The Woman, The Dreams and The Moon

Chapter 20, Part 2: The Woman

Binalot ng dilim ang aking paningin. Hindi ko na alam kung anong mga sunod na naganap. The last thing I remembered ay ang pagtawa ni Nueva. I knew for a fact that we are being abducted papunta sa isang lugar. I can't imagine, Jane, was Nueva. She was a moon. Mahal ko ang bestfriend ko, Jane is different from Nueva. Gustong-gusto kong maniwala na si Jane at si Nueva ay hindi iisa but Jane transformed in front of me. I am gathering all my logical thoughts and thinking all the possibilities of Nueva copying Jane's figure but I cannot deny the fact that I saw Jane then she became Nueva. My heart bleeds and I can't stop crying. Nueva's power kept me sleeping but deep inside of me, I am hurting really bad. Hindi ko matanggap na all this time, Jane is an enemy. She is like a sister to me. She was present in almost everything about me. I shared my life with her. Hindi ko matanggap.

After that incident in front of my house, we are all forced to fell asleep due to Nueva's power but I really don't know why I am still conscious even though my body is completely sleeping. It feels like Nueva's power is not yet extreme. Hindi ganap ang pagpapatulog na ginawa niya. I am in a place like the mirror dimension but the difference is, it is completely black out. No lights, no chairs or even lamp stands. Hindi ko makalimutan ang sakit na dumudurog sa puso ko but I started to believe that Jane and Nueva are different persons. I made myself believed in that lie to ease my pain. Maya't maya pa, tila isang malamig na tubig ang bumuhos sa aking buong katawan. I felt like Nueva's power was washed away. Dahan-dahan kong iminulat ang aking mga mata, I found myself inside a van, chained by silver.

Ang sakit-sakit. Pagkatanggal ng influence ng power ni Nueva sa akin, all my senses became active again. I now feel in pain because of these silver chains in my neck, hands and feet. The metal was burning in my skin na tila ba pinapaso ka ng isang nagbabagang uling. Nanununot ang sakit sa aking buong katawan. Gusto kong sumigaw pero pinigilan ko ang aking sarili. Ayokong gumawa ng ingay na kukuha ng atensyon mula sa mga nagabduct sa amin. I noticed that John is also bound in silver chains while Angelo and Lucy were both blindfolded. After some seconds, John woke up. Bakas sa mukha ng lalaki ang matinding sakit na nararamdaman niya dulot ng mga pilak. He immediately saw me. His eyes searched me and when he found my eyes, he looked at me with concern na tila ba gusto niyang kalasin ang lahat ng pilak na nakatali sa buo kong katawan. "Vera, are you okay?" tanong niya habang hirap na hirap sa nararamdamang sakit. I nodded as a reply. With all his remaining strength, he said something to me na nagbigay comfort sa akin. "Kapag natapos ang lahat ng ito, let's live a normal life." he said while grasping for air. Kahit na sobrang tindi ng nararamdaman niyang sakit, he managed to grin. I should be annoyed because of his actions but surprisingly, at this moment, his annoying attitude brought assurance to me. A spark of hope that we can surpass this challenge.

Hindi ko alam kung kaya kong tagalan ang mga pilak na ito. I don't know kung hanggang saan ang lakas ko. After hours of enduring this pain, the van stopped. John's eyes looked at me intently. Kahit hindi siya magsalita alam ko ang nasa isip niya. He is telling me to act like I am asleep. I nodded as a reply to him. Then, I felt the van's door opened. The men who abducted us, carried me and travelled me somewhere. I slightly opened my eyes and discretely looked around the place. We are now in the mountains. Sa palagay ko, we are already in our tribe's location. We pass through the forest and now entering to a barn. Inihagis ako ng lalaki sa lupa pagkapasok namin. I heard some of my bones clasping dahil sa pagbagsak ko. When we are all gathered here, I heard a familiar voice.

"Where's Nueva?" tanong ng isang babae sa mga lalakeng nagdala sa amin dito. The men shook their heads as a reply to the woman. "Well, tell Lucas, the traitors arrived and ready for execution tomorrow." the woman instructed. The men followed her immediately. Then, I heard the woman's heels, creating a sound. Papalapit ang babae sa kinaroroonan namin. "Finally, Vera. I met you again." saad niya na tila ba alam niyang gising ako. "Do not pretend. I know you are awake." dagdag niya. Iminulat ko ang aking mga mata. I saw Rebecca Razon. I saw the greed in her eyes. Lumapit siya ng bahagya sa akin. She looked at me, directly in my eyes. Her eyes are now shining like the moon. Mata ng lobo. "Do you honestly think that you can come here by yourself and reclaim your mother's expired inheritance? Poor, Vera. Pagkakita ko palang sayo, alam kong ikaw ang anak ng traydor. Be thankful, you exist for long years. But tomorrow, it will be your end. Nasusuklam ako sayo. The blood in your veins are the blood of the traitor." she narrated. I smiled.