PHANTOM: Tierra Firme Book 1

7: Mia

NANG MAGISING ako kinabukasan, hindi ko talaga alam kung ano ang aasahan. Kung wala siya sa tabi ko, siguro makukumbinsi ko ang sarili ko na napanaginipan ko lang ang lahat.

And it had been nice. Really nice. Saan ko naman basta hahagilapin, kahit malakas ang imahinasyon ko, ang ganoong klase ng panaginip?

But... he was there. He didn't leave.

Nagising akong nakahiga siya sa tabi ko, nakatihaya sa kama, nakapikit ang mga mata, regular ang paghinga... natutulog.

Parang isang normal na tao. Isang regular na tao. Hindi ang nilalang na nagagawang mag-conjure ng apoy sa fireplace at maging invisible. Hindi ang nilalang na kumuha ng virginity ko nang nagdaang gabi in the most unlikely but, for some reason, most instinctive and natural way. Hindi ang nilalang na nagke-claim na libo-libong taon na ang kanyang tanda, old enough to have been fathered by Adam and Lilith, and to have met Eve. Hindi ang nilalang na nagsabing isa akong Witch.

I stared at him. My face was so close to him I could see and count the pores on his flawless skin. Nakikita ko ring mas makinis pa ang balat niya sa akin. Luminescent, lalo na sa liwanag ng umaga na nagtatagos sa Spanish curtains na nakasabit sa mga bintana. Siguro, sa balat pa lang niya ay mahahalata nang hindi siya normal na tao lang.

An Ancient. He was an Ancient.

So that's why he would not show himself in public, or that he blurred pictures taken of him.

Nangati ang mga daliri kong haplusin ang pisngi niya.

But I restrained myself. There was some-thing special about just looking at him and admiring his beauty. Ang eleganteng hugis ng kanyang mga kilay, ang mahahaba, maka-kapal at malalantik niyang mga pilik-mata, ang perpekto sa tangos niyang ilong, ang mga labing iyon na mapupula at malalambot. Ang kanyang baba na perpekto ang hugis kasama ng kanyang mga bagang.

Naramdaman kong unti-unti na siyang nagigising. May kung ano kasing parang bumunggo sa utak ko, kamalayan na hindi akin. Presensyang parang naka-link na sa kamalayan ko. His mind had opened to me.

He turned his face towards me, and his eyes slowly opened. His irises focused on me.

I was surprised to find out his irises were a dark hazel with very tiny specks of green and they were lighter now in the morning light.

"Good morning," I whispered.

"Good morning," he replied just as softly.

"Bakit ang gwapo mo?" tanong ko.

Ngumiti ang seksing mga labing iyon. "Remember. I was one of the first created. I should be perfect physically."

Nakagat ko ang ibaba kong labi habang nagpipigil mapangiti. "I have gone crazy."

"No, you haven't. You just didn't know about us until now."

"Paano ang mga angels?"

"Nauna sila," aniya, matter-of-factly. "Pero extra-terrestrials sila. They have different constitutions. They are not meant to live on Earth unless someone of a higher vibration allows them to use their body."

Mind-boggling. I didn't even expect an answer. "Ang iba pang mga katulad mo?"

"Those that are still alive? Scattered. Maaaring nasa lupa sila, maaaring nasa ibang dimensions ng Earth."

Napakunot ang noo ko. "May iba pang dimensions?"

"Oo," simple niyang sagot.

"Sumasakit na naman ang ulo ko."

Ngumiti siya. "We have all the time in the world for your questions."

"Kumakain ka? Nagugutom?"