Mysterious, Mischievous, Malicious: VOLUME 1

CHAPTER 10 - THE CHESHIRE SMILE

LUCAS

WHAT IS THE DANGER LIMIT TO A PAINTBALL FIGHT? PARA SA AKIN, NASA MAXIMUM LIMIT NA YATA ANG NAKITA KO.
Earlier this morning, our official advisor, Mrs. Basco, told us that we were going to a private island owned by our school headmaster, the Geneta Island, to perform an "out-of-the-school-field-activity" that would "exercise our unity" and "enhance our knowledge" on navigating, and apparently, the school's activity was capture the flag.

Right now, we were boarding the four yachts. All in all, the students in our section had the total number of thirty-five, but apparently five students refused to come dahil wala silang "departing slip" na dapat pirmahan ng mga magulang.

Tatlong estudyante kada kwarto na lang ang ginawa ng mga academic professors. Pero dahil sobrang layo ng isla, higit seven hours pa ang byahe, naisipan na munang matulog ng iba. Elaiza and Athena, as expected, stayed in the same room, Therese wanted to stay with them but they declined. Hindi ko alam kung bakit ang sama ng pag-trato nila kay Therese eh ang bait-bait naman ng tao.

It was an hour before midnight when I realized I couldn't sleep. I kept tossing and turning at my bed, but I failed to even take a nap. At ang mas malala, pag ako nagising, hindi na ako nakaka-tulog. Bwisit.

After five minutes, I gave up and decided to take some fresh air at the balcony. Maybe a midnight stroll wouldn't be so bad.

Naka-tingin lang ako sa kawalan nang biglang may nag-salita sa likod ko.

"You're here."

I wildly turned around to see if anyone was behind me...but I didn't see anyone. The whole deck was empty, and unmoved like it was when I came here. Napa-pikit na lang ako sa inis dahil nangyari nanaman 'to sa akin.

Years ago, I suffered from amnesia when we visited Spain for a formal party, ever since then, parts of my past was trying to get inside my head again. Sabi nga ni mom, mas mabuti na lang daw na nakalimutan ko ang mga nangyari nung na-aksidente ako. I didn't know what she meant, but I was sure that my past was essential and dangerous, and I have a feeling that she was right. Forgetting it was probably for the best.

As far as I could remember was boarding Dad's private plane when I was eight and the rest was a blur. The only solid thing that I could remember was waking up in a hospital with my lost memories.

"What the hell are you doing here?" now this time, someone was really with me here on the deck. Athena was standing beside me, smiling faintly.

I turned to her and smiled back. "Hindi ako maka-tulog. You?"

"It's the death anniversary of a dead friend of mine." she whispered. "Death anniversary din ng mommy ko ngayon."

"Sabay silang namatay?" as soon as I said it, I immediately regretted it. I sounded so careless and rude that it made Athena stop for a while. Bwisit talaga 'tong napaka-laking bibig na 'to.

"Y-Yeah." mahina niyang sabi after a while of silence. "The same night, in the most ironic reason, it was the night of my seventh birthday."

"Sorry." I murmured. "Sorry for your loss."

She smiled, and her eyes seemed to twinkle in the dark. Wait, was she joking? Mukhang pinagtri-tripan lang niya ako eh.

But then again, I don't know how losing a mother felt like. When we were kids, Athena never told us anything about her family. I only met her father once when he forced her to move back to Spain after Queenie's death. Akala ko lang pareho lang kami at si Odysseus na galing sa broken family kaya hindi ko nakikita ang Mom niya.