Orpheus Valerio
Kasalukuyan akong nakahiga sa isang slide dito sa playground nang may tumapik sa pisngi ko. I automatically opened my eyes and I saw Percy looking at me. I smiled at her and she to me.
"Kanina pa kita ginigising, Orphy, tulog-mantika ka pa din." she chuckled while sitting on the grass in front of me.
"Why are you out here? Bawal sa buntis ang mahamugan, ah." she didn't answered. I looked at her. Sa unang tingin, people would think that she's okay but no. She's always calm and serene no matter what the situation is.
"Orphy, did you remember what I've told you when we were younger?" tumingin siya sa'kin. Kumunot ang noo ko. "...about the names of the person we will end up with."
"Yes," tumango ako. I remembered it clearly. "Perseus is bound to Andromeda. Odysseus is bound to Penelope. And Orpheus is bound to Eury--" I stop in mid sentence. Tumingin ako sa kaniya. "Where's this conversation leads to?"
"You know what I'm saying, Orpheus."
I shook my head. "Are you the Oracle? Tumama kasi iyong kay Ody." I joked. May ex-girlfriend kasi ang kapatid namin na may pangalang Penelope. She remained silent. Hindi nalang ako nagsalita pa. "Come, I'll take you home."
"The organization..." marahan akong napalinga sa kaniya. I blinked many times to digest what she said. It's just two words but it meant a lot of things. "...they've found me."
"Damn..." I uttered under my breath. "But how? Akala ko ba wala ka nang contact sa kanila? You've told me Percy na kumalas ka na."
She nodded her head. "I did, Orphy b-but..." she began to tremble. I held her hand. "There's something I-I didn't tell you..."
"What do you mean, Percy?" I made her look at me. Ako at siya lang ang natatanging may alam ng tunay niyang trabaho. Percy worked for a certain organization as an undercover agent. Pero hindi niya masabi-sabi sa akin kung anong pangalan. And that's why I'm scared of. "Ano ba kasing organisasyon ang sinalihan mo dati? Why can't you tell me, Perseus?"
"Please listen to me, Orphy..." pakiusap niya. "There was this i-incident five years ago. I-it was the biggest case and--"
"It's getting dark. Hindi pa ba kayo papasok?" Ody interrupted. Nakatingin pa din ako kay Percy dahil sa sinabi niya. "Halika na, Percy, let's get you inside."
"I'll just jog muna." paalam ko sa kanilang dalawa. I watched them went home. Nang makapasok na sila ay saka ako nag-ikot sa buong playground.
Tinawagan ko si Babe para samahan ako. At hindi naman nagtagal ay dumating siya at sinamahan ako.
"Besty, I think I'm gonna die." reklamo niya.
"You don't die, you multiply." I replied, sighing. We did a 14-lap jog earlier.
She glanced at me, still catching her breath. "Anong konek, Orphy?"
Umupo ako kahit nahihingal pa din, "kasi masamang damo ka. At ang damo ay mabilis dumami. Gets mo na?"
"Ang harsh mo talaga sa akin!" kunwa'y tampo niyang sabi. "I hate you, Orphy! You hurts my feelings."
"Hurt kasi iyon, Babelita." umingos siya na parang bata. Tsk, so childish of her. "Do you have any plans tomorrow?"
Tumango siya. "Magsisimba tayo, 'di ba?" she sat beside me. "Kasama ba si bebe Ody ko?"
"Hoy, tigilan mo na nga iyang sexual fantasies mo sa kapatid ko. She's for Penelope."
She rolled her eyes."Duh," maarteng saad niya, flipping her hair backwards, "wala na sila kaya it's time for Babelita Aneeta Fuerteventura Dating-Ginoo to rise and shine!"
