Between

Fifteen

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Chapter Fifteen (Liz’s)

∞

Deep, low growls.

I was running faster than the speed of sound but it was nonsense. The thing that chases me turns out to be faster than I am.

What would be worse than to see the road has its dead end.

I swallowed the lump in my throat hard before I turned around and face the beast.

It greeted me with a loud roar, almost deafening.

It was about to dug its fangs on my shivering body when its shape shifted into a form, a familiar form.

A human form…


… that looks exactly like me. Like I was staring in a mirror.

My other self wickedly grinned at me at then, she swallowed me whole into the blinding darkness.


I woke up with river-like sweat over my face. I sat up, hugged my knees and rested my head over my knee cap.

First, the terrifying screams and now, my fvcked up nightmares.

They give me restless nights.

Scattered thoughts.

And a dissolving line in my palm.

I don’t have the littlest idea if this is still normal or I’m finally losing my mind. Whatever it is, it doesn’t seem good.

***

“Puyat much?” tanong ni Millie pagkakita sa eyebags ko.

“You can tell,” sagot ‘ko naman at tsaka umupo sa harapan nya. Nasa cafeteria kami ngayon, isinubsob ‘ko ‘yung mukha ‘ko sa table kung saan naka-cross ang mga braso ‘ko.

“I can tell you had a bad dream,” sagot nya, hindi ‘ko man nakikita mukha ‘ko, alam ‘ko na nakatitig sya sa’kin.

“It’s one hell of a nightmare,” tsaka ‘ko inangat ulo ko at tinignan sya, nakatingin naman sya sa’kin na parang may ibang iniisip. “What are you thinking Millie?”

“Were you up all night thinking about Alex?” tsaka sya ngumiti ng nakakaloko. Tinaas ‘ko na lang kilay ‘ko sa kanya tsaka sya napatawa.

Doon ‘ko nakitang pumasok ng cafeteria si Alex, I’m not aware that I was staring at him until he sat at the table in the corner and suddenly his eyes caught mine staring at him. I immediately looked away.

Kinabahan ako doon ah, bakit bigla-bigla kasi syang tumitingin sa direksyon na to.

“You’re spacing out again, kanina pa ako daldal ng daldal dito pero lutang ka na pala, san ka ba nakatingin?” lilingon na sana sya ng hinila ‘ko yung libro sa bag nya gamit ang telekinesis at sabing, “Pwede ko bang mahiram ‘to?”

Tumingin sya sa’kin ng medyo nawi-weirduhan at sabay sabing, “TFIOS? Wow, kalian ka pa naging bookworm? Weird mo.”

“Nakita ko lang sa bag mo, na-curious ako,” I try to sound casual as much as possible. Nginitian nya ako at doon ako nakahinga ng maluwag. Alam ko Millie, nagiging weird na ako.

***

Maglalakad ako pauwi, dahil Friday din naman okay lang na malate ako ng uwi. Gusto ko rin ng mahabang oras para makapagisip-isip ng mga bagay-bagay.

Random stuffs mostly, for example, kapag isa na akong ganap na burner saan kaya ang duty ko? Sa ibaba kung saan doon ako magsusunog ng mga masasamang tao? O dito, isa sa pwedeng bumalanse ng mga bagay. I doubt it, halos lahat ng mga burners nasa ibaba.

Dahil sa totoo lang, mas marami naman talaga ang savers dahil mas kailangan sila sa mundong ‘to para maglagay ng rainbows and gardens and hope. At hindi para maghasik ng lagim. Therefore concluded, sa ibaba talaga yung bagsak to.

Konting oras nalang, the sun will set and night sky will take over.

Inayos ‘ko ‘yung hood ng jacket na suot ko ng umihip ang hangin.  Ipinikit ko yung mata ‘ko ng maramdaman yung lamig nito. Soothing. I always love the wind. It gives you the bizarre feeling of comfort and calmness, which I lack most of the time.

As I walk, pinapanood ko ang car lights sa gilid ‘ko. Nakakainis kasi nakakasilaw, ayaw ko ng masyadong malinawag na ilaw, lalo na kapag naglalakad ka, para kang temporary na nabubulag. Annoying parang si Alex.

No... Scratch that. Bakit ba kasi puro siya ang nasa utak ‘ko? Kainis.

I shrugged the thought out of my head and instead, I looked at my palm. The lines in it. The number of days that I have before The Reaping.

257 lines.

And suddenly something happened…

Not on my palms but in the road.

Mabilis nangyari ang lahat, one second a truck hit a bus, the impact send the bus almost flipping through the air but it didn’t happen…

… the impact was sent to me, unintentionally. My hand was reaching out like I was stopping the bus from dangling in mid-air. And before I can interpret the situation, one thing crossed my mind. “Gift of eduction… you’ll feel the pain that they should feel” is what Millie had told me.

Then, I fell in my knees. Warm water dripping from my head, and I realized it wasn’t water at all, but blood. I feel nauseous, crazily dizzy, like something cracks my skull open.

I looked at the direction of the accident, there were ambulances and dozens of people but the bus, mayroong malaking sira sa gilid nito, na para bang lata ito na inipit. But I almost smiled, a relief actually nang makita ko ang mga taong bumababa mula sa bus, ayos silang lahat. Isang milagro kung tutuusin.

Gusto ko pa sanang i-enjoy ang nakikita ko pero umikot nan g tuluyan ang paningin ko at bago pa ako tuluyang bumagsak, may brasong sumalo sakin at nakita ko ulit ‘yung napakaganda nyang mga mata.

His ocean blue eyes.

“Liz,” he said and I knew I was screwed.