Sweet Deceit

Chapter One: Sphiera Jean Roslyn

"Lester, uuwi ka na ba?" I asked my cousin in a hushed tone. It was almost midnight. The lights were dimmed in the kitchen as I slowly stirred the hot milk I'm preparing for my Mom who's resting upstairs.

Lester stopped sipping in his coffee. Binaba niya ang hawak na cellphone at umiling. He sighed. Pagod siyang tumingin sa akin, sinusubukang ngumiti.

"Hindi pa, Sphie. I still need to stay here. You need to go back to school, too."

I swallowed, gripping the cup tight that some of the heat moved to my palms.

"Can I.... transfer schools?" It was almost a whisper.

He stared at me, worryingly this time. "Is there something wrong? Are your classmates still bullying you?"

Agaran akong umiling. "Hindi. I just want to transfer to Sofia's school..."

We were met with silence. Lester sighed after moments of the halting of our conversation. "If you really want to, I can't stop you. But if it's okay, can I ask why?"

I smiled wryly. "I just... want to go to where she was."

Pumayag siya kalaunan. I don't know if I'd feel happy or scared. The thought of going to her Academy was unfamiliar and strange. Nakahiga ako sa kama at hindi ako makatulog kahit na gabing-gabi na.

That journal still haunted me. My lips twisted, my face scrunching in the acute pain when I switched positions on where I lay.

The bruise I had last month still didn't heal. Dahan-dahan akong tumayo para pumunta sa CR. My breathing was ragged as I lifted my shirt in front of the mirror to see. It's slowly blending in my skin, as if starting to disappear.

That's a good sign, right? That it's healing.

Napapikit ako, thinking that I'd have to go back tomorrow to school again so I can get my things and my papers for transfer. I slowly let the shirt slide down my abdomen as I trudged back to my bed.

But my thoughts still kept me awake. Maybe... my sister was planning to go home back then, because she heard the news I was almost pushed off the roof by my classmates.

I remember. My Mom was in a frenzy. Lester immediately flew back here, leaving his life on where he previously was. And Sofia... she tried to go home.

What if that journal was a hoax? But what if it was... real?

Hindi ko na alam kung ano ang iisipin. In a daze, my body surrendered to sleep. Pagod akong nagising kinabukasan, wala pa rin sa sarili. I immediately took a bath at kahit nanginginig ang kalamnan sa takot ay pumunta sa school.

I went as earlier as I could dahil ayaw kong may makasalubong na estudyanteng kilala ako. The trauma of past events seeped into my skin like a deadly disease.

I can't walk with my head up in the school corridors. Nang narating ko ang Library, I immediately asked for my documents so I could transfer.

The process was long. I needed a guardian, kaya tinawagan ko pa si Lester. He was worried when he came but his worry disappated as I smiled wryly at him. Everything was a blur, my pulse palpitating as I tried hard not to let the bad memories resurface.

"Are you okay?" He asked quietly.

I nodded, looking down. "Yeah."

Lester then talked with the admins to settle my transfer. Sabi niya ay sasabay na lang ako sa kaniya pauwi.

"Wait, Sphie," he said. "Kailangan kong mag- CR. Can you wait here? Okay lang?" sabi niya.

Ngumiti ako. It's only for a while, anyway. It's okay, Sphie. Nothing will happen. So I stood there by the wall beside the door. It's lunch time, kaya maraming mga estudyante ang palakad-lakad. What a familiar sight.