Elysian Secrets

Lia (37)

Forever would have still not been long enough for me to never see this oak door again. The fact na six years lang ang lumipas mula nang huli akong tumayo sa tapat ng pintong ito para kumatok makes my head ache something fierce.

Hindi ko alam kung paano ako nakarating dito. The walk from Renault's rooms papunta rito was all a blur to me. I focused on putting one foot in front of the other, tuning out anything I could see or hear along the way. If I minded them, hindi siguro ako nakarating dito.

Umangat ang kaliwa kong braso at mahinang kumatok. Isa lang 'yon at mahina pero para pa rin akong nabingi.

"Guiliana?" ani ng isang boses ng lalaking anim na taon ko nang hindi naririnig. Nagmumula ito sa likod ng pinto. Humigpit ang pagkakahawak ko ng strap ng bitbit kong bag.

"Father," sagot ko. Nagulat pa ako, na kahit nanunuyo ang lalamunan ko, may boses na lumabas mula sa akin at kalmado pa iyon.

Dahan-dahang bumukas ang malapad na pinto.

I took a step inside the room with my spine ramrod straight, faking a confidence I have never felt within the walls of this mansion. Gumanti ako nang tango sa matandang lalaking nagbukas ng pinto para sa akin.

Pag-angat ko ng tingin, tumambad sa akin ang nakaupong pigura ni Roberto DeMille. Nakatayo sa tabi niya si Alessa. Nagpatuloy ako sa paglalakad at huminto nang isang talampakan na lang ang layo ko sa malapad na mahogany table.

"Hello, Father," mahina kong bati.

His smile radiated such joy. If I didn't know any better, I would have believed that he is really happy to see me again.

Walang demonyong hindi magaling umarte. Don't forget that, sister.

Yes. I'm no longer that naive eight-year old child excited to finally have someone to call 'father'. I don't have an excuse to forget.

Binalingan ni Roberto si Alessa. "Leave us."

"Pero—"

"I said, leave."

Nanghaba ang nguso ng nanay ko pero agad namang sumunod. Inarkuhan niya pa ako ng kilay nang lampasan ako.

The door closed behind me with a final click. I'm finally alone with the devil.

He crooked a finger at me. "Come closer, my beautiful child."

And so the dance and the game begins...

I held on to my smile. Kahit nananayo ang lahat ng balahibo ko sa katawan, lumapit ako at umikot sa mesa para tumayo sa harap niya. Ako na ngayon ang nasa puwesto ni Alessa kanina.

Nanigas ako nang umangat ang isang kamay niya. Ang akala ko hahawakan niya ako pero binaba niya lang naman iyon ulit. He just tapped his fingers on the table, centimeters away from my hip, as he looked up at me.

"Look at you, making me miss you." Nanunukso ang tono niya.

"I'm sorry, Father. I wanted to visit, pero naging busy lang talaga."

I lied and we both knew it. His smile widens and soft chuckles were added to the mix.

"Six years is a long time to be too busy to see your dear old dad."

You're not my dad.

I kept my mouth shut and continued smiling apologetically instead.

"Don't worry. Father understands. And Amber has been a good daughter. She visited me often enough for the both of you. Have you said hello to her yet?"

The huge screen behind him shows a livefeed of Silas calmly monitoring Amber's pulse while Renault was screaming into his phone. I'm running out of time. He knows we're running out of time, and yet he still wants me to play this game.