No One Will Know (PUBLISHED)

XVII. Ghost

XVI. Ghost

I froze.

With fear.

I wanted to run, but my whole system shut down to scream panic. Biglang nanginig ang buong katawan ko nang marinig ko ang boses na iyon. Iyong boses na matagal ko ng kinalimutan... Na pilit kong ibinaon sa limot...

"Mallary," the voice said again, his tone dripping in authority. Ngunit pilit kong nilabanan ang takot na gumagapang sa buong sistema ko. I begged myself not to be engulfed with the sea of fear. I begged myself to stand on my ground. Kahit ngayon lang.

"Come home," he said again.

My lips quivered in fear. The ever-familiar feeling that I only got when he's around.

"Mallary," he said again.

I took a step away. From him. Again. I tried to run faster, but my feet betrayed me. Pakiramdam ko ay bigla na lamang akong babagsak sa sahig dahil sa panghihina ng mga tuhod ko.

Halos habol ko ang hininga ko nang makaalis ako. I kept on looking around, fearing for my safety. I didn't know what he wanted from me. I kept my end of the bargain—I disappeared from their world. To act as if I was devoid of roots.

Halos manginig ako sa takot nang may maramdaman ako sa likod ko. I tried to run, but I immediately halted when I saw Thomas. Agad na umawang ang labi ko nang makita ko siya. Halos hindi ko siya mamukhaan. He was wearing hoodie and black cap. It seemed as if he was hiding.

"T-Thomas."

I stared at him, lost for words. I didn't know what to say. Hindi ko rin alam kung ano ang dapat kong sabihin sa kanya. Pakiramdam ko ay unti-unti akong nalulunod sa lahat ng kasinungalingang pumapalibot sa akin. Halos hindi ako maka-hinga.

"Have you seen Harvey?" he asked, his jaw clenched in unmistakable anger.

Umiling ako. "No," I replied. Everyone was looking for Harvey. Tila walang nakakaalam kung nasaan siya.

Thomas adjusted his hoodie. He looked around, too, as if he was hiding like I was. Tinignan niya akong muli—parang tinitimbang kung mapagkakatiwalaan ba ako.

"Ary," he mentioned my name. I looked at him innocently, wanting him to trust me... Wanting him to believe that I was the only person left for him to trust... Wanting him to believe that his friends already turned their back against him.

"I need you..." he trailed. "I need you to tell me if you hear them talking about Harvey."

I nodded. "Okay... but will you tell me why?"

His jaw clenched again. Anger was very palpable. But I wasn't scared. I'd never been scared of Thomas. He was disgusting, but I never feared him like I did with his friends.

"Harvey's gonna screw me over," he said.

"I don't understand."

"He made a deal with the prosecutor. He's gonna throw me under the bus. Reveal everything about my family."

My lips parted in surprise. I... I didn't know that Harvey's gonna do this. I thought he'd get mad. I even considered that he'd kill Thomas with his bare hands. What I didn't expect was him acting so calmly, so logical. Everything that Harvey was doing was something I didn't expect of him.

It almost felt like Sabrina's death made him calculating and even more heartless. Na gagawin niya ang lahat para mawala ang meron si Thomas.

"Can't you do the same?"