TOP SECRET

7. Staying

Xandria's POV

My phone vibrate while I'm arranging my stuffs. I check it then I saw an MMS. A picture of James and Mark while a gun was pointed to them afar with a caption: Their in danger too. The another 1 MMS received. I opened the message it is a picture of Zen smoking somewhere.

With that picture I throw my phone then went out of the room. I saw John there at the couch.

"I change my mind John. I don't want to fly over a country this time. I won't run again. I am not a coward. You know me." I insisted to John. I don't wanna leave this place because I have businesses here to be done.

"But Miss Xandria. It's very dangerous for you to stay here. We need to leave now."

"John, you know me very well. I can protect myself. I can protect you either." Pagmamatigas ko kay John.

"Miss Xandria, please. Don't be a brat. We need to do this. He's back." John doesn't make any sense.

"Tsk. I know he's back." Maikling sabi ko sa kanya then leave him alone.

Takot na takot sila sa lalaking yun. Bakit? Ano bang kaya nyang gawin? Hindi ako ang taong kaya nyang takutin.

Mabilis akong nakalabas ng condo ni Mark. Nahihiya na ko sa kanya dahil mag iisang linggo na kong nagsstay dun at hindi ko pa nababayaran ang lahat ng ginawa nya para sakin. Nadamay pa sila sa laban ko.

Sumakay ako ng kotse, and drove myself to my hide-out. After an hour I'm already here. Sa likod ako ng mansyon dumaan dahil may secret passage dun papuntang underground. Sa ilalim ng mansyong to nakatago lahat ng gamit ko. Dito rin ako nagtetrain kasama ni Zen.

Si Zen na ang nakasama ko sa bawat training ko simula ng mawala na si Renz. Siya ang kasama ko sa bawat laban ko. Kaya panatag din ako sa kanya kahit na may gusto sya sakin. Err. Not that story.

Lumabas ang scanner sa gilid ng pintuan at tanging mata ko lang ang passcode para bumukas ang pinto papasok ng underground. Bago ako makapasok ay may taong nakaagaw ng pansin ko.

Si James... Sinundan nya ko. Tsk.

Lumapit na sya sakin kaya nainis ako. Bakit nya ko sinundan?!

"Anong ginagawa mo dito?!" Galit na tanong ko sa kanya.

"I-I just followed you. Nag alala ako kasi hindi pa magaling ang sugat mo tas umalis ka ng Condo ni Mark."

"Why do you care? You don't need to do that for me. I can handle myself." Iritang sabi ko sa kanya.

Naramdaman kong may paparating kaya naalarma ako. Hinatak ko si James papasok sa underground. Nagulat sya kaya wala syang nagawa. Sumara ng kusa yung sliding door. Nandito na kami sa hagdanan, daan papuntang mini gym ko.

"Anong lugar to Maxene?" Tanong ni James.

"Just shut up! You shouldn't been here. It's not safe so you just stay here, I'll call John and he will pick you up here."

Nasabi ko nalang sa kanya. Pero ang tigas ng ulo nya. Nilibot nya talaga ang buong gym ko nang makapasok kami rito. Hindi sya makapaniwala sa nakikita. Dito kasi nakalagay lahat ng armas na ginagamit ko sa mga works ko. Pati mga gadgets. Mayroon din akong tatlong screen tv na naka-hang sa gilid. Dalawang medyo maliit na screen at isang malaking screen na nasa gitna ng maliliit na screens.

"S-sino ka ba talaga? A-anong trabaho mo?" Natigil ako sa tanong nya. Bakit parang mayroon syang epekto sakin na kailangan kong sabihin sa kanya ang lahat ng tungkol sa trabaho ko?!

"Can you keep it if I'll tell you? If you can't then you don't have the right to know." I said meaningful.

"Max, you can trust me." Natigil ako. Yan din ang sinabi ni Zen sakin noong una kaming nagkakilala.

Naupo ako sa isang couch at sinabi na sakanya ang totoo.

"I'm not just an ordinary girl. I have this kind of skills that I don't want to have. I'm a killer." Nagitla si James ng sabihin kong killer.

"Why? Why you became one?" Medyo takot nyang tanong sakin.

"It's in our blood. They killed the ones I loved. And this is my destiny. This is my fate. I killed people not because I wanted to, I killed them because they needed to die on my own bare hands."

"Bakit mo ginagawa? Hired killer ka ba?"

"NOOOO!! Do you think I am that cheap?! I have my own money! I am Maxandria Amethyst Dale! I can have whatever I want. So I don't need to be a hired killer!" Dispensa ko sa sarili ko. Sumisikip yung dibdib ko. Hindi dapat ako nakakaramdam ng ganto. I hate this feeling!

"Then what are you?! Maxandria is your real name and not Maxene?! Sinasabi ko na nga ba at may tinatago ka! You should've said it to us. Si Mark na tumulong sayo sa daan--"

"Stop it! I didn't ask for it. It's just that I thought he was one of my grandpa's bodyguard." Hindi ko na kinakaya ang lahat ng pagkwento ko. Nagagalit nanaman ako habang naaalala ko kung bakit ako naging ganto.

*knock.knock*

Mabilis akong kumuha ng tatlong dagger at pumwesto sa gilid ng hagdanan. Tinignan ko si James at sinenyasang buksan ang pinto. May pag aalinlangan pa nyang tinungo ang pinto at dahan dahang binuksan ito. Nagulat sya ng biglang may lalaking sumunggab sa kanya at tinutukan sya ng baril. Alisto ko namang binato ang dagger ko sa kamay ng lalaki pero hindi ako nagpakita.

"Who are you?! What are you doing here?!" Naging kampante ako ng makilala ko ang boses

"Zen." Nagpakita na ko sa kanya at binitawan na nya si James.

Walang masabi si James kaya lumapit na sya sakin. At bumulong.

"Sino sya?"

"He's a friend." I just said then Zen talk.

"Who's he MAD? What is he doing here?!" Galit na sabi ni Zen. I know he's just mad because this place is our hide out. No one knows about this except me and him. Not even John.

"I don't have time to explain. I just want to be alone." Sabi ko sa kanya tsaka pumasok sa isang kwarto rito na ako lang ang pwedeng pumasok. Napapikit ako ng mariin...

"MOMMY!!!" I shouted when I saw my Mom bathing at her own blood. She looked at me worriedly.

"RUN XANDRIA!! AND DON'T EVER LOOK BACK! I LOVE YOU MY BABY. SO MUCH!"

Noooooo! Not now! I sat on the couch here at my private room. It's just a room with a couch and a drawer full of guns. There's so many posters on the wall, her picture all over the wall. Remembering her face. Her smiling face. I misses her so much. Then tears fall down all over my cheeks.

I missed you so much MOMMY...

------------------------