Bad For You

Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Guilty

I am terribly guilty of the ambush happened. And also, I am so worried about Beau and Mac.

Beau is still unconscious up to now. Hindi nailigtas agad si Beau dahil ibinigay niya iyong Casa Flamma necklace niya kay Paige. He sacrificed himself for her. I am so wrong about him.

Mac, on the other hand, he's having a trouble breathing. Ang sabi sa akin ay inilabas siya ng van na may oxygen mask pa rin.

Pumunta ako sa Flamma Building para bisitahin sana si Mac. Kahit na nagdahilan ako sa Security Guard ng building ay hindi pa rin ako pinayagan pumasok.  Alam ko naman na bawal dito ang ibang Casa, pero gustong-gusto ko lang malaman ang lagay ni Mac.

Tonight, I cried with a broken heart. Guilty of what happened. It's because of me. It's because I told my Dad about the day tour.

Tumunog ang phone ko kaya naman agad ko itong tinignan.

From: Dad

We failed. Not even one Flamma has been captured.

Kumunot ang noo dahil sa galit na naramdaman. Captured?! Anong sinasabi niya?

To: Dad

You said that no one will get hurt, Dad. You promised!

One flamma is unconscious and one is having a trouble breathing!

Students were hurt, Dad! This is so wrong!

Sunod-sunod ang mga text ko kay Daddy. I am so mad at him.

From: Dad

I thought we were clear?

Those people are bad people, Aurelia. Don't be fooled!

Nang mabasa ko ang kanyang reply ay binato ko na lamang ang phone ko. Ngayon ay hindi ko na alam kung papaniwalaan ko pa ang Daddy.

Magdamag akong umiyak kagabi. Cry away the pain at night, so you can fake a smile all day.

Ngayong araw ay may announcement sa Amphitheatre. Wala akong ideya kung tungkol saan iyon, pero pakiramdam ko ay tungkol ito sa nangyaring ambush doon sa Day Tour.

I saw Mac walking down the Amphitheatre. Napangiti ako dahil okay na ang lagay niya. Gusto kong lumapit at sabihing masaya ako na okay siya. But that will be weird, so I stayed still and just smiled from a far.

Nang makita ko si Paige ay lubos akong nagalak. "Paige!" tawag ko at tumatakbo papalapit sa kanya. Nang makalapit ay niyakap ko siya ng mahigpit. "Masaya ako at ayos ka lang!"

"Ako rin, Lia. Kamusta kayo? Wala bang nasaktan?" ani Paige.

Ngumiti ako. My Lola said that... A strong woman is one who is able to smile this morning like she wasn't crying last night.

"Wala. Karamihan ng mga estudyante ay nasa parte kung nasaan ang tree house at abandoned rides, hindi umabot ang usok doon." saad ko.

"Mabuti naman." aniya.

"Si Beau? Kamusta siya? Balita ko ay malubha ang lagay niya." I am truly worried so I asked her directly.

"Hindi pa rin siya nagigising." malungkot na sabi ni Paige.

I held her hand. "Magiging okay din siya."

Ngayon ay umupo kami sa bleachers ni Paige at nag-aantay sa kung ano man ang anunsiyo ng Headmistress.

I am beyond speechless knowing the truth about Paige's identity. She is Beau's sister. She's a Flamma.

My heart is jumping crazily. I am not mad at her at all. I am mad at myself knowing that I could be a key to cause her pain. Paige is a good person. I don't want to hurt her in the future. I don't want my Dad to hurt my friends. Any of them.

I spent my days researching about the Flammas. Why does my Dad think that they are bad people? I want to understand why. I want to understand my Dad and his motives.

Here's the following surnames I've searched for:

Gonzalez
Santiago
Mercado
De Guzman
Rivera
Monforte

All the Flamma Students in Garnet Academy.

I found out that every single businesses that the Flammas have were inherited from their ancestors. No reports of corruption, bankruptcy, and the likes.

Walang masamang bahid o ano pa man. Ang tanging may masamang report lang ay iyong Daddy ni Stephanie at tungkol iyon sa Physical Abuse. No theft, no anything money related.

I don't understand where is my Dad coming from? I am so confused!

The confusion brought me into searching for my Dad's businesses instead. I skip article per article, but there are no businesses that can be found under his name in any websites. How can this be possible?

My Dad is a co-owner of a loan business. That's what I know.

Hinanap ko ang company name at agad itong natagpuan, pero iba ang nagmamay-ari ayon dito sa website. This can't be wrong, right?

I got my phone and asked help. Iyong isa naming kaklase na isa ring Terra ay expert sa mga IT related things. I've asked if he can search anywhere around the web, however deep, the name Emerico Chen.

I decided to go outside. Gusto kong magpahangin at bumili ng stress reliever food.

Kumagat ako sa chunky kitkat na binili ko habang naglalakad sa hallway. Nakita kong bukas pa ang ilaw sa library. Teka 24 hours ba ito? Sabagay, maaga pa naman. Baka maya-maya lang din ay magsasara na.

Ilang saglit lang ay tumunog na ang phone ko at nakitang may sinend na picture sa akin si Travis. Isang Terra Boy na magaling sa computer. Agad ko itong binuksan at zinoom iyong screenshot na sinend niya.

Emerico Chen, owns a moneylending company that charges extremely high rates of interest, under illegal conditions.

Ni hindi na ako nakapagpasalamat kay Travis dahil nanginginig ang mga kamay ko at hindi makapagtipa ng kahit na ano. Tila nanlambot ang mga binti ko at napaluhod sa sahig.

M-my Dad... He lied to me. He betrayed me. I can't believe that the only family I have betrayed me!

Ang luha sa aking mga mata ay nag-uunahan sa pagpapatak. I ran inside the connecting room of the library. The dark and empty storage room welcomed me like I can cry there all night and it will be just fine.

Yinakap ko ang aking mga tuhod at humikbi. Hindi ko na namalayan kung malakas ang mga iyon o mahina. I just want to let it all out. All the frustration, all the anger, all the pain... Gusto ko lang ilabas.

All I want to do right now is cry and scream and let it all out because it's killing me inside.

Nagulat ako nang may panyong lumusot ulit sa ilalim ng pintuan. Nanlalabo ang mga mata ko pero pinulot koi yon. Ibang panyo ito, pero ang mga initials na naka burda ay pareho lamang.

D.G. was embroided beautifully on the handkerchief.

Is it just a mere accident that this handkerchief slip through the door or someone really gave it to me?

Ipinunas ko iyon sa aking mga luha. Para akong tanga na umiiyak tapos pupunasan ang mga luha tapos iiyak ulit.

Why is life so unfair? Or maybe it's not... Life is unfair to everyone anyway.

Tumayo na ako at nagpagpag ng puwitan dahil medyo marumi ang sahig doon. I need to go back to my room at baka masarahan pa ako rito.

Pagkabukas ng pinto ay halos atakihin ako sa puso nang bumalandra ang mukha ni Luke Mackenzee De Guzman sa aking harapan.