Scourged

Chapter 3 | F A M I L I A R

F A M I L I A R

MY EYES swam with tears and I barely notice where I walked. Narinig ko pa ang pangalan kong tinatawag ni Erika, but I didn't stop. Not once. Mula sa malayo ay natanaw ko ang paparating na taxi. My quick steps accelerated into a run as I chased away the tears blinding my eyes with the back of my hand.

"Ali, sandali!" Naramdaman ko pa ang paghawak ni Erika sa braso ko nang makalapit na ako sa gilid ng kalsada, pero kumawala ako sa kamay niya at iniwas ko ang mukha ko sa kanya.

"I'm sorry. I need to go," I whispered. Ni hindi ko sigurado kung narinig niya ang sinabi ko. But I cared less that time. I just wanted to be far away from there. Away from Rozach and his wrath.

Pinara ko agad ang parating na taxi habang tumatawid sa daan. It was an isolated area of town at kaunti lang ang sasakyang dumadaan, kaya gusto kong magpasalamat na may dumaang taxi sa oras na kailangan ko. But still, I silently prayed it was vacant and it would stop, dahil mapipilitan akong maglakad palayo sa lugar na ito. I felt like staying another minute here would kill me.

The taxi slowed down, at tumigil iyon sa gilid ng daan. I was so grateful I could almost close my eyes in relief. Halos takbuhin ko na ang pinto. Erika kept on calling my name, telling me not to leave. Pero hindi ko siya pinakinggan at isinara ang pintuan, hanggang sa hindi ko na marinig ang boses niya.

I sagged against the cushion and closed my eyes. But I still met Rozach's fury filled eyes. Eyes that used to be desolation's home...

It was seven years ago when I first met him. Summer break. On the stage. Hindi pa siya vocalist ng Radical noon, that's why I already knew him even before Theo brought him in. But only for a fraction.

Nagbabakasyon ako noon sa pinsan ko. One night, we went to a band concert. Me, my cousin, Mia, and my girl best friend, Chippy. And he was there, strumming his guitar with the white light shining on him.

One more kiss could be the best thing
But one more lie could be the worst
And all these thoughts are never resting
And you're not something I deserve

I could still clearly remember the first word he sang. His voice. Soothing. Mending. Magic. And I stood there under the dark veil of the loud and noisy room with only the neon lights igniting around us, mesmerized. As if he felt my intense stare, he lifted his eyes from his old, worn out guitar and time seemed to freeze. In the midst of the crowd of sweating and crazed people, everything around me stops and all I could see was him with his eyes on me.

In my head there's only you now
This world falls on me
In this world there's real and make believe
And this seems real to me

You love me but you don't know who I am
I'm torn between this life I lead and where I stand
And you love me but you don't know who I am
So let me go
Let me go

It took that one infinitesimal moment that I knew I already met the one for me. The one I'm going to love for the rest of my life. It was the first time I actually believed that there is such a thing as love at first sight.

Ilang sandali lang iyon, but I felt it deep in my bones. Ilang sandali dahil napakabalis ng nangyari. He was singing there so good and the next thing I knew—everybody knew—someone had punched him in the jaw. A fight broke and everyone was running for their lives.

That was the last week of my high school.

I thought I couldn't see him ever again after that night. Pero nagkamali ako. First day of school the next year, he's walking on the university ground with a vandalized cast on his left arm.