DARKER THAN BLACK (ON-GOING)

ROSAS

Chapter 18

(NP: The Ghost of You by MY CHEMICAL ROMANCE)

CLINT'S POV

I don't know kung ano ang dapat kong maramdaman ngayon. Para kasing pinaglalaruan ako. Posible ba talagang malaman at makausap ko ang isang patay na tao? Isang gabi yun kung saan dapat masaya ang lahat pero nabalot lang ng kababalaghan at ngayon naman sasalubungin ako ng isang balitang patay ang taong nakausap ko nung gabing iyon. If Dustin Swivelton is dead then who is the person in the masquerade ball?

"Do you have a problem?"

"Nothing."

Maybe it's not bad to ask him a question about what's happening in this school. I know he knows a lot.

"May I ask you a question?"

"You're already asking."

"Who is Clovis?"

Tiningnan naman niya ako ng isang BAKIT MO TINATANONG look. I smiled at him tapos bumulong malapit sa tainga niya.

"Just answer my question."

"He is the president of the Supreme Student Organization."

"What else? Personal background? Family? Real name? Everything about him. Like that! Now speak."

"Do you like him?"

My eyes widened. What the hell is that question? I'm just asking to know everything about that guy. Kahinahinala yung lalaking yun!

"What?! I don't like that guy! I just want to know everything about him. That's it!"

"So , tell me why."

Ugh! His words are hindrances for me to know the truth. Para bang may harang na agad siya , hangga't di niya nalalaman kung ano yung dahilan. He's a jerk!

"Hindi mo na kailangang malaman pa ang dahilan."

"Then it settled. You won't get the answer to your question."

"I can seek my own information! Devil!"

"You can't."

Nakatingin na siya sa unahan ng sinabi niya ang mga salitang yun. Seryoso siya at parang may nais siyang iparating. Sige , ngayon lang aaminin ko wala akong utak. Tss! Bakit ba ang sama sama ng ugali niya? Automatic namang napa WHY ang bibig ko. Lumapit siya sa akin , lumapit pa sa tainga ko at---

"Mr. Faulkner and Ms. Pendleton , get out of this room right now! Don't disturb my class with those kind of flirting!"

Aangal pa dapat ako kaso hinila naman ako nitong Grae nato sa tambayan namin. Mother Faulkner!

"You're an asshole! I will be back to that room and curse that man to hell! How dare him?! Idiot!"

"Chill. Calm down."

"So you have your way to laugh huh? It's all your fault! That's not flirting for Pete's sake! Dumb!"

He stopped laughing and this time he had his serious face again. It's better. He looked at my eyes straightly and then I raised my eyebrows showing my sarcastic side. He just gave me a half smile. What is his problem?

"You can't seek any information about him. He is a private person , he don't have any connections , he's not even socializing. He's always alone. He don't care for others. His name was Clovis Wive Howard. That's the only thing that you can find on his form. No one knows his problem. Why did he became the president of SSO? It's because , he's the one who is capable with it. Dustin told everyone of us that if he will surrender his position , he just wanted Clovis to take in charge on it. Why? We don't know. Maybe they became friends. That's it."

What? How did he passed on this school if his forms is not completely stated? What the hell?

"Bakit nakapasa siya sa eskwelahan na to?"

"May sumusuporta daw sa kanya na hindi nito kilala."

"Even without a complete form?"

"Ganan ang nagagawa ng pera."

I'm not contented. Something is missing. I'm not comfortable for what I had knew now. I'm puzzled and I hate this feeling! Napahawak ako sa ulo ko at tsaka napaisip ng malalim. May humimas naman ng ulo ko. Sino ba kasama ko?

"Don't stress yourself too much. It's nonsense. Tell me , may nangyari ba na dahilan ng mga weird na bagay na tinatanong mo sa akin ngayon?"

"Wala. Curious lang."

"Liar. I know you."

I looked at him. Why does it sound that he knows me a lot? Parang matagal na niya akong nakasama. Iba yung feeling ng pagkakasabi niya nun o napapraning lang talaga ako? Hinawakan niya ang baba ko at tiningnan ako diretso sa aking mata.

"You're lying."

"I'm not!"

"You are lying and stop arguing with me! Just tell me!"

I was so shocked. He shouted in front of me. What the hell happened to him? Tinarayan ko siya pero umimik din ako ng maging sobrang seryoso ng mukha niya at parang may black aura sa paligid niya.

"Fine. In the masquerade ball a stranger talked to me and he even said that he is Dustin Swivelton. The guy who died a years ago as what Clovis said earlier when we accidentally bumped at each other. He said that he is the president of the SSO and then as a thought , maybe he is Dustin so I asked then he said he's not. I knew the truth. End of story."

"How did it happened? Who is that stranger?"

"I don't know. A prank? but why?"

"If that's a prank , why would he even wasted his time that night before the fucking blast?"

"What do you mean kiddo?!"

"Tss. Bakit siya mag-aaksaya ng oras niya kung hindi siya kasabwat dun sa nangyari? Tell me , ano pa nangyari? Ikaw lang ba nilapitan niya?"

"Tss. Ako lang nilapitan niya nun kasi kapapasok lang niya sa may entrance , sabi niya gusto niya ng blast matapos niyang sabihin na siya si Dustin na presidente ng SSO."

"That's it! That night there's a big blast so it only means na kasabwat ang taong yun sa kaguluhang nangyari. Hindi yun prank! Plano niya talagang kausapin ka."

He's right. Bakit nga naman siya mag-aaksaya ng oras para magprank lalo na presidente siya ng SSO? at mangyayari din yung blast at nabanggit niya din ito bago tuluyang namatay ang mga ilaw. Tanga ko din. Bakit naman niya ko kailangang kausapin?

"Planong kausapin? Bakit naman?"

"Maybe may ginawa ka o ang pamilya mo para kausapin ka niya."

"Kausapin ng patay?"

"Siguro siya yung nagawan ng masama kaya may isang taong nais siyang ipaghiganti at ginamit niya ang pangalan nito para ipaalala na may nangyari sa kanya. Maybe it's a ghost of him by the other's presence."

"Wala naman akong alam na naagrabyado ko o ng pamilya ko."

"Minsan may palatandaan ang isang bagay para malaman kung sino ang may kinalaman pero hindi ibig sabihin na sa bawat palatandaan sila rin ang may kinalaman dahil maraming daan para mapagbintangan."

He smiled and walked away. What does he mean? Wala na akong nagawa , naguguluhan lang ako kaya pumunta nalang ako sa locker ko at pagbukas ko ng locker may nakita ako.

"Rosas?"

Rosas na itim katabi ang isang kutsilyong may ukit na letrang P sa hawakan na kulay ginto.