The Paramount Code (The Odd Ones, Book 1)

058. Look Back, Look Forward

"Pero patay ka na... Pinaglamayan at nilibing ka na," ani Leia na punong-puno ng gulat at pagkalito ang tinig habang naglalakad papasok sa pavilion, "Paano po nangyaring buhay ka?"

Helga looked at Daniel first, before the two of them chuckled. She then sipped some from her cup of coffee before moving her eyes on the young lady approaching them.

"I died, yes. But you see, among my mutations is the ability to have multiple lives. Five lives, to be exact. Pagkatapos kong mamatay, ginawan ng paraan ni Daniel na makuha ang katawan ko sa morgue. I may have died, but my system was just... sleeping," Helga explained calmly, "I needed 24 hours to reset my system, before I got up again like nothing happened."

"Kung buhay ka, ano 'yung pinaglamayan namin? At pati na rin 'yung pamilya mo... Alam ba nila ang tungkol dito?"

Helga released another chuckle. "Take a seat first, will you, child?"

Leia, despite feeling hesitant, sat opposite Helga while giving the two suspicious looks. "Ano po ba talaga ang totoo?"

Napahinga nang malalim si Helga bago nginitian ang kaharap na dalaga. "Those were just ashes from burnt wood and pieces of paper. Walang magchecheck nun, hindi ba? At 'yung pamilya ko? Ni hindi ko nga kilala 'yun eh. Wala na akong pamilya. Kung sino man sila, siguradong nahanap lang sila ni Elise sa kung saan. The others probably did something to make my death more convincing and real to everyone. We're metahumans, sweetheart. We can make the impossible, possible."

Bahagyang nagsalubong ang mga kilay ni Leia. "Hindi ko pa rin maintindihan ang mga sinasabi ninyo..."

Daniel smiled as he gave Helga a meaningful look. "Helga, maybe you should start from the real reason why she went here..." he then moved his focus on Leia, "You want the truth, right?"

Isang tango ang itinugon ni Leia sa lalaki, bago muling ibinaling ang tingin sa babaeng kaharap niya.

Muling humigop si Helga mula sa tasa niya, at pagkatapos ay huminga nang malalim bago muling nagsalita. "About your father, Tobias... Just like you and me, he's also a metahuman. You see, a lot of metahumans, we all live harsh lives. Natatakot ang mga normal na tao sa atin at sa kung ano ang mga kaya nating gawin... Ang iba sa mga katulad natin, lumayas sa mga tinitirhan nila. Ang iba naman, tinapon at nilayuan ng sarili nilang mga pamilya.

"Lucky for us, there are a group of metahumans called the Sanctum who are taking in our kind to help them and protect them. While the adults and old people are not a big problem since they can fend and think for themselves, the children were a different case. Dahil doon kaya nagkaroon ng isang 'family system' sa Sanctum. Metahumans who are strong and capable enough to protect young ones are assigned to become a 'head of the family', and can take in young metahumans and raise them as their own. Ang iba sa kanila, mahilig sa mga bata at gustong magkaroon ng mga anak. Yung iba naman, gusto lang talagang makatulong. Merong mga mag-asawa, meron namang mga mag-isa lang.

"Yung biological father ko, half-British siya, at nakatira siya sa London... He was among those metahumans who took the young ones... Namatay ang nanay ko pagkatapos akong ipanganak, kaya kinailangan niya akong palakihin nang mag-isa. He had it hard, and he was struggling to find a job because no one will take care of me. That's when we were found by the Sanctum, and helped him get on his feet. Para makabawi sa tulong na ibinigay nila, pumayag ang tatay ko na maging foster father sa ibang mga metahumans na nahiwalay na sa mga magulang nila. He was more than eager to do it, since he always dreamt of a big family, and I wanted siblings...

"Tobias was older than me by six years, and I first saw him when he was brought in by my father at our home... Tatlo silang inuwi ng tatay ko nun, at pare-pareho silang lalaki. Together, we all grew up as siblings... I was even the youngest, and the only girl, in fact. Parang katulad lang sa sitwasyon ni Gwen... Your father and I, we were raised together like we were true family despite not being bound by blood...