Prisoner of the Past [COMPLETED] (SOON TO BE PUBLISHED)

CHAPTER 20

IT WAS A SILENT drive for both of us. Hindi ko alam kung ano ang sasabihin ko. Should I make the first move? Or wait for him to talk?

Ito ang unang beses na na-conscious ako sa isang sitwasyon.

I was about to open my mouth but Zandro cut me.

"We don't have to try, let's just let it flow. It would make things awkward if we tried to act like we know how to be brother-sister. Everything takes time, Zeia."

My eyebrows met when I heard the last word. "Zeia... Is it really my name? Zetia?" Curious kong tanong.

Zandro's eyes were focused on the road. Gabi na at madilim na ang paligid, ilan na lang ang kotse na nakakasalubong namin. Malamig ang loob ng kotse kaya pasimple kong niyakap ang sarili ko.

"Yes." Simpleng sagot ni Zandro.
Nangangati ang dila ko na magtanong sa kaniya ng maraming bagay tungkol sa akin. Wala akong alam tungkol sa buhay ko, sa totoong buhay ko. Ang birthday ko nga ay hindi ko alam kung totoo, hindi ko alam kung 'yon ba talaga ang araw na isinilang ako o binigay lang 'yon ng adoptive father ko.

I can't remember anything. Kaya pala araw-araw pakiramdam ko palagi ay may kulang sa akin. Masaya ako na dumating sa buhay ko sa Izzy, hindi ko itatanggi ang anak ko, pero 'yung nararamdaman ng puso ko sa araw-araw pakiramdam ko ay may kulang.

Tila naka fast forward ang buhay ko, kaya pala dahil may nawawala talaga, may kulang talaga sa buhay ko. It was my childhood memories. Ang buhay ko, ang totoong buhay ko. It was the memories of my family that I lost, no, it's not lost. It was taken from me.

"Paano ako nawala sa inyo?" I ask him again.

Iniisip ko kung bakit ako nalayo sa kanila at napunta sa adoptive father ko. If our grandfather is a mafia, how did they lost me? I mean, sigurado ako na mapera ang pamilya ko at mayaman. Sa tindig pa lang ni Zandro ay halatang mayaman na pamilya ang pinanggalingan niya.

"We didn't lost you, you were sent away." Mahinang wika ni Zandro na hindi lumilingon sa akin.

Hindi ko alam ang magiging reaction ko sa sinabi niya. Napabuntonghininga ako at hindi alam ang sasabihin, bumubuka ang bibig ko pero hindi ko makuha ang tamang salita para maisatono 'yon.

"You have the right to get mad at us but it was for your own safety. As I've told you our family isn't normal, our grandfather is a mafia. Any possible harm is always behind us and we can't just stay cool every time."

"Bakit ngayon niyo lang ako hinanap?" Hindi ko mapigilan ang makaramdam ng hinanakit. For over years, thinking I was living my life, a life that wasn't really me. Ang tagal ko sa puder ng adoptive father ko, ilang taon na ako ngayon? Ngayon pa nila ako hinanap? Bakit? Para saan?

"We've been looking for you for seven years but we can't, Rey and Sam, the couple whom mom and dad give you to were sent here in the Philippines, we thought it was easy for us to look for you here but it's not. Something... someone's stopping us. If you're thinking that we didn't look for you no, we looked for you, it was a luck for me that we bump on that fast food." Mahabang litanya ni Zandro, hindi manlang siya lumingon sa akin habang nagsasalita. Focus lang ang mata niya sa daan na tila takot madisgrasya.

I look outside the window of the car after hearing his explanation.

"How did you know it was me? Your lost sister?" Tulad ng tanong ko kanina, muli ko siyang tinanong. Hindi ako naniniwala sa sinabi niyang dala ng bugso ng damdamin. It was nearly impossible, siguro sa magulang namin oo, pero sa kapatid?

Hindi agad nakasagot si Zandro sa tanong ko. I smell something fishy. I narrowed my eyes at him and examined his facial expression. Gumalaw ang lalagukan niya at dumiin ang sara ng labi niya. Ha! He's lying earlier.