Class Reunion: Section Rose

Chapter 4: An Impostor?

Kervince's POV

Napabitaw ako sa sinabi ni Claire. She just stood there in the front, crying.

Anong 19?

There's only supposed to be 18 of us!

"Oy, Claire! Stop fooling around." Matigas na sabi ko at naglakad papunta sakanya. I grabbed her shoulders. Nanginginig at gigil ako na hindi ko na macontrol kung gaano kasikip ang hawak ko sakanya. It must be pretty harsh considering that she winced.

"Ker, you're hurting her." My brother placed his hand on my shoulder. I took a deep breath at bumitaw agad kay Claire.

"I'm sorry, I lost my shit." Paumanhin ko sakanya. She knows how delicate that topic is. Hanggang ngayon, ang pagkamatay ni........ Teka.. Sino nga ba ang namatay saamin?

Namatahan ko yung itim na class list na nabitawan ni Claire. 19 names. It couldn't be, maybe may nalagpasan lang na name si Claire.

I read all the names while looking at my classmates. Nanlaki din ang mata ko ng makitang lahat ng pangalan namin ay nandirito, I started counting all the guests and was horrified.

Tama si Claire.

19.

19 kaming lahat dito.

"Bro?" Halos mapalayo ako ng lumapit saakin si Kyle. But then I laughed, realizing how stupid I was being.

There's no way na si Kyle ang dead student. I know him. He's my twin brother, for god's sake!

Hinawakan ko yung kamay ng utol ko.

"We're going home, Kyle." I firmly said at hinila sya palabas. "T-Teka. Ker?" I heard Hide call my name. My jaw twitched as I looked at him. Hindi ko alam kung anong gagawin ko.

Ang alam lang, I want me and my brother to be out of here.

"Ker, what's happening?" Tanong ni Michiko. "I don't know what you guys are trynna pull. Stop fucking with me." Saad ko at ibinato yung hawak kong listahan.

"Ker—"

"Uuwi na tayo, Kyle." Matigas na sabi ko sa kapatid ko. Hanggang ngayon, nanginginig parin at nanlalamig ang pakiramdam ko.

Panong mangyayare ito?

19 students.

There's 19 of us here. Which is impossible because I still remember na somewhere at the end of the school year, may nawala saamin. I don't remember who or why. But at the end of our graduation, I still remember how all of us stood in front of that dead child's grave. Lahat kami nun, nakaitim na Toga. All of us were holding a single red rose. I could still picture the scene from 7 years ago but it was faded.

"Bro, anong nangyare?" Tanong ni Kyle sa akin ng makapasok kami ng kotse nya. It was technically his, but today, I was our driver.

"Kyle, ilan tayo sa room kanina?" Seryosong tanong ko as I started the engine. "Hmm. 18." Sagot ni Kyle. Pinaandar ko yung sasakyan.

Hindi. I'm pretty sure tama ang bilang ko.

"Do you remember the dead student from 7 years ago?" I asked him while my eyes were focused on the road. "Yea, why? I forgot his name." Sagot nya. "He? The dead student was a guy?" I asked him. "Uh, I dunno bro. Hindi ko maalala." Sagot nya. Napa-Tsk nalang ako.

"Well, that dead student was among us earlier. That dead student was inside that room, together with us." My voice was shaky. Nagpupumilit na tumingin ako sa kapatid ko, hoping he would believe me. I'm bad at math but at least I know how to count properly!

"Woah, bro. That's..." Natatawang sabi nya. He looked at me for a moment at nawala yung ngiti nya. He probably saw the fear in my eyes.

"There were 19 of us in that room, Kyle. I'm not kidding!" Pagpupumilit ko. "But that's...... Impossible." He breathed out.

Nagsimulang pangalanan ni Kyle Louis yung mga bisitang nasa reunion namin kanina. When he was finished, I noticed him looking at his fingers in horror with his mouthing hanging open.

Humigpit ang hawak ko sa manibela.

"An impostor." He blurted out.

"An impostor?" Pag ulit ko. He looked at me. Bakas yung pagkagulat sa mga mata nya. "You don't suppose that a dead student suddenly rose up from the dead just to join our class reunion, don't you, brother?" Seryosong tanong nya. "Because that's not possible. There's no scientific explanation na pweden—"

"Woah, stop. My mind is already too fucked para pakinggan yang mga science bullshit na yan, Kyle. You know how bad I am at academics." Pagpigil ko sakanya. Unlike me, Kyle is good at academics. He's smart and likes science. Almost like a damn nerd.

"Hindi mo kailangan ng science para marealize kung gaano ka silly ito. All you need is logic. Dead people can't rise from the dead." Saad nya. Which is something I don't have considering that ang alam ko lang gawin eh magpaka-gago.

"Okay Einstein." Sambit ko.

"It's either minumulto tayo or someone among us is an impostor. But ghost aren't real so we're left with the choice of someone being an impostor." Paliwanag nya. Parang umiikot yung ulo ko sa mga pinagsasabi ni Kyle.

"Question is, bakit? What are they trying to achieve?" He asked, looking really lost in his own thoughts.

"I don't know. Makikain? Psh." I shrugged. "Weird. Remember when everyone said wala silang alaala nung mga pangyayare nung 4th year tayo? Or if meron, it's either very faded or just a little."

"Yea." Sagot ko.

"That's fucked up. I mean how come?" Tanong pa nya. Inis akong tumingin sakanya.

"It's been 7 years, you idiot! Of cou—"

"I still remember what happened on our 13th birthday party and its been more than 7 years simula nun. Don't you get what I'm trying to say, Ker?" Tanong pa nya na parang pinapalabas na tanga talaga ako.
"No. Hindi ko ma-gets dahil hindi kasingtaas ng IQ mo ang akin. Pwede ba, straight to the point?"

"It's impossible, Ker. 18 students, same case? It's like there's a weird phenomenon that happened around us which caused us not to remember the things that happened in a certain period of time." Paliwanag pa nya. May point si Kyle.

Pero ang tanong...

Sino ang impostor? At ano ang rason kung bakit nya ginagawa ito? Para lamang takutin kami? That's just absurd.

"You know, Ker? We really gotta go back at kausapin ang mga classmates natin! We—" before pa man makatapos si Kyle Louis ay umikot na ang paningin ko. Wala pang ilang sekundo, ay nakaramdam agad ako ng matinding sakit sa buong katawan ko.

Tangina. Anong nangyare?!

Tumingin ako sa gilid ko at nanlumo sa aking nakita.

"No.... Kyle!"