[Phraea's POV]
"J-snake is now caught, I need assistance." Ani ko sa walkie-talkie matapos posasan ang kriminal na nakahiga sa sahig. Duguan ang braso nito sa ginawa kong pagbaril.
"Ba't police ka? Dapat nasa magazine cover ka o 'di kaya cast sa OnlyFans– Arghh!" Napadaing ito matapos ko siyang tadyakan sa tiyan. "Shut up kung ayaw mong magka-matching black eye."
"Ang sadista mo naman." Napangiwi ako dahil sa ginawa niyang pagngisi na parang gusto niyang saktan ko pa siya.
"Call me," he mouthed that made me rolled my eyes before he was taken inside the car.
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"Congratulations, Bautista!" Tipid lang akong ngumiti sa kanila bago dumiretso na sa opisina ko.
Today is quite remarkable. Nahuli ko ang isa sa mga most wanted criminal ng syudad. J-snake is a sinister in the smuggling world. Mahirap itong hanapin dahil sa iba't ibang identity niya. It took almost a year for me to finally find him.
"I'm taking a vacation," sabi ko sa boss ko matapos niyang ilagay sa mesa ko ang isang portfolio na naglalaman ng mga detalye tungkol sa isang gambling master.
"Just this one. I promise this is the last one."
"You have a lot of other Agents, Rafa. Kailangan ko ng bakasyon, nagtatampo na ang anak ko sa daming cases na hina-handle ko."
"This one is quite big, Phraea. I only need you to do this one."
"No. Nah uh, we already agreed na si J-snake na 'yung panghuli ko bago ako bumakasyon."
"This shot will–" Hindi ko na siya hinayaang ipagpatuloy pa ang kanyang sasabihin at tinapik ko na siya sa kanyang braso bago umalis ng headquarters.
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"My!"
Agad kong sinalubong si Paige ng isang mahigpit na yakap. Nakasuot pa ito ng uniporme kaya tingin ko ay kagagaling lang nito sa school.
"Mmm, na-miss kita!" Humagikhik ito nung paulanan ko siya ng halik sa kanyang leeg.
"Are you on leave, My?"
"Yes, I heard from your Lola kasi na nagtatampo ka na raw." Kinuha ko ang iilang hibla ng kanyang buhok at inipit iyun sa likuran ng kanyang tenga.
It's been seven years. Paige is now in third-year high school, at habang dumadaan ang panahon ay doon ko mas napapatunayan na anak ko nga siya. She starts to become more like me, even her body is as slender as mine.
Every time I would look at her eyes, I see her Father's. The color of her eyes made me wonder during midnight of where Garen is. Is he still alive?
Just thinking that he's dead, breaks my heart... but it's easier this way. To think that he's absolutely gone from our lives rather than keeping our hopes up, not sure of when is he gonna come back... or is he coming back at all.
"What about 'yung boss mo? Ano nga ulit ang pangalan nun? Rafa?" I rolled my eyes because of my Mother's suggestions.
"Don't be ridiculous, Mom."
"You're 26, Phraea! 'Yung ibang mga ka-batch mo ay tig-lima na 'yung mga anak. Ikaw, kahit boyfriend ay wala ka. Huwag mong sabihin na hindi ka pa nakaka-move on kay Almer."
Napailing ako dahil sa assumptions ni Mom. "I was the one who broke up with him. I totally moved on."
"Then, what is stopping you?" Kumibit-balikat lang ako bago pinagpatuloy ang pagkain.
"How is Kuya Preston?" I tried to change the topic. Si Dad at Paige ay tahimik lang na nakikinig sa usapan namin ni Mom.
"Ayon, pinagbubuntis na ng asawa niya ang pangatlo nilang anak. Isn't that amazing?" Akala ko ay tuluyan ko nang iniba ang usapan, but Mom really knows how to irritate the hell out of me.
"Do you miss him? Your Dad?" I softly asked Paige as I caressed her cascading hair.
Nakaunan ang ulo nito sa braso ko habang yakap-yakap niya ako sa beywang.
"Yeah, alam mo ba kung nasaan siya?" Tanong niya at agad ko siyang sinagot ng marahang pag-iling.
"Si Ate Rowena baka may alam. Nagkikita pa rin naman sila ni Tito Verdant, hindi 'ba?"
"Your Ate Rowena and Tito Verdant are happy with their lives. Your Father wanted it that way. Kaya walang alam ang Tito Verdant mo dahil kung may alam ito, mas pipiliin niya ang Daddy mo kesa kay Rowena."
Verdant and Rowena got married. Dahil walang kamag-anak si Rowena ay walang nagtaka sa kanyang pagkawala. She just went back to town with Verdant as if nothing happened. The police and the officials didn't give a damn about it especially that Verdant is one of the country's biggest tax payer.
"I want us together, My." Isinubsob niya ang mukha sa dibdib ko at napahikbi.
"I won't stop searching for your Father. I promise."
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"Full-time Mom ka na, ah?"
"It's my responsibility, Kuya. Ayokong lumayo ang loob sa akin ni Paige dahil trabaho lang palagi ang inaatupag ko." Ani ko bago sumimsim ng kape.
I drove Paige to school at dahil walking distance ang bahay nina Kuya Preston ay napagdesisyunan kong bumisita na lang din.
"How's your study? I heard from Mom that you're studying law."
"Hindi hectic ang schedule ko compared sa mga kaklase ko dahil na take-up ko na ang karamihan ng subjects."
"Nagtapos ka ng criminology at ngayon ay law naman. Tell me, Phraea, wala lang ba talaga sayo 'yung nangyari noon?"
Napayuko ako at iniwas ang tingin. "You badly want to work in an office as a manager or a supervisor. What happened? Lahat kami nagulat nung mag-crim ka pero kailanman man ay hindi iyun pinansin nina Mom at Dad. Kahit ako ay hindi nagtatanong, except ngayon dahil nag-aaral ka ng law."
"I-it's not about what happened seven years ago, Kuya. Kumuha ako ng law para pagtibayin ang trabaho ko bilang tagapangalaga ng batas."
"Then why take crim?"
"Because I realized that there are a lot of things that need to be fix and lives to be save."
The only reason why I took up criminology is to carry out the ideology that Garen once believed. The experiences he went through is something that I couldn't afford to happen to other children. I need to make a difference even if it means losing my sanity.
BINABASA MO ANG
Island of Insanity
Mistério / Suspense[COMPLETED] Phraea Chelsey Bautista has always been the top in her class and every professors' favorite. She has both beauty and brains, and everything a girl would dream to possess but her life is not entirely perfect. No one deeply cares for her...
