"CALEB, WAKE up. I have a very very bad news."
Caleb muffled something after hearing that big and loud voice early in the morning. Hindi niya iyon pinansin at bumalik sa pagtulog. His hang-over was killing him and he badly needed some sleep.
"It's about, Autumn."
Parang tinangay ang lahat ng natitirang antok sa sistema ni Caleb nang marinig ang pagkakabigkas ng pangalang iyon. Dagli siyang humarap sa nagsalita.
He saw his older brother, Gideon, leaning against the door frame. Yes, his brother.
Kasabay noong araw na pinatawan siya ng parusa ay ang pagkawala ng kanyang abilidad at kakayahan bilang isang Watcher. He lost his wings, and at the same time, he lost his purpose.
Pagkatapos magdilim ng kanyang paningin ay nagising na lamang si Caleb sa isang lugar na wala siyang ka-ide-ideya kung nasaan. Nang makapagtanong-tanong siya ay nalaman niyang nasa Romania pala siya. He nearly lost his marbles after realizing that he was dumped thousands of miles away from Turkey, where Mt. Ararat was situated.
Nalinawan lamang ang isip ni Caleb nang maalala na sa bansang iyon kasalukuyang namamalagi ang kanyang nakakatandang kapatid na si Gideon kasama ang partner in crime nito na si Chloe-isa ring Watcher. Naipagpasalamt ni Caleb dahil nasa bulsa pa niya ang kanyang cellphone at nagawang ma-contact ang kapatid.
Despite what the Committee of Guardians had warned him, Caleb didn't think twice to contact Gideon. His older brother was a bit of a rebel kind of Watcher. Mas pipiliin niyang ito ang kausapin imbes sa kanyang mga magulang sa Pilipinas. Hindi pa siya handa.
That's how Caleb ended up living with Gideon and Chloe for the past two months after he lost his title.
Hanggang ngayon ay hindi pa rin makapaniwala si Caleb sa kinasapitan niya. Never in his entire existence he thought that he would lose his purpose. All because of love. And all because of Autumn.
Everytime Caleb remembers the girl the he loved so much, he would always think that it was all worth it. Nothing is far greater than sacrificing his purpose for the love of his life. Sulit na sulit din naman dahil hindi na niya kailangan itago ang pagmamalahalan nila. But what he regretted most, was that Autumn was sandwiched in this damn situation. Ni hindi maisip ni Caleb kung ano ano ang reaksyon ng dalaga. Ng kanyang pamilya. Just by the thought of it, Caleb felt like he's the biggest failure in the whole universe.
Iyon ang dahilan kung bakit halos gabi-gabi ay lasing siya. He would be sober for a few hours then drink again untile he could forget all the pain and just be numb. Last night was one of those nights. That was the main reason why his head hurt like a bitch early that morning.
"What about her?"
Gideon smirked. "I knew you'd be up in no time." But his smirk vanished immeditately. "She's in trouble."
Caleb heard a weird buzzing in his ear. Para siyang matutumba nang marinig ang sinabi ng kapatid. "What do you fucking mean she's in trouble?!" Napatayo siya ng wala sa oras. He didn't bother to pick up the blanket that fell on the floor. Hindi rin niya pinansin na tila minamartilyo sa sakit ang kanyang ulo. His attention was solely focused on Gideon. Parang may naghahabulan na mga kabayo sa kanyang dibdib dahil sa antisipasyon.
"Calm your pits, man! And watch your language, will ya?"
"Just answer the friggin' question. I don't need a lecture right now," nakakunot ang noo na sabi ni Caleb sa nakakatandang kapatid. What's wrong with this guy? Why not just say the freakin' news already.
"Fine. Autumn's been abducted. Hindi pa sigurado kung sino o ano ang dumukot sa kanya pero iyon na iyon. She's been gone for two days now. Malakas ang hinala nila Mum na demons ang kumuha sa kanya. Maybe they're after the information that she has."
Parang sinabugan ng bomba si Caleb. Now, he didn't really see that coming. Autumn was abducted by demons. Ni sa umpisa nga ay hindi dapat nai-involve ang dalaga sa kanilang lahi, tapos ngayon, nasa kamay pa ito ng mga nilalang na siyang pinakakalaban nila. Fighting evil has always been a hard battle. Humans don't usually get involved since it was their the duty. Pure angel or Fallen angel, they serve the same purpose and that it to protect human. Dahil sa sa kaisipang iyon ay nagkaroon ng malaking kwestyon sa isipan ni Caleb. Was there a replacement angel assigned to Autumn? There was probably someone.
"I need to go home." Walang pagdadalawang isip na sabi ni Caleb. Mabilis siyang naglinis ng katawan. In record time, he was out of the bathroom and packing his stuff. Kailangan niyang umuwi. Kailangan niyang iligtas si Autumn.
"What are you doing?"
Hindi nagtaas ng tingin si Caleb. "Uuwi sa Pilipinas. Autumn needs my help. I won't just sit back in here and relax while she's fighting for her life alone. I will not let her slip from my hold just like that. I love her, Gideon and I will find her."
"Are you dumb? Isa ka nang tao at hindi Watcher, Caleb. Maaari kang mapahamak sa gagawin mo. And what made you think that I will allow you to go back to the Philippines, let alone, see our family that may cause them an offense against the Committee of Guardians. Hindi ako papayag, Caleb, na gawin mo ang kahangalang ito. Ako at si Daniel ang maghahanap kay Autumn. Isasama na namin si Chloe kung kailangan."
Galit na nagtaas ng tingin si Caleb. Tila nagpanting ang kanyang tenga dahil sa sinabi ng nakakatandang kapatid. "Hindi mo ako mapipigilan, Gideon. Autumn is under my protection!"
"Not anymore! Can't you see the point?! Hindi ka na isang Watcher, Caleb! You can't just pack up and fight your ass of with some random demon. It's not possible anymore. You're not strong enough anymore."
Parang tinaaman ng kidlat si Caleb dahil sa sinabi ng kapatid. Hindi ka na isang Watcher, Caleb! Those words echoed inside his head. It was clear to Caleb alright. He's no longer a Watcher and Autumn's no longer under his protection. Kahit ilang buwan na ang lumipas ay tila hindi pa rin iyon lubusang pumapasok sa isipan ni Caleb. Tila ngayon lamang siya tuluyang nalinawan.
He's no longer a Watcher. He's just a human now. Ni hindi na sapat ang lakas niya para makipaglaban sa mga masasamang nilalang, hindi katulad dati.
Napayuko si Caleb. He could feel Gideon's seeping look. Para bang hinihintay nito ang kanyang sasabihin.
Ilang sandali na ngakaroon sila Caleb ng paglalaban sa kanyang isip. Other part of him wanted to follow what Gideon was saying. Kayang-kaya nito at nina Daniel na hanapin at isalba si Autumn. Pero may isang bahagi ni Caleb na nagtutulak sa kanya na ipaglaban si Autumn. Pilit na ipinagsisigawan kung gaano kahalaga sa kanya si Autumn at kung gaano kahalaga na maging parte siya ng misyon para iligtas ang buhay ng dalaga. Pero may isang bahagi ang nanaig.
With a deep heave of breath, Caleb looked up at his older brother. His eyes were full of determination. "My love from Autumn is stronger that any demon or vampire. I will not stay behind, Gideon. I will fight for her 'til the end even if it means sacrificing my own life. She will always be worth fighting for. I'm not expecting you to understand but I hope you will. This is something that I just can't turn my back from."
Gideon was held silent. Nakatitig lamang ito sa kanya. He was assessing what Caleb just said.
Pagkaraan ng ilang sandali ay nagsalita si Gideon. "I will never understand, Caleb. But I could sense how important this is to you. You can come, but I have one condition."
"What is it?"
"Stay alive while we're at it, will you?"
BINABASA MO ANG
THE WATCHERS TRILOGY: Caleb (book I)
Romance"One day, he just woke up realizing that Autumn wasn't just his Mortal Half, she was his other half." Some angels are meant to walk amongst us. Some have a purpose to fulfill; a duty to uphold; and a human to protect. But what will you do if you rea...
