Brechmos Academy: School For The Lost

CHAPTER 22

"Lucy, are you okay? What happened?"

Napatingin ako sa harap at nakita sina Morgan, Rey at Andrew na nag-aaalalang nakatingin sa akin.

I put my hands down, realizing I was covering my ears. Naibuga ko ang hingang hindi ko alam na pinipigilan ko pala.

"A-ah, oo. Pasensya na." Wala sa sarili kong sabi. I tried calming my breath. Sobrang lakas ng pintg ng dibdib ko.

I looked around, and thankfully, no one else was looking.

"Ano'ng nangyari? Is your rarus bothering you again?" Tanong ni Andrew. Napatingin ako saglit kay Morgan na nakatitig sa akin. We both know this isn't about that anymore. Pero hindi alam ng dalawa iyon. She never told anyone about the dreams I was having, nor anything that I've told her.

"P-parang sumakit lang saglit ang ulo ko. Pero okay na ngayon." Agad kong sabi nang akmang magtatawag ng staff si Rey. Doc Cheska told them that if anything happens with me that could tick off my rarus, dapat ay magtawag daw ng staff to get me to the hospital without so much as a damage. Since then, wala naman nang nangyayaring kakaiba sa rarus ko. If anything, mas maayos ko na siyang nakokontrol ngayon. But the doctors still doubt it. They still want to make sure what was happening with my rarus, especially na nirereject ng katawan ko ang nilalagay nilang serums for tests sa akin noon.

"Are you sure?" Tiningnan ni Rey ang buong mukha ko. "Namumutla ka kasi." I held a hand against my cheek, slightly pinching it.

"Ayos na talaga ako. Pasensya na. Hindi na mauulit," sabi ko na medyo nahihiya na sa naging reaksyon ko kanina. I need to stay calm the next time these flashbacks come. And I don't know why, but I'm sure there are more to come.

"Don't you remember the monsters? Remember what they did."

Those were Genesis's words to me the last time I saw him. At pagkatapos nga ng nangyari, I feel like I could remember, eventually. If having dreams isn't an indication enough, then having this flashback certainly is. Hindi ko pa nakita ang imaheng 'yun kahit sa panaginip man lang. 

But is there anything else I really need to remember? Anything more than my life before outside the island? Have I known monsters before? Have I dealt with them?

Over the past days, bukod sa mga panaginip ko, hindi rin mawala-wala sa isip ko ang tagpo naming iyon ni Genesis. The words he said, the expressions he had, and the way he called me. Genesis called me by the name only one person I know calls me. Amanda Schuzner. Siya lang ang tumatawag na Amalie sa akin.

And with that alone, I feel my mind drawing a line to connect them together, but I still can't pin them down to finality. Hindi ko pa alam kung ano talaga ang koneksyon ng dalawang iyon sa isa't isa.

"You don't need to be sorry, Lu." Tinapik ni Andrew ang kamay kong nasa mesa na nakapagpabalik ng atensyon ko sa kanila. He smiled gently at me. "We understand." Maliit ko nalang din siyang nginitian at tumango. "Salamat."

"Alright. I'll take your order. What do you want?" Malaki na ang ngiti ni Andrew sa akin habang nagtatanong, as if wanting to break out of that suddenly sullen atmosphere we had earlier. Huminga ako ng malalim at kinalma ang medyo naghahrumintado ko pa ring dibdib.

"Thank you. I'll take the usual," sabi ko.

"Coming right up!" Sabay silang tumayo ni Rey at masiglang naglakad patungo sa counter. I stared, relieved, at Andrew's back. He didn't just appease the tension around us, he also appeased the anxiety that suddenly built in me due to that image and sound in my head—at least a little bit.

"What happened?" Nang makitang malayo na ang dalawa, agad na nagsalita si Morgan. She scooted closer to me, and I could see how serious she was.

Napatitig ako saglit sa kaniya, naibalik muli ang isipan sa memoryang pumasok nalang bigla sa isip kanina. Hindi ko kilala ang doktor na nagsalita sa memoryang iyon, pero pakiramdam ko ay hindi iyon ang unang beses na naranasan ko iyon. Even the place looks familiar to me. I clenched my fists, controlling the fear that I was getting just from that mere image.