heaven has gained an angel

37. Inside the Box

Chapter 37: Inside the Box

Prism

I can't contact Ayara at this point, it made me worried even more. Nakalabas ako ng school na hindi pinapansin ang mga mata ng estudyante na nakapako sa akin kahit luhaan na ako. Ang leaked video pala ang dahilan kung bakit nila ako tinitingnan. Mas lalo akong nalulungkot habang iniisip na napanood na nila 'yon, they've seen parts of Ayara's body that were meant to be private. That's depressing! I couldn't stomach the fact she was trending online in this bad impression.

I need to meet Ayara right now to ensure she's in a good condition and to put my mind at ease.

"Answer me, please," bulong ko sa sarili habang nasa loob ng tricycle. Hindi humuhupa ang aking kaba. Hindi ko tinigilan ang phone ko para i-contact siya.

Hindi nagtagal, nakarating ako sa apartment ni Ayara. Naabutan kong nakasarado ang pinto. Ilang beses ko siyang tinawag ngunit walang nalabas. I then tried the back door, which thankfully was unlocked.

Pumasok ako sa loob ng bahay. A sense of unease crept over me. Namamayani ang kakaibang katahimikan sa paligid. Hindi ko mahagilap si Ayara kahit saan, it means she's not here. But there's something caught my eye when I went to her room, her cherished drawings, once carefully crafted expressions of her creativity and emotions, now lay torn across the floor. Kusot-kusot at sira-sira. Iilan na lang ang nakadikit sa pader. Halatang nagdabog siya.

I became more anxious when my eyes fixated on the paper in front of me, I noticed some red stain on it. Napalunok ako at tumodo ang kaba. With trembling hands, I reached out to examine it, my worst fears confirmed as I realized it was blood. Then, I saw the bloody blade on the side of the bed.

I stalled. Bumigat ang paghinga ko. Ramdam ko 'yong daloy ng malagkit kong pawis sa noo. Hindi ako makapaniwala.

She probably did that thing again!

Umiling-iling ako na parang ayaw tanggapin ng isipan ko ang nakikita ko ngayon. "No way," I muttered. The air in the room felt heavy with tension.

I stood there, paralyzed by fear and disbelief. I took a deep breath, but it did little to calm the rapid pounding of my heart. Saksi ang mga drawing na nandito ang masamang ginawa ni Ayara sa kaniyang sarili. Mabilis kong nilisan ang bahay. I was panicking. My body trembling uncontrollably. I felt like I failed to protect her.

Questions raced through my mind. Where was she? What had happened there? Was she in danger? How could this be happening again? Kung kinakailangan kong halughugin ang buong bayan, gagawin ko para lang makita at maligtas siya sa kung ano man ang naglalaro sa isipan niya. Hindi ko na malaman 'yong nararamdamam ko, halo-halo na 'yong emosyon. She broke the promise. She promised she would stop doing it, that she had it under control. But here we were, sinundan na naman niya ng isa pa. I can't imagine the pain of harming herself.

I ran even though my mind was blank while tears continued to flow.

The next place I went to was the hospital, hoping Ayara was there. Upon arrival, I approached the nurses, and they said she hadn't been there. Naisipan kong baka nasa park din siya. I made my way there, I scanned the surroundings for any sign of her presence pero wala akong nabakas na anino niya roon. Tahimik lang ang buong lugar. I'm running out of places she could possibly be, and I'm starting to feel weak. Hindi pa rin siya nagre-reply sa akin.

Except for one. Nilakasan ko ang loob kong pumunta sa bar where she works at, despite of the scene we made last time. Nakausap ko 'yong ibang staff, sadly wala rin daw doon si Ayara.

Naliligo na ako sa sarili kong pawis. Ang gulo na ng hitsura ko. Hindi ko na maipaliwanag 'yong nararamdaman ko. Exhaustion weighed heavily on my shoulders, both physically and emotionally. Still, Ayara was nowhere to be found.