Shipwrecked Hearts

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I went into the bathroom, it was surprisingly grand—nasa gitna ang bathtub at halos yari sa ginto ang stand nitong apat. There were weird engravements on the tub. Pumasok ako sa loob at naramdaman ang sensas'yon ng mainit na tubig sa aking katawan. It was satisfying and gratifying. Parang ayaw ko nang umahon pa, I just wanted to stay here.

Pinikit ko ang aking mga mata. The warmth of the water was slowly washing away the remnants of rain on my bare skin. Thinking I had enough. I stood up and went out of the tub. Kinuha ko ang bathrobe at sinuot ito, pagkatapos ay nagpatuyo ako ng buhok gamit ang t'walyang nakasabit sa tabi.

Lumabas ako sa banyo at saka ko sinuot ang mga damit na inihanda ni Excel para sa akin. Pinagmasdan ko ang sarili sa malaking salamin na nakapaskil sa pader pati na rin ang kasuotan. One plain cream-colored dress that fell until my knees. It was flowy and it complimented the curves of my body and my fair skin that was a little bit tanned because of the adventures I had before as a pirate captain. It made me look like I was glowing. It was simple with its small floral designs on each sleeve that snaked its way towards the joints of my arm, yet it was so elegant.

Matapos ang ilang sandali ay nakarinig ako ng pagkatok. I smelled the familiar scent of Excel, "pasok." Sagot ko kahit na alam kong pagmamay-ari niya ang lugar. Pumasok naman siya habang may dala-dalang babasaging pitsel na may disenyong mga bulaklak at dalawang tasa.

Umuusok ang bunganga ng pitsel, the aroma of the lemon tea filled the room with delicate fragrance. It somehow calmed my senses. It made the world seem serene despite the storm outside. Serene... the thought of Mermaid struck my mind and I was left sad for a second. Alam kong ganoon din si Excel, kaya siguro siya nagpapakaabala sa lahat ng oras upang hindi maalala si Mermaid. The world is really cruel.

"It seems like you've taken a liking to that dress."

I smiled and nodded.

"I weaved that myself." She explained. Umupo ako sa silyang nakatapat sa mesa. Sinalinan ako ni Excel sa tasa ng tsaa. I thanked her and took a sip—not too sweet, not too bland. It was the perfect brew. I felt the warm liquid fondling its way down into my stomach. I sighed in relief.

"This tea is good."

"It's made of lemon and honey." She said. Sabay kaming uminom. Sa gitna ng katahimikan na pumangibabaw sa silid ay napansin ko ang biglang pagkaseryoso sa mukha ni Excel. "Kid was your foster brother?"

Natigilan ako dahil sa kan'yang sinabi. Akala ko iniiwasan niya na maalala na siya kahit sa mga sandaling ito, ngunit siya na ang kusang nagbigkas ng kan'yang pangalan. Halatang hindi rin siya nakatiis. Gaya ko sa mga sandaling naguguluhan, kailangan ko rin ng distraks'yon. Kailangan kong malaman ang mga dapat kong malaman.

"Yes." I said, nilapag ko ang tasa sa mesa at saka tinignan sa mata si Excel, "my parents adopted him when I was a child... we had a history..." and I won't go into details anymore, "let's just say he brought out the psychopath inside me and I was forced into the custody of this mental asylum." I stopped for a few seconds.

"Noong nakalabas ako sa asylum, hindi ko na siya naalala. It seems like every memory that has something to do with Kid faded away. I only remembered him around this week, too. It's quite shocking. Ngunit dahil sa dami ng nangyari sa mga nakaraang araw, wala kang ibang magagawa kundi ang tanggapin ito. Force everything inside your mouth and gulp it."

Tila nag-isip nang malalim si Excel, "that's not possible... erasing the traces of someone in your memory." Suminghap si Excel na tila may napagtanto, "unless—"

"Unless what?" Kunot-noong tanong ko.

"Unless they used the Memory Alteration that I remember inventing myself. The memory alteration can also alter your memory by erasing memories of a specific person, but that process is hard, it takes time. Maybe that's what they did to you when you were put into the asylum."