A Twist Of Time

fourteen

"Maribeth, bring the boxes. Make sure that they don't fall and make the ingredients spill. Margaux, no, get your head out of that clipboard before I shove it down your throat. Help us." Jane's orders rang through our ears as early as 3AM and she hasn't even cooked yet. Sergio was in his office with the door locked. Margaux had, like what Jane said, her head buried in her trusty clipboard, obviously trying to avoid eye contact with anyone in the room. She was sketching something with a piece of charcoal she found in the corner. Maribeth, being the Maribeth she always is, practically impaled my legs with her wooden broom just to make them move since she was cleaning at the spot where I sat.

"Hey, Val, do you mind coming with me, please? I have something to ask you," Jane whispered into my ear. She took my arm, not waiting for a response, and dragged me to the back of the kitchen. She looked around and leaned in closer to me. "What happened last night? I heard door slamming."

"Nothing. Just an argument," I replied in a reassuring voice.

"Are you sure about that? Because I don't think that's the case. Margaux and you haven't been talking since this morning."

"Of course we aren't. She's busy with her clipboard. I'm busy watching all of you being busy."

Jane obviously didn't buy my excuse, but she didn't seem to mind it. "Uh-huh. Hey, no! Don't put that there! It's fragile!" she ordered at one of her maids and walked away. I got out of the corner in which she hid me in and back to the chair I sat on, watching people get tired. The sun was barely up and we had to leave before it arrived. My things were in a box that was packed before I even woke up beside me, so in a way, I had nothing to worry about anymore. I just had to load them into whatever we were going to ride to get to the palace.

Sergio finally went out of his room with a wax sealed letter in his hand. He was wearing something different than his usual suit and tie; a matte black blazer atop a white buttoned shirt and pants. He looked like he was going to attend a formal party, to be honest. I looked down in guilt even though I didn't even know where it came from. Was it because I took advantage of his kindness and sputtered out a secret only three people were supposed to know?

"Good morning, rather, midnight. Margaux, you alright?" he asked his daughter (that didn't even know that, though having suspicions) who was sitting in a corner.

"Yes, yes. I'm just busy with this." She showed her sketch of a girl in an elegant-looking gown.

"This is good. Great, actually. What did you use to draw this?"

"Charcoal," she silently answered.

"Keep it up. Hello, Valerie."

I raised my eyes to see him with his hands tucked in his pockets, looking down at me. "Oh, uh, hello, Sergio," I replied.

"What are you doing?" he asked.

"Staring at the floor. It's very interesting when you observe it."

This made him look at the floor, too. "Uh, very. Very interesting. Do you have your bags packed?"

"Yes, they're here." I gestured to the box beside me.

"Good." He went off and started talking to the other staff. I could have sworn I felt Margaux looking at me, not in a rude way, but in a way wherein she just really wanted to talk to me. I could say that I felt the same way.

The trip made me very lightheaded that I nearly puked twice. We rode a boat then a car that lead us back to the Malacañan. Margaux sat in the front seat with Sergio while I was left in the seat behind them, Jane beside me. She fell asleep on the chair so I had nobody to talk to. The rest of the staff was in another car with the Presidential security, though Manuel wasn't here. I guess it was for Sergio.

I could overhear talking between Margaux and Sergio, but I couldn't comprehend the words. I was too dizzy to function, much like how I behaved in my math class. As soon as I knew it, we were getting down from the car and my knees were the weakest I've ever felt them, my vision was spinning, and the screams of Sergio, Margaux, and Jane were surrounding and their hands helping me get up. My eyes closed themselves and my body fell.

My consciousnesses was nowhere to be found. It seemed as if I was stuck in the black place I ended up in after collapsing for hours and I couldn't find my way out. I just wanted to get back. I didn't know where, the future or the past, but I wanted to get out of that dark abyss.

"Please wake up, we need you."

If that's what my mind needed for it to get me out of my sickly daze, then it surely worked. Eyes opening, I started catching sight of the sunlight beaming through the glass windows, my body buried under a blanket, and three people surrounding me. I knew very well who those three people were

"She's awake! Finally!"

"Please be."

"How am I going to apologize to her? Oh, this is all my fault!"

Finally, I got the strength to cough up and breathe as if I was a fish out of water that finally got back in the waters. My hands regained strength and I finally got my composure back.

"What happened?" I asked with my frog-sounding voice.

"You-you fainted when we were going inside the palace! The doctor told us that it was because your body easily ran out of energy. You suffered fatigue and fell asleep for nearly 12 hours. We were so worried, especially Sergio over here, who was—ow!" Margaux explained. Sergio had poked her cheek to stop her from saying what was next while Jane was on the other side, looking like she just did the meanest thing ever.

"I'm sorry, Valerie. It's all my fault. I woke all of you up and didn't even think that you didn't have breakfast yet. Irresponsibility," she apologized, her voice softening with every word that came out of her mouth.

"It's okay, it's not really your fault."

Sergio cleared his throat and looked at Jane. "Miss Jane, would you please leave the room for a minute? I have some important matters to discuss with Margaux and Valerie."

Valerie. Jane nodded and left, closing the door.

"I've been thinking," Sergio started. "I know that you're still ill and that you shouldn't be stressed, but I think it's time we settle all of this once and for all."

"What do you mean?" Margaux asked.

"Your feud. I was the reason the two of you fought, and I want to end that fight right now. Margaux, we have something to tell you."