Depression Plutus (Curse #4)

CHAPTER 9 Heart Broken

OTTILIE VIRSES POV



Hapon na nang makauwi ako sa bahay. Napagod ako sa PE class namin kanina. Pinatakbo ba naman kami sa field ng tatlong beses eh ang lawak-lawak no'n. Kailangan daw namin palakasin ang katawan namin para mas matagal naming magamit ang mga gift namin.

Dumaan pa ako sa boutique para lang magpapalit ng size. Hiyang-hiya ako sa staff doon eh, kababae kong tao brief ang binibili ko.

Malas ka talaga sa buhay ko Plutus!

As I stepped into the living room, I saw Plutus lying comfortably on the couch with a bowl of popcorn in his hands, completely focused on the TV. He didn't even look at me once.

Hinagis ko sa kan'ya ang paper bag, "Ayan po ang XL brief mo, kamahalan!"

Nginisihan lang ako nito at muling bumalik sa panonood. Kita mo, wala man lang thank you!

I dropped my bag on the floor and threw myself onto the couch beside him. When I looked at the screen, I raised an eyebrow in surprise.

Nakakagulat naman ang lalaking 'to, sa lahat ng pwedeng panoorin Spirited Away pa ng Studio Ghibli? Pero sabagay, sino ba namang hindi? It's addictive, halos napanood ko na nga ata lahat ng movies ng Studio Ghibli. Parang movies lang nila ang kaya kong panoorin ng paulit-ulit pero parang first time pa din ang feeling sa tuwing pinapanood ko 'to.

"Hindi ko alam na mahilig ka pala manood ng studio Ghibli films."

"It's good," Plutus replied without taking his eyes off the screen. "Actually, it's my favorite movie now."

"You should try Grave of the Fireflies next. Maganda din 'yon, Studio Ghibli din may gawa." Pasimple akong napangisi dahil sa sinabi ko.

Plutus finally looked at me, narrowing his eyes. "Grave of the Fireflies, huh? Is it really that good?"

Pinigilan kong mapangisi, hahaha uto-uto.

"Oo, hindi mo pagsisisihan," I said with a nod. "Lahat naman ng movies nila worth it panoorin."

He stared at me for a moment before turning back to the TV. I felt the tension ease for a moment and began to drift off, the weight of the day finally catching up to me.

Makaka-idlip na sana ako ng marinig ko ang nakakakilabot na boses ni Plutus. Nanayo ang mga balahibo ko sa lamig ng boses nito.

"By the way," he said casually, though something dark lurked in his tone, "you're working on how to undo the spell, right?"

Parang lahat ata ng pagod ko sa katawan mabilis na naghalo. Napa-upo ako ng ayos sa upuan at parang pusa na nakinig sa kan'ya. His eyes were still glued to the screen, but his words were laced with the promise of violence.

A deadly threat.

My voice wavered as I stammered, "N-not yet... but I'm working on it."

Silence.

The only sound in the room was the movie playing in the background. After a long pause, Plutus spoke again, his voice slow and coldblooded.

"You'd better figure it out soon," he warned, "or you'll end up like Chihiro's parents. Maybe worse." He paused before smiling cruelly. "I could always strip the flesh from your bones and feed it to the devils. They'd love you."

The way he said it, it was so calm, almost casual that sent an ice-cold terror spiraling through me.

Halos maihi ako sa sobrang takot, major trauma na ata 'tong nararanasan ko kay Plutus. Kailangan ko ng makahanap ng paraan pala palayain siya bago pa ako bangungutin gabi-gabi.

"I-I promise I'll work hard. I'll fix it," I said, my words shaky and uncertain.

Plutus didn't respond. He kept his eyes on the TV, as if the conversation was over and I was no longer worth his attention.

I swallowed hard, forcing myself to stand. My legs felt like jelly as I gathered my things and hurried upstairs, desperate to escape the suffocating tension that lingered in the room. As I climbed the stairs, his words echoed in my mind, filling me with dread.

Taragis, nakatadhana ata akong mamatay maaga sa kamay ni Plutus.


~~~


I woke up because someone was banging loudly on my bedroom door. It sounded like the door was about to break. Still half asleep, I heard Plutus shouting outside.

Teka, bakit parang umiiyak ata iyon?

I hurried out of bed and opened the door. Plutus stood there with tears streaming down his face. His sapphire eyes were swollen and red, and he looked completely miserable.

"Napapano ka?" Takang tanong ko sa kan'ya.

Nawala tuloy bigla ang antok ko.

"It's your fault!" Plutus choked out, his voice wavering between fury and pain. "You!" He wiped his tears aggressively, as if angry at himself for crying. "You said it was a good movie!"

Napakurap-kurap ako sa sinabi nito. Movie? Napakagat ako sa labi ko ng marealize kung ano ang tinutukoy niya, pero nagpatay malisya ako, syempre.

"Ano ba'ng pinagsasabi mo?"

"Grave of the fucking Fireflies!" he practically yelled, his voice cracking. "You said it was amazing! You!" He pointed an accusing finger at me, "You didn't say it was... this! How could you not warn me?"

Hala ka... hindi ko akalain na ganito ang magiging epekto sa kan'ya ng movie. Sa tapang nito, akala ko kaya niyang panoorin ang movie na 'yon, heck, mukhang pati siya tinablan.

"Those poor souls..." His voice broke, and he looked away, his breath coming in ragged sobs. "They..." He swallowed hard. "They died! Both of them! They just... they just died!" His voice rose, almost hysterical now. "And it was all so unfair! They didn't deserve that!"

Sa totoo lang nag-eenjoy akong panoorin si Plutus na magbreakdown. Ang sarap pala sa feeling makaganti, pffft, ang napakagwapo niyang mukha ngayon ay punong-puno na ng luha.

"The way they suffered... and the older brother... he tried so hard to protect his sister, and... and it was all for nothing!" He threw his hands in the air, his eyes wide with pain. "Why didn't you tell me it was this kind of movie?!"

"S-sorry na..."

Pero pinutol agad nito nito ang sinabi ko habang humuhikbi pa.

"It's your fault!" he shouted again while pacing back and forth. "You knew this would break my heart, and you still recommended it!" His voice shook. "Now I can't stop thinking about them. I can still see their faces. They deserved better!"

Finally, he stopped pacing and leaned against the doorframe, looking completely heartbroken.

"You evil witch," he muttered miserably. "Why would you do this to me?"

Napakadrama naman pala ng prinsipe na 'to, gusto ko siya ikutan ng mata ang kaso baka mahuli niya ako.

Nang humupa na ang pag-ngawa nito, bigla na lang itong tumayo ng tuwid at marahas na pinunasan ang mga luha niya. I had to tilt my head up because of how tall he was. At 6'5, he was almost as tall as my door.

But the moment I looked at him properly, my heart dropped. His sapphire eyes, once filled with sorrow, were now empty, completely void of emotion.

Nalintikan na.

My heart began to race. Something wasn't right. I could feel the shift in the air, thick with tension and danger. My stomach twisted in knots as I watched him, trying to understand what had changed. A chill ran down my spine.

Suddenly, Plutus growled, low and dangerous, like a predator ready to strike.

"You'll pay for this," he snarled, the words laced with venom.

Before I could react, I suddenly felt a sharp hit at the back of my neck. My vision blurred instantly. The world spun around me as darkness slowly swallowed everything.

For the second time, Plutus knocked me unconscious.

To be continued...