Rewind (Erityian Tribes Novella, #2)

18 - Vulnerable

"I'm sorry, Naomi."

"Saan si Mama? Saan si Papa?"

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry."

My eyes fluttered open and the first thing I saw was the kid's face. Napapikit ulit ako at inisip ko kung anong nangyari. Right. I passed out because of exhaustion and the prisoners' destructive thoughts.

"Are you okay?" the kid asked. What was her name again? Naia?

Pinilit kong bumangon at sumandal ako sa pader. Umupo naman sa harapan ko ang bata. I remembered her from one of Mitsuo's memory but I thought she was a boy because of his hair and clothes. She was looking at me curiously with those big brown eyes so I approached her.

"Your name is Naia, right?" tanong ko at tumango naman siya. "W-what are you doing here?"

"Hiding," she said. "There's too much blood outside."

Kinilabutan naman ako sa sinabi niya at hindi ko alam kung dapat ko ba siyang seryosohin. I decided to peek at the small opening I had discovered a while ago and saw a lifeless body slumped to the ground. A shriek of horror escaped from my mouth when I realized that the head was missing from the body. Sinara ko kaagad ang bintana at napasandal ako sa pader habang nakatingin kay Naia.

"What's wrong?" inosente niyang tanong na para bang wala lang sa kanya ang mga nangyayari.

Pinilit kong pakalmahin ang sarili ko at lumapit ako sa kanya. I tried reaching for her thoughts, hoping that she's one of us, and when I did, I still got surprised.

Hindi naman ako nahirapang basahin ang isip niya dahil bata pa siya. She didn't know how to close her mind yet so her thoughts were easy to read. I saw Mitsuo and his grandfather from her memories, as well as several executions that happened right in front of her eyes. Itinigil ko ang pagbabasa sa isip niya dahil nakaramdam ako ng awa. She should be playing with other children, enjoying her youth, yet here she is, living in a place of cruelty and violence.

"Are you Vince's wife?" bigla niyang tanong at nanlaki ang mga mata ko nang narinig ko 'yon.

"W-wife? No! I-I'm his, uhm, friend."

I could feel the blood rushing to my cheeks after she said that and I had to control my breathing to keep myself calm. How could she ask that with such innocent face and why his wife in the first place? In addition, I still can't get used to his real name. Almost all the people we encountered here called him Vince.

"Friend? What is friend?" Naia asked and I just looked at her, dumbfounded.

"You do not know what a friend is?" tanong ko at umiling siya.

Lalo akong nakaramdam ng awa kaya lumapit ako sa kanya. I smiled at her and she looked at me with curiosity. She might be too young to understand the concept but still, I wanted to tell her.

"Hmm, let's see. A friend is someone who's always by your side, someone you can trust."

"Like Vince and Ise?" Ise? Is that Mitsuo's grandfather?

"They're your family, right?"

"No. They're already dead."

Natahimik pagkarinig ko no'n at hindi ko alam kung saan ako mas nagulat—her parents' death or her knowledge about it. Hindi ko napigilan ang sarili ko at niyakap ko siya. Ang bata niya pa para maranasan at malaman ang mga bagay tulad nito at nalulungkot ako dahil sa ganitong lugar siya nakatira.

"Are you okay?" tanong niya.

"Yeah," sabay ngiti ko sa kanya. "I'm okay."

Bigla namang bumukas ang pinto at nakita ko ang isa sa mga lalaking nagdala sa akin dito. Tumayo si Naia at tumakbo papunta ro'n kaya sumunod ako pero tinignan niya ako nang masama. Nakita ko namang madilim na sa labas pero hindi ko alam kung anong oras na.