captivating. Namalayan ko na lang ang sarili kong nalulunod sa boses nitong animo'y nangangailangan ng premium subscription para lang marinig. He's that silent type of a guy with a ton of achievements screaming for his name. Kaya consider yourself lucky kung mapapayag mo man itong magsalita para sa'yo. And eventually, Leighne might even be the queen of luck herself. Hindi lingid sa kaalaman ng lahat na nililigawan siya nito. And for a lot of people, they could be a perfect couple.

Ngunit sa nakapagtatakhang dahilan ay wala pa rin talagang progress ang dalawa. It seems that Archelaus will always be the one who chases after a wild soul. Sayang.

"Crush mo?" Tila ba nagpantig ang aking tenga't asar na nahugot ang paghinga lalo na nang maramdaman pa ang pagdantay ng mabigat nitong braso sa balikat ko. Anong masamang hangin naman kaya ang tumangay sa shokoy na 'to rito?!

"Crush po ng bayan," I shot back. Pabiro ko pang siniko ang loko, dahilan ng impit na pagdaing nito. "Ba't ka nga pala napadpad dito?" usisa ko nang tuluyang ibaling ang atensyon kay Lauritz, kaibigan ko.

Pinasadahan ko pa siya ng tingi't nang-uuyam siyang tinaasan ng kilay nang mapansing dala na naman nito ang bag ni Sereia. She's a friend of mine too, at mukhang nagkakalat na naman ito sa kung saan.

With that thought, I felt the urge to tease him. "Taragis ka! Iniwan mo pa yata alaga mo," pang-aalaska ko't nakangisi pang nagkibit-balikat. Sumama tuloy bigla ang timpla ng mukha ni Lauritz.

"Tunog aso naman 'yong salitaan natin! Bawal 'yon."

Tse! Ang protective namang . . . friend," ngingisi-ngisi ko pang pagpapatuloy. Naintindihan naman niya agad ang pahiwatig.

"Issue ka! Saan nga pala 'yong registration booth?" As expected, iniba niya ang usapan. If I know, affected lang talaga masyado ang loko kapag si Sereia na ang topic.