I wasn't sure how long I stayed in that position or how long I cried. I just stayed down on the floor, curled up as I tried to catch my breath pero nahihirapan akong huminga dahil sa pag-iyak ko. Tuloy-tuloy na ang paghikbi ko and I couldn't calm down. Not after what happened to me.
I almost died. Fuck, I almost died. Those words continued to echo in my mind. The stalker went inside my house again, and he tried to kill me! He was here. Again! And the police were not around after weeks of weeks of watching over my house. They gave up because they thought that I wasn't telling the truth about my stalker!
But he was real! And he was just here! I was unsure of his identity, but I finally confirmed that he was a man. Lalaki ang stalker ko. Ang mga nagpapadala sa akin ng letters at pumapasok sa bahay ko!
I knew it! He was the man I danced with back then!
I had no idea who he was and why he did this to me. Why is this even happening to me? What did I ever do to deserve this? Who is my stalker? I tried to rack my brain to find any idea who he was pero wala talaga akong maisip na gagawa nito sa akin!
Is he an enemy of my biological father? Or the enemy of my family? The Larrazabal has a lot of business kaya marami rin kaming kalaban. Is he one of them then? Or maybe... maybe isa sa mga nagawan ng kasalanan ng biological father ko?
Human trafficking is my father's illicit business. Child trafficking. Baka may maling taong nakalaban si Dad kaya gusto s'yang gantihan ngayon.
Even so, why me? Bakit sa akin gumaganti ang taong 'yon? I had nothing to do with my dad's business! I was unaware of it and only discovered it by chance on the evening of my sixteenth birthday! Wala akong kinalaman sa kung anumang business ni Dad!
I even ran away from home dahil hindi ko masikmurang tumira sa bahay na 'yon after knowing about their dirty business. Hindi ko kayang kumain ng mga pagkaing ang pinambili ay galing sa maruming pera na 'yon. Hindi ko kayang gastusin man lang ang perang iyon. That was why I ran away! I wanted to live honestly! Gusto kong malinis ang konsensya ko.
So, why is this happening to me now? Anong gusto sa akin ng taong 'yon? Does he want me to turn my family in?
No. I couldn't do that. I can't! I love them but I hated what they were doing pero hindi ko kayang isuko sila sa mga pulis!
Fuck. I'm a fucking hypocrite too! I was at a loss for what to do next.
Mas lalong bumuhos ang mga luha ko. Hindi ko na talaga alam kung anong gagawin ko. Bakit sa akin nangyayari 'to? It had been years since I ran away, and I even changed my last name dahil ayokong may makaalam na Larrazabal ako. But clearly, someone knew about me. He knew who I was, and he had been stalking me since then!
He knows that I am Xanthe Primrose Larrazabal.
I shivered in fear just thinking about that. The stalker tried to kill me. He has always been watching me at alam din n'yang nandito ako sa bahay ngayon. He was silent for a while, as if he knew when to strike dahil nasaktuhan pang wala na ang mga pulis bagio s'ya muling gumalaw ulit.
I tried to sit up, and I groaned in pain. Pakiramdam ko ay nabugbog ang buong katawan ko. The man was heavy, and he was strong. Kahit anong laban ko kanina ay hindi ako makawala sa kanya. And when I fell on the floor earlier, the whole weight of the man fell on me too as he was on my back, choking me with his arm.
Then he let me go. He knew I was about to pass out, and then he let me go. Muli akong nanginig sa takot sa isiping babalikan ako ng taong 'yon and what happened earlier was just a warning for me.
What does he even want from me?
I coughed as I tried to feel my neck. Ang sakit-sakit ng leeg ko. Kahit ang dibdib at ang ulo ko dahil may ilang sandaling hindi ako nakakuha ng hangin dahil sa pagkakasakal n'ya. Sumandal ako patalikod sa kama at mas lalo pang nanginig ang katawan ko nang maalala ang patay na rabbit sa ibabaw noon.
